The latest IPCC report released at the end of March 2014 shows that NZ is not doing it's 'fair share' to mitigate climate change, and that our changing climate over the coming century means more extreme weather such as extensive floods, major droughts. Read the IPP report here, or read an article about NZ's status in the Report in the Christchurch Press 'Wake-Up call for NZ in climate report'.

Brian Fallow wrote an interesting piece in the NZ Herald outlining why it is essential for NZ to curb emissions, not from an moral/environmental viewpoint but from an economic viewpoint on reducing the monetary costs to current and future New Zealander's. Here is the link to the Article 'Curbing emissions is vital'.

1. NZ emissions in 2012 were 25% higher than the year 1990. This is primarily due to increased agriculture and transport.
2. NZ's net emissions are slightly less than our Kyoto target of 309 million tonnes, mainly through our forests sinks removal of carbon.
3. There is a surplus of 90 million credits in the New Zealand Registry above the Kyoto requirements. This is due to the influx of cheap foreign Kyoto units from countries such as Ukraine.
   
4. NZ has the 5th highest emissions per capita out of  40 industrialised countries with an average of 16.6 tonnes of CO2e per person compared with the average of around 11 tonnes per person.

To read Minister Grosser's Release click here. To read the the MFE Report click here.