In a word, no. New Zealand is not currently on track to help keep global warming under the 2 degrees threshold.
The government has pledged conditional emissions reductions targets that fall well short of what is needed to help stop runaway climate change.
Climate change - Is New Zealand on target?
"The Government’s target is a kick in the teeth for the millions of kiwis who have taken part in Earth Hour over the past two years, and showed the government their willingness to take action on tackling climate change."
Peter Hardstaff, Climate Change campaigner
Climate Action Tracker: Emission reductions proposals a long way from 2oC
- Climate Action Tracker - Copenhagen Accord 585 KB pdf
Copenhagen Accord
On 1 February 2010 the New Zealand government announced it would join the Copenhagen Accord. In doing so it has restated the same emissions reduction target range proposed in August 2009 with the same range of conditions attached.The target range remains 10-20% below 1990 levels by 2020 and the conditions include no limit being placed on purchasing overseas credits (so that New Zealand can meet is target without having to reduce emissions domestically) and what the government calls ‘comparable effort’ by other countries. According to Tim Groser, Minister Responsible for International Climate Change Negotiations, for such comparability of effort to be achieved, “other developed countries will need to set higher targets”. New Zealand is threatening to make its target even weaker if others don’t do more.
Analysis suggests that the combined effect of sticking to the weak emissions reduction targets submitted to the Copenhagen Accord would be a catastrophic level of global warming.
Although the Copenhagen Accord could provide another opportunity for governments to move towards a fair, ambitious and legally binding international deal, up until now, governments have not taken this opportunity. New Zealand, like others has chosen to restate exactly the same position it took several months before Copenhagen. This does nothing to advance the negotiations.
Peter Hardstaff, Climate Change Campaigner for WWF-NZ said, “This has to count as another missed opportunity for New Zealand and other industrialised countries to show that they are serious about preventing runaway climate change.”
View the government’s press statement
Click here for a table showing the different commitments countries have submitted to the Copenhagen Accord
Click here for a more in-depth analysis of the Accord
Background to the target
In August 2009, the New Zealand Government adopted a ‘responsibility target’ for greenhouse gas emissions reduction by the year 2020 amounting to a conditional 10-20% reduction of emissions below 1990 levels.
WWF has been calling on New Zealand, like all other industrialised countries, to be responsible for a 40% emissions reduction by 2020. According to the best available science, a 40% cut by 2020 will give us a reasonable chance of keeping global warming below an average temperature increase of 2 degrees Celsius and avoid some of the worst impacts of climate change. The 40% figure is also based on a fair-shares approach where industrialised countries, which have historically contributed more to causing the problem, do more to solve the problem.
WWF believes the Government’s target of 10-20% to be irresponsibly weak and inadequate.
WWF has been calling on New Zealand, like all other industrialised countries, to be responsible for a 40% emissions reduction by 2020. According to the best available science, a 40% cut by 2020 will give us a reasonable chance of keeping global warming below an average temperature increase of 2 degrees Celsius and avoid some of the worst impacts of climate change. The 40% figure is also based on a fair-shares approach where industrialised countries, which have historically contributed more to causing the problem, do more to solve the problem.
WWF believes the Government’s target of 10-20% to be irresponsibly weak and inadequate.
