기본 콘텐츠로 건너뛰기

Government's new climate target for 2035 'shockingly unambitious' - climate expert

 

Government's new climate target for 2035 'shockingly unambitious' - climate expert



The government's new climate target for 2035 has surprised even some of its strongest critics with how small the promised emissions reductions are.

All countries including New Zealand agreed to aim for the strongest possible ambition to avert worsening heat and increasingly severe weather disasters.

The government's new target requires emissions to fall just one percentage point between 2030 and 2035.

There is a possibility the government could increase that to five percentage points if methane-cutting technology takes off on farms.

The current target - set in 2021 - commits the country to making 50 percent reductions off 2005 climate pollution levels, by 2030. The new target promises 51-55 percent reductions by 2035.

Technically, taking the goal of minus 50 percent by 2030 and increasing it to minus 51-55 percent by 2035 meets the international requirement for each subsequent target to be bigger than the last one.

But whether it meets the promise of highest possible ambition was being debated on Friday.

The 2035 target is smaller than developing country Brazil's, and legal group Lawyers for Climate Action says it is questionable whether it meets the requirements of the international Paris Agreement.

Before it was revealed, experts on the international politics of climate change said aiming for 66 or 77 percent reductions might be enough for a credible contribution to fighting global heating.

The Climate Change Commission said the country could feasibly achieve 66 percent reductions without shrinking the economy, with cleaner farming, electricity and transport.

Greenpeace surprised by 'weak, unambitious target'

Some of the New Zealand government's staunchest critics were left reeling by the smallness of number.

It is far below the UK's 81 percent. Switzerland was criticized for announcing 65 percent. Japan's figure is 60 percent.

In a statement justifying its target, the government cited special circumstances including New Zealand's high proportion of methane from farming, heavy reliance on road transport and already-high share of renewable electricity, leaving it less room to move.

It made the case that its target was consistent with global efforts to keep heating inside 1.5C above pre-industrial times, because global cuts to methane were never intended to be as steep as cuts to carbon dioxide.

Climate campaigner Amanda Larsson.

Amanda Larsson Photo: RNZ / Jonathan Mitchell

When methane and carbon dioxide were looked at separately, the government said New Zealand's target was consistent with global efforts to limit temperature increases to 1.5C.

But Greenpeace's Amanda Larsson said the government had deliberately chosen not to reduce the same major emissions sources it was citing as excuses.

She said the government could not keep "hiding behind" the country's high proportion of renewable electricity as a reason not to achieve more, when hydro dams were a legacy of long-ago governments and nothing to do with deliberate climate efforts.

"This idea of us being car dependent, that's a choice - you can invest in more public transport, more walking, more cycling and this government is actively choosing to invest in more motorways instead of alternatives and making us more car dependent."

Larsson said the low target surprised her.

"The prime minister and the climate minister have talked a lot about how committed they are to the Paris Agreement. What I was expecting was a target that looked reasonably ambitious but not backed by much of a plan to achieve it, when what they have delivered is a really weak, unambitious target."

'It's like we are paying the ante - the bare minimum' - Harrison

Energy and climate expert Christina Hood commented on LinkedIn that a 1 percent reduction compared to the current 2030 target was "shockingly unambitious and clearly not New Zealand's 'highest possible ambition' as required by the Paris Agreement... Given that New Zealand's independent Climate Change Commission recommended that targets of up to 66 percent reduction are feasible domestically."

Former Climate Change Ambassador Kay Harrison told RNZ she was pleased New Zealand had set a target, but "committing to only minus 51 percent when the global average we need is minus 60, means we're expecting other countries to take targets that make up for our shortfall. Theirs will need to be much higher than ours and many higher than minus 60."

"It's like we are paying the ante - the bare minimum - to stay in the most dangerous game of our lives. But we're not serious about winning," she said.

However Harrison said targets "could always go up" and setting one was a positive step.

The government said it could bump up efforts from 51 to 55 percent by 2035 if methane-cutting technologies took off on farms.

The first methane-burping treatment for New Zealand cows is expected to be available this year.

However a methane price which could have incentivised using it has been deferred from this year until as late as 2030.

Jessica Palarait of Lawyers for Climate Action said it was questionable whether the target - known as an NDC - meets the Paris Agreement requirements for maximum ambition.

"It's very difficult to see how this NDC could possibly comply with that. The Climate Change Commission's own advice to the government was that it's possible for New Zealand to do much more than this, and the government appears to blame our doggedly high methane emissions for why we can't do more than this, but we need to be clear, this is is a political choice," she said.

Palarait said government appeared to be doing the minimum it believed it could get away with.

Professor sits in front of screen in his office

Dave Frame Photo: RNZ / Chris Bramwell

Not everyone thought the target was too light.

