New Zealand aims to accelerate its adoption of electric vehicles and investigate hydrogen as an alternative energy source as it seeks to phase out fossil fuels and play its role in mitigating global warming.
Announcing its first emissions reduction plan in Wellington yesterday, the government said it would initially allocate NZ$2.9 billion (US$1.82 billion) over four years to fund a range of measures, from electric vehicle incentives to phasing out coal boilers and helping farmers reduce methane emissions from livestock.
“This is a landmark day in our transition to a low emissions future,” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a statement. “We’ve all seen recent reports on sea-level rise and its impact right here in New Zealand. We cannot leave the issue of climate change until it’s too late to fix.”
Photo: AP
Despite contributing only a tiny fraction to global greenhouse gas emissions, the government said New Zealand needs to play its part in limiting world temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
The measures also aim to protect the nation’s environment and maintain the “clean, green” image it trades on.
“In New Zealand our environment really is our economy,” New Zealand Minister of Finance Grant Robertson said. “Our clean, green brand has never been more important.”
The government is to step up efforts to decarbonize transport, aiming to have at least 30 percent of the country’s light vehicle fleet electric by 2035.
It plans to continue to provide a clean vehicle discount to encourage the purchase of low-emission cars, invest in electric vehicle charging infrastructure and help low and medium-income households to buy an electric vehicle if they scrap their old gas guzzler. It is also to trial an electric vehicle leasing scheme.
It aims to decarbonize the entire public transport fleet by 2035.
Efforts to reduce the waste going to landfills are to be implemented, with most households having access to kerbside food waste collection by 2030. The government is also to ban new low and medium-temperature coal boilers and phase out existing ones by 2037.
New Zealand’s economy relies on agriculture, particularly cows and sheep whose methane emissions are a major contributor to global warming. The country, which is the world’s biggest dairy exporter, has more than 10 million cows and beef cattle, and almost 27 million sheep. That compares with just more than 5 million people.
Of the NZ$2.9 billion in allocated spending, NZ$710 million is earmarked for lowering emissions from farms, expanding forestry to reduce carbon and producing alternative “green” fuels.
The government, which plans to start pricing agricultural emissions from 2025, said that it would establish a Center for Climate Action on Agricultural Emissions to accelerate the research and development of products that help reduce on-farm greenhouse gases.
Funds are also to be allocated to develop a comprehensive energy strategy, including a hydrogen roadmap and the creation of a regulatory framework for offshore wind energy.
“Hydrogen as a fuel could enable the decarbonization of hard to electrify sectors such as heavy freight and steel,” the government said. “The roadmap will provide the nascent green hydrogen sector with further clarity on how the government will support a pathway to an economically sustainable market for hydrogen.”
The initiatives are to be paid for from a NZ$4.5 billion Climate Emergency Response Fund, which is backed by proceeds from the nation’s emissions trading scheme.
The government last week set targets for greenhouse gas reductions over the next 14 years as part of its aim to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
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