Climate lens on government decisions

Major government decisions will be required to go through a climate change assessment before being taken, thanks to a new rule.

A Cabinet circular instituted by the Greens means any legislation or government decision aimed at reducing emissions or likely to greatly increase emissions will have a mandatory ‘‘climate impact assessment’’ attached.

This will join other mandatory assessments of how bills effect human rights, the Treaty of Waitangi, rural communities, the disability community, and gender.

The Green Party won a commitment to some kind of climate assessment for new laws in its confidence and supply agreement with Labour.

Climate Change Minister James Shaw said this change went one better because it applied to all government decisions, not just new laws.

‘‘Ensuring ministers are aware of the implications a decision may have for New Zealand’s future greenhouse gas emissions will be vital to ensuring we are all playing our part in meeting the commitments we’ve made,’’ Shaw said.

‘‘Government makes many decisions all the time. Many, but not all, of those decisions will have an effect on climate change.

‘‘With infrastructure, you make a decision on a piece of infrastructure with a 30- or 40year lifespan, and you’ve suddenly locked in a certain emissions path. We want to be aware of that.

‘‘It’s crucial that when we’re making big decisions, climate change is at the forefront of our minds. I’m delighted that we’ve developed a tool for the whole Government to easily assess whether policies we’re considering at Cabinet will increase or reduce the emissions that impact on New Zealanders’ quality of life in decades to come.’’

Shaw said that in the past, different parts of government could unknowingly contradict themselves by moving on climate change with one arm and increasing emissions with the other.

Not every decision will have a Climate Implications of Policy Assessment (CIPA), however. An early decision will be made on whether a policy has the potential to cause emissions of more than 250,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in a year, or if it is intended to reduce emissions. If not, it won’t get a full CIPA.

The assessment will look at direct impacts but not indirect impacts on introduction. This means that a new trade deal would be unlikely to have a CIPA completed, despite the fact it could increase trade and thus freight emissions.

This differs from Regulatory Impact Assessments, which are completed on almost all pieces of government work, mostly to assess the impact on the economy, and are overseen by Treasury.

CIPAS will be overseen by a dedicated team at the Ministry for the Environment.

CIPAS will be proactively released to the public, likely giving the Green Party a powerful weapon for the next time it is in Opposition.

Shaw characterised the new rule as part of a larger body of work to set a new governing framework for the next 30 years that encouraged emissions reduction, much like a series of bills 30 years ago that encouraged low inflation and low government debt.

‘‘It’s crucial that when we’re making big decisions, climate change is at the forefront of our minds.’’ James Shaw Climate Change Minister