9 May 2019

What does zero carbon future mean for NZ farmers?

From Morning Report, 6:10 am on 9 May 2019

A climate scientist says farmers would have to get rid of all livestock in order to reduce methane emissions to zero. The government has released its proposed bill to tackle climate change. The bill treats the long-life gases of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide differently from methane, which is short-lived. The bill wants net zero carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide by 2050, but to reduce methane by 10 percent by 2030, with a tougher reduction by 2050. Andy Reisinger from the government funded Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre, says treating methane separately is consistent with the science.