WWF-New Zealand CEO, Livia Esterhazy, responds to the Climate Change Commission report released 31 January 2021:

"The key takeaway from the Climate Change Commission report released today is simple: Together, we can do this.

This analysis has shown what we at WWF have said for years: New Zealand isn't doing its bit, but doing our bit is 100% possible – and will make New Zealanders' lives better. The Commission has laid out a roadmap for a future where people and nature can both thrive. And, critically, the Commission has found that this will cost New Zealanders less than expected from previous estimates. Even ignoring the huge, immeasurable costs of failing to cut our carbon pollution, the Commission has found that it will only cost 1% of GDP by 2050 to meet the Zero Carbon Act targets.

We all have a part to play, and there's no time to wait. The IPCC has made it clear that we need to halve carbon pollution this decade, but New Zealand's emissions are still rising. To change that, all sectors must work together to make this possible. Innovation will help, but we have the technologies we need now. Now, it's time for all New Zealanders to get involved. Our team at WWF-New Zealand spent three years working hard to help secure cross party support for the Zero Carbon Act, to make this Climate Change Commission a reality. Two days before 119 Members of Parliament voted to create the Commission, we delivered an open letter from over 230 New Zealand businesses, community organisations, and leaders supporting the Zero Carbon Act. Now, the time for politics is over, and the time for action is here."

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