Election 2017 - Party Policies - Environment - Climate Change
27th May 17, 9:47am
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Climate Change
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- Pass the Zero Carbon Act, to legally require all future governments to reduce emissions to net-zero by 2050 and lay out a plan for doing so.
- Establish an independent Climate Commission to advise government on climate targets, emissions prices, and report transparently on progress.
- Establish a $100 million Green Infrastructure Fund to attract private investment into new, clean infrastructure and industries.
- Commit to no new coal mines, deep-sea oil and gas drilling, and fracking; and direct public investment funds (e.g. the Super Fund and ACC Fund) to completely divest from companies directly involved in the exploration, mining, and production of fossil fuels.
- Require all Government legislation to have a Climate Impact Disclosure Statement - a report, prepared by the Ministry for the Environment, that outlines the likely impact of the legislation on the climate.
- Read more here, here, here and here.
- Set a target of net zero for greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, with legally binding emissions reduction targets, and carbon budgets to keep New Zealand on track to this goal.
- Establish an independent Climate Commission to recommend interim emissions reduction targets and provide advice on the ramifications of not achieving them.
- Show government leadership by requiring state-owned enterprises and other government organisations to actively pursue low-carbon options and technologies including all future purchases of all Government vehicle fleets to be electric vehicles unless there is an exceptional reason otherwise.
- Restore the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), including bringing agriculture into the ETS by the end of our first term, with 90% of emissions free.
- Lead a climate change adaptation management plan in close cooperation with local government, the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors, Māori and other stakeholders.
- Read more here and here.
- Prioritise solutions that address the effects of Climate Change working across the political spectrum to tackle climate change.
- Enact emissions targets into law and support the setting of carbon budgets that would act as stepping stones towards the targets.
- Support the establishment of an independent Climate Commission to advise on setting carbon budgets and to report on meeting those budgets.
- Establish whānau friendly cities encouraging young people to have a voice in the design and planning of their cities starting with green spaces in urban centres.
- Create more kura taiao and enviro-school models of curriculum.
- Read more here.
- 1 in 3 cars in the Government fleet will be electric by 2021.
- Use the findings of the Productivity Commission report to initiate a plan of action to reduce emissions while still growing the economy and jobs.
- Continue to invest in our world leading scientists so they can find ways to reduce emissions from livestock.
- Meet our target of 90 per cent renewable electricity by 2025.
- Implement changes to the ETS to make it fit for purpose for reducing emisisons.
- Read more here.
- Exit the Emissions Trading Scheme and replace it with a UK/Norwegian style Climate Change Act; and establish a new Parliamentary Commission for Climate Change (PCCC) as an Office of Parliament.
- Make the PCCC legally responsible for reporting against both the Kyoto and Paris Agreements setting three-yearly ‘Carbon Budget’ designed to reach these commitments (first Budget to become operative in 2021).
- Provide for the PCCC to provide independent advice to central and local government on meeting the Carbon Budget and preparing for climate change.
- Fund the PCCC from current administrative costs for the Emissions Trading Scheme making it is cost neutral.
- Redirect the $1.4 billion of annual savings from the ETS, as it winds down, into applied research and development and climate change adaptation.
- Read more here.
- Set framework to achieve zero carbon by 2050 with Zero Carbon Act (as proposed by Generation Zero).
- Create pathway of five-year carbon budgets to monitor progress; and create independent Climate Commission to guide the transition.
- Create carbon sinks across NZ, that also prevent soil erosion, the leaching of nitrates and the intrusion of stock into rural waterways; and encourage landowners to return non-viable farming land to native forst in order to create carbon sinks.
- Take a variety of practical actions across New Zealand to reduce our carbon emissions; and support greener economy like the digital economy and innovative approaches to traditional industries.
- Work with regional and local councils to begin preparing for rising sea levels and extreme weather events, including creation of dedicated infrastructure fund.
- Read more here.
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