New Zealand needs to up its game in agriculture, tourism and bioresources manufacture if we are to reduce greenhouse gases to zero by 2050, according to energy futurist Michael Liebreich.
Photo: 123rf
In renewable energy terms, New Zealand is one of the "lucky countries" because – like Canada, Brazil and Norway –we already have a lot of hydropower in the mix, Liebreich tells Jesse Mulligan.
The shift to a low-carbon economy is very complex though, and will require massive innovation across all industries, he says.
De-carbonising our transportation, agriculture, heating will probably mean these processes going electric – and making everything electric 'clean' will create more demand for renewable electricity.
"Then there are things that won't go electric ... long-distance trucking, aviation, longer-distance shipping – very difficult, all of heating – very difficult, seasonal storage – very difficult.
"I'd love to see the agriculture sector in a country like New Zealand really leaning in and saying 'we can innovate, we can do this, we can do that… you may have to pay a bit more for this that and the other but we've got solutions'."
Michael Liebreich Photo: Supplied
Not many countries are as dependent as we are on airline travel – both for our own connectivity and tourism – and 'clean' aviation poses a big challenge, Liebreich says.
By 2040, we could see electric planes making domestic flights and planes running on synthetic fuels, biofuels or hydrogen covering longer distances, he predicts.
New Zealand urgently needs to make better use of our "fantastic" potential for producing our own bioresources, he says.
"In other countries, the availability of biogas and biomass is being developed and strategically used."
Our dairy industry would benefit from more fully engaging with the potential of biodigestion, Liebreich says.
"There needs to be a discussion because you've got these resources – they're there in your economy – and they can be developed further, but I don't see that debate happening."
Michael Liebreich is in New Zealand as a guest of Z Energy, who he describes as "progressive" for inviting him.
