31 January 2021 Draft Advice for Consultation
Letter from the Chair This report stands on the shoulders of many before us who have provided evidence and warnings about the impact of human created greenhouse gas emissions on our climate. It also recognises the people who have developed the tools we need to change our path. I want to acknowledge their work and express appreciation. Now is the time for Aotearoa to take further steps to align its actions with its targets to reduce emissions. As a country we should use only our fair share of the remaining global carbon budget – the greenhouse gases we can emit and still limit warming. If we act now, we can create a thriving, climateresilient and low emissions Aotearoa. After 12 months of considered analysis, the Climate Change Commission’s conclusion is that there are achievable, affordable and socially acceptable pathways for Aotearoa to take. Now we must decide where our ambition lies. For my part, I want to be able to say I did as much as I could as soon as I knew about the impact I am having on this world. Increasingly I am sharing this sentiment with my fellow New Zealanders. To achieve a cleaner, greener, healthier and more sustainable future, no emission reduction is too small – or too soon. All of us have a part to play and a contribution to make. This means we need to change how we get around, and rethink what we produce and how we produce it. We need to reconsider what we buy, what we do with what we have used, and how we can reuse more of what we have left over. The Commission recognises that what each of us can do depends on our circumstances. We will need to offer support to those most adversely impacted and who are also least able to absorb the impact of change. Our draft advice is about the direction of policy necessary to put Aotearoa on a pathway to quickly, significantly and permanently reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Our advice sets out how to achieve the targets we have already agreed to. We have drawn on the He Ara Waiora framework to help us understand wellbeing from a mātauranga Māori perspective. This has formed an anchor for our analysis. We are seeking feedback on our draft advice before it is finalised. There are matters of fact, assumptions and value judgments we invite you to review. We are committed to true consultation. We will consider all evidence we receive through consultation and are prepared to change any part of our work in light of this. It is reassuring to see central and local government, iwi/Māori, businesses, farmers and families taking action to understand and reduce emissions now. Every action makes a difference. The climate science is clear, the direction of climate policy is laid out and the time for accelerated climate action is now.
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