Shaw debates zero carbon bill at Fieldays

Climate Change Minister James Shaw faced a hot tempered farmer among a mostly good-natured crowd at Fieldays this morning during the Government’s roadshow to promote the Zero Carbon Bill.

“We’re grappling with a significant challenge in front of us, with extreme weather events increasing in frequency and extremity,” said Shaw.

New Zealand has a goal to reduce greenhouse emissions in half by the year 2050, a goal set by the John Key National Government. The new Zero Carbon Act would put a climate change target into law and could help New Zealand become the world’s leading zero emissions food producer.

Carbon dioxide from large industrial process such as Fonterra’s milk drying units, nitrous oxide and methane from ruminate animals and waste are the main contributors in New Zealand’s greenhouse gas problem, Shaw said.

“It’s not just one part of the community, it’s right across it. Even if you turned off the ‘tap’, everything we’ve done would still be out there in the environment for many more years,” said Shaw.

Several audience members had questions.  One older man from Taranaki declared that Shaw was not to “go home and eat milk and butter, but go and eat leaves”, if he was planning to blame the farmers entirely for the climate challenges that New Zealand faced. Shaw replied that he himself came from a farming family and had no intention of putting farmers out of business.

He said all government offices currently offset their emissions, but admitted that they can always improve and make sure that they are “walking the talk,” with all ministers and crown cars currently in the process of switching to electric cars.

You can have your own say on the Zero Carbon Bill here