Our past emissions guarantee there will be an increase to at least 1.5°C, which means the extremes we are already seeing in our weather are the new normal, and will happen more frequently even if we manage to stay below 2°C.
To have the best chance at limiting to only a 1.5°C rise, global emissions need to be cut in half by 2030, and then in half again every decade after that to get to net zero by 2050.
Current international policies are not on track to meet the Paris Agreement. Large-scale efforts, like a shift away from fossil fuel travel and energy, are needed at a global level to keep temperature increase from even more dangerous levels.
Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini
My strength is not that of a single warrior but that of many
As a member of the global community, our actions and emissions in Aotearoa matter.
Our per capita emissions were the fifth highest in the OECD in 2019. Our emissions increased 26% between 1990-2019, mainly due to dairy cattle and road transport.
We must take action as part of that global community. A quarter of all global emissions come from small country's like New Zealand. By becoming a low-emissions economy, we can become global leaders–and leading the way is what we do best.
What the government is doing
The Government declared a climate emergency in December 2020.
New Zealand joined an international programme to reduce emissions and deliver the Paris Agreement targets.
Our government created an independent Climate Change Commission to make recommendations to central government on how and where we need to reduce our emissions.
Find out what else the New Zealand Government is doing to mitigate and adapt to climate change and what the Climate Change Commission advised for a low emissions future for Aotearoa.
What we are doing
Explore what Council is doing to take climate change for the future generations of Aotearoa.
What we're doing about climate change
It's going to take action from everybody to reach net zero, so find out what you can do to take climate action.