Government cripples methane targets

In another disappointing move, the Government has decided to significantly weaken our 2050 methane target to 14-24% below 2017 levels.

In doing so, New Zealand has become the first country in the world to adopt a highly controversial metric called ‘no additional warming’ - flying in the face of warnings from the Climate Change Commission and international scientists that this metric is inconsistent with accepted science and our international obligations.

The Government has framed this decision as one grounded in science. In reality, this is a political choice. It is inappropriate and dangerous to imply that it aligns with global scientific understanding of the emissions reductions necessary for 1.5°C, or that it is ethically defensible.

In our view, this move is a breach of international law. The International Court of Justice has made clear that international law requires New Zealand to reduce emissions in line with 1.5°C. Yet the Government’s own, hand-picked methane advisory panel concluded that a target of 14% was inconsistent with that goal.

It also places our international reputation and trading relationships at significant risk. It places New Zealand farmers at risk of trade sanctions by our international trading partners, by breaching our Free Trade Agreements with the European Union and United Kingdom.

When the Zero Carbon Amendment Act was introduced in 2019, 119 of New Zealand’s 120 MPs agreed on a long-term biogenic methane target to reduce methane by 24-47% by 2050. This Act was one of the few genuinely bipartisan points of agreement between political parties. This Government has chosen to unilaterally undermine this agreement despite calling for more bipartisanship on long-term issues. This will harm the stability of climate policy for decades to come.

New Zealand can reduce its biogenic methane emissions more than this. The Climate Change Commission has recommended that we increase our ambition, and found that this is entirely achievable. Weakening our methane target sends a concerning signal that will only weaken incentives for the development of critical methane emissions reduction technologies.