New Zealand emissions trading scheme is failing but could be fixed
January 10, 2014
New Zealand’s initial attempt to mitigate the problem of climate change is on its last legs, a University of Canterbury
(UC) forestry expert says.
Professor Euan Mason says the Kyoto Protocol, which we ratified in 1997, bound New Zealand to keep its net emissions at
1990 gross emission levels between 2008 and 2012, but also tied the country to particular patterns of thinking about
greenhouse gases.
With a unique emissions profile, New Zealand could offer the world valuable solutions for developing nations if only we
would accept the opportunity. New Zealand’s greenhouse gases emission profile is closer to that of a developing nation
than a first world one, and so solutions that work for us might also work in developing nations.
Professor Mason, of UC’s School of Forestry, has seen large numbers of seedlings (Eds: see photos attached) which were
grown in response to our emissions trading scheme and then were recently destroyed with herbicide in a nursery because
they went unsold during the 2013 planting season.
``These two-year-old seedlings were grown in anticipation of a well-functioning emissions trading scheme,’’ he says.
``Instead we have an emissions trading scheme which is supposed to do the heavy lifting in New Zealand's climate policy
but could not lift one dry Weet-Bix out of its box.
``Forestry could easily make us fully greenhouse gas neutral while solving erosion problems and improving profitability
of our hill country farms, but for this we need a rational approach to emissions trading and commitment from our
populace.
``Our emissions trading scheme is failing to change behaviour, partly because of low credit prices, and partly because
we have taken a piecemeal approach to implementing it.
``Credit prices have dropped because we allow unrestricted imports of hot air credits from eastern Europe.
``The piecemeal approach to our emissions trading scheme, in particular the total exclusion of our agricultural sector,
has further reduced its effectiveness and its credibility.
``By excluding agriculture from our emissions trading scheme, we give a free ride to the very sector that emits more
greenhouse gas than any other single sector in the country.
``Surprisingly, New Zealand could be completely greenhouse gas neutral between 60 and 100 years by planting radiata pine
on approximately 2.4 million hectares, which is nine percent of our land area, or more than doubling our current
plantation area of our marginal lands.
``To promote this kind of solution along with reductions in emissions we need a higher credit price, which means no more
hot air and all sectors in the emissions trading scheme.’’
Professor Mason says New Zealand has so far failed to respond adequately to climate change and our emissions are among
the fastest rising in the world.
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