Submission on Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill
Environment Canterbury has formally submitted (PDF file, 104KB) on the Government's Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill.
The Environment Select Committee called for submissions following the first reading of the Bill on 21 May 2019. The bill contains provisions regarding adaptation, emissions reductions, and sets up a Climate Change Commission to inform these.
Environment Canterbury's submission is generally supportive of the bill. Councils play a critical role from an adaptation perspective and the submission emphasises the need for central government to work alongside local government in addressing the climate challenge. The submission also supports an approach to reducing emissions that is ambitious, achievable, enduring and transparent.
The submission aligns with Environment Canterbury’s 2018 submission (PDF file, 140KB) to the Ministry for the Environment on the Our Climate, Your Say: Consultation on the Zero Carbon Bill discussion document in July 2018. In this submission, we highlighted the importance of an urgent need to address climate change for the benefit of current and future generations. This has been further strengthened by the council’s declaration of a climate emergency on 16 May 2019.