Emissions budgets support secures action: Shaw

WELLINGTON: National’s support for the country’s first three emissions budgets cements climate action for several years, Climate Change Minister James Shaw says.

Labour and National have both committed to the budgets, which set caps for New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions for the next 15 years.

Political parties yesterday shared their views on the topic in a special parliamentary debate, recommended by the Climate Change Commission.

Climate Change Minister James Shaw billed the budgets as the ‘‘final piece of the framework’’ needed to embed enduring climate action in New Zealand.

‘‘We have never before had a binding domestic framework for cutting the pollution that we put into the atmosphere that causes global warming.’’

It gave New Zealand a much needed sense of certainty and predictability to future climate change policy, he said.

Mr Shaw said the politicisation of climate policy had stalled climate action for too long and emissions budgets would ensure progress is made no matter who is in power.

National Party deputy leader Nicola Willis said that while her party was committed to the budgets, National might have a different approach on how to meet them.

‘‘As with all government policies and spending, we need effective and efficient climate change policies, and so while we agree with the goal, we will not always agree on the path.

While Labour, National and the Green Party are on board with the emissions budgets, Act New Zealand and the Maori Party are not.

Act climate change spokesman Simon Court said the budgets were a waste of time and Maori Party coleader Debbie NgarewaPacker said the budgets did not go far enough. — RNZ

WELLINGTON: The Maori Party has criticised the Government over its carbon emissions budgets, saying they are ‘‘disappointingly weak’’ and give predominantly Pakeha farmers a free pass while punishing Maori landowners.

The Maori Party and Act New Zealand were the only two parties to vote against the budgets, which set limits on how much carbon dioxideequivalent greenhouse gases the country can emit over three periods up to 2035, as part of a longterm target of net zero emissions by 2050 and limiting global warming to under 1.5degC.

Act took an entirely different approach, saying the budgets and Zero Carbon Act they came from needed to be thrown out entirely.

On Monday the Government will unveil the emissions reduction plan, which will show how these budgets will be achieved.

Labour, National and the Green Party all voted in favour of the budgets in a parliamentary debate yesterday, continuing a run of crossparty support and collaboration that originally got the Zero Carbon Act over the line in 2019.

Maori Party coleader Debbie NgarewaPacker said the party had ‘‘made clear’’ to Climate Change Minister James Shaw more urgent and transformative action was needed.

‘‘Te Pati Maori does not support the proposed emission budgets — it’s disappointingly weak — as we believe that they should be tighter and more ambitious.’’

The party called for a greater focus on reining in methane emissions, which make up 44% of New Zealand’s gross emissions and place it among the highest percapita methane emissions in the world (sixthhighest for emissions overall per capita).

The party also pointed out what it saw as a disparity with current exemptions for farmers from the emissions trading scheme while the Government was looking to exclude pine plantations, which would greatly impact Maori landowners who rely heavily on forestry on marginal land.

‘‘The minister is giving predominantly Pakeha farmers a free pass while punishing Maori landowners through these changes. That is not a just transition by any stretch of the imagination.

‘‘A just transition will never be true if it ignores tangata whenua, and that is what you are doing.’’

Mr Shaw, who is also Green Party coleader, said he too was worried these emissions budgets did not go far enough while acknowledging some MPs felt the budgets were ‘‘unaffordable or unachievable’’.

However, the emissions budgets reflected the Climate Change Commission’s advice, as a politically neutral expertled body, he said.

‘‘These budgets are grounded in what the science says is needed and in a groundup analysis of what our economy can do over the coming 15 years.’’

Act climate change spokesman Simon Court said in a statement the emissions trading scheme should be the primary response to climate change.

He also called for these budgets to be met through highquality foreign carbon credits.

National Party coleader Nicola Willis said National supported the budgets but would not necessarily support the plan, to be released on Monday, on how to meet them.

‘‘That will be because we are committed to lowering emissions in the most effective way possible and in the most responsible way possible.’’

The party was concerned about a focus on planting pine to meet targets, reducing productivity — particularly in the food sector — and risking jobs going overseas, she said. —