New Zealand pledges to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 | New Zealand

New Zealand has pledged to cut its net greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030, toughening its previous ambitions to limit global warming on the eve of the United Nations Cop26 climate conference.“While we are a small contributor to global emissions, as a country surrounded by oceans and an economy reliant on our land we are not immune to the impact of climate change, so it’s critical we pull our weight,” prime minister Jacinda Ardern said in a statement on Sunday.“New Zealand’s enhanced contribution to the global effort to fight climate change now represents our fair share, and is in line with what’s needed if we are to avoid the worst impacts of global warming on New Zealand.“Climate change is a priority for the government because it’s a threat to our economy, our environment and our everyday lives.”Leaders of the 20 richest countries are expected to acknowledge the existential threat of climate change and take steps to limit global warning at the Cop26 summit starting on Sunday evening in Glasgow, Scotland.While New Zealand’s share of global greenhouse gas emissions is small, its gross emissions per capita are high and it is one of the world’s worst performers on emission increases. Emissions in New Zealand rose 57% between 1990 and 2018 – the second-greatest increase of all industrialised countries. Earlier this year, data showed New Zealand’s emissions had increased by 2% in 2018-19.Ardern and climate change minister James Shaw said in their joint statement that the previous target was not consistent with global efforts to limit global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.New Zealand’s previous target was to bring emissions to 30% below 2005 levels by 2030.Under the 2015 Paris Agreement that committed signatories to keeping global warming to “well below” 2C above pre-industrial levels, and preferably to 1.5C, each country adopts an international target known as a nationally determined contribution (NDC).New Zealand’’s updated NDC is expressed as a target to reduce net emissions by 50% below gross 2005 levels by 2030. This equates to a 41% reduction on 2005 levels using what is known as an “emissions budget” approach.“The improved NDC comes off the back of our increased investment in climate aid, especially in the Pacific, and represents a big step up in New Zealand’s role in tackling climate change,” Ardern said.Shaw said the coming decade would be “make or break” for the planet. “To stand a chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 Celsius, the science shows we now have about eight years left to almost halve global greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.“That’s eight years for countries to make the necessary plans, put in place policies, implement them, and ultimately deliver the cuts.“To meet our new NDC the first priority will be to reduce emissions at home – and to do so in a fair and equitable way. This will be driven by the emissions reduction plan we will publish next year.”The New Zealand government has introduced several policies to lower emissions during its second term, including promising to make its public sector carbon-neutral by 2025 and buy only zero-emissions public transport buses from the middle of this decade.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/31/new-zealand-pledges-to-halve-greenhouse-emissions-by-2030