Federated Farmers released a statement saying meeting the goal would mean planting more pine trees on productive farmland.

And Canterbury University Professor, climate scientist Dave Frame said that rather than setting a strict target based on staying inside 1.5C, New Zealand should link its climate efforts to progress by other nations. Frame said that would avoid sacrificing the economy for no reason. "A far better approach would be to create a clear and explicit link between what we will do and what others will do," he said.

Exporters will be watching what New Zealand's trading partners make of it, given that two Fair Trade deals (with the UK and EU) mention compliance with the Paris Agreement.

University of Waikato Associate Law Professor Nathan Cooper said the government was "not sending the right message to New Zealanders or to our trading partners."

"These challenges aren't just far off or far away. They are already being felt by New Zealanders in floods, storms and in questions of managed retreat," he said.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōreroa daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

댓글

이 블로그의 인기 게시물

Non-contact exposure to dinotefuran disrupts honey bee homing by altering MagR and Cry2 gene expression

  Non-contact exposure to dinotefuran disrupts honey bee homing by altering  MagR  and  Cry2  gene expression Dinotefuran is known to negatively affect honeybee ( Apis mellifera ) behavior, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. The magnetoreceptor ( MagR , which responds to magnetic fields) and cryptochrome ( Cry2 , which is sensitive to light) genes are considered to play important roles in honey bees’ homing and localization behaviors. Our study found that dinotefuran, even without direct contact, can act like a magnet, significantly altering  MagR  expression in honeybees. This non-contact exposure reduced the bees’ homing rate. In further experiments, we exposed foragers to light and magnetic fields, the  MagR  gene responded to magnetic fields only in the presence of light, with  Cry 2 playing a key switching role in the magnetic field receptor mechanism ( MagR–Cry2 ). Yeast two-hybrid and BiFc assays confirmed an interactio...

New Report – Interlocked: Midwives and the Climate Crisis

New Report – Interlocked: Midwives and the Climate Crisis Earlier this year, midwives from 41 countries shared their experiences of working in communities affected by climate change through our survey, Midwives’ Experiences and Perspectives on Climate Change. Their voices shaped our new report, Interlocked: Midwives and the Climate Crisis , which highlights how midwives are already responding to the health impacts of climate disasters like floods, wildfires, and extreme heat—and why they must be included in climate action plans. What did we learn?Climate change is damaging community health: 75% of midwives reported that climate change is harming the communities they serve, with rising rates of preterm births, food insecurity, and restricted access to care during disasters like floods. Midwives are critical first responders: Midwives are often the first and only healthcare providers on the ground in crises, delivering care during wildfires, floods, and extreme heat. Midwives face signi...

Bee attack claims life of newspaper distributor

  Bee attack claims life of newspaper distributor Newspaper distributor Pushparaja Shetty (45), who sustained severe injuries in a bee attack, succumbed to his injuries on Thursday at a hospital in Mangaluru. Pushparaja was attacked by a swarm of bees on Wednesday morning while walking at Kenjaru Taangadi under Bajpe town panchayat limits. He was immediately admitted to a hospital for treatment but could not survive the ordeal. Fondly known as ‘Boggu’ in the Porkodi area, Pushparaja was well-known for his dedication to delivering newspapers on foot to every household. He was admired for his generosity, as he often distributed sweets to schoolchildren on Independence Day using his own earnings and contributed part of his income to the betterment of society. Pushparaja was unmarried and is survived by three brothers and one sister.

“Global honey crisis”: Testing technology and local sourcing soars amid fraud and tampering concerns

  “Global honey crisis”: Testing technology and local sourcing soars amid fraud and tampering concerns The World Beekeeping Awards will not grant a prize for honey next year due to the “inability” to thoroughly test honey for adulteration. The announcement comes amid the rise of honey fraud in the EU, where a 2023 investigation found that 46% of 147 honey samples tested were likely contaminated with low-cost plant syrups.  Apimondia, the International Federation of Beekeepers’ Associations, organizes the event at its Congress, whose 49th edition will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in September 2025. The conference brings together beekeepers, scientists and other stakeholders. “We will celebrate honey in many ways at the Congress, but honey will no longer be a category, and thus, there will be no honey judging in the World Beekeeping Awards. The lessons learned from Canada 2019 and Chile 2023 were that adequate testing was impossible if we are to award winning honey at the Con...

