Commission committee member and agricultural greenhouse gas expert Dr Harry Clark says the principles are deliberately non-specific because generic one can be applied across all sectors of the economy, including agriculture.
It hopes for a win/win approach that helps employment and economic growth while addressing climate change.
There will be no shortage projects and it will be difficult for the Government to prioritise which ones to invest in.
Agriculture sector proposals will likely fall into two broad categories around and water quality and quantity like native plantings and fencing that have environmental benefits and others focused on coping with the effects of climate change, such as water storage.
The commission is still in the process of being set up as an independent Crown entity including deciding how it will engage with the public and with interested and affected parties, including the agriculture sector.
It is due to report to Parliament with recommendations on the first of three carbon budgets that will form NZ’s first emissions reduction plan, out to 2035, by February 1, which is a challenging timeframe because it must write the report and do public consultation before making the recommendations, he said.
Climate Change Minister James Shaw has also asked the commission to decide whether what NZ is doing is consistent with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
Shaw also wants advice on the potential reduction in biogenic methane, which might eventually NZ might have to do under the Paris Agreement.
That advice is to focus on longer-term biogenic methane targets than those in the Zero Carbon Act, which specify a 10% reduction by 2030 and a reduction of 24-47% by 2050.
DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb have urged the commission to have a closer look at the science the methane targets in the Act are based on, with DairyNZ calling for NZ’s international targets to be brought into line with domestic targets in the Act.
Clark says the commission does not have an opinion on whether the two should be aligned but it will gather evidence and consult widely before reporting to Parliament.
Public input on the commission’s recommendations will be called for later this year but stakeholders will be involved well before that.
Six principles for investment
The Climate Change Commission’s six principles are:
• Consider how stimulus investments can deliver long-term climate benefits;
• Bring forward transformational climate change investments that need to happen anyway;
• Prepare workers for the jobs of tomorrow, including investment in education and retraining;
• Work in partnership with iwi;
• Maintain incentives to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change and;
• Change how we measure the success of economic recovery from traditional economic indicators.
