Government responds to Climate Change Commission advice on 2050 target

• Government's response to the Climate Change Commission report 2050 target review recommendations

The Government’s response confirms final decisions on these recommendations and provides further rationale for decisions that depart from the Commission’s advice.  

The Government has decided to: 

• Continue to not count international shipping and aviation emissions in the 2050 target, as is currently the case. 
• Maintain the current approach for post-2050 emissions reductions and removals.  

Rationale for the decisions

In the response the Government outlines its rationale for these decisions:  

• The Government has decided to continue to address emissions from emissions from international shipping and aviation through pre-existing global mechanisms as the approach is aligned with New Zealand’s economic goals and provides greater certainty to impacted sectors.   
• The Government has decided a framework for dealing with emissions reduction post-2050 is better developed closer to the time to enable consideration of updated evidence, technological advancements and developments in international context.   

Previously announced decisions

The response also includes previously announced decisions for the biogenic methane and long-lived gas components of the 2050 target. These are: 

• Update the biogenic methane component of the 2050 target to a 14 percent to 24 percent reduction from 2017 levels by 2050.  
• Maintain the 10 percent biogenic methane target for 2030.  
• Maintain the current net zero target for long-lived gases. 

These decisions do not impact New Zealand’s international climate change targets, known as Nationally Determined Contributions, or our domestic emissions budgets.  

The Climate Change Commission provided five key recommendations for New Zealand’s 2050 target when its advice was released in November 2024. Those recommendations were: 

• Gross emissions of biogenic methane are at least 10 per cent less than 2017 emissions by 2030.  
• Gross emissions of biogenic methane are at least 35 percent to 47 percent less than 2017 emissions by 2050.  
• Net accounting emissions of greenhouse gases other than biogenic methane are at least -20 megatonnes or carbon dioxide equivalent by 2050.  
• International shipping and aviation emissions should be included in the 2050 long-lived gases target.  
• There should be further reductions and removals of greenhouse gases beyond these levels after 1 January 2050.