0.17% not 1%

Stuff reports:

Former US vice president has commended Jacinda Ardern and the new on its bold direction on .

Lots of rhetoric so far, but few actual policies.

Ardern said New Zealand had to be a responsible member of the community and a responsible neighbour.

Just because New Zealand's carbon emissions accounted for about 1 per cent of the global total, that did not diminish the country's responsibility.

We're not 1% of greenhouse gas emissions. We're 0.17%. If we were 1% we'd be the 16th largest emitter. We're in 60th place. That is a huge difference.

Also Ardern said carbon emissions. That is a sub-set of greenhouse gas emissions. assume she meant greenhouse gas emissions but if she didn't then we're even lower. We're at 0.09% and in 71st place.

Ardern also talked briefly of the Government's policies specifically related to climate change – including the of net-zero carbon by 2050, planting 1 billion over 10 years, 100 per cent renewable energy by 2035 and transitioning to a zero-emissions government vehicle fleet.

Here's the problem. Those three policies will have a small impact on our level of net emissions. They're cosmetically attractive but not substantive in terms of that target.

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