New Zealand Commits To Being Carbon Neutral By 2050 — With A Big Loophole
The Zero Carbon bill is ambitious but contains a major exception for methane emitted by plants and animals. Methane from animals like cattle and sheep made up 34% of the country's emissions in 2017.
New Zealand lawmakers approved a bill Thursday that commits the country to being carbon neutral by the year 2050. The measure, which passed 119 votes to 1, demonstrates the cross-party support that climate protection has in the Pacific island nation.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern thanked lawmakers for supporting the bill — and said she was grateful that in the past 10 years, Parliament had progressed from debating whether global warming is real to discussing what to do about it.
"We have to Thursday. "We have made a choice that I am proud of, that will leave a legacy, and that I hope means the next generation will see that we in New Zealand were on the right side of history."
