New Zealand launches carbon neutral projects, which have been criticized as incomplete

New Zealand on Wednesday unveiled a battery of plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, which is not enough by environmental activists as it does not coordinate activities in the agricultural sector, which represents 48% pollution emissions.

Plans presented two weeks before the United Nations COP26 climate summit in Glasgow include measures to reduce car use by 20% by 2035, increase access to public transportation and promote the use of electric bicycles.

Other ideas include creating low-emission fuels such as hydrogen, eliminating the use of fossil fuels, reducing food waste and promoting recycling.

But climate activists lashed out at the presentation and called on the New Zealand government to take more action to reduce carbon emissions, especially in the agricultural sector.

The Genesis Zero group called it “shameful”, “completely ignoring agriculture, which is causing half of our emissions.” Greenpeace promised that the document was “full of alternatives that mean nothing.”

Climate Change Minister James Shaw has promised that the agriculture sector has a “complete program” and does not want to “waste people’s time, including on things that will appear on that other show.”

cf / arb / jah / qan / dbh / rsr