Passing the climate change emissions trading scheme this year would result in long-term investment of $12.358 billion in the next decade, research released today by the New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development said.

The council released the research in a bid to get members of Parliament to promptly pass emissions trading legislation.

Parliament has parked the emission trading scheme (ETS) bill while the Government tries to gather the numbers to pass it into law.

Delaying the bill would be costly, research by engineering, science and project delivery firm Sinclair Knight Merz found.

Passing the bill could generate 9600 new jobs, 4215 of which would be immediate.

New direct and indirectly created jobs from the $12.538 billion in investment would result in $5.56 billion in wages between this year and 2018.

Dairy farm incomes could be increased by $714 million a year, the research said.