Submissions

We strongly support the Bill’s objective of limiting global heating to 1.5ºC, legislating targets projected to make this possible, creating a framework of five-yearly emissions budgets to make meeting the targets achievable, and establishing an independent Climate Change Commission to assist with the above.

Although the need for action to limit climate change has been well understood since at least 1990, global CO2e emissions have continued to increase strongly over the past 30 years and only now is the rate of increase showing some signs of deceleration. It has become very clear that, in order to avoid potentially disastrous consequences, we need to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The Paris Agreement, which came into force on 4 November 2016, was a step forward in addressing this very major challenge, but the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted so far are not nearly adequate to meet the target.

As a group of professional engineers, Engineers for Social Responsibility (ESR) strongly endorse MBIE’s commitment to meet the government’s Carbon Zero targets by 2050, and the implementation of changes to our Building Consent regulations that will improve operational efficiency and reduce lifecycle carbon emissions from New Zealand’s building stock.

We endorse the crucial role of the Climate Change Commission in informing government policy, and the principles for investment outlined in their letter dated 7 April, 2020. To complement this advice, we would also like to draw your attention to the following risks and opportunities.