Climate change: Panel members revealed for review of country’s methane goals

Climate Minister Simon Watts said the panel would need to report back to the Government by the end of the year. Photo / RNZ

The members of a panel set to review the country’s methane goals have been revealed.

The independent panel will review methane science and provide advice on setting targets to ensure there was “no additional warming” caused by the agriculture sector.

Climate Change Minister Simon Watts said the panel would need to report back to the Government by the end of the year.

“Cabinet has approved five appointees to the independent Ministerial advisory panel, including its chair, Nicola Shadbolt, who in addition to being a former climate change commissioner is a respected farmer, academic, and director with extensive governance experience.”

Watts said the panel’s members were highly-regarded, climate and atmospheric scientists with extensive domestic and international experience on climate change and biogenic methane.

The panel members are:

• Nicola Shadbolt (chair): Professor of Farm and Agribusiness Management, Massey University.
• Professor David Frame: Professor of Physics, University of Canterbury.
• Dr Sara Mikaloff-Fletcher: Principal scientist – Carbon Chemistry and Modelling, NIWA.
• Dr Laura Revell: Associate Professor, University of Canterbury’s School of Physical and Chemical Sciences.
• Professor Bill Collins: Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry and Earth System Modelling at the University of Reading.

Meanwhile, earlier this month the coalition Government announced it would stop agriculture from being included in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The proposed law facilitating this change passed its reading in Parliament this week.

The Emissions Trading Scheme was introduced in 2008 under the Labour Government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions emitted by certain industries.

The scheme puts a price on emissions, meaning certain sectors of the economy are charged for the greenhouse gases they emit.

The most recent Labour Government legislated to include agriculture in the scheme by 2025, but today’s announcement from the coalition Government stops that.

Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism.