NZ joins international declaration on zero emissions vehicles

New Zealand has signed up to the Birmingham Declaration on Zero Emissions Vehicles, committing to a zero emissions future for transport.

Climate change minister James Shaw endorsed the declaration during his visit to London, overnight New Zealand time.

“The transport sector has a critical role to play in the transformation to a low-emissions global economy”, Shaw says.

“At last week’s climate change conference in Katowice, Poland, reducing emissions from transport was identified as an important step in the global climate change response.”

“I’m pleased to add New Zealand to this declaration as a signal of our commitment to take action, along with others, in this important sector.”

New Zealand officially reached 10,000 electric vehicles (EVs) in September this year.

The proportion of light vehicle registrations that are electric are increasing, reaching about 2% of registrations in November 2018.

“EVs still make up a small proportion of New Zealand’s vehicle fleet,” Shaw says.

“The Government is looking at policies that will encourage the supply of EVs, in order to bring the price down so that they are cheaper, more widely available, and more affordable for New Zealanders.”

Signatories to the declaration commit to accelerating the transition to low emission vehicles, enabling the growth of the low emission vehicle market, and supporting the development of new zero emissions technologies.

The Birmingham Declaration has been signed by 14 other countries and states, including the United Kingdom, Indonesia and Denmark.