Ep 39: Targeting the Methane Targets with David Frame.

A landmark climate deal was struck in 2019 – the bipartisan legislation ‘Climate Change Response Act’ or Zero Carbon Act – which sets a legal framework for New Zealand to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Biogenic methane was the exception – with its targets set for a 24 to 47 percent reduction. In October, the Government announced they are reducing those methane targets to 14 to 24 percent. Federated Farmers and others in the primary industry welcomed the policy, while others say this will not only make it harder for New Zealand to meet its climate change obligations but also threatens the primary sector’s ability to trade internationally. Given the impact these decisions will have on the primary sector, the Blue Shed Diary is getting perspectives from two different professors. Joining the conversation is David Frame, Professor of Physics at the University of Canterbury and former head of the New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute.