New Zealand's Policies to Reduce Emissions: Enough to Achieve the Short-Term(2012) or Long-Term (2050) Emissions Reduction Targets?

Abstract

The paper deals with the issue whether New Zealand’s policies to reduce Emissions are sufficient to achieve its short-term (2012) or long-term (2050) emissions reduction targets. As the ongoing climate change is one of the most important challenges of the 21st century, the national policies of developed countries have to be an appropriate response to this problem. On the basis of the Kyoto Protocol, New Zealand is committed not to emit more greenhouse gases than in 1990 per year until 2012. Beyond that, New Zealand has published the domestic target to halve its greenhouse gas emissions of 1990 until 2050. After a short overview of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions development from 1990 until 2009, the paper will present the most important measures of New Zealand, in particular the NZ ETS, to achieve these emissions reduction targets. Following this, these provisions will be analysed and evaluated regarding their efficiency and clarity. Moreover, the paper will present improvement suggestions for the existing policies and suggest some possible, new measures to reduce greenhouse gases. Finally, the author will conclude that the short-term target might be achievable with the current policy, but not the long-term target.