The climate crisis is bringing more extreme weather conditions to places like Roys Peak, New Zealand, pictured above. Aaron Sebastian / Unsplash
Consideration of the climate crisis will be front and center in all of New Zealand's major policy decisions. The new rule means that any new proposal before the government that aims either to reduce emissions or has a collateral damage effect of raising emissions will need to go through a climate-impact assessment before it can be considered, according to The Guardian.
<p>The coalition cabinet of Prime Minister <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/jacinda-ardern" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jacinda Ardern</a> already takes into account the effects the government's decisions will have on human rights, the Treaty of Waitangi, rural communities, the disability community and gender equality.</p>
<p>Climate Change Minister James Shaw, also the co-leader of the Greens Party, said this goes one step further since it applies to all government decisions, not just new laws, according to <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/117915652/climate-lens-to-examine-major-government-decisions" target="_blank">Stuff</a> in New Zealand. </p><p>"Ensuring ministers are aware of the implications a decision may have for New Zealand's future greenhouse gas emissions will be vital to ensuring we all playing our part in meeting the commitments we've made," said Shaw as <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/117915652/climate-lens-to-examine-major-government-decisions" target="_blank">Stuff</a> reported.</p><p>Shaw spearheaded a zero-carbon bill that passed the parliament last month, making New Zealand one of the first countries to write its climate crisis targets into law. The law requires the country to produce net-zero emissions by 2050. The prime minister has made the climate crisis a top priority for her government and called it her generation's "nuclear free moment," as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/04/climate-change-to-steer-all-new-zealand-government-decisions-from-now-on" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Guardian</a> reported.</p><p>"Decisions we take now and in the future about everything from the places we live, to how we get around, to public health, to how we relate to one another will be impacted one way or another by climate change," said Shaw in a statement, as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/04/climate-change-to-steer-all-new-zealand-government-decisions-from-now-on" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Guardian</a> reported. "It's crucial therefore that when we're making big decisions climate change is at the forefront of our minds."</p><p>Shaw said that the Ministry for the Environment has developed a methodology to estimate emissions impacts, called the Climate Implications of Policy Assessment. The efficacy of its tool will be reviewed in mid-2020, according to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/04/climate-change-to-steer-all-new-zealand-government-decisions-from-now-on" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Guardian</a>.</p>
<p>Shaw also noted that the new rule is part and parcel with a new framework for the next 30 years to reduce, similar to a series of bills 30 years ago that encouraged low inflation and low government debt, according to <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/117915652/climate-lens-to-examine-major-government-decisions" target="_blank">Stuff</a>.</p>
<p>Touting the Climate Implications of Policy Assessment, Shaw said, "Government makes many decisions all the time. Many but not all of those decisions will have an affect on climate change. With infrastructure - you make a decision on a piece of infrastructure with a 30 or 40-year lifespan and you've suddenly locked in a certain emissions path. We want to be aware of that."</p>
<p>"It's crucial that when we're making big decisions, climate change is at the forefront of our minds," he added, as <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/117915652/climate-lens-to-examine-major-government-decisions" target="_blank">Stuff</a> reported. "I'm delighted that we've developed a tool for the whole government to easily assess whether policies we're considering at Cabinet will increase or reduce the emissions that impact on New Zealanders' quality of life in decades to come."</p>
From Your Site Articles
- To Save Its Bottle Nose Dolphins, New Zealand Banned Swimming ... ›
- New Zealand Passes 'Historic' Zero Emissions Bill - EcoWatch ›
- Major Threats to New Zealand's Environment Highlighted in ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
The pristine landscape of Mount Cook, New Zealand. Stefan Wagener / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
New Zealand politicians reached across the aisle this week to pass a historic bill aiming to get the country to zero emissions by 2050 and fulfill its commitments under the Paris agreement.
