New Zealand announces it will halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030

New Zealand has announced it will add an additional layer to its plan to tackle a major worldwide issue, in stark contrast to Australia.

New Zealand has added an additional layer to its climate action plan, in stark contrast to Australia.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced an ambitious new emissions reduction target, with a pledge to halve its net greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

It comes as a key UK government adviser accused Prime Minister Scott Morrison of showing “no indication” of delivering on his 2050 net zero climate plan.

New Zealand’s new target, announced as world leaders gather in Glasgow for the critical COP26 summit on climate change, is substantially higher than the previous goal of a 30 per cent reduction set as part of the 2015 Paris agreement.

New Zealand’s enhanced contribution to the global fight on climate change “represents our fair share, and is in line with what’s needed if we are to avoid the worst impacts of global warming,” Ardern said in a statement on Sunday.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Picture: Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images

“While we are a small contributor to global emissions, as a country surrounded by oceans and an economy reliant on our land we are not immune to the impact of climate change, so it’s critical we pull our weight.

“New Zealand’s enhanced contribution to the global effort to fight climate change now represents our fair share, and is in line with what’s needed if we are to avoid the worst impacts of global warming on New Zealand.

“Climate change is a priority for the government because it’s a threat to our economy, our environment and our everyday lives.”

Emissions are currently about the same as they were in 2005 and Climate Change Minister James Shaw described the next decade as “make or break” for the planet.

#BREAKING The climate pollution NZ is responsible for in 2030 will be half what it is today.

This decade is make or break for the planet. So today we’re increasing what we do to help limit global warming to 1.5°C.

It’s a huge step but we can & should always strive to do more.

— James Shaw (@jamespeshaw) October 31, 2021

“It is because we have singularly failed as a country over the course of three decades to reduce our emissions that we are now in a starting position that means that we sort of have no choice,” he said.

“To stand a chance of limiting global warming to 1.5C, the science shows we now have about eight years left to almost halve global greenhouse gas emissions.

“That’s eight years for countries to make the necessary plans, put in place policies, implement them, and ultimately deliver the cuts.”

Under a complex system for determining the contribution to fighting climate change, the cuts will include arrangements helping other countries reduce their emissions, drawing criticism from the opposition National Party.

“National supports using global carbon markets to achieve our targets, but there is no sense in setting a target that overreaches and simply signs New Zealand up to a huge bill as we buy units from overseas,” the party’s climate change spokesman Stuart Smith said.

Australia under fire

Just last week, Australian Prime Minster Scott Morrison faced intense pressure to commit to a climate plan after numerous meetings with The Nationals.

The federal government eventually made a deal but it has been heavily criticised for failing to produce any modelling.

Last Tuesday, Mr Morrison outlined his plan to reach net zero emissions by 2050 ahead of his major trip to a UN climate summit, using a late-night interview to reject concerns the government has broken a promise not to increase climate targets.

Under the plan, more than $20 billion will be invested in low emissions technologies including carbon capture and storage.

The Prime Minister also unveiled new projections, which if reached, could see Australia reduce emissions by 30 to 35 per cent by 2030.

But there are concerns. The modelling, which supports the plan, will not be released until a later, unspecified date.

Australian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes hit out at the government’s commitment, calling it “just more bulls**t”. Jacinda Ardern on the other hand has added another commitment on top of the net zero deal she made in 2019.

Complete turnaround

Former Liberal Finance Minister Mathias Cormann says a locally consistent price on carbon could be the most effective way to reduce Australia’s emissions.

Mr Cormann was a senior member of a number of Liberal governments before leaving parliament last year to head up the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as Secretary-General.

During his time in politics he was highly critical of the Gillard government’s carbon tax.

Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Mr Cormann said he admires the political leadership Mr Morrison has shown by committing to net zero but he supports a globally coordinated approach to carbon pricing.

“I think it’s a huge achievement,” Mr Cormann told political editor Andrew Clennell, while crediting Mr Morrison.

“I admire the political leadership he’s displayed to be able to get Australia into that position.

“And it’s great that Australia is joining the overwhelming part of the global community that is committed to achieving global net zero by 2050.”

Mathias Cormann. Picture: Clemens Bilan/Getty Images

Funding does not go beyond 2030

Australia’s federal government is refusing to provide detail on how much taxpayers will have to pay over the next three decades in order for the nation to become carbon neutral.

Energy Minister Angus Taylor said the funding that’s already been announced would only stretch to 2030.

Under the current plan, $20 billion will be invested this decade, but Mr Taylor said it was unclear what taxpayers will pay beyond that.

“We are committing between now and 2030, we’re looking 10 years out — governments often look only four years out, we’ve looked 10 years out,” Mr Taylor told the ABC’s Insiders program from Rome.

“What a government in the 2040s, or 2045 or 2047 spends will be up to that government,” he said.

“... Future governments will allocate as they see fit into the 2030s, and 2040s – I’m not going to commit for future governments in the 2030s and 2040s.”

Labor Leader Anthony Albanese has also slammed Mr Morrison’s “plan”, posting: “The word plan doesn’t constitute a plan no matter how many times you say it”.

Australia has also been criticised in numerous publications for being one of the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases “on a per capita basis”.

What is the actual cost to taxpayers for getting to net zero emissions in the government's plan? Is it $20 billion?

"Taxpayers aren't paying anything," @AngusTaylorMP says.#Insiders#auspolpic.twitter.com/r9WSqgDD80

— Insiders ABC (@InsidersABC) October 30, 2021

ScoMo slammed on the Project

Former federal Environment Minister and Midnight Oils rock royalty Peter Garrett also had some choice words when asked about Australia’s climate change stance in the lead up to Glasgow’s COP26 conference on The Sunday Project tonight.

When asked whether he gave Prime Minister Scott Morrison “any credit for getting Australia to this point – net zero by 2050?”, Garrett was blunt in his reply.

“Ah, absolutely nil,” he said. “You know, it’s almost difficult to talk about it on a good show, because it’s such a bad scene. It’s true that climate has been a really difficult issue for us over the years.

“And without waving any kind of partisan flag, we did have a scheme in place that did reduce emissions and the sky didn’t fall in – but of course, it was overturned later on by (former Coalition prime minister) Tony Abbott.

“But I think public opinion has moved on and people understand this issue better, but as well as that, the science is clearer and the need for action is absolutely right in front of us.

“And so it is a really low point in our political history that he shows up with 15 pages of nothing, and I give him absolutely zero credit at this point in time.”

When it was suggested Garrett, a former Labor Minister, was possibly being harsh considering his own complicated negotiations with other political sides in Federal Parliament such as The Nationals, he replied, “Look, we did struggle with it, but we got a scheme up, and then Tony Abbott pulled it apart.

“And the interesting thing about it is – who can forget the Nationals and these other dinosaurs in the parliament?

“I remember it clearly – Whyalla was going to be wiped off the map, $100 for steak sandwiches, and then the last time ‘round, we weren’t going to have weekends, tradies wouldn’t have their utes …

“I mean, it has just been a case of shoddy propaganda run on the behest of the fossil-fuel industries. There’s nothing new in this document that he’s waving around.

“He calls it ‘The Australian Way’. It’s actually the un-Australian way, to be going into an international conference with your clothes off like this, just as a shill for the fossil-fuel industries who don’t even pay their fair share of tax in our country.”

Midnight Oils rocker and former federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett had some choice words to say on climate change when he appeared on The Sunday Project this evening.