Low emissions is more than zero carbon
OPINION:
Our climate plans presented to the Paris climate conference (COP21) in December 2015 are weak compared to other developed countries.
The Paris agreement was touted as putting the world on track to avoid catastrophic climate change by limiting global warming to ‘‘well below’’ 2°C.
However, scientists have warned the sum total of national commitments are not enough to keep global warming below that 2°C target without the removal of carbon from the atmosphere, aka ‘negative emissions’.
The Climate Action Tracker describes our 11 per cent reduction on 1990 carbon emissions by 2030 as insufficient.
If our lead was followed by the rest of the world, warming would reach over 2°C and up to 3°C. So more we need to do.
Here we are 21⁄ years after Paris and 21⁄ years before the world’s nations meet to set even more ambitious climate targets. What progress has New Zealand made?
The Green Party’s Zero Carbon Bill is in process for a late-2018 introduction. That Bill will provide a vision for how New Zealand may transition to a sustainable and climate-resilient future.
According to the Ministry for the Environment, the Bill will see ‘‘New Zealand put a bold new emissions reduction target into law, and establish an independent Climate Change Commission to keep us on track to meet our goals.’’
As a part of our democratic process, consultations on the Zero Carbon Bill will open on May 31 at which time information on the Bill’s proposals will be released. You can have your say on this crucial piece of legislation at mfe.govt.nz/have-your-say-zerocarbon.
In preparation for the new Bill, James Shaw, Minister for Climate Change, last month announced the membership of the Interim Climate Change Committee. This group of experts will begin work on New Zealand’s ‘‘transition to a net zero emissions economy’’.
It’s interesting to consider the framing used here. James Shaw talks about a ‘‘net zero emissions economy’’ and his Bill is titled the ‘‘Zero Carbon’’ Bill.
That’s quite clear - zero carbon, zero emissions on a net basis. Contrast that with the Productivity Commission’s ‘‘Low-emissions economy’’ draft report released last month.
The terms of reference to the New Zealand Productivity Commission were to ‘‘undertake an inquiry into how New Zealand can maximise the opportunities and minimise the risks of transitioning to a lower net-emissions economy’’.
That directive was prepared by Stephen Joyce, as Minister of Finance, in April 2017. It reflects the previous government prioritising the economy ahead of social and environmental sustainability.
What we have is a draft report by an influential government department subtly changing the clearly stated intentions of the government for a zero carbon economy, to something less than that - a lower net-emissions economy.
Is James Shaw capitulating to the economic hawks and lessening our climate goals from a focus on zero net emissions to one on ‘‘low’’ emissions?