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https://theconversation.com/a-lack-of-ambition-over-livestock-emissions-targets-now-threatens-nzs-reputation-and-trade-267310>
"The 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 agreement in 2019, called for cuts in the range of 24-47% below
2017 levels by 2050. This is in line with the findings of an Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change special report that focused on what the world needs to
do to keep warming at 1.5°C.
The government’s revised target aims to reduce methane emissions from farm
animals by 14-24% by 2050. This means the minimum of the current range will be
the highest possible ambition in the new one.
The government has also scrapped an election pledge to tax agricultural
emissions, and it has pushed back a legal obligation to respond to the
independent Climate Change Commission’s advice on future emissions budgets by
two years.
The commission’s recommendation is to strengthen the country’s climate targets,
both for long-lived greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide) and the
short-lived but more potent methane because:
Evidence shows that the world is not on track to limit warming to 1.5°C,
climate impacts are more severe and happening sooner than expected, and
other countries are already doing more and expecting more.
For biogenic methane, the commission calls for more ambitious cuts to reach at
least 35–47% by 2050. However, the government says achieving the upper end of
the current range (47%) is “unrealistic” and would create “economic
uncertainty, risks exacerbating land use change, and could increase food
production costs”."
The result of a change to a “conservative” government more concerned with the
short-term interests of corporations than everyone’s long-term interests.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
