New climate change ambassador appointed in New Zealand

The New Zealand government has appointed a new climate change ambassador as the international community negotiates the details of the Paris Agreement reached late last year.

The new ambassador would be Mark Sinclair, currently Ambassador to Japan, Climate Change Minister Paula Bennett said in a statement.

Sinclair made headlines in December last year when he led a diplomatic protest by 33 countries, including the U.S., Australia, Mexico, South Africa and the EU member countries, against Japan's resumption in whaling in the Southern Ocean.

Sinclair was a senior and experienced diplomat with extensive international negotiation experience and had a deep understanding of New Zealand's interests, Bennett said.

"The adoption of the Paris Agreement on climate change in December 2015 was a historic achievement, but it is by no means the end of the road," said Bennett.

Sinclair would take over from outgoing Climate Change Ambassador Jo Tyndall in the next few months.
Source: XINHUA