PM: Not every law should consider climate change

Prime Minister John Key does not believe every new law should take climate change into account. Photo / Mark Mitchell, NZ Herald

The Prime Minister says although climate change is an important issue, he does not believe every new law should take it into account.

It comes after new Green Party co-leader James Shaw called for all new bills to be subject to vetting for its effects on New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions.

He announced the new policy at a conference in Wellington yesterday for Green parties around the Asia-Pacific region.

But John Key told TV One's Breakfast programme this morning that MPs were likely to consider some new bills that had no connection to climate change issues.

"We're not disagreeing with James and the Greens that climate change is important," Mr Key told the show. "Should every law have reference to climate change? I'd say no."

Mr Shaw said although it was easy for people to think of climate change as a foreign or abstract event, the climate crisis was having real impacts on New Zealand. He called for a climate assessment to be made whenever MPs considered new laws.