What could New Zealand do to cut Greenhouse gas emissions.
New Zealand's problem is that our emissions profile is different to almost every other country in the world. The first difference is that 50% of our emissions comes from cattle and they burp their methane here and we export their milk or meat product emission free, the complete reverse of exported coal where the CO2 is emitted in the country of purchase. The second difference is that we already use hydro, geothermal, wind and gas to produce electricity whereas most countries can reduce coal burning to make big savings.
Being realistic we are not going to cut our dairy herd, the drop in milk prices may make this self adjusting but I can’t see New Zealand farmers having a big future in broadacre arable farming.
Being realistic we are not going to cut our dairy herd, the drop in milk prices may make this self adjusting but I can’t see New Zealand farmers having a big future in broadacre arable farming.
All that is left, in the big numbers, is transport and here technology is on our side. Our fleet of cars is oldish and we currently make no distinction between efficient and gas guzzling cars and there is no assistance to encourage electric cars.
Putting a heavier import tax on inefficient.vehicles would not be difficult and electric cars could be given some help. In the UK there is no tax or GST on electric cars which, considering the small numbers, is not an expensive exercise. The government could buy electric cars for its vehicle fleet which would send a strong message to the market and save money at the same time..
Putting a heavier import tax on inefficient.vehicles would not be difficult and electric cars could be given some help. In the UK there is no tax or GST on electric cars which, considering the small numbers, is not an expensive exercise. The government could buy electric cars for its vehicle fleet which would send a strong message to the market and save money at the same time..
We have a railway network that is going nowhere and unlike Europe and China there are no plans for modernization. Parts of the railway system could be offered to the electricity companies who are looking for a new market for their electricity and have the financial resources to make it happen. Mighty River Power has already stated that is wants to develop transport as a way of securing future markets for it electricity. In the UK model the government owns the track as a national asset and private companies run the system and it works well. It needs a lot of capital but interest rates are very low and the savings on reducing our oil import bill would pay for the improvements.
New Zealand thrives on its point of difference with the rest of the world so how would it look if all our tourists drove electric cars? Its that sort of bold move that shows New Zealand is serious about its clean image and is doing something about it.
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