Warning not to fall back on fossil fuels post COVID-19

New infrastructure investments need to be resilient and low emissions.

So says Climate Change Commission chair Dr Rod Carr in a letter to Climate Change Minister James Shaw.

“They typically have long lives, and we need to avoid locking in decades of emissions-heavy assets when there is an opportunity to transform them into low or zero carbon alternatives,” Carr says, adding the commission would like to see the next budget include climate change investment as a chapter heading.

“Mitigating and adapting to climate change needs to be considered in every investment decision this country makes,” he says.

Carr adds the commission is encouraged to see $421 million for a package of rail initiatives, including technology to improve Auckland’s metropolitan rail network and funding to upgrade New Zealand’s aging locomotive fleet.

It’s also happy about $400 million for replacing the Interislander ferries, but adds a rider that low emissions technology is needed.

“We strongly caution KiwiRail against falling back on diesel and bunker fuel locomotives and ferries because it appears cheaper and is a technology with which we are familiar and comfortable.

“Any estimate of life-time operating costs should be required to assume a significantly higher cost of carbon emissions. We also believe a serious investigation into how the new ferries could be run using a low-emissions technology is essential for New Zealand to meet its emissions target.

“We need to invest now for the future.”

Carr says the commission is concerned the Budget does not take New Zealand far enough.

“We need to do more.

“We acknowledge this is a time of huge uncertainty, but it is also one of opportunity.

“The economic stimulus the government has underway is the biggest in our lifetimes – if we can make smart investment decisions in low-emissions practices, technologies, and infrastructure, we can rebuild the economy, create jobs, and ensure people are better off both now and in the future.”