95bFM Government invests $13 million in decarbonising major industrial polluters
27 April, 2022
Interview by Stella Huggins, adapted by Jack Horsnell
Georgia Piggot, an environmental social scientist from the University of Auckland says Aotearoa needs to give low-carbon industries a chance to compete. Photo: Unsplash.
Yesterday the Minister of Energy and Resources, Megan Woods, announced the third round of the government investment in the Decarbonising Industry Fund, which wll provide $13m to 15 businesses to help them move away from fossil fuels.
The government is focusing on decarbonising major industrial polluters that are investing in innovative technologies.
BusinessNZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope said that the more we see investment in new, low-carbon technology, the more affordable it will become for small to medium enterprises (SMEs).
"Hopefully what we'll see as a result of this investment is more businesses choosing to replicate innovative sustainable practices that come from early adopters."
Georgia Piggot, an environmental social scientist from the University of Auckland, told Stella Huggins on 95bFM's The Wire that she wants to see the government take a holistic approach to decarbonisation by supporting emerging industries as well as legacy industries.
"Give low-carbon industries a leg-up on the playing field, so they have a chance to compete."
With 4 out of 15 of the businesses being meat production companies, and more than half relating to ruminant agriculture, Piggot says there are questions to be raised about where the government's investment is going.
"The list doesn't inspire me with a great deal of confidence that the investment is flowing toward industries that will build New Zealand's low carbon future. But as a short-term step, maybe it makes some sense to improve the efficiency of these industries."
This investment comes after the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report saying we need to reduce our reliance on animal agriculture.
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