News: New Zealand has passed a ‘zero carbon’ law
Facts:
- The Zero Carbon law aims to tackle climate change by setting a net-zero target for almost all greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
- The reduction target will have two separate plans. One for biogenic methane, or that which is produced by living organisms, and another for all other greenhouse gases.
- It also establishes an independent Climate Change Commission to advise the government on how to achieve its targets and to produce “carbon budgets” every five years informing how many emissions will be allowed in that period.
- Methane from animals will carry more lax requirements. However, it still aims to cut 10% of biological methane by 2030, and up to 47% by 2050.
- The law is a part of New Zealand’s efforts to meet its Paris climate accord commitments.
Additional Information
About Paris Climate Change Agreement
- The Paris Agreement was adopted at the UNFCC COP21 held in Paris in 2015. 195 UNFCCC members have signed the agreement, and 187 have become party to it
- Aim: It aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change and specifies long-term goals regarding global average temperatures, adaptation to climate change and finance flows
- Goals:
- Temperature: hold warming below 2°C above pre-industrial levels with effective efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C
- Adaptation: Increasing the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development
- Low Emission Finance flows: Making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development
