The best carbon capture devices are trees « Standard

The government has shown its utter disdain for tackling climate change in policy statement after policy statement. Who can forget how they:

• Speed ​​limits are being relaxed, especially near schools. Unfortunately, the faster you go, the more CO2 you produce, and the more kids you might kill, but these are clearly not secondary concerns to them.
• Auckland’s light rail is about to open, and Wellington should follow suit.
• have Shane Jones claims The previous government’s attitude to climate change was hysterical, mining in environmentally protected areas, including managed land, was to be fast-tracked, and “if there was a mining opportunity, it was blocked by a blind frog, Goodbye, Freddy“.
• production Gas guzzlers and larger vehicles are cheaper The number of electric cars has subsequently fallen sharply, undermining the previous government’s efforts to make the country’s cars more sustainable.
• Released a government policy statement on land transport, Not making climate change a priority And there are few facilities for walking and cycling.
• Stop making the following policies Providing transportation options other than private cars.
• At a time when any serious climate scientist says we must leave undiscovered oil in the ground, we are moving to resume wholesale quotation for offshore oil drilling.
• Abandoned Labor’s IRex project, which would have seen new rail ferries run between the North and South Islands. The total cost so far is $484 million. Agree to provide cheaper options that do not include rail transport.
• take Agriculture no longer participates in emissions trading system At the same time, the government claimed that it was committed to fulfilling the country’s obligations to address climate change. However, the government did not explain how it would do so.
• appointment The “Independent” Group Review the science and current targets for methane. Clearly, they believe the science is not settled and the current targets need to be revised, certainly down.
• Announcement Eleven roads of national significance In the latest government land transport policy statement. Simeon clearly enjoys the smell of fresh asphalt in the early morning.

You might ask how they will achieve the country’s greenhouse gas reduction targets. Global Positioning System Simeon Brown said the emissions trading system was a key tool for governments to reduce emissions.

But the strange thing is, Salt Carbon Fund The New Zealand Stock Exchange-listed company was selling credit units at $1.85 at the last election but the latest price is $1.37, a 26 per cent drop.

You would think that as the likelihood of the country meeting its targets falls, the smartest minds in capitalism would think the price of these units would rise. Any shortfall would need to be made up by buying credits. But for some strange reason, the cost of carbon is falling. Either the market tycoons are very optimistic about the country’s ability to decarbonize, or they are betting that the ETS will be weakened. If the latter happens, the government will have to write some big checks because the ETS will fail.

So what will the government do to reduce emissions?

How does it feel to imagine that carbon capture and storage will solve our problems?

From Hive website:

Energy Secretary Simeon Brown said the Coalition Government had published a Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) Framework for consultation, providing an opportunity for industry to reduce net CO2 emissions from gas use and production.

“Our Government is committed to cutting red tape and removing barriers to drive investment in the energy sector. As part of our plans to increase renewable electricity and transition to a low emissions economy, we are enabling innovative technologies to reduce net CO2 emissions,” Mr Brown said.

It is estimated that the implementation of CCUS will reduce New Zealand’s net CO2 emissions by 4.65 megatonnes over the next two emissions reduction plan periods (2026-30 and 2031-35).

“CCUS is an important way to reduce net CO2 emissions from hard-to-abate sectors that provide a continuous supply of electricity to our economy, such as natural gas production. Capturing CO2 emissions enables these key sectors to transition to a low-emissions economy at minimal cost, thereby strengthening our energy security and reducing net emissions, and aligning our policy with many other jurisdictions that are considering CCUS as part of their net zero emissions framework.

There are three comments to make about this statement.

first The latest agreement between the Government and New Zealand Steel It is expected to save 8 megatonnes over the same period, which is more than the total savings expected from using CCUS. Yet National has taken this opportunity to criticise the deal. I don’t know why.

Second, CCUS has been touted as a panacea for the world’s climate change problems, but it has never worked at scale. About CCUS The Climate Change Committee said It expects “incremental changes to be consistent with those of previous years but not to show any significant changes”.

Third, the best carbon capture devices are trees. Trees improve air quality and comfort, provide stability and support flora and fauna, and provide us with shade and wood. I live in a regenerating subtropical forest and every day I celebrate the contributions of trees.

They also absorb carbon. Native forests are particularly good at this.

But National has historically rolled back tree protection rules, making it much easier to cut down trees. If the Fast Track Approvals Bill is enacted, it could lead to forests in pristine areas being exploited and felled.

The government clearly has no plan in place to deal with climate change. They are just delaying the problem in the hope that a magical scientific solution will emerge.

The problem with this approach is that it is a gamble with the future of our children and grandchildren, and it can justify doing nothing now when the need for immediate action is so obvious.

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