Why we need to reduce VKT
Back in May the government released New Zealand’s first ever Emissions Reduction Plan. This was an historic moment, finally a plan with legislative weight that will help guide how we can meet our climate commitments over time.
The ERP confirms that transport needs to play a major role in reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.…
66 Comments A Hollow Victory for Auckland Council
On Friday last week, the High Court released its decision on the All Aboard Aotearoa (AAA) vs Auckland Transport and Auckland Council judicial review. The topic was the decision-making around the Auckland Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP). This plan estimates its investments will lead to an estimated 6% increase in Auckland’s transport emissions by 2031, and that the Government’s clean car policy and shift to biofuels mean the final result will be a paltry 1% reduction.…
Biofuels in New Zealand – A Solution or a Problem?
This is a guest post by David K. David worked in the oil industry for many years in the Middle East, Europe, Asia and New Zealand.
Legislation to mandate biofuel percentages in New Zealand’s petrol and diesel is going through parliament and will become law in the near future.…
Penlink To Start
Waka Kotahi recently announced the construction partners for building Ō Mahurangi Penlink, a massive new $830 million, 7 km road through farmland and coastal environment to the Whangaparāoa Peninsula. This comes after the government gave their final approval to the project at the start of the month.…
The Emissions Reduction Plan
This is a guest post by sustainable transport and accessibility advocate Tim Adriaansen.
Yesterday we received two important and related announcements from Central Government: The first Emissions Reduction Plan, which sets out the pathway Aotearoa will follow to meet our emissions budgets through to 2035 and;
Details of the Climate Emergency Response Fund which will be included in Budget 2022, to be announced on Thursday.…
What we expect and want to see from the ERP
Today the government are releasing their Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP), with the details released to the public at midday. The ERP:
“will set out exactly how the Government plans to deliver on the first emissions budget. The Minister of Finance will also outline the first investments from the Climate Emergency Response Fund on the same day”.…
From newsflash to carwash: climate coverage in the media
Last weekend’s Mediawatch story by Hayden Donnell – it’s really good, please do make time to read it – zoomed in on a particular paradox of our media at the moment.
Which is: while climate change is the overriding story, anything that makes the tiniest progress towards addressing it – like, say, swapping a handful of parking spaces for bus or bike lanes – is still presented as “controversial”.…
The IEAs 10-Point Plan for less oil
Responding to high fuel prices, in part a result of Russia’s murderous invasion of Ukraine, is a hot topic all around the world right now. In response, the International Energy Agency (IEA) are calling on countries to cut oil usage within four months, noting that measures such as just cutting fuel taxes “do not address the broader strains affecting the market“.…
Delivering Climate Action in Auckland
This is a guest post from the Office of the Mayor of Auckland.
Consultation on Auckland Council’s proposed Annual Budget for 2022/23 opened on 28 February and runs until 28 March.
The centrepiece of the budget is a proposal for a Climate Action Package that, with co-funding from the government, would allocate more than $1 billion over the next 10 years for a range of initiatives to reduce emissions and the impact of climate change.…
2022 – The Year Ahead
Welcome to 2022. After wrapping up 2021 before Christmas, here’s a look at some of the things we can expect to see in 2022.
Overall it appears that COVID will continue to loom large over the year and will be a major factor, potentially directly but certainly on things such as travel patterns.…
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