PM: It’s an emergency

The Government declared a climate change emergency yesterday, and promised to clean up its own house – wiping away the 7 per cent of carbon emissions the public sector contributes by 2025.

This ambitious target will include the operation of the Government’s schools, hospitals and public housing estate, although many details about the feasibility of the goal are still being worked through and complete decarbonisation may not be feasible.

The climate change emergency declaration was made by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and New Zealand joins 32 other countries and numerous local jurisdictions.

“This declaration is an acknowledgment of the next generation: an acknowledgment of the burden that they will carry if we do not get this right and if we do not take action now,” Ardern said.

The motion included a promise to make the public sector carbonneutral by 2025.

This meant each agency or department was directed to either reduce its own emissions or buy offsets to reduce them within the next five years.

The motion was supported by Labour, the Green Party and the Ma¯ori Party, and opposed by National and ACT – who both derided it as an empty gesture.

Ardern said the public sector promise was a real commitment to go alongside the declaration.

“The public sector needs to be and will be an exemplar that sets the standard we all need to achieve by 2050,” Ardern said.

All Government departments and ministries will be required to measure their emissions and offset the ones they cannot remove by 2025.

Government buildings over 2000 square metres will need to meet a new energy efficiency standard by 2025 while new builds and leases will need to meet green building standards.

Agencies will be required to ‘‘optimise’’ their car fleet with a reduction of vehicles, and electric vehicles being preferred for new vehicles, or hybrids where electric vehicles are not appropriate.

This included all government departments and ministries as well as the police and defence force.

However, the police just signed a fiveyear leasing agreement for internal combustion engine vehicles.

This included schools and hospitals, but the Government was still working out whether this responsibility would fall on individual boards of trustees and district health boards, or the ministries that fund them. It was unclear exactly how the Government’s 70,000 public homes would be included. Tenant behaviour would be exempted but construction of new homes would be set at a higher standard.

Climate Change Minister James Shaw noted new Kainga Ora builds already had to meet a Green Star 6 rating, but declined to comment on retrofitting the huge existing stock.

University of Otago associate professor Dr Janet Stephenson, the head of the Centre for Sustainability, said the Government could see some serious double-wins if the Government attempted to decarbonise its housing stock.

‘‘The co-benefits from that kind of investment would be massive. Because if you are trying to make housing zero carbon then you are investing in really good insulation and carpets and possibly really good solar power on the roof,’’ Stephenson said.

Climate change researcher David Hall said it was vital the Government set an example for the private sector by cleaning up its own house.

‘‘I think this is absolutely vital that they need to set a precedent and demonstrate that they are willing to walk the walk and do the introspection that they are asking private companies to do,’’ Hall said.

National’s new climate change spokesman Stuart Smith said National would not support the declaration as it was ‘‘virtue signalling’’ and not effective.

‘‘National is fully committed to efforts to address climate change. We are committed to the Paris Agreement and to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, but declaring a climate emergency is nothing but virtue signalling,’’ Smith said.

Green MP Chloe Swarbrick yelled ‘‘wrong decade’’ during Smith’s speech.