NZ Drops in Climate Ranking

It’s not much of a surprise to see New Zealand drop seven places in an international climate change league table, taking 41st place in the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI).

The CCPI compares climate mitigation efforts of 63 countries plus the EU across four categories: greenhouse gas emissions, renewables, energy use, and climate policy. 

Lawyers for Climate Action NZ contributed as experts to the 2024 CCPI.

We noted our concerns that the Government has made a raft of policy decisions with significant emissions impacts - from transport to agriculture to re-opening oil and gas exploration. It also continues to appear to prioritise GHG removals over achievable domestic emissions cuts.

All the while, New Zealand remains far off from meeting our 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement, and the Climate Change Commission has warned that there is an “urgent need” to strengthen our climate policies and strategies if we are to meet our future emissions budgets and 2050 target.

The next few months are a critical test for New Zealand’s climate framework law. While the Minister for Climate Change continues to say the Government is committed to our climate targets, the proof is in the Government’s actions - some of which will be revealed in the Emissions Reduction Plan due next month.

You can read the full assessment here: https://lnkd.in/enj3kzwY