In several countries, court rulings have forced governments to make stronger cuts to emissions. But New Zealand courts have so far stayed clear of imposing legal steps, calling for regulation instead.
New Zealand’s international pledges, domestic laws and carbon budgets run on different timelines. They could be better aligned to make sure everyone understands how Aotearoa plans to cut emissions.
New Zealand’s climate policy is largely copied from other countries, and when judged against objectives such as the 1.5°C target, its actions remain inadequate.
I have criticised this government’s climate policy in the past for being big on promise but short on concrete policies. But this financial disclosure policy has some real teeth.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has warned that afforestation is a risky approach to combatting climate change.
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A new report suggests New Zealand should rethink climate policy and use forests to offset only agricultural emissions, which make up half of the country’s total emissions, and not carbon dioxide.
New Zealand is considering whether or not agricultural greenhouse gases should be considered as part of the country’s transition to a low-emission economy.
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New Zealand could become the first country to put a price on greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.
According to a recent report, New Zealand will need to increase renewable electricity generation, plant more trees and continue switching to electric transport more rapidly to achieve its zero carbon goal by 2050.
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New Zealand has set itself a goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, and a recent report by the Productivity Commission lays out how it could hit that target.