Source: New Zealand Labour Party
More businesses are making the switch to cleaner, more sustainable energy, with support from our Government.
Our Government has made tackling climate change a priority. We know that for the sake of future generations, we cannot sit still – not when the climate crisis continues to move at pace. But we also know that any change we make has to be lasting – we need to build consensus and bring everyone along on the journey as we move to a zero carbon New Zealand.
These ideas have guided our work over the three years we’ve been in Government, and during this time, we’ve made changes that will help us meet our climate goals while also ensuring we support people along the way.
Making the switch to clean energy
This week, we’ve announced the next steps in our plan to move New Zealand to a lower carbon future.
The Government Initiative to Decarbonise Industry fund was set up last year to help businesses switch from fossil fuels like coal and gas to clean energy. It will not only ensure our economy is driven by cleaner energy, but it will also help to create jobs around the country.
This week, we’ve announced the first recipients of this funding. Firms around the country including McCain Foods, Synlait, and WoolWorks New Zealand will now be able to make the switch to cleaner energy like biomass boilers to power their business.
We’ve also announced that we will ban new low and medium temperature coal-fired boilers, along with phasing out existing ones. The ban will come into effect by 31 December 2021, and once the changes are fully in place in 2037, it will mean the equivalent of between 400,000 to 550,000 cars being removed from our roads in a single year.
This is another way we’re delivering on our commitment to decarbonise New Zealand’s economy. You can read more about this here.
Our record so far
This week’s announcement builds upon the work we’ve already done to move forward with our climate programme. For example, we worked with parties across Parliament to pass the landmark Zero Carbon Act. We established the independent Climate Change Commission, and declared a climate emergency.
We’ve also banned new offshore oil and gas exploration, and instead, are investing in greener, more sustainable energy options. Our plan is for New Zealand to run on 100% renewable electricity by 2030.
We’ve reformed the emissions trading scheme so that it helps us better transition to a clean, climate-friendly economy, and we’ve worked with farmers on a world-leading agreement to reduce agricultural emissions too.
We’ve made sure our COVID recovery has climate action at its centre, by investing in green jobs and sustainable infrastructure. We’re supporting businesses to reduce their emissions while making a profit, through our Green Investment Fund. And here in Government, we’re making sure we’re leading by example, aiming for all Government agencies to be carbon neutral by 2025.
The next steps
Together, these changes will make a big difference to our carbon footprint, but we know this is just the start.
Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of our time, and we cannot afford to wait until it’s too late to do our bit. The policies we’ve put in place are moving us in the right direction, but we’re not stopping here. As we continue with our recovery and rebuild, we’ll continue to put climate action at the centre of our work, so that together, everyone in New Zealand can transition to a greener, more sustainable future.
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