The New Zealand Government says it will require its public sector to be carbon neutral by 2025.
The Carbon Neutral Program is to be backed by a $NZ200 million ($A189 million) State Sector Decarbonisation Fund that would mandate Public Service Agencies to measure and publicly report on their emissions, and to offset any they couldn’t cut by 2025.
Money from the fund is to finance the replacement of public sector coal boilers, with the largest and most active the immediate focus, and support the immediate purchase of electric or hybrid vehicles to start replacing the petrol car fleet.
Announcing the measure, Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern said requiring the public sector to be carbon neutral within five years highlighted the Government’s commitment to leadership on climate change and the urgency of the action required.
“Government Agencies will have to measure and reduce their emissions and offset what they can’t in order to achieve carbon neutrality,” Ms Ardern said.
“It’s an important step forward in our plan for New Zealand to be carbon neutral by 2050,” she said.
“The public sector needs to be, and will be, an exemplar that sets the standard we all need to achieve by 2050.”
Ms Ardern said the policy, alongside the Government’s declaration of a climate emergency, “serves as a message to the public sector to get our own house in order”.
“Action on climate change is a priority for the Government and is an integral part of our COVID recovery plan. We need to seize the advantages of a climate-focused recovery and the economic prosperity such a strategy offers,” the Prime Minister said.
Minister for Climate Change, James Shaw said achieving carbon neutrality across the public sector by 2025 would build on the progress the Government had made over the past three years to transition New Zealand to net-zero carbon emissions.
“According to the world’s leading scientists we have just over nine years left to cut carbon emissions in half,” Mr Shaw said.
“This new initiative shows that the Government is equal to the challenge ahead,” he said.
Wellington, 5 December 2020