<p>In a 119 to one vote, the bill, which commits New Zealand to keeping global warming below 1.5 C through a variety of measures, was spearheaded by the liberal government and supported by the conservative opposition National party, who'd attempted and failed to add amendments to the bill. </p><p>Methane from the country's farming industry, which brings in much of the country's foreign income, would be subject to less ambitious declines. "We have to start working beyond targets," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told Parliament before the bill passed. "We have to start working beyond aspiration. We have start moving beyond signs of hope and deliver signs of action. That is what this government is doing and proudly so." </p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">"Today we have made a choice that will leave a legacy... I hope means that future generations will see that we, in New Zealand, were on the right side of history." Prime Minister <a href="https://twitter.com/jacindaardern?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jacindaardern</a> gave her speech at the third and final reading of the Zero Carbon Bill today. 🌏👀⬇️ <a href="https://t.co/GVf3TL3dxG">pic.twitter.com/GVf3TL3dxG</a><br>— New Zealand Labour (@nzlabour) <a href="https://twitter.com/nzlabour/status/1192318245149143040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div><h4>For a deeper dive:<br></h4><p><a href="https://climatenexus.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=57bf3a6ab2&e=0afd421a28" target="_blank">AP</a>, <a href="https://climatenexus.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=acea62df0d&e=0afd421a28" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>, <a href="https://climatenexus.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=a031663025&e=0afd421a28" target="_blank">Sydney Morning Herald</a></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, and sign up for daily </em><a href="http://climatenexus.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=7c84c08aaa" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>.</em></p>
From Your Site Articles
- To Save Its Bottle Nose Dolphins, New Zealand Banned Swimming ... ›
- Major Threats to New Zealand's Environment Highlighted in ... ›
- New Zealand Government to Plant 100 Million Trees Yearly ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks to media during a press conference at Parliament on Aug. 6 in Wellington, New Zealand. Hagen Hopkins / Getty Images
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had strong words for Australia as both nations attend the Pacific Islands Forum in Tuvalu this week. The climate crisis is shaping up to be a major issue at the 18-nation forum, as some members want Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to sign a declaration agreeing to a global phase-out of coal, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b1bfe0c0a7e97a001f8f31667e31d322"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z2XGXq0XS-o?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>However, Australia has been working to water down the forum's declaration, <a href="https://www.climatechangenews.com/2019/08/13/australia-seeks-water-climate-declaration-pacific-summit/" target="_blank">Climate Home News reported Tuesday</a>, fighting language around the term climate "crisis," the 1.5 degree Celsius goal, carbon neutrality, a ban on coal plants and an end to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuel</a> subsidies. Australia's conservative governing Liberal-National coalition, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/australia-climate-election-2637598048.html?rebelltitem=5#rebelltitem5" target="_self">which retained power after elections in May</a>, has historically refused to meaningfully reduce emissions or coal use.</p>
<div id="11040" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="MJUF141576661614"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1161566435824435200" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The final arrivals into #PIF2019 with beautiful Tuvaluan welcome for the Prime Ministers of New Zealand and Austral… https://t.co/SBpBSFiVi4</div> — Pacific Islands Forum (@Pacific Islands Forum)<a href="https://twitter.com/ForumSEC/statuses/1161566435824435200">1565773993.0</a></blockquote></div><p>"Australia has to answer to the Pacific," Ardern said Wednesday, as The Sydney Morning Herald reported. "That is a matter for them."<br></p><p>Ardern, who arrived at the forum Wednesday, reiterated New Zealand's commitment to climate action. Her Labour government has pledged to phase out fossil fuels by 2035 and reduce emissions to 30 percent of 2005 levels.</p><p>"Like our Pacific Island neighbours, we will continue that international call, we will continue to say that New Zealand will do our bit and we have an expectation that everyone else will as well; we have to," Ardern said, as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/aug/14/jacinda-ardern-says-australia-has-to-answer-to-pacific-on-climate-change?fbclid=IwAR13jN54dhH5MHLYEZIPAMccRhXt_9Y0E3a30huodDx8QcKODo1_iZw36Jc" target="_blank">The Guardian reported</a>.</p><p>Ardern refused to explicitly call on Australia to abandon coal, or to comment on its reported attempts to soften the final declaration. But her remarks still sparked a vicious attack from radio presenter Alan Jones, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/aug/15/alan-jones-scott-morrison-shove-sock-throat-jacinda-ardern" target="_blank">The Guardian reported Thursday</a>.</p><p>"Here she is preaching on global warming and saying that we've got to do something about climate change," Jones said on radio station 2GB Thursday, as The Guardian reported. "I just wonder whether Scott Morrison is going to be fully briefed to shove a sock down her throat."</p><p>Jones' comments were roundly decried by other Pacific island leaders.</p><p>"Easy to tell someone to shove a sock down a throat when you're sitting in the comfort of a studio," Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama tweeted. "The people of the Pacific, forced to abandon their homes due to climate change, don't have that luxury."</p>
