New Zealand will decarbonize its public buses by 2035 and introduce a law in 2021 to import clean cars to cut emissions and fuel costs, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Thursday, as New Zealand pushes for a carbon neutral target by 2050.
The government will also mandate lower emitting biofuels across its transport sector and buy only zero-emissions public transport buses from 2025, Ardern said.
“Tackling climate change is a priority for the government and remains a core part of our COVID[-19] recovery plan. We can create jobs and economic opportunities while reducing our emissions, so it’s win-win for our economy and climate,” Ardern said.
Ardern, who returned to power in October 2020, delivering the biggest election victory for her center-left Labour Party in half a century, had called climate change the “nuclear-free moment of our generation.”
“This will be an ongoing area of action, but we are moving now to implement key election promises,” Ardern said, adding the government would get more advice from the country’s climate commission mid-year.
The government will introduce a law in 2021 to import only low-emission cars to prevent up to 3 million tons of emissions by 2040 and will consider an incentive scheme to help make people switch to clean cars.
New Zealand declared in December 2020 a climate emergency with a promise that its public sector would become carbon neutral by 2025.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern views the Z Energy biodiesel plant in Wiri on January 28, 2021 in Auckland, New Zealand. Photo: VCG
