ACT Party Proposes Split-Gas Emissions Target for New Zealand, Separating Methane from CO2

The ACT Party in New Zealand has proposed a new 'split-gas' emissions target that would treat methane from agriculture differently than carbon dioxide. Under the plan, short-lived gases like methane would only need to cause no additional warming, rather than reaching net zero. The party argues this approach is more realistic for New Zealand's emissions profile and would protect farmers from being penalized under current climate targets. The proposal includes keeping agriculture out of the Emissions Trading Scheme and resetting emissions reduction plans around the split-gas approach. ACT claims New Zealand dairy farmers are already among the world's most emissions-efficient and that current Paris Agreement commitments are driving farmland conversion to pine trees. Climate scientists and the Climate Change Commission have pushed back, noting methane accounts for about a third of current warming and that cuts are needed to meet global temperature goals.