Climate politics heat up ahead of poll
Reading Time:3minutesWhichever political coalition wins the Treasury benches later this year will determine whether agricultural emissions policy remains largely untouched or faces new initiatives. The current. . .
Reading Time:3minutesWhichever political coalition wins the Treasury benches later this year will determine whether agricultural emissions policy remains largely untouched or faces new initiatives. The current coalition government has amended climate change policies – critics say weakened them – by lowering methane targets and committing to not imposing an emissions tax. That could change after November’s election. A Labour Party spokesperson said it has yet to release its climate change and agricultural policies. At the 2023 election its policies were to require mandatory reporting of on-farm emissions by the start of 2025, with an emissions pricing mechanism implemented from that same year. The Greens and the Opportunity Party both have policies of pricing agricultural emissions. The approach of Te Pati Māori is unclear. The climate change issue has taken on added impetus given the Climate Change Commission last weekwarnedthat current agricultural greenhouse gas policies have lowered incentives for farmers to cut emissions and that targets are unlikely to be met. It isn’t just agriculture failing to reduce emissions. The report noted the country’s rate of reductions had halved since 2023 and stalled last year. The primary sector does not want major changes to climate change policy following the general election, says Federated Farmers board member Richard Dawkins. “The pace of emissions reductions needs to more than double over the next few years and, to get on track for that, action is needed within the next 12-24 months. ”Two policies the commission said have reduced incentives are not putting a tax on emissions by 2030 and the lowering of the 2050 methane target range. Following a review, the coalition government set a new 2050 methane target reduction range of 14-24% from 2017 levels compared to an initial reduction target of 24-47%. It also adopted a split-gas approach to methane and removed agriculture from the Emissions Trading Scheme. The coalition said these change made sure the regulations were fit for purpose. “The changes we’ve made provide farmers and exporters with certainty and a clear pathway to reduce emissions,” Minister of Agriculture Todd McClay said last December. “At the same time, we can maintain productivity and trade competitiveness. ”The European Union’s newly released livestock strategy has elevated the status of livestock from previous policies aimed at reducing numbers. The bloc now considers livestock essential for food security and economically important for rural communities to thrive. It also proposes not putting a price on agricultural emissions, adopting a split gas approach and incentivising farmers to reduce emissions. While supportive of the current government’s policy direction, Federated Farmers board member Richard Dawkins said the sector does not want “chopping and changing”. He said policies need to encompass both emissions mitigation and resilience, such as flood protection and water storage. He remains opposed to charging for emissions. “A carbon tax is meant to incentivise behavioural change. What is the farming behaviour it is trying to change?”Dawkins considers the EU’s policy change significant, given its parallels with New Zealand. The Green Party launched its election manifesto at the weekend; it advocates pricing agricultural emissions “to ensure methane reduction targets are met”. The policy includes financial and technical support to reduce emissions, advocates NZ meet its Paris Agreement commitments and requires government budgets to be consistent in limiting global warming to 1. 5degC. The Opportunity Party policy manifesto states it would strengthen the Emissions Trading Scheme “by adding a new mechanism for agricultural emissions” but new exotic forestry would be excluded from the ETS platform. It would empower the Climate Change Commission to set emission budgets and said there would be government support for sectors to reduce emissions and adapt to the effects of climate change.