Different Treatment of Methane the Right Thing

Different Treatment of Methane the Right Thing for Global Warming

The Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ) is pleased to see a differentiated approach, to treat methane differently to long-lived greenhouse gases, being given serious consideration in New Zealand’s climate change policy dialogue.

“Policy must be underpinned by robust science and be appropriate to the targeted outcome. If the outcome we want is climate stabilisation, then the science is telling us to treat long-lived gases differently to methane in policy frameworks” says DCANZ Executive Director Kimberly Crewther

CO2 emissions persist in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, compared to an atmospheric life for methane of 10 years. Researchers from Victoria University and Oxford have recently published research that demonstrates the importance of taking these differences into account in policy design if the goal of global climate stabilisation is to be achieved.

DCANZ has been pleased to see the Productivity Commission, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, and today the National Party endorsing the science for threating methane differently from other gases. DCANZ also appreciates the focus that Climate Change Minister, James Shaw, has on development of enduring policy approaches for New Zealand.

“Recognising the need to treat long-lived greenhouse gases differently from those ‘cycling’ gases like methane is a good place to start for an enduring policy solution” says Crewther

“There is strong endorsement of the science and its appropriateness to achieve the goal of global climate stabilisation. It will best direct attention, effort and investment to the places which will have most impact in stabilising the climate. And importantly unnecessary penalty to the New Zealand economy for no climate benefit will be avoided”.

ENDS

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