Rolf Mueller-Glodde and Inge Bremer, of Carbon Neutral Kerikeri, try out their carbon footprint calculator. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Rolf Mueller-Glodde and Inge Bremer, of Carbon Neutral Kerikeri, try out their carbon footprint calculator. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Northland climate campaigners say the Government's commitment to countering climate change in Budget 2021 is welcome but it doesn't go far enough.
Bob Bingham, who writes a column about climate change for the Northland Age, said the main thrust of the Budget was wellness and dealing with Covid-19, but there was not a lot left for climate change.
A sum of $300 million had been allocated for decarbonising the economy but details of how it would be spent were still sketchy.
He said a plan to convert schools that use coal for heating to cleaner systems was helpful but paled into insignificance compared to the urgency of converting transport, which produced 47 per cent of New Zealand's emissions, to renewable home-produced electricity.
If the country was to convert its car fleet to electric in 30 years' time, it needed to import 70,000 battery-powered cars every year. However, after five years, New Zealand still had fewer than 30,000 electric cars.
"It's not expensive — we buy that many petrol cars each year — but we need a financial environment to achieve it," he said.
Bingham noted the $1 billion spend on railways didn't include converting the rail network to electric trains.
"Now that would really get us somewhere," he said.
Kerikeri climate change commentator Bob Bingham. Photo / Supplied
He said the Budget should also have included incentives for rooftop solar power.
"Climate change is a relatively slow-acting event but we have should have started 40 years ago. Now we're burning coal at the Huntly power station because the climate-induced drought means our hydro dams are running out of water. We should have financial concessions for rooftop solar to boost home installations and save our hydro power for times when demand is greater than solar, wind and geothermal can supply," he said.
Bingham, who is based in Kerikeri, welcomed the $344m for Scott Base, which he said was in dire need of repair and upgrading.
It was vital New Zealand retained a base on Antarctica to ensure the future of long-term climate research, he said.
Rolf Mueller-Glodde and Inge Bremer of Carbon Neutral Kerikeri. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Inge Bremer, a co-founder of the Carbon Neutral NZ Trust, was heartened by the prominence given to climate change in Finance Minister Grant Robertson's Budget speech.
"The first thing he said was that the aim of the Budget is to bring about a just transition to a low-carbon economy. To me that's a sign we are heading in the right direction."
Thursday's announcement of $300m for decarbonisation came on top of $67m in a pre-budget announcement to implement the Carbon Neutral Government Programme.
Bremer, of Kerikeri, was also encouraged by the Government's commitment to rail and a return to train manufacturing in Dunedin.
Rolf Mueller-Glodde, also a founder of Carbon Neutral NZ, backed Green co-leader James Shaw's statement that however much had been achieved so far it was not enough.
"It can never be enough. The amounts in the Budget [for climate change] are somewhat disappointing. It could have been more."
Paihia EV advocate Craig Salmon says he has saved 46 barrels of petrol in five years by using an electric car. Photo / Peter de Graaf
The Budget also set aside a $302m contingency fund for future incentives to boost the uptake of low-emission vehicles.
Paihia electric vehicle advocate Craig Salmon said details of how those incentives were likely to be settled after the Climate Commission released its final report.
However, it looked like a significant sum of money had been earmarked for cleaning up New Zealand's vehicle fleet.
"'It's a really positive indication that good things are coming to incentivise EVs and reduce transport emissions. We're just not there yet."
As always, the devil would be in the detail, Salmon said.
