Phase out forestry credits for fossil fuel emissions: Simon Upton

Much of New Zealand could be covered in permanent pine forests, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton warned. (Image: Alan Gibson)

Greg Hurrell

Wed, 09 Apr 2025

Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton wants forestry carbon credits for fossil fuel emissions to be phased out.The current Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) allowed polluters to buy unlimited forestry credits and prevented real action to reduce New Zealand’s gross emissions.He has also called for the creation of a separate biogenic trading scheme to allow agricultural methane emissions to be offset by production forestry – trees that are felled and replanted.Those recommendations are laid out in a new report from t...

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