Counting the cost

Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr says we cannot afford any more delays in pricing agricultural emissions.

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Farmers are among the most innovative, resourceful, and resilient business operators in New Zealand. Many have already been making good progress towards understanding and reducing the environmental impact of agriculture. In the summers of 1977 and 1978, I made hay and pressed wool at Hill End, out of Balclutha, on my uncle’s farm. It was hard, satisfying work, with good people who wanted to do the right thing for the land, their animals, their families, the community and the country.

Now, climate change is adding further challenges to agriculture in New Zealand. The slower we are at reducing emissions, the greater the burden will become in responding to climate and consumers. We must reduce gross greenhouse gas emissions, and we cannot plant our way out of our commitments.

Parliament unanimously set a January 1, 2025, deadline for pricing agricultural emissions. By the end of this year, the government will map out what agricultural emissions pricing will look like.