ACT Party has proposed that New Zealand seek a weaker Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris climate agreement, particularly for agricultural emissions, or leave the pact entirely. The party wants a split gas approach where methane from livestock is treated under a no additional warming standard, while carbon emissions continue to drop. This comes as New Zealand faces near impossible odds to meet its 2030 target without buying offshore credits, which the government has ruled out. The proposal has drawn criticism from climate scientists who say the no additional warming approach ignores evidence that current methane levels cause about 30% of global warming. ACT argues that current climate settings push farmland into forestry while food production shifts overseas. The government has already delinked the Emissions Trading Scheme from the Paris target, raising questions about how New Zealand will meet its commitments.
