NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Bennett: We're on the right climate change track

By Paula Bennett
NZ Herald·
13 Oct, 2016 04:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Paula Bennett is the Minister for Climate Change Issues. Photo / Duncan Brown

Paula Bennett is the Minister for Climate Change Issues. Photo / Duncan Brown

Opinion

We've ratified the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, so what next?

On October 5, you may have seen New Zealand's ratification of the Paris Agreement making a few headlines. The EU and Canada promptly followed our lead, and the agreement will now come into force on 4th November. However you may, as many have, wondered exactly what that means.

The Paris Agreement is the most comprehensive agreement on climate change ever reached. 197 countries have committed to reducing their emissions to keep temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius.

New Zealand is playing our part. Ratifying early means we contribute to the 55 per cent of global emissions needed to bring this incredibly important climate change agreement into force.

While we only make up 0.16 per cent of global emissions, one of the best things we've done as a global citizen is helping ensure the Paris Agreement gets over the line.
New Zealand's first target under the Paris Agreement, to reduce emissions to 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, is both fair and ambitious.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It will not be easy. Our target will be met through a combination reducing emissions, planting more trees and trading in high integrity international carbon markets.

This government has a plan. Agriculture is responsible for almost half of our greenhouse gas emissions, which is why we are a leading member of the 46 country Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases and invest $20 million per year in research on reducing agricultural emissions.

Through AgResearch and other government agencies, we have also been working on growing our sheep dairy industry, a far more sustainable alternative for our environment.

Our plan includes an ambitious and wide-ranging package of measures to increase the uptake of electric vehicles, record levels of spending on public transport, and a programme of urban cycleways throughout the country. We've also recently lodged the New Zealand Aviation Emissions Reduction Action Plan to help tackle the environmental impacts of aviation.

We have a target of 90 per cent renewable electricity by 2025, and are well on our way with 81 percent currently. We have insulated over 300,000 homes and we continue to upgrade and future proof our social housing stock.
We have heard the calls of environmental groups and are establishing working groups to focus on adaptation, agriculture and forestry.

Discover more

World

Gore stumps for Clinton at Florida rally

12 Oct 12:39 AM
New Zealand|politics

New Green MP: focus must be on action

12 Oct 05:24 AM
Editorial

Housing talk all about strategy

13 Oct 04:00 PM
Opinion

Woods: Agri emissions must be tackled

13 Oct 04:00 PM

Alongside this work, we are now halfway through the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) review, and the most forceful message we have heard so far is that increased policy stability and certainty is critical.

Businesses need to know where policy is heading over the next 5, 10 and 15 years so that they can have confidence when investing in new technologies.
That's absolutely my commitment.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

New Zealanders might not always agree on issues such as what level our targets should be, or how best to include things such as agriculture, however I think we can all agree that as a country, we can and must do more.

Ratifying the Paris Agreement is a good way to show our strong commitment internationally, but the real work happens at home, and I am optimistic we're on the right track to finding better ways to live and leave this world for future generations.

Paula Bennett is the Minister for Climate Change Issues.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

Politics

Gender equality: New Zealand drops in global ranking for the first time in four years - here’s why

13 Jun 01:48 AM
New Zealand|politics

Christopher Luxon on Israel's 'preemptive strike' on Iran

New ZealandUpdated

'Concerning': Police seize arsenal of almost 500 firearms from Gore property

13 Jun 01:29 AM

It was just a stopover – 18 months later, they call it home

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Gender equality: New Zealand drops in global ranking for the first time in four years - here’s why

Gender equality: New Zealand drops in global ranking for the first time in four years - here’s why

13 Jun 01:48 AM

The Government says New Zealand's position in the index is still strong.

Christopher Luxon on Israel's 'preemptive strike' on Iran

Christopher Luxon on Israel's 'preemptive strike' on Iran

'Concerning': Police seize arsenal of almost 500 firearms from Gore property

'Concerning': Police seize arsenal of almost 500 firearms from Gore property

13 Jun 01:29 AM
'Potentially catastrophic' – Luxon speaks after Israel conducts ‘pre-emptive strike’ on Iran
live

'Potentially catastrophic' – Luxon speaks after Israel conducts ‘pre-emptive strike’ on Iran

13 Jun 01:11 AM
The woman behind NZ’s first PAK’nSAVE
sponsored

The woman behind NZ’s first PAK’nSAVE

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP