Engineers Welcome Release Of Governments Greenhouse Gas Proposals

IPENZ - Engineers New Zealand welcomes the release of the Governments Preferred Policy Package for meeting the nations obligation towards climate change.

While there are some points in the policy package that we disagree with, the nation now has a framework in which to comment to the government in its development of the final policy framework. “Up until yesterday, the public has not had a clear idea as to what the government wanted to do - now it has” says IPENZ-Engineers New Zealand CEO Dr Andrew Cleland.

“While the nation, in particular in the business community, are right to ensure that the policy does reduce our international competitiveness. Being first to meet Kyoto obligations it could have considerable advantages. Firstly our international brand image of being “Clean and green” will be enhanced and this will bring tourism and agriculture gains. Secondly, in meeting our Montreal Protocol obligations to phase our CFCs we found that the requirements led to really worthwhile innovations and ultimately stronger and better businesses. Given we already have strong technological knowledge to reduce CO2 emissions, early incentives to get on and use that knowledge before other countries might be in our national interest” he said.

While the proposals outline a wide range of tools - market and non-market - to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, it is getting these targeted and balanced correctly that will deliver sustainable emissions reduction.

Dr Cleland added that “while engineers and others have many of the solutions to reduce emissions, it is creating the right climate for these solutions to be implemented that is the challenge. Society and the business community need to think differently about selecting and using technologies for activities such as mobility, transport, heating, lighting as well as sourcing the energy for these”. If the policy package is right the national behavioural response will enable the engineering solutions to be implemented.

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