Environz

• Climate change solutions
• The state of New Zealand’s environment
• Ministry on the road again
• Staff buy-in to recycling proves a winner for IRD
• From river to tap
• Sustainable development and the RMA
• Cleaning up the smoke
• Emissions trading made easy
• Local hero
• Move over for Sustainable Product Design
• Update on the waste minimisation (solids) bill
• A fine wine needs good planning
• In brief
• For your diary...

Climate change solutions

New Zealand can be a country that looks after its environment as well as its economy, the social well-being of its people and its culture. Being sustainable will involve a transformed economy where people are prosperous, but not at the expense of the planet.

We are pleased to welcome our new Minister for the Environment, Hon Trevor Mallard, and look forward to working with him on the environment portfolio. We are also pleased to continue working with Hon David Parker on climate change issues and with Hon Nanaia Mahuta, Associate Minister for the Environment.

Like many others internationally, the Ministry was delighted that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Al Gore won the 2007 Nobel Peace prize for their efforts to increase and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change. It is encouraging to see acknowledgement of the IPCC. Enormous credit is due to many New Zealand experts who have played a key role in the IPCC in raising awareness of climate change.

New Zealand must prepare for a carbon constrained world in order to be a good global citizen, to grasp economic opportunities, and to be a leader. To guide our progress the Government has adopted targets for New Zealand:

• by 2025, 90 per cent of our electricity generation will be from renewable sources
• by 2040, our per capita transport greenhouse emissions will be reduced by half of those in 2007
• we will be one of the first countries in the world to widely deploy electric vehicles
• we will remain a world leader in agricultural emissions reduction research, and in the early adoption and application of new technologies and processes that reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions
• by 2020, we will achieve a net increase in forest area of 250,000 hectares compared to 2007.

These are ambitious goals, but they are achievable. Together, through business and community efforts alongside the Government’s active programme, we must use our expertise and commitment to shift New Zealand to achieving these targets.

I wish you a very Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year from all in the Ministry.

Hugh Logan
Chief Executive and Secretary for the Environment
Ministry for the Environment

 

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