Two years ago, the government passed the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act 2019, which aims to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. It calls for an establishment of frameworks and systems to reach this goal, requires the government to develop and implement policies for climate change adaptation and mitigation and looks at establishing emission budgets.
In May 2022 New Zealand’s first three emissions budgets were announced and the first Emissions Reduction Plan was published. An emissions budget is the total amount of greenhouse gases that can be put into the atmosphere over a period of time. The three emissions budgets set out the total amount of emissions New Zealand has to cut over the next 14 years. The Emissions Reduction Plan sets out how the government plans to deliver on the first emission budget. The plan covers all sectors of the economy, from transport, energy, building and construction, waste, agriculture and forestry.
For horticulture, this means all growers over 80ha need to know their carbon footprint by December 2022, and will have to have a carbon reduction plan in place by 2025. There are plenty of online calculation tools available that range from a very simple overview to highly complex. Smaller growers are not obliged to do these calculations and set up a carbon reduction plan just yet. It might be worth starting to think about it though, as carbon reduction will be a large focus for the government in the coming years.
For any questions or queries about what these policies might mean for you, or if you would like to enquire about carbon calculations or reduction plans, please feel free to get in touch with me directly on melanie@futureproofprojects.com.
Melanie van Opstal
Sustainability Consultant
