Budget 2020 fails to tackle climate change, activists say
Even in the biggest government spend-up in history, there is little funding for directly tackling climate change, activists say. Of the Budget 2020 announcements, the rail network, waterway restoration and home insulation all received a boost. But Greenpeace described these investments as "loose change", considering the size of the spend-up. The environmental group had hoped to see significant investment in solar electricity generation and sustainable agriculture . Greenpeace executive director Dr Russel Norman said climate mitigation projects were "almost completely absent" from the Budget. READ MORE: * Budget 2020: Here's everything you need to know about the announcement * Budget 2020: Government doubles house building efforts, promises 8000 new state homes * Covid-19: Trains, traps and pink batts the govt's array of climate-friendly spending options "New Zealand's on track to increase its net emissions by 20 per cent from 2005 to 2030, according to the latest assessment. It's quite disappointing they haven't chosen this moment, of a big spend, to try to change the trajectory." The Warmer Kiwi Homes programme, which retrofits insulation and heating into the homes of lower-income New Zealanders, received a $56 million boost this year. The cash would cover another 9000 homes. In a rule change, the government would now pick up 90 percent of the tab, rather than two-thirds. However, 600,000 Kiwi homes are under-insulated, Norman said. "That leaves 590,000 households in cold homes." Norman was pleased to see the Budget set aside $1.2 billion for rail and ferry investment, up from $1b in 2019 . More than $420m will be spent on new trains and $240m on new track and other infrastructure. Another $400m was set aside to help replace the Interislander ferries and upgrade the ports. However, government spending was still tipped heavily in favour of roads, Norman said. "Against all the other spending they announced at the end of last year on new motorways, there's still quite a long way to go." Another key announcement was the $1.1b "green jobs" package. As part of the package to create 11,000 jobs, $433m was allocated to regional environmental projects including wetlands restoration, which can boost carbon sequestration, and the provision of fish passages. Forest & Bird chief executive Kevin Hague said the Budget provides much-needed support for conservation and native species. "That aspect is really good." On climate, the jury is still out, he said. This year's Budget also allocated another $3b of infrastructure spending on top of the $12b upgrade package announced last year . The decisions on the additional projects are yet to be announced. "If they choose to spend that on propping up 'shovel-ready' projects that reflect old-school thinking, that's very bad news for nature in the long run and very bad news for climate change," Hague said. Climate activist Cindy Baxter, of Coal Action Network Aotearoa, agreed the government's "real climate test" would be the carbon-intensity of these infrastructure projects. "Will it apply its 'climate lens' and turn down emissions-intensive projects to ensure future generations are not landed with a climate mess along with the massive debt we are handing to them today?" Environmental Defence Society chairman Gary Taylor is hopeful the upcoming infrastructure announcements will prioritise the country's transition away from fossil fuels. "We're looking for transformational, 21st century, low-carbon projects to get the nod." This year's Budget is the most environmentally friendly government spend-up ever, Taylor said. "We argued for a billon-dollar fund for nature and we've got that. We've similarly been pushing for investments that are going to transform the economy... That seems very much in play." Announcing the budget, Finance Minister Grant Robertson emphasised benefits to the climate, noting rail and ferry spending would decrease emissions over time and saying the Government would make sure the added $3bn infrastructure spending "supports meeting our climate change goals."