Essay by Eric Worrall

The new Conservative New Zealand Coalition Government has cancelled a climate flatulence tax which was due to start in 2025.

New Zealand ends plans to price agricultural emissions

By Lucy Craymer
June 11, 202410:11 AM GMT+10

WELLINGTON, June 11 (Reuters) – New Zealand on Tuesday ended a plan to put a price on agricultural emissions including methane produced by belching sheep and cattle, relenting to farmer pressure that the plan would make their business unprofitable.

The conservative government said in a statement it would establish a Pastoral Sector Group with representatives from the agricultural sector to find other ways to reduce biogenic methane.

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The previous government had introduced a plan to charge farmers for their gas emissions from the end of 2025, in what was hailed as a world first.

New Zealand, home to 5 million people, has about 10 million cattle and 26 million sheep. Nearly half its total greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture, mainly methane.

New Zealand had been planning on including agriculture in the emissions trading scheme as part of its commitment to stop global warming. However, the plan was unpopular in many parts of the rural sector and the current government promised to end it if elected.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/new-zealand-ends-plans-price-agricultural-emissions-2024-06-11/

While this is a promising start, New Zealand is not out of the woods when it comes to climate insanity.

In 2023 current New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Luxon said “If you’re a climate change denier at the moment or even a minimalist, I just don’t understand how you can hold that position to be honest.“. Junior coalition partner ACT wants climate action at a slower pace, and New Zealand First, while they place a heavy emphasis on cost of living issues, still have climate action on their list of policies.

Having said that, any relief from the madness of the Jacinda Ardern years is probably a welcome change for ordinary New Zealanders. Whatever doubts I have about the current New Zealand coalition government, former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was far worse. In my opinion, nobody who thinks climate denial is linked to the Christchurch mass shooting should ever again be trusted with any kind of political authority.