Questions for Oral Answer - Kyoto Protocol - Greenhouse Gas Emissions

JEANETTE FITZSIMONS (Co-Leader—Green) to the Convenor, Ministerial Group on Climate Change: Does he believe New Zealand will meet its target under the Kyoto Protocol, which comes into effect tomorrow, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels; if so, why?

Hon PETE HODGSON (Convenor, Ministerial Group on Climate Change): On a gross basis, no; on a net basis, yes.
Jeanette Fitzsimons: Can the Minister confirm that New Zealand’s net emissions have so far risen 20 percent since 1990, and how does he plan to eliminate that 20 percent over the next 3 years?

Hon PETE HODGSON: The member will find that it is our gross emissions that have risen by about that amount. I simply say that the Government’s many programmes to reduce emissions—not to 1990 levels, but certainly to levels against business as usual—are now starting to bite.

Jeanette Fitzsimons: Can the Minister explain, in light of his reply to my primary question, why the Government’s climate change website states that gross emissions have risen nearly 22 percent but net emissions have risen 20 percent; and is that figure on the website wrong?

JF comment: It is hard to see what “on track” could mean here. Our Kyoto target is to return to 1990 levels. We are currently 20% above that, on a net basis. Emissions are climbing fast and forests are not being planted as fast as planned to absorb that carbon.

Rod Donald: Can the Minister confirm that greenhouse emissions from transport have increased by over 60 percent since 1990; and when can we expect to see energy efficiency standards for all vehicles entering the country, so that within 10 years we can be using half the fuel to drive the same distance?

Hon PETE HODGSON: I cannot confirm the figure, but it sounds about right. My colleague Judith Tizard, the Associate Minister of Transport, is now piloting New Zealand’s first-ever emissions testing, and that will have its benefits.

The emissions testing regime planned to come in next year will control air pollution from unburned hydro-carbons, oxides of nitrogen and carbon monoxide. The Greens pushed for these standards and are supporting the government initiative. They are however not aimed at grenhouse emissions which can only be controlled by using less fuel.

The Greens have been pushing for fuel efficiency labelling for many years and we are incredulopus that no government has done it yet. We hope this government will. But it only helps those who actually care. We need to go beyond information and just wtop the worst gas guzzlers coming into the country.

Jeanette Fitzsimons: Can the Minister confirm that emissions from thermal power stations increased by over 90 percent from 1990 to 2003; and how will firing up the antiquated, inefficient, mothballed power station at Marsden B on coal help to reduce those emissions?

Hon PETE HODGSON: Electricity generation accounts for about 8 or 9 percent of all greenhouse gases in this country, yet seems to account somehow for about 80 or 90 percent of public attention. Cars and cows are where our greenhouse gases largely come from.

Emissions from power stations are rising faster than any other source at present as we turn to burning more coal. Tackling that increase is the easiest step towards meeting the target.

The carbon charge won’t necessarily reduce emissions – coal is so cheap some companies, especially Solid Energy which is a coal mining company – will just pay the carbon charge and go ahead anyay. We need stronger measures to stop the move to coal.

Nandor Tanczos: Can the Minister confirm that the current rates of forest planting are nowhere enough to offset greenhouse emissions; and what is the Government doing to discourage the conversion of forestry land—which is a sink for greenhouse gases—to dairying, which he himself just described as a major contributor of those gases?

Hon PETE HODGSON: I can confirm that forest planting does not offset, and never was enough to offset, all our emissions. It is, however, enough to offset our additional emissions on 1990 levels.

This is also hard to justify given that our net emissions (ie emissions offset by forestry plantings) are very little below our gross emissions (21.6% vs 20%). The Greens believe we cannot escape the conclusion that unless we take stronger measures to reduce emissions we wil not meet the target. That wil be bad for both the climate and the economy.