<div id="77ed8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="VDJ9OT1576661614"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1161889661008011265" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Easy to tell someone to shove a sock down a throat when you’re sitting in the comfort of a studio. The people of th… https://t.co/jHqrwQh7Ch</div> — Frank Bainimarama (@Frank Bainimarama)<a href="https://twitter.com/FijiPM/statuses/1161889661008011265">1565851056.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Tuvalu, the island nation hosting the forum, is also threatened by <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sea-level-rise" target="_self">sea level rise</a>. Its Prime Minister Enele Sopoaga joined calls for Australia not to open new coal mines and to phase out existing coal-fired plants in order to meet the goals of the Paris agreement, as The Sydney Morning Herald reported.</p><p>"That's what I prefer to have in the communique," he told ABC Radio, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.</p><p>However, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/15/australia-removes-coal-and-climate-crisis-references-from-pacific-islands-declaration" target="_blank">most recent Guardian report</a> on the declaration said that Australia had softened language around climate change in the draft. The final would likely replace the phrase "climate change crisis" with "climate change reality" and the draft to be debated by leaders Thursday will likely call on leaders to "reflect on" a ban on new coal infrastructure and an end to fossil fuel subsidies rather than endorse the measures. The final text is expected Thursday after Pacific leaders meet.</p><p><em>Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that 18 nations wanted Australia to sign a declaration agreeing to a phase-out of coal. In fact, there were 18 nations total represented at the forum, including Australia, and some of them wanted Australia to sign the declaration. The article has been corrected.</em></p>
From Your Site Articles
- New Zealand's Bird Biodiversity Loss Since Humans Arrived Would ... ›
- Major Threats to New Zealand's Environment Highlighted in ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
French Pass, Marlborough, New Zealand. Thomas / Flickr / Public Domain
Incredible news in New Zealand, as it has banned new permits for offshore oil and gas exploration in efforts to tackle climate change.
The Crown Minerals (Petroleum) Amendment Act passed its third reading in Parliament on Wednesday with 63 votes in favor and 55 against, New Zealand Herald reported.
<p>
<span></span>"New Zealanders want to see a future for their country where we take action on climate change" Minister of Energy and Resources Megan Woods said at the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD6hHf761Pw" target="_blank">third reading</a>. "Where we have a long-term economic plan for our country, where we have the courage to look beyond the three-year political cycle and plan for the next 10, 20, 30 and 40 years."
</p><p>
The bill will preserve existing exploration permits, an area that covers roughly 100,000 square kilometers, Woods noted.
</p><p>
"Those permit holders will have the same rights and privileges that they do before this legislation comes into force," she said.
<span></span>
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="22812f706d517a5a010896fdb7cfef58"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nD6hHf761Pw?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Crown Minerals (Petroleum) Amendment Bill - Third Reading - Video 1</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD6hHf761Pw" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
</small>
</p><p>
Prime Minister
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/jacinda-ardern" target="_blank">Jacinda Ardern</a>'s coalition government first set the ban's wheels in motion <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/new-zealand-offshore-oil-gas-2559278982.html">in April</a>.
</p><p>
<span></span>"The whole world is going in this direction," Ardern said then. "We all signed up to the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement" target="_self">Paris agreement</a> that said we're moving towards carbon-neutrality, and now we need to act on it."
</p><p>
Ardern continued, "Nothing will change overnight. These existing permits have very long lead times. We'll be seeing oil and gas exploration for a number of years to come. And the jobs—the four-and-a-half thousand jobs in this industry—will continue too."
</p><p>
"But we're putting a line in the sand and saying, now it's our job to plan for the future," she said. "We will make sure we've got that transition plan in place, and what the future of clean, green, carbon-neutral New Zealand looks like."
</p><p>
The government has pledged to power the country's grid with 100 percent renewable energy by 2035 and aims to become carbon neutral by 2050.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="f965f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="AKW0SW1576662648"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1060062003631337472" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">This is a HUGE WIN for people power, and for the climate.
It's a law New Zealand should be proud of, but it's also… https://t.co/tcXwvAcyIA</div> — Greenpeace NZ (@Greenpeace NZ)<a href="https://twitter.com/GreenpeaceNZ/statuses/1060062003631337472">1541573451.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
<a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/" target="_blank">Greenpeace</a> celebrated the legislation's passing and said it had "overwhelming public support." A government committee for the environment received more than 7,000 submissions on the bill, with around 85 percent in support of it or saying that it did not go far enough to tackle climate change, the organization said.
