We've got a real question as to why, you want to be spending $425 billion
each year on subsidising the oil industry, to produce emissions.
Why would you do that?
As we are subsidising fossil fuels, we are also subsidising air pollution.
And what we need to do instead is cut down on those subsidies,
reduce on air pollution,
perhaps even consider the possibility of using some of that money
to subsidise renewable energies.
APEC leaders said there should be a reform of fossil fuel subsidies and we really welcome that,
and of course we're in APEC and so we joined them in supporting that.
But actually, what's happened? Subsidies continue to increase.
That is a situation that's simply not sustainable for the planet.
I think a lot of people forget that trade is also a force for good.
Not just in terms of lifting incomes amongst the countries that trade,
but also for some of the rules that can help the world overcome some of these international problems,
like climate change.
We're not pretending that trade is the silver bullet.
We're not pretending that trade is going to resolve all climate change problems.
What we're saying is that trade disciplines, enforceable, legally enforceable trade disciplines
disciplines can actually make a difference.
They can actually force countries to eliminate and reduce their fossil fuel subsidies.
And if we’re going to progress as a world overcoming some of these environmental challenges
it's plain that we’ve got to work together internationally
and the World Trade Organization is one of the most important institutions in that regard.
The purpose of the meeting is to see how many other members of the World Trade Organization we can get
to embrace the project that we’re running to remove fossil fuel subsidies.
We need brave countries that can lead.
Sometimes they can be quite small as New Zealand and Finland both are.
We've got a ministerial statement that we're looking to move through the system,
where we'd get countries to join us, sign up and actually join us in trying to make this reform.
So this statement will be a very powerful mechanism to drive a process
in the World Trade Organization, to force real change on fossil fuel subsidies.
There would be no cheaper thing that the world could do to reduce climate changing emissions
than phasing out those subsidies.
The other thing that as a politician it concerns me,
we’re all always short of money and the extra money that’s spent on subsidising fossil fuels
can’t be spent on health or education services if the money is coming out of the governments pocket.
This needs to get done, I would argue within the next five years.
That looks very challenging.
Because to be perfectly frank, it's a very small group of countries that actually support this initiative.
The countries that are arrayed against us, that don't want to do this
are significant major contributors to fossil fuel expenditure,
to the use of fossil fuels. That's a big challenge for us.
I think people in New Zealand want their government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
to present a fair and responsible face to the world and
I think they’re proud of their government and their government services when they do the right thing.
And we feel we’re doing the right thing here.
I would urge people that are listening to this, or watching this to ask themselves:
"So what's my government doing? Is my government supporting this initiative? And if not, why not?"