LOWERING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
“This government has talked a big game on the climate change front, but on paper, its ‘accomplishments’, or lack thereof, put them in danger of being seen internationally as just blowing hot air,” says Nick Leggett, CEO, Road Transport Forum.
“An article published in January in Stuff, noted: ‘New Zealand is one of the few countries in the OECD to have increased gross emissions since 1990, doing so at a rate higher than all nations except Turkey, Iceland, and Australia.’
“When it comes to the climate change issue, the road freight transport industry has a lot of fingers pointed at it. But the hands connected to those fingers are ill-informed. We are open to, and actively following, technology advances that will enable freight to be moved in volume, via the road, using affordable fossil fuel alternatives.
“We are not interested in green-washing and run a watching brief on the progress on electricity, green hydrogen and biofuels to power heavy vehicles. To date, there have been issues regarding electricity and green hydrogen and we want to be sure diesel isn’t being replaced, just for the sake of it, by another energy source that causes harm to the planet or people. The issues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with cobalt mining for lithium-ion batteries have been well documented.”
Leggett says that, with the appointment of a new transport minister after the 2020 general election, the RTF sent his office briefing notes regarding road freight and the environment.
“New Zealand does not manufacture heavy trucks, and therefore, we are reliant on the global manufacturers to produce trucks that use alternative fuels that are affordable, can run in the New Zealand terrain, and would be supported by a re-fuelling infrastructure here.
“This is actually a good thing because most countries where trucks are manufactured are demanding high environmental standards. The international trucking industry has committed to reducing fuel consumption and thus CO2 emissions through technological innovation and energy-efficient driving.”
Leggett says the RTF believes the government should give serious consideration this term to incentivising the purchase of lower-emission or alternativeenergy trucks, as they have done with electric cars. This will assist in signalling to the market that change is expected and supported.
“It will also allow for innovation. We won’t know what’s best until we try. There needs to be open minds and avoidance of rigid overregulation to get change that meets the brief (zero net emissions by 2050).”
Leggett warns that significant capital investment will be required if the country is to effectively transition to new fuels. He adds that the last thing New Zealand can afford to do is reduce productivity and add time and cost to transport via rail and ship in the belief that will take us there.
“In road freight transport, we are sick of the illusional argument that a higher proportion of the freight task should be undertaken by coastal shipping and rail because of lower carbon footprints. This is tired thinking, lacking in imagination, inspiration, or a fact base.
“Rail and coastal shipping cannot contest the current road freight task, that is, 93% of the goods moved around New Zealand. Road is faster, more efficient, more resilient, and door-to-door. There is a place for both, but investment should be in the future, which is some form of road, not rail.
“We have shown our commitment to the government’s approach to reduce emissions from road freight in New Zealand. We have put suggestions on the table, and look forward to the delivery beginning,” he says.