</p><p>
<span></span>"Today we have passed an incredibly important law for the global climate. This law means that around four million square kilometers of the Earth's surface is now off limits to oil and gas companies, and any deposits under our deep seas will stay in the ground where they belong," Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Kate Simcock said in a <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/new-zealand/press-release/oil-and-gas-exploration-ban-passes-into-law/" target="_blank">press release</a>.
</p><p>
"The science is very clear—we only have 10 years to halve our use of oil, gas, and coal or face the displacement of millions of people, catastrophic sea level rise, more extreme weather, and mass species extinction. That's going to mean massive change—not business as usual—and we need to be prepared to take bold steps like this to protect humanity and the planet," Simcock added.
</p><p>
The center-right National Party was
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/12/new-zealand-bans-all-new-offshore-oil-exploration-as-part-of-carbon-neutral-future?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other" target="_blank">opposed to the bill</a> and pledged to reverse the ban if back in government. The Petroleum Exploration and Production Association of New Zealand (PEPANZ) also spoke against the legislation.
</p><p>
"The people most affected by this decision haven't been listened to and now face real uncertainty," PEPANZ CEO Cameron Madgwick said in a
<a href="http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1811/S00082/oil-and-gas-legislation-creates-major-uncertainty.htm" target="_blank">press release</a>. "We need natural gas as a transition fuel towards a lower carbon economy. Turning off the tap when we have nothing concrete to replace it with is dangerous and irresponsible."
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="8dfa3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1P8HJJ1576662649"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1060035912308936704" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Today we changed the law, banning new offshore oil and gas drilling. This is such a great win for our oceans and ou… https://t.co/hMhP7VPOIk</div> — Green Party NZ (@Green Party NZ)<a href="https://twitter.com/NZGreens/statuses/1060035912308936704">1541567230.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
From Your Site Articles
Read More
Show Less
lauwen66 / Flickr
New Zealand will no longer offer new permits for offshore oil and gas exploration, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Thursday.
"The whole world is going in this direction," Ardern said. "We all signed up to the Paris agreement that said we're moving towards carbon-neutrality, and now we need to act on it."
<p>
The ban only affects future permits for offshore oil and gas exploration and will not affect the existing 22. This could allow exploration to feasibly continue in a 38,000-square-mile area until the existing permits expire, which could be "as far out as 2030," the government acknowledged. Permits for onshore oil and gas exploration will also continue.</p><p>The energy industry and the opposition party were alarmed by the announcement. New Zealand Oil & Gas told
<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-newzealand-oil-exploration/new-zealand-halts-future-oil-and-gas-offshore-exploration-permits-idUSKBN1HI383" target="_blank">Reuters</a> they were not warned about the new policy.</p><p style="">
"We note that the announcement is a sudden change of policy, which has not been consulted on and appears to conflict with the government's pre-election promises," the company said.
</p><p style="">
The center-right National Party condemned the ban, calling it "<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/12/new-zealand-bans-all-new-offshore-oil-exploration-as-part-of-carbon-neutral-future?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other" target="_blank">economic vandalism</a>" and claiming that it made no environmental sense.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="9e86e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="Q8AIXU1576662667"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="984260837346037761" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The Govt's decision to end oil and gas exploration is a wrecking ball through regional NZ. It also doesn't make any environmental sense.</div> — Simon Bridges (@Simon Bridges)<a href="https://twitter.com/simonjbridges/statuses/984260837346037761">1523501044.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p style="">
Ardern noted, "Nothing will change overnight. These existing permits have very long lead times. We'll be seeing oil and gas exploration for a number of years to come. And the jobs—the four-and-a-half thousand jobs in this industry—will continue too."
</p><p style="">
"But we're putting a line in the sand and saying, now it's our job to plan for the future," Ardern said. "We will make sure we've got that transition plan in place, and what the future of clean, green, carbon-neutral New Zealand looks like."
