National must honour Paris with deadline for agricultural emissions

The National Government must honour the Paris climate agreement by setting a deadline for including agriculture as part of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Now is not the time to gamble on “silver bullet” solutions, the Green Party said today.

“It has been less than a week since the world signed the historic Paris climate agreement and already the National Government has reverted to its polluting stereotype. We saw Government hock off more of New Zealand’s oceans for oil drilling yesterday, and now it refuses to discuss when climate damaging pollution from agriculture might be priced in the Emissions Trading Scheme,” said Green Party agricultural spokesperson, Eugenie Sage.

“This National Government continues to gamble on technological innovations such as a methane vaccine to one-day cut agricultural pollution.

“Even if the National Government believe scientific “silver bullets” will solve agricultural pollution, it has to commit to including agriculture in the ETS in the near future. By then, either the Government will be proven right, and science will have solved agricultural emissions, or it’ll be wrong, and the agricultural industry will have to start taking responsibility for reducing emissions itself.

“If the National Government allows agricultural pollution to keep growing unchecked, working New Zealanders will be left with a huge bill to pay for those emissions.

“This smacks of a government kicking long term economic and environmental challenges down the road for future generations and governments to fix.

“A free pass for agriculture is sending the wrong signal to farmers and the wider New Zealand economy. It says that climate change doesn’t matter. It says keep polluting and don’t invest in more resilient, climate friendly farming.

“Very early testing of the methane vaccine is showing some positive signs, but the Government can’t guarantee farmers that the vaccine will be safe, affordable, or fully effective in reducing agricultural emissions.

“Farmers don’t want to be part of the problem; but they need incentives to shift to climate friendly farming practices. Putting a fair price on climate pollution would help do that,” she said.

Action

Protect Nature

Volunteer

The Greens are proud to be driven by passionate people like you. Today we need your help to take action on the biggest issues facing Aotearoa. Volu...

Action

Save Auckland's Climate Budget

Sign the petition to stop Mayor Wayne Brown's proposal for dangerous cuts to climate and environmental programmes that protect us from extreme weat...

Action

No New Mines 2023

Action

Expand Voting

Now more than ever, young people in Aotearoa are impacted by Government decisions, and they deserve to have a say. We are calling on all Members of...

Action

End Intensive Winter Grazing

Sign the petition to Labour Ministers, to move faster in bringing regulations into force and end intensive winter grazing.

Action

Trains for Climate

Add your name to our open letter urging the Minister for Finance Grant Robertson to save our passenger trains between Wellington, the Wairarapa and...

Action

Healthy Oceans 2022

Join our Healthy Oceans Crew to help us keep the health and protection of our oceans high on the Labour Government’s political agenda.

Action

It's time: A Ministry for Rainbow Communities

Join our call asking the Prime Minister to establish a Ministry for Rainbow Communities that can champion Rainbow issues.

Action

No new mines on conservation land

Sign the open letter asking Labour Ministers to stick to their promise of banning new mining projects on conservation land.

Action

Allow community ownership of our buses

Public transport is an essential service and helps to tackle the climate crisis by reducing our carbon emissions. But there are barriers to communi...

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 Environment Announcements

Story

Further environmental mismanagement on the cards

The Government’s resource management reforms will add to the heavy and ever-growing burden this Government is loading on to our environment.

Scrapping Significant Natural Areas shows significant neglect

The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife ...

Say hello to NZ’s most anti-environment government in decades

The Government is giving big industry a free pass to bulldoze New Zealand’s precious native wildlife.

Govt trashing nature for its industry mates

The Government’s repeal of the Natural and Built Environment Act is rushed, ideologically motivated, and will be hugely damaging to the health of o...

Green Party calls for stronger action by Auckland Council to protect urban trees and native forest

The Green Party is calling on Auckland Council to do more to protect urban trees and housing developer Aedifice Property Group to restore and repla...

You wood not believe it: Greens secure win for urban trees

The Green Party’s advocacy has secured an amendment to the Natural and Built Environment Bill at a crucial stage of the Parliamentary process to en...

Story

Government throws coal on the climate crisis fire

The Government’s policy announced today to ease consenting for coal mining will have a lasting impact across generations.

Missed opportunity but NZ will surely one day recognise the right to a sustainable environment

New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member...

CCC issues warning over further climate delay

Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in lig...

Reversing oil and gas ban brazen and utterly reckless

The Government’s new timeframe for expanding oil and gas exploration starts the clock on the time remaining to save the oil and gas ban.

Govt slams on the brakes of climate action

The scrapping of the Clean Car Discount is an act of climate vandalism - and the Green Party is calling on the Government to release all the advice...

Luxon’s free pass to the fossil fuel industry needs to be stopped

Chris Luxon is giving big oil and gas corporations a free pass at a time when countries all over the world agree to transition away from fossil fuels.

Petition

Take action to protect our oceans

We’re taking the health of our oceans seriously and our Thriving Oceans Plan sets out exactly how the Green Party will protect them so we all can e...

TAKE ACTION

Policy

Agriculture and Rural Affairs Policy

The Green Party will support the agricultural sector through a just transition to reduce its emissions, minimise harmful inputs and practices, rege...

Policy

Forestry Policy

The Green Party will support a viable, innovative and stable forestry industry and ensure plantation forests are managed and harvested in alignment...

Story

Review of live animal exports needed to protect animal welfare and New Zealand’s agricultural brand

The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor to review New Zealand’s live animal exports rules. “New Ze...

Cameras on boats must be quickly scaled up: Greens

The Green Party is glad to finally see the rollout of cameras on selected fishing boats but believes it needs to be scaled-up fast. “We need camera...

More measures to protect Hector’s dolphins

Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage are accelerating work to improve protection of the nationally endangered Hect...