Methane goal stays unchanged in bill

The Government’s Zero Carbon Bill has emerged from its select committee review with no changes to its controversial methane reduction target.

This is despite months of lobbying from agricultural bodies to reduce the methane target and from environmental groups to set it higher. The National Party pushed for the bill to be softened, and has not yet decided how it will vote. Climate change spokesman Scott Simpson said the party could well support the bill through the second reading while stipulating it would repeal parts of it if elected. The target remains a 10 per cent reduction on methane from 2017 levels in 2030 and a reduction of 24-47 per cent by

2050. The much-delayed Zero Carbon Bill is the Government’s flagship climate change policy.

Following a model pioneered in Britain, it will set several emissions targets for 2050 and

2030 in law, establish an independent climate change commission to advise governments on how to meet those targets, and require governments to respond to them.

The target for carbon emissions – the emissions from transport, energy production, and most industry – is net zero by 2050. But it is the methane target which has caused much more controversy.

Methane makes up roughly half of New Zealand’s emissions profile and primarily comes from agriculture – in particular dairy cows.

Simpson said National wanted the climate change commission itself to recommend the targets rather than the Government. He was supportive of the overall goal of keeping warming to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050 however. National’s support is not needed to pass the bill but the Government has sought to keep them on board to future-proof the bill against being seriously amended when National is next in power.

Simpson said he hoped the Government would insert several amendments, including delegating the methane target to the commission, increasing research and development spend, and more consideration of economic effects.