Released today while COP31 – the major UN climate talks – are underway in Türkiye, the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) compares and evaluates the climate performance of 64 countries plus the EU, which together account for more than 90 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
New Zealand is ranked 47th with an overall ‘low’ rating - and has scored ‘very low’ for its climate policy. It has dropped 13 places over the last three editions of the index.
WWF-New Zealand is one of the expert contributors to the CCPI, and CEO Abbie Reynolds says it is shocking to see how far New Zealand has fallen over the past three years.
“Aotearoa is making waves internationally for all the wrong reasons. We’ve long traded on our clean and green reputation, but that’s becoming increasingly difficult to reconcile with the reality we’re facing,” she says.
“Over the past three years we’ve seen some really egregious backsliding as the Government has dismantled our climate architecture, weakened climate targets, and thrown its support behind expanding fossil fuels.
“We know the world is not moving nearly fast enough to reduce emissions, but New Zealand is actively moving backwards. We’re making decisions that will lock in more fossil fuel use, make it harder to meet our climate commitments, and leave our country poorly prepared for the future.
“We are squandering our international reputation and failing to honour our commitments to Pacific neighbours and trading partners. The next Government – whatever form it takes – is going to have a lot of ground to make up,” she says.
The CCPI report specifically highlights the Government’s weakening of New Zealand’s methane target, ineffectiveness of the emissions trading scheme, and continued expansion of fossil fuels.
It points to the proposed LNG terminal as a major concern, recommending that New Zealand abandon the project, reinstate the offshore oil and gas exploration ban, and end public subsidies for fossil fuels.
The ranking comes hot on the heels of a scathing rebuke by international organisation Climate Action Tracker, which described the pace of New Zealand’s climate rollbacks as “staggering”.
“We need an urgent change in direction to restore our global credibility and transform New Zealand from climate laggard into the leader it once aspired to be,” says Reynolds.