WELLINGTON, Nov 24 (Reuters) - The New Zealand parliament passed a law through a key stage on Wednesday to put in place an amended scheme to cut carbon emissions. The governing minority National Party had the backing of the small Maori Party pushed the legislation through a detailed clause-by-clause examination making its final passage a foregone conclusion. The amended scheme gives extra support to big carbon emitters and delays entry for the farm sector, which accounts for about half of the country's emissions. The government made concessions to Maori interests, including support for forestry planting, to guarantee a majority for the legislation. All other parties in Parliament opposed the law, with the Greens and Labour saying the measures did not go far enough, and the free-market ACT party favouring a carbon tax. ((Wellington newsroom tel +64 4 471-4234, fax +64 4 473-6212 wellington.newsroom@reuters.com)) ((If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com))
People fish in a lagoon in Patok near Tirana November 23, 2009. The beach at Patok is one of the areas where the effects of climate change can be seen in ...
