Home 5 InfraRead 5 New Zealand’s first emissions reduction plan released

New Zealand’s first emissions reduction plan released

June 30, 2022

In May, the Government released New Zealand’s first ever Emissions Reduction Plan, Te Hau mārohi ki anamata – Towards a productive, sustainable and inclusive economy. It charts the course towards net-zero emissions by 2050. The plan contains more than 300 actions and covers transport, energy, building, agriculture, forestry, and waste. It is a far-reaching plan with implications for the entire economy.

Key actions outlined include, among others:

  • Investigating congestion charging including ways of mitigating adverse financial impacts on low-income households
  • Initiatives to improve access to low emissions vehicles such as the continuation of the clean vehicle discount and the introduction of a vehicle scrap-and-replace scheme for low-income households, targeting 30% of the light vehicle fleet to be zero-emissions vehicles by 2035
  • Decarbonisation of the public transport bus fleet, heavy transport and freight sector by 2035, including to reduce freight emissions by 35% over that same period
  • Implementing a high threshold for investment in highways and road corridors
  • Reducing waste going to landfills and investing in kerbside food waste collection services
  • A ban on new low-to-medium temperature coal boilers and phase-out of existing ones by 2037
  • Introducing an emissions pricing mechanism for agriculture.

INZ welcomes the leadership and ambition shown by the Government through the Emissions Reduction Plan. It sets out a wide-ranging and ambitious programme of initiatives and actions that cuts across several industries. In doing so, the plan recognises that transitioning to a low emissions economy requires a transformational change in how we plan, fund and deliver infrastructure and services. Delivering this will require the continued buy-in from across parliament as well as close partnership with affected industries.

The funding for the actions contained in the Plan will come from the $4.5 billion Climate Emergency Response Fund, which is made up of the revenue collected through the Emissions Trading Scheme.

The Environment Committee – Komiti Taiao invites public submissions on Te Hau mārohi ki anamata by 27 June 2022. INZ will be making a submission.

You can view the Plan and supplementary information here.

 

 

 

 

Loading...