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Government 'missed opportunity' to price methane - climate scientist
The New Zealand Government aims to balance climate goals with agricultural viability by setting methane cuts at 14-24% below 2017 levels and investing over NZ$400 million in reduction technologies.
- On Sunday, New Zealand set a 2050 target to cut farm methane emissions by 14-24 percent from 2017 levels, the government said the science-based goal supports exporters and productivity.
- Approved by Cabinet, the move follows the 2024 Methane Science Review and farming sector consultation, replacing earlier targets under the Climate Change Response Act 2019 that demanded deeper cuts.
- Climate Change Minister Simon Watts said the government is investing more than $400 million to develop methane-cutting tools, with 11 expected by 2030 and 30 percent of farmers could reduce emissions 7-14 percent by 2050.
- By exempting agriculture from the Emissions Trading Scheme, officials said they aim to protect jobs and production, a move Federated Farmers welcomed while climate scientists warned it risks credibility and exporters' markets.
- Analysts warn the weaker target could force costly carbon purchases or huge land-use changes, with a 16 percentage-point drop requiring over 600 million tonnes offset, $130 billion, and 1.5 million hectares, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment said.
22 Articles
22 Articles
A ‘lack of ambition’ over livestock emissions targets now threatens NZ’s reputation and trade
New Zealand's Minister of Climate Change Simon Watts Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesThe government’s decision to shrink a legislated target for cutting agricultural methane emissions is the latest in a string of announcements signalling a lack of ambition to meet climate targets. It represents a major step backwards and could threaten New Zealand’s trade relationships. The methane reductions mandated under the Zero Carbon Act, passed in a cross-party…
Why New Zealand’s Lower Methane Target Could Warm the Planet More
New Zealand, one of the world’s largest dairy exporters and a signatory of the Global Methane Pledge, this weekend watered down its 2050 target for cutting methane emissions from livestock and farming activities.
The new plan aims to reduce methane emissions by between 14 and 24% by 2050, compared to 2017 levels.
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