Unveiling the Canopy's Secrets: New Bee Species Discovered in the Pacific

  Unveiling the Canopy's Secrets: New Bee Species Discovered in the Pacific In an exciting development for environmentalists and beekeeping experts, researchers have discovered eight new species of masked bees in the Pacific Islands, shining a light on the rich biodiversity hidden within the forest canopy. This discovery underscores the critical role bees play in our ecosystems and the pressing need for conservation efforts to protect these vital pollinators. A New Frontier in Bee Research By exploring the forest canopy, scientists have opened a new frontier in bee research, revealing species that have adapted to life high above the ground. These discoveries are crucial for understanding the complex relationships between bees, flora, and the broader ecosystem. The new species of masked bees, characterized by their striking black bodies with yellow or white highlights, particularly on their faces, rely exclusively on the forest canopy for survival. The Importance of Bee Conservation...

Start the New Year Humming Like a Bee

  Start the New Year Humming Like a Bee There are lots of opportunities to be as busy as a bee during these winter holidays. As we hustle toward the dawn of the New Year, it can be hard to notice that the natural world is actually suggesting something different for us right now. We’re past the solstice, but the winter still stretches ahead, the days are still short and the nights long. We’re being invited into a quieter, more inner-focused time. The ancient yogis were all about this inner focus. In India, for example, the Upanishads, the Sanskrit writings that accompanied the development of Hinduism — and alongside it, yoga — beginning around 800 B.C.E., went deeper than earlier texts had into philosophy and questions of being. With the goals of increased inner awareness and higher consciousness, yoga was at that time not yet as focused on the body or on asanas, as it now can tend to be. But the yogis did develop many practices to try to open the way to those goals. They discovered...

The Essential Role of Bees in Our Ecosystem and the Challenges They Face

The Essential Role of Bees in Our Ecosystem and the Challenges They Face Bees have been an integral part of our ecosystem and human agriculture for over four centuries, primarily utilized for their honey in the early days. Now, they are recognized more for their critical role in pollination, which directly impacts a vast majority of the food we consume. Mark Lilly, a prominent beekeeper, emphasizes that without bees' pollination efforts, a significant portion of our diet would be at risk. However, bees face numerous threats, including varroa mites and, in specific regions like West Virginia, black bears. These challenges necessitate concerted efforts for preservation and protection. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Q1: Why are bees so important to the ecosystem? A1: Bees are crucial for pollinating plants, which is necessary for the production of fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Without bees, a large portion of the food we eat would not be available. Q2: What are the main threats to...

The Growing Dilemma of Pet Burials in South Korea: Environmental and Legal Hurdles

The Growing Dilemma of Pet Burials in South Korea: Environmental and Legal Hurdles As the number of pets in South Korea steadily increases, pet owners face a growing dilemma due to the limited number of pet cemeteries across the country. Under the current legal framework, pet remains are classified as household waste, requiring specific disposal methods that are neither convenient nor easily accessible for all citizens. The imbalance between the rising pet population—over 5.52 million households with pets by the end of 2022—and the mere 70 registered pet cemeteries has led to significant challenges. This shortage is particularly evident in regions like Jeju Island, where pet owners must undergo arduous journeys to the mainland to ensure their pets receive proper burials. The root cause of this shortage lies in the strict regulations governing the establishment of pet cemeteries. These facilities, which must include crematoriums, face numerous restrictions, such as proximity to resident...

Climate Crisis Claims Glacier's Vital Climate Data Archive

  Climate Crisis Claims Glacier's Vital Climate Data Archive A recent study published in Nature Geoscience reveals a distressing consequence of global warming: the irreversible loss of valuable climate data stored in alpine glaciers. The research, conducted by a team led by Margit Schwikowski from the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), underscores the alarming rate at which glaciers are melting and highlights the implications for climate research. The study focuses on the Corbassière glacier at Grand Combin in Switzerland, where ice cores drilled in 2018 and 2020 were intended to serve as vital climate archives. However, comparing the two sets of ice cores reveals a grim reality—global warming has rendered the glacier unsuitable as a reliable climate archive. Glaciers, renowned as climate archives, encapsulate valuable information about past climatic conditions and atmospheric compositions. The fluctuating concentrations of trace substances in ice layers provide insights into historica...

German election: Climate and environment take a back seat

  German election: Climate and environment take a back seat When the coalition government comprising the center-left  Social Democratic Party (SPD) ,  Greens  and neoliberal  Free Democratic Party (FDP)  emerged after the last German federal election in the fall of 2021, then-incoming Chancellor  Olaf Scholz  (SPD) did not object to being called the "climate chancellor." That was no surprise: the climate crisis had been a top issue during the election campaign. The new government made the fight against climate change a task for the Economy Ministry and appointed Vice Chancellor  Robert Habeck  from the Greens as its head. Three and a half years later, campaign speeches barely mention climate protection. The dominant issues are how to curb irregular immigration and how to boost Germany's sluggish economy. Skeptical view of renewable energy The head of the center-right  Christian Democratic Union (CDU) ,  Friedrich Merz ...