Farmers among first and worst hit by climate change

The Government has once again kicked the climate action can down the road by removing agricultural emissions from the Emissions Trading Scheme.

"Climate delay is the new denial. Today’s announcement from the Government that it will shred progress on agricultural emissions pricing is just the latest episode of disregard for our climate and environment,” says Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick.

“The Climate Minister’s sheepish statement that we’ll still somehow meet climate change commitments is a far cry from reality. He and his office have rejected responsibility to look at the impacts of pretty much every climate-shredding policy of his Government so far.

“From pouring oil, coal and gas on the climate crisis fire, the Government has now put half of our emissions which come from agriculture into the industry-led too-hard basket.

“Meanwhile, farmers on the ground are among those hit the first and worst by climate change. From increasingly unpredictable seasonality to the billions required to clean up livelihoods destroyed in the Hawke’s Bay due to climate-change-charged weather last year.

“The Green Party believes farmers, along with all New Zealanders, deserve a sustainable future. Politicians need to step up and make responsible decisions, not cave to cynical, short-term industry interest at the cost of the very fundamentals that sustain our food production in the first place.

“The science tells us we must reduce methane emissions. Fair pricing is a crucial way to achieve this, putting the sector on an even footing with the rest of our economy,” says Chlöe Swarbrick.

Action

RENAME, REWRITE, and REJECT the Regulatory Standards Bill

Submit your suggested changes to the Regulatory Standards Bill! Tell us how you'd change the bill and we could take it to the House!

Action

Anniversary of the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill Referendum

If we were to legally regulate cannabis in Aotearoa, what kind of rules would you want to see around access, possession, use, regulations on sale, ...

Action

Save our Polytechs: Campaign Packs

Want to see more supports for our Polytechs? Use these resources to support the campaign!

Action

Save Our Polytechs Petition

Sign our petition today and join us in calling on the Minister for Vocational Education, Hon Penny Simmonds, to Save our Polytechs!

Action

Protect our tamariki - Sign the open letter

Every child in Aotearoa deserves to grow up with safety and stability, wrapped in aroha. Sign our open letter today and help make that a reality!

Action

Stop Growing Homelessness

Sign our petition asking Luxon and Bishop to take action to stop homelessness increasing in Aotearoa.

Action

Local Events

We have activists across Aotearoa / New Zealand who are working hard to build a brighter future for our kids and grandkids. This page lists upcomin...

Latest Climate Change Announcements

Story

Luxon’s Government shreds climate consensus

Late last night, the Government announced some of the most significant sweeping changes in recent memory to destroy climate action.

Govt’s Climate Adaptation plan leaves work to be done

The Government’s National Adaptation Framework, released this morning, has a way to go when it comes to clarity for communities, support, and meani...

Govt’s downgrade of methane target an accounting trick with devastating real-world consequences

Luxon’s Government halving of methane targets under the guise of “no additional warming” is a cheap accounting trick that will cost our country dea...

Govt’s ETS auction fails for the eighth time

Another Emissions Trading Scheme auction has failed, throwing the Government’s failure on climate into stark focus.

Govt pours oil and gas on climate fire as ban repealed

Today, Christopher Luxon’s Government committed to higher power bills and fossil fuel dependence. This Government keeps choosing to undermine our r...

New study shows speed of Antarctic ice melt, Govt fans climate flames

As the Government pulls out of global climate commitments, a significant new report shows that sea ice around Antarctica is melting at unprecedente...

Story

Govt must own its role in Canterbury nitrate emergency

The Green Party welcomes Environment Canterbury’s decision today to carry a motion declaring a nitrate emergency, and is calling on the Government ...

Biodiversity credit won’t fix damage done by Luxon Govt

The Green Party says the Government’s newly announced Biodiversity Credit scheme is a tiny positive that doesn’t undo the biodiversity harm caused ...

Luxon needs to address the cow in the room

The Green Party was appalled to hear Prime Minister Christopher Luxon claim we are “doing everything we can” on climate change, while his governmen...

Cabinet’s emissions pricing plan leaves too much to chance

Only the Green Party has a plan to reduce agricultural emissions at the scale and pace needed. The Labour Cabinet’s plan for pricing agriculture em...

Greens celebrate passing of Organic Products and Production Bill

Following decades of work by the Green Party alongside the organics sector, people will finally be able to be confident that products labelled orga...

Report shows reducing actual farming emissions vital

Evidence shows that relying on offsets to reduce agriculture’s impact on the climate will not work, the Green Party says.