24 Feb 2016

Z Energy calls for greenhouse gas emission limit

11:18 am on 24 February 2016

Fuel company Z Energy wants changes to the way New Zealand deals with greenhouse gas emissions.

Z service station

Z service station Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson

In the company's submission to a government-ordered review of the Emissions Trading Scheme, it called for the government to set a limit on total emissions that can never be breached.

It said this would incentivise real changes in behaviour.

All sectors should be covered, including agriculture, which at present was not part of the scheme.

Emitters should meet the full cost of their emissions, ending a special 50 percent write-off the government introduced during the global financial crisis - a scheme which was widely expected to be dropped.

Z also urged special assistance for lower income people who might otherwise suffer if cost increases from greater emissions charging were passed on to the consumer.

It supports a market-based mechanism to control emissions and noted the current Emissions Trading Scheme did not work very well.

Submissions to the review closed last week.