Business Leaders Welcome Public Sector’s Acceleration To Zero Carbon

The Sustainable Busines Council (SBC) and the Climate Leaders Coalition (CLC) welcome the Government’s announcement to accelerate the public sector’s race to zero carbon within the next five years.

The announcement is the focus of three of the 26 recommendations contained in a recent joint SBC and CLC briefing to the incoming Government on climate action priorities. The briefing is the consensus view of the 150 companies represented by SBC and CLC.

Mike Bennetts, Z Energy Chief Executive, and Climate Leaders Coalition Convenor says, “it’s great to see the Government taking this leadership role in accelerating a positive and practical step towards achieving New Zealand’s zero carbon goal.

“We are looking forward to working alongside government in the coming weeks to take similarly bold action in other areas of New Zealand’s race to zero. This immediate work will contribute to short-term reductions and long-term benefits to New Zealand’s carbon footprint,“ Mr Bennetts says.

Executive Director of the Sustainable Business Council Mike Burrell says, “immediate opportunities include partnering to develop an electric vehicle roadmap, enhancing energy efficiency programmes, and creating an accelerated pathway for methane reduction technologies.”

“We can do this by working closely with Government to identify short-term opportunities that can be actioned now, medium -term opportunities that we can begin to scope and invest in, and long-term solutions that we can position ourselves to take up quickly when they become available and economically viable,” Mr Burrell says.

The briefing’s three key recommendations are increased investment in low carbon transport, an expansion of programmes to make process heat more efficient and low carbon, and speeding up the adoption of methane reduction technologies.

The briefing is online here.

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