New climate target 'below expectations' of partners, government warned

Posted: 28 Mar 2025

The government was told its climate target for 2035 was "below expectations" for a developed country and unlikely to meet the expectations of key partners and the international community.

Officials laid out their assessments to Cabinet for a range of possible climate targets, starting from cutting emissions by 51 percent by 2035 and topping out at 65 percent reductions.

The lowest possible starting point was 51 percent, because the Paris Agreement requires each country's new target to be a step up on its previous one - and New Zealand's target for 2030 is 50 percent.

That was the figure the government went with.

Read more on RNZ.