<\/p>\n
\nClimate Change Minister Simon Watts.
\nPhoto: RNZ\/Mark Papalii\n<\/p>\n
It is impossible for New Zealand to meet its climate change commitments with only domestic emissions reductions, analysts say.<\/p>\n
One says there will “always” be a cost to climate change, no matter how the country chooses to deal with the crisis, and the government needs to be clear about how it will meet that<\/a>.<\/p>\n Finance Minister Nicola Willis said earlier this week that the government was not prepared “to send cheques for billions of dollars offshore”<\/a> for carbon credits, in order to meet its 2030 Paris Agreement commitment.<\/p>\n Climate Change Minister Simon Watts said the government was still “exploring all available options to meet our [2030] commitment” but that offshore mitigation – paying to help other countries reduce their emissions – was not part of the current plan.<\/p>\n Both ministers said the government was instead prioritising reducing New Zealand’s domestic emissions.<\/p>\n In a written statement Watts told RNZ the entire target could be met domestically due to a coming “renewable energy boom” and “increasing confidence” in agricultural technology.<\/p>\n “We believe it is possible … but acknowledge it will be challenging.”<\/p>\n Existing data<\/a> shows that New Zealand will currently fall short of the 2030 target – to halve net emissions from 2005 levels – by 84 million tonnes (Mt) of greenhouse gases.<\/p>\n \nFinance Minister Nicola Willis said the government was not prepared “to send cheques for billions of dollars offshore” for carbon credits. In a scenario where there was “much higher uptake” of methane-inhibiting agricultural technology, the Ministry for Environment still projects a 66Mt gap.<\/p>\n Compass Climate independent analyst Christina Hood said recent policy changes would worsen that gap, not close it.<\/p>\n “The various decisions that the current government has made has actually put us on a higher emissions track than we would have otherwise been.”<\/p>\n Modelling from the Climate Change Commission had recommended a more ambitious ‘net-negative’ 2050 target – since rejected by the government.<\/p>\n “If you did that, the scenario that would get you towards those targets would have us reducing emissions quicker.”<\/p>\n Even that would still not get the country all the way to the first Paris target in 2030, she said.<\/p>\n “There would be about a 50 million tonne, I think 49 million tonne gap left rather than the current 84.”<\/p>\n The government could not simply lean on an even faster adoption of agricultural technology than was projected, Hood said.<\/p>\n “There’s no credible scenario that suggests that can happen.<\/p>\n “If they thought that, why are they weakening our methane targets, rather than strengthening them?”<\/p>\n \nA cow rests under solar panels in Waiuku.<\/p>\n
\nPhoto: RNZ \/ Samuel Rillstone\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\nPhoto: Gianina Schwanecke \/ Country Life\n<\/p>\n