Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson, with ministers Michael Wood (left), Megan Woods and James Shaw, announcing the Emissions Reduction Plan. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson, with ministers Michael Wood (left), Megan Woods and James Shaw, announcing the Emissions Reduction Plan. Photo / Mark Mitchell
On Monday, the Government unveiled $4.5 billion in funding as part of the Emissions Reduction Plan to tackle the impacts of climate change and help reduce global warming.
Included in the funding is $569 million for the Clean Car Upgrade to help lower and middle-income households scrap high-emitting vehicles in exchange for electric and hybrid alternatives.
And despite agriculture still being outside the Emissions Trading Scheme the sector, will receive $710m over four years in funds from it to help lower emissions in the sector and develop "green fuels".
Speaking to the Herald's The Front Page podcast, senior political reporter and On the Tiles host Thomas Coughlan said that the plan is the first time in New Zealand's history that the emissions will be shrinking as the economy grows.
He said this is a positive step towards dealing with climate change, but it's a high-risk plan that could fail if some of the policies are not successful.
"The plan released some modelling which shows what will happen to New Zealand's emissions if these policies are successful. And the modelling shows that all of these policies have to be quite successful for us to hit our emissions reduction goals."
Exemptions for the agriculture sector is expected to put more pressure on the rest of New Zealand. Photo / Getty
Coughlan said that environmentalists are happy that the plan, if it works, will reduce the emissions - and it will be the first time New Zealand's ever been in that position.
However, given that agriculture is not being specifically targeted, Coughlan expects that the exemption for the sector will disappoint many.
"The way agricultural emissions are treated them and the way that we budget agriculture gets a very good ride already. Coming out of this plan, they're getting an even better ride."
He said that this plan means that everyone else in New Zealand will have to work harder to reach the targets.
"Emissions reduction can be painful. It means the costs go up often. It means that there are burdens placed on people on low incomes and those burdens are higher because, and the burdens on agriculture are lower because someone has to do it and of agriculture won't than someone else has to."
The policy - particularly the plans to swap out high polluting vehicles - are "very retail policies" that will likely win over some voters, but Coughlan said that for younger generations, such as the teenagers who marched in the School Strike 4 Climate, this plan would not support the fundamental change they are looking for.
"There has been a really strong fight for low emissions, high density, urban living in New Zealand, which has two legs to it. One is that it's low emissions and the other is that it would be more affordable housing wise.
"This plan isn't really a vote of confidence in that style of living. So you wouldn't look at this plan and think, right, I can go and buy a low emissions and low cost apartment in the middle of town and have frequent and reliable and cheap public transport. But that this plan doesn't really support that sort of vision."
• The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am.
