NZ Farm Emissions: Think tank urges refocusing policy away from emissions
November 9th, 2009
With December’s UN climate change conference in Copenhagen looming, a Wellington think tank is suggesting NZ de-emphasise greenhouse gas emissions. The self-funded report from the NZ Institute of Economic Research says the nation hasn’t done the economic modeling to determine if it’s on the right track and risks damaging the productive sector in trying to be a global leader in emissions reduction.
In his report, senior NZIER economist Peter Clough says meeting international climate change obligations and achieving a global agreement are important “but actually reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a low priority for NZ. Sustainable development: Have we got our priorities right?” NZ should focus instead on policies such as water management and allocation, which have direct impact on productivity and the cost of water, improving air quality in cities and protecting ecosystems. The report challenges the Ministry for the Environment’s briefing to the incoming Govt last year ranking climate change as the top environmental priority.
Clough’s paper argues NZ accounts for just 0.3% of global CO2 emissions and any changes in output will have no appreciable effect on climate change. Maintaining the nation’s reputation as “a constructive, pragmatic participant” in global climate change talks is more important than being a world leader in imposing an emissions trading scheme.
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