Green no more?
OPINION: Your old mate has long dismissed the Greens as wooden bicycle enthusiasts with their heads in the clouds, but it looks like the ‘new Greens’ may actually be hard-nosed pragmatists when it comes to following voters.
The closing date for submissions is Tuesday, 16 July 2019.
The purpose of the Zero Carbon Bill is to establish a framework which New Zealand can use to develop clear, stable climate change policies in accord with the Paris Agreement.
The Paris Agreement is a global effort to combat the effects of climate change by limiting the global average temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
The bill would set greenhouse gas reduction targets into law and require that future governments continue these efforts into the future. It also seeks to:
• Set up the Climate Change Commission, an independent body that will advise and support the government to reach the targets
• Create a requirement that the government sets emission budgets every five years that will act as ‘stepping stones’ towards the ultimate goal of zero greenhouse gases by 2050
• Create a requirement that the government understands the risk of climate change (for example, rising sea levels) and produces plans to address these
Submissions can be made online by visiting: https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/bills-and-laws/bills-proposed-laws/document/BILL_87861/climate-change-response-zero-carbon-amendment-bill
