Cutting a quarter of heavy freight emissions by 2035 and developing a freight and supply chain strategy are among policy goals in the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan.
The consultation document released by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Climate Change Minister James Shaw on October 13 contains a range of policy ideas to decrease the country’s emissions through to 2035.
Decarbonising the heavy freight sector is one of the key priorities of the plan and includes reducing overall transport emissions 13% by 2030 and 41% by 2035 based on the Climate Change Commission’s recommendations.
Other targeted sectors include energy, waste, agriculture, construction and financial services.
“We are putting forward for discussion a range of ideas that that would reduce our emissions and can also create jobs and new opportunities for Kiwi businesses and our economy,” Ardern says.
“We also want to prioritise ideas that save people money, like cleaner energy that leads to lower power bills.
“We have the opportunity to build back differently after COVID-19 and the Emissions Reduction Plan will be a key component of our recovery,” she says.
The plan builds on the Zero Carbon Act and the work of the Climate Commission and gives people the chance to have their say on policies they want in order to reach the climate targets, Ardern says.
“Tackling climate change is a job for everyone. Be it school children or business leaders, I hear from a range of New Zealanders about the opportunities a low carbon future offers our country, so I encourage everyone to have their say.”
Meanwhile, Shaw says the discussion document is not a draft of the Emissions Reduction Plan but rather an opportunity to hear feedback on what should be included.
“Since the final advice of the independent Climate Change Commission was published in June, conversations have been underway across Government about how ministers and agencies can support emissions reductions in their portfolios – and what can be included in the final Emissions Reduction Plan,” he says.
The plan will be released next year and will set out future policy and regulatory change for businesses, towns and cities, and communities.
“It is a chance to hear from iwi/Māori, local communities, business, and unions so we get this right.
“The feedback we receive will inform the conversations that continue to happen across Government about what is included in New Zealand’s first ever Emissions Reduction Plan,” Shaw says.
Consultation on the emissions reduction plan is open until November 24, 2021.
New strategies and policies pitched for transport include the following:
- Introducing four transport targets:
- − reduce vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT) by cars and light vehicles by 20% by 2035 through providing better travel options, particularly in our largest cities
- − increase zero-emissions vehicles to 30% of the light fleet by 2035
- − reduce emissions from freight transport by 25% by 2035
- − reduce the emissions intensity of transport fuel by 15% by 2035.
- Integrating land use, urban development and transport planning and investments to reduce transport emissions.
- Implementing mode-shift plans for our largest cities and begin planning for other urban areas.
- Improving the reach, frequency and quality of public transport.
- Providing national direction to deliver a step-change in cycling and walking rates.
- Supporting local government to accelerate widespread street/road reallocation to support public transport, active travel and placemaking.
- Making school travel greener and healthier.
- Improving access and travel choice for the transport disadvantaged.
- Reducing public transport fares.
- Investigating the potential for public transport, walking and cycling in rural and provincial areas.
- Enabling congestion pricing and investigate how we can use other pricing tools to reduce transport emissions.
- Ensuring further investment in additional highway and road capacity for light private vehicles is consistent with climate change targets.
- Implementing community-based solutions to make low-emission vehicles (including e- bikes) more accessible for low-income New Zealanders and others facing transport disadvantage.
- Introducing measures to avoid Aotearoa becoming a dumping ground for high-emitting vehicles rejected by other countries.
- Setting a maximum CO2 limit for individual light ICE vehicle imports to tackle the highest emitting vehicles.
- Investigating how the tax system should be used to avoid disadvantaging clean transport options.
- Introducing a vehicle scrappage scheme to support low-income New Zealanders shift to low-emissions transport.
- Partnering on solutions to supply constraints for low-emissions vehicles.
- Determining whether there are legislative barriers to the use of some types of low-emission vehicles.
- Accelerating the decarbonisation of trucks.
- Developing a Freight and Supply Chain Strategy.
- Implementing the New Zealand Rail Plan and investigate options to encourage greater use of coastal shipping.
- Investigating ways to reduce aviation and maritime emissions.
- Introducing a sustainable biofuels mandate.
- Producing a national electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure plan.
