Climate Change Minister James Shaw. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has defended the trip to Glasgow for the COP26 climate talks, stating New Zealand's presence at the talks is "important". National Party climate change spokesman Stuart Smith said Shaw's office had confirmed there were 14 staff travelling to the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow - nine from Wellington and five from overseas. The COP26 talks in Glasgow will be some of the most important climate change talks in recent years heading into the critical Paris deadline of 2030. Countries are being urged at COP26 to come together to up their Paris climate change commitments and to ban coal.

Source: New Zealand Herald September 20, 2021 23:24 UTC