New Zealand ‘to be carbon neutral by 2050’

N e w Z e a l a n d ’s g o v e r n - m e n t h a s i n t r o d u c e d a bill that aims to make the nation mostly carbon neutral by 2050.

The proposed legislation has split both the farming and environmental lobbies – with some of the former g r o u p s ay i n g t h e me a s - ures are too onerous, while green groups argue it does not go far enough.

Other proposals to tackle climate change include planting a billion trees over 10 years and ensuring the electricity grid runs entirely on renewables by 2035.

The bill would require all greenhouse gases except methane from animals to be reduced to net zero by 2050. Methane emissions wo u l d b e r e d u c e d by 10 p e r c e n t b y 2 0 3 0 a n d b y bet ween about a quar ter and a half by 2050.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said climate change was the biggest single challenge facing the world.