WELLINGTON: Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, declared “climate emergency” on December 2. Addressing the Parliament, she cited findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change which stated, “To avoid more than 1.5 degree Celsius rise in global warming, emissions would need to fall by around 45 per cent from 2010 levels by 2023 and reach zero by around 2050.”
Jacinda told the lawmakers in the parliament that this declaration is an acknowledgement of the burden that the next generation will carry if we do not take action now. A majority of parliamentarians voted in favor of the declaration after a debate which lasted for around an hour. With this, New Zealand has joined the list of 32 countries including Japan, Canada, Britain, who have declared a climate emergency.
Half of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the agriculture sector. The government during the declaration promised that the public sector will achieve carbon neutrality by 2025.