Joint statement from the Chair of Environment Canterbury and the Mayors of Christchurch, Waimakariri and Selwyn

We are pleased the Government is taking action to reduce carbon emissions from transport.

We particularly welcome its commitment to providing councils with $50 million to help them fully decarbonise the public transport bus fleet by 2035.

Recent engagement with our communities as part of the development of a 30-year strategy and plan for Greater Christchurch for 2050 has highlighted people’s concerns about climate change and their desire to see more action.

Transport is one of the biggest contributors to Greater Christchurch’s carbon emissions – in Christchurch city on-road emissions account for 36 per cent of total gross greenhouse gas emissions.

The four Councils within the Greater Christchurch Partnership – Environment Canterbury, Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri – have been working together to implement a range of infrastructure and wider initiatives to help reduce transport emissions.

We are working on providing more cycleways and improving our public transport system so that people have good alternatives to using private vehicles.

We recognise that reducing carbon emissions in our urban area requires significant changes in how we travel around our local area. We are committed to supporting our residents and communities to make this transition through the provision of good quality, low-carbon options for getting around.

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