Climate Change Solutions
Climate Change Solutions
The following proposals, strategies and action plans are part of the government's climate change response [114 kB PDF]. Background on the government's climate change and sustainability agenda is presented in the document New Zealand's climate change solutions: An overview [link to New Zealand Climate Change website].
New Zealand's aspiration is to be carbon neutral. To get there New Zealand is adopting the following targets:
- by 2020, we achieve a net increase in forest area of 250,000 hectares from 2007 levels
- by 2025, 90 per cent of our electricity generation is from renewable sources
- by 2040, our per capita transport greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by half of those in 2007
- we will be one of the first countries in the world to widely deploy electric vehicles
- we remain a world leader in agricultural emissions reduction research, and in the early adoption and application of new technologies and processes that reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.
Achieving these targets will allow us to be effectively:
- carbon neutral in the electricity sector by 2025
- carbon neutral in the stationary energy sector by 2030
- carbon neutral in the transport sector by 2040
- carbon neutral in the total energy sector by 2040.
The government has decided in principle to introduce an emissions trading scheme as its core price-based measure for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving broader sustainability objectives in New Zealand. Over time it will include all major sectors (forestry, transport, stationary energy, industrial processes (non-energy), agriculture and waste) and all greenhouse gases.
The New Zealand Energy Strategy sets out the government's vision for a reliable and resilient energy system delivering New Zealand sustainable, low emissions energy services. It is the government's whole-of-system response to the challenges of providing enough energy to meet the needs of a growing economy, maintaining security of supply and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy is the government's action plan to promote energy efficiency, energy conservation and the use of renewable sources of energy. It includes measures to reduce electricity demand, address energy use in transport, buildings and industry, and promote greater consideration of sustainable energy in the development of land, settlements and energy production.
The New Zealand Transport Strategy, updated in 2008, states a set of targets for the transport sector and actions to achieve these targets over the next 30 years. The NZTS 2008 has incorporated the transport energy target in the New Zealand Energy Strategy, namely to halve per capita domestic greenhouse gas emissions from transport by 2040 from 2007 levels, and included some key actions to achieve these targets, including New Zealand becoming one of the first countries in the world to widely use electric vehicles and encouraging greater use of renewable fuels.
The Plan of Action is a $175 million work programme from 2008 to 2013 that the government is implementing in partnership with the land management sectors, local government and Māori, in order to tackle climate change. It assists land-based sectorst to adapt to the challenges of a changing climate, take advantage of the business opportunities that may arise, reduce emissions and enhance forestry establishment.
The Waste Strategy is a framework for waste minimisation and management in New Zealand, with the goal of moving us towards zero waste in the long-term. It covers solid, liquid and gaseous waste.
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