NZ at a crossroads on international emissions pledges

The world will probably have to 'bend the curve' back down to 1.5 °C. (Image: Getty)

Tue, 09 Sep 2025

If New Zealand is failing to meet its emissions commitments made as part of the Paris Agreement, it is in good company.The country is facing a shortfall of 84 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2-e) in its 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).Given that just about every other G20 country is also missing its NDC targets, the question asked at the 2025 Climate Change and Business Conference in Auckland was: how much does that matter and what can NZ do about it?The Paris Agreement aimed to limit the average global temperatu...

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