NZ ratifies Paris Agreement – In the News

New Zealand became the 63rd country to ratify the Paris Agreement – getting in ahead of the European Union and within the first 55 per cent of countries required to meet the threshold to bring the agreement into force.

22779585433_cba13e8c13_k-1024x640New Zealand has pledged to reduce emissions to 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.

Victoria University climate scientist Professor James Renwick told Newshub that it was “a bit of a failing” that the Government did not have much policy around reducing emissions to meet the targets set in Paris.

“Trading in emissions units overseas, so essentially paying other countries to reduce emissions for us…comes at a cost,” he said. “Not every country can just trade in emissions because somebody, somewhere, has to be doing the reductions.”

“I think for a country like New Zealand, which prides itself on being 100 percent pure, clean and green, and we trade on that a lot – we should be leading the charge.”

New Zealand ratifying the Paris Agreement was covered widely by local media:

Newshub: NZ signs Paris climate deal, but no plans to cut emissions – expert
Stuff.co.nz: 
New Zealand ratifies Paris Agreement to combat climate change
NZ Herald: NZ takes final step on historic climate change agreement
Radio NZ: NZ ratifies Paris climate change agreement
Newshub: Opinion: Why NZ’s Paris Agreement commitment is lacking
NBR: NZ ratifies new global climate change pact as carbon heads for $20 a tonne