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The Detail is a daily news podcast produced for RNZ by Press room and is published in Stuff excuse me. Click on this link to subscribe to the podcast.
Reaching 100 percent renewable energy in New Zealand sounds like a great statistic to brag about, but is it the best way to stop climate change?
Alden Williams / Stuff
Electricity generation represents only 4.2% of Aotearoa’s emissions
Aotearoa is willing to lose its climate change targets at the rate we are currently going, both for the Paris Climate Agreement and under our own Zero Carbon Law.
In an attempt to combat climate change, the Labor Party recently announced that it would advance its 100% renewable energy target from 2035 to 2030.
Stephen Russell / Things
The Lake Onslow project could make the looming gap in the North Island’s power supply more difficult to fill in the short term, one analyst warns.
READ MORE:
* Ardern government and climate policy: Despite a zero carbon law, is New Zealand simply a follower rather than a leader?
* Election 2020: The Greens seek to reduce emissions from the construction industry with a new plan
* Climate change: making green hydrogen more than hype
* Election 2020: Poll shows voters are divided on climate policy and urgency for action.
$ 30 million has already gone into a business case for pumped water storage at Lake Onslow in the South Island and, if the project gets the green light, it is estimated to cost around $ 4 billion.
Today The detail speak to Press room political reporter Marc Daalder on what the Lake Onslow project is all about and what a buzz with renewables.
A $ 70 million Labor fund already exists to help major industrial users decarbonise, and in last year’s budget, the coalition government announced $ 27 million for a new energy development center, with $ 20 million. additional four years for energy technology research.
But …
“Electricity generation accounts for only 4.2 percent of our emissions. There are much larger sectors that we could focus on, if the goal is to reduce emissions,” says Daalder.
“Agriculture accounts for 48 percent of our emissions, transportation 19 percent.”
Mark Brake / Getty Images
The Lake Onslow scheme would store 25,000 times the energy of South Australia’s Tesla battery bank, which is the world’s largest manufactured battery.
There has been some coalition government work to address greenhouse gases from agriculture, which in recent times has become a very sensitive topic.
That includes $ 8.5 million for research to reduce emissions and $ 25 million over four years for research to help farmers deal with the effects of climate change.
But Daalder says it’s not enough.
“Very few parties have a way to reduce emissions from cows and sheep, methane emissions, which is a very important part of our emissions profile,” he says.
Sam Scannell / Stuff
Agriculture accounts for almost half of New Zealand’s emissions.
Along the way of the campaign, Labor has pledged $ 50 million to help farmers make the transition to sustainable farming practices and address growing compliance requirements.
The Greens promise $ 297 million, the Maori Party – $ 300 million.
Both Act and NZ First have not promised any specific funding to assist farmers in the transition.
And National plans to reduce the restrictions, not add them.
The detail also attends the official unveiling of New Zealand’s first floating solar panel at the Rosedale Wastewater Treatment Plant in Auckland and talks to Vector PowerSmart’s Rogier Simons about the move.