</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="97041754283a9a29e56f9e070434f75a"><div class="fb-video" data-href="https://facebook.com/jacindaardern/videos/10155186542372441/" data-allowfullscreen="true"></div></div><p>
The 37-year-old prime minister, who was elected in October,
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/new-zealand-trees-2500765147.html" target="_blank">campaigned on</a> an ambitious environmental agenda. Her government has pledged to power the country's grid with 100 percent renewable energy by 2035 and becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzU0NDQ3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNzk4NDA2M30.Sb4tq_QaQBtE5MbOrCLX9Irj-ZHhDe96ArMAFWBo-9E/img.jpg?width=980" id="ae907" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bde505ebf66c4661d91c22f0da551482" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Jacinda Ardern at the swearing of new cabinet in October. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Wikimedia Commons</small>
</p><p>
<a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/new-zealand/en/" target="_blank">Greenpeace New Zealand</a> celebrated the announcement. Executive Director Russel Norman praised Ardern for personally accepting a 50,000-strong Greenpeace petition to oppose oil and gas exploration.
</p><p style="">
<span></span>"Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her Coalition Government have taken an historic step and delivered a huge win for the climate, spurred on by the tens of thousands of people and environmental NGOs like Greenpeace who have fought for years to end new oil and gas exploration," he said in a statement.
</p><p style="">
"While we will continue to demand a complete end to fossil fuel exploration on land and sea as well as the revoking of existing permits, this has been one of Greenpeace New Zealand's longest running campaigns and today marks a great success for so many people," Norman continued.
</p><p style="">
He added, "Greenpeace also supports the Prime Minister's commitment to a just transition to a clean energy future, which can provide jobs and a big boost to our economy."
</p>
From Your Site Articles
- The best of EcoWatch, right in your inbox! - EcoWatch ›
- New Zealand Government to Plant 100 Million Trees Yearly ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Paradise, New Zealand
New Zealand's next prime minister Jacinda Ardern has set ambitious environmental policies to confront a warming planet.
"I do anticipate that we will be a government, as I said during the campaign, that will be absolutely focused on the challenge of climate change," said Ardern, whose Labour party has signed a coalition agreement with the New Zealand First party.
<p style="">
<span></span>"That will include a zero carbon act. That will include an independent climate commission. That will include making sure that we have an all gases, all sectors emissions trading scheme," she added.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="539b74392cb993988085270f57d54ecd"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PQaJnMJekfM?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span></p>
<p style="">Other green initiatives include transitioning the country's power grid to 100 percent
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/" target="_blank">renewable energy</a>, a significant investment in regional rail, and a goal to plant 100 million trees a year through the "Billion Trees Planting Programme."<br></p><p>
According to the
<a href="https://apnews.com/21e3acc76ad94061a686644d5f8ee00a/New-Zealand-aims-to-go-green-with-electricity,-tree-planting" target="_blank">Associated Press</a>, Arden said the goal of doubling the amount of trees the country plants each year is "absolutely achievable" by using land that was marginal for farming animals.
</p><p>
<span></span>The Green Party will support the incoming government with a confidence and supply agreement, which includes a major goal of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/paris-agreement-climate-goals-2434559889.html">net zero</a> carbon emissions by 2050.
</p><p>
"All three parties share an absolute commitment to addressing climate change," Ardern said.
</p><p style="">
As
<a href="http://www.climatechangenews.com/2017/10/20/jacinda-ardern-commits-new-zealand-zero-carbon-2050/" target="_blank">Climate Change News</a> noted, New Zealand's 2050 net zero target puts it in the same hat as Sweden, which wants net zero by 2045, and Norway, which is aiming for 2030. Other developed nations such as the U.S, Canada, Mexico, the U.K., France and Germany have committed to cutting emissions but none to net zero.
</p><p style="">
More than 80 percent of New Zealand's electricity already comes from renewables, primarily through <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/hydropower">hydropower</a>, geothermal and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wind">wind</a>. The AP reported that Ardern wants to ramp it to 100 percent by 2035 in part by investing more in <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/solar">solar</a>, which currently takes up
<a href="https://www.eeca.govt.nz/energy-use-in-new-zealand/renewable-energy-resources/solar/" target="_blank">only 0.1 percent</a> of the country's total renewable energy slice.
</p><p>
The 37-year-old—New Zealand's youngest leader in more than 150 years—plans to take the country on a more liberal path after nine years of conservative rule.
<a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/98170259/nz-prime-minister-elect-jacinda-ardern-reveals-cost-of-coalition" target="_blank">Other initiatives</a> include increasing the minimum wage, free doctors' visits for all under 14-years-old, and a review and reform of the Reserve Bank Act.
</p>
Read More
Show Less