Methane campaign is 100% politics
OPINION: We are endlessly told that livestock are responsible for half of New Zealand's total emissions.
The government is looking at how to get more trees planted as a key part of meeting its Paris agreement obligations, says Climate Change Minister Paula Bennett.
This is part of looking at what the supply of units into the NZ emissions trading scheme (ETS) in the 2020s might look like.
“If forestry is cheaper than purchasing international units -- and we think it might be -- there is a strong economic case for planting more trees,” she says.
“For example: investing in 10,000ha of forestry in 2018 will deliver 3.1 million tonnes of abatement over the 2020s, of the 235m total we need to reach our 2030 target.
“This could reduce the number of units we’ll need to purchase internationally.
“Some of the forestry changes we are looking at include how to make the NZ ETS more attractive to foresters,” she says.
“We know that forests [and foresters] come in all shapes and sizes, so it’s a matter of understanding what mix of approaches fits best.
“This includes looking at how forestry is accounted for in the NZ ETS, and how to reduce some of the administrative and compliance costs faced by foresters and the Government.”
Forestry is important because it is the most important means of absorbing domestic carbon emissions, she says.
“It can deliver at scale and is likely to cost less than purchasing international emissions reductions.
“And the great thing about forestry is the environmental and economic co-benefits it brings within NZ. These include erosion control, biodiversity and water quality benefits, opportunities for our regional and iwi economies, and carbon removals beyond 2030.
“A key focus of the NZ ETS review is how to promote more planting by ensuring there is a good price incentive to plant trees -- but we are looking wider than this. We want to ensure our range of forestry policies will help meet our Paris target.”
Beef + Lamb New Zealand says it is seeing strong farmer interest in its newly launched nProve Beef genetics tool, with early feedback and usage insights confirming its value in helping farmers make better breeding decisions and drive genetic improvement in New Zealand's beef herd.
The Innovation Awards at June's National Fieldays showcased several new ideas, alongside previous entries that had reached commercial reality.
To assist the flower industry in reducing waste and drive up demand, Wonky Box has partnered with Burwood to create Wonky Flowers.
Three new directors are joining Horticulture New Zealand’s board from this month.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) says proposed changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will leave the door wide open for continued conversions of productive sheep and beef farms into carbon forestry.
Federated Farmers says a report to Parliament on the subject of a ban on carbon forestry does not go far enough to prevent continued farm to forestry conversions.
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