What is the Zero Carbon Bill?

By - , Build 173

If brought into law, the Zero Carbon Bill will have a major impact on the construction industry. So, what is the Bill aiming for and how will it deliver?

ON 8 MAY, the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill was introduced to the New Zealand Parliament by Minister for Climate Change James Shaw.

The so-called Zero Carbon Bill seeks to provide a framework for New Zealand to develop and implement policies and strategies that contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The goal is to help limit global average temperature increases to 1.5°C, as outlined in the Paris Agreement, which was created at COP21 Paris in 2015.

Four key pillars of the Bill

New Zealand’s Zero Carbon Bill is underpinned by four key pillars:

  • The setting of 2050 emissions reduction targets.
  • The establishment of an independent Climate Change Commission.
  • The creation of emissions budgets.
  • Adaptation measures to increase New Zealand’s resilience to climate change.

Setting 2050 emissions reduction targets

The Zero Carbon Bill sets out two key emissions reduction targets:

  • Reduce all greenhouse gases (except biogenic methane) to net zero by 2050.
  • Reduce emissions of biogenic methane – a gas created by living matter and bacterial activity – to within the range of 24–47% below 2017 levels by 2050, including to 10% below 2017 levels by 2030.

The setting of emissions reduction targets is to help ensure their long-term durability and produce a catalyst for change.

New Climate Change Commission

The Zero Carbon Bill also outlines the establishment of an independent Climate Change Commission. The Commission would consist of seven members including a chairperson, a deputy chairperson and five other members.

The purpose of the Commission is to provide independent expert advice on climate change mitigation and adaptation. The other core focus of the Commission is to monitor and review the government’s progress towards its emissions reduction targets and adaptation goals.

Creating emissions budgets

Emissions budgets are a set of interim targets that provide a way to plan for, meet and manage the greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. The emissions budgets enable the tracking of progress towards the target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Emissions budgets will help to create stability for the transition to a low-carbon economy and help to drive the changes required to stop rising greenhouse gas emissions.

Adaptation measures

The Zero Carbon Bill also sets out processes to address adaptation measures to increase New Zealand’s resilience to climate change.

A key task outlined in the Bill is the implementation of a national climate change risk assessment, as part of the National Adaptation Plan. It ensures a coordinated response to the risks and issues raised by climate change. This will allow the Minister for Climate Change to request emissions measures, processes and plans from organisations.

Will affect building industry

While it’s too early to tell whether the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill will successfully be adopted by Parliament, there is considerable interest and advocacy promoting its adoption, such as the recent student strike for climate change.

The building and construction industry is highly likely to be directly affected by the creation of an emissions budget. This will require industry to change how we do things, but it will also need strong government leadership and investment.

The Zero Carbon Bill provides an acknowledgement that climate change needs to be front and centre of our decisions and future planning, as the actions we take today will have an impact on our future.

For more

For more on the Zero Carbon Bill, including a summary and the regulatory impact statement, visit www.mfe.govt.nz/climate-change.

Download the PDF

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Articles are correct at the time of publication but may have since become outdated.

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