The Government has passed changes that set a new, sensible biogenic methane target.
The Climate Change Response (2050 Target and Other Matters) Amendment Bill passed its third reading, updated the biogenic methane component of New Zealand’s 2050 climate target, and made several other changes to ensure climate legislation remains fit for purpose.
“The Government announced in October its common-sense approach to setting a science-based biogenic methane target for 2050, and today we have delivered,” said Agriculture Minister Todd McClay
“The changes we’ve made provide farmers and exporters with certainty and a clear pathway to reduce emissions. At the same time, we can maintain productivity and trade competitiveness.”
The Government has committed to New Zealand’s domestic and international climate change commitments, and agriculture will continue to make an important and fair contribution to achieving this reduction.
“Our methane targets must be practical for farmers, because a climate solution that shuts down farms and sends production overseas to less efficient systems is not a solution at all,” said Climate Change Minister Simon Watts.
“We need to ensure that we are supporting our farmers. That’s why the Government’s approach to reducing agricultural emissions is clear – through technology and partnership, we will deliver the reductions we need.”
This Government has backed innovative technology to meet the target. It has already invested more than NZD 400 million in the industry to speed up the development and roll-out of methane-cutting tools. The first is expected on the farm in 2026, with up to 11 available by 2030.
The amendments:
- Reset the biogenic methane target to 14-24 percent below 2017 levels by 2050.
- Legislate a review of the methane target in 2040 to ensure its alignment with science and against the progress of key trading partners.
- Requires consideration of protecting food production when setting emissions budgets.
- Removes the requirement that ETS settings align with NDCs, clarifying the ETS's purpose as our key tool to drive domestic emissions reductions.
- Defer the fourth emissions budget as more time is needed to reflect the updated 2050 target.
- Passing this Bill also confirms the Government’s decision to retain the current Net Zero target for long-lived gases.
Watts added that they had carefully considered the Climate Change Commission’s proposal to shift the target from net zero to net-negative, assessing the potential impacts on both the economy and the climate.
“We found that strengthening the target would come at undue economic cost and therefore have retained gases. Our latest projections show that we are on track to meet the net zero target eight years ahead of 2050.”
The Government has passed this Bill under urgency to provide certainty for the agriculture sector.
“The debate over targets has gone on for far too long, and it is now time to move from discussion to action,” said McClay.
“This decision has been clearly signalled. It was a coalition commitment, and we have maintained transparency throughout the independent methane review.”
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