Methane is an incredibly potent greenhouse gas–about 80 times stronger than carbon when it comes to warming the planet. Methane also makes up half of Aotearoa’s overall emissions, and so any meaningful effort to reduce our emissions as a country has to prioritise and target methane. 

In a reversal to Parliament’s 2019 agreement of cutting methane emissions by 24-47% by 2050, the Government has recently announced that they are reducing this target to 14-27% by 2050,

✍️ How to

• Search the name of your local MP (or write to the Climate Change Minister, Hon Simon Watts, the Associate Climate Change Minister, Hon Nicola Willis, or Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard). You may want to adjust the wording depending on who you are writing to.
• Find their email address and/or phone number
  • Emails & phone numbers from 2021 (otherwise just search their name)
  • If they are a new MP, their Parliament email is likely to be firstname.lastname@parliament.govt.nz

✂️ Template Letter

Use the template below or click the button to automatically create a draft email and send!

To:	S.Watts@ministers.govt.nz, C.Luxon@ministers.govt.nz
BCC:	newsletter@climateclub.nz
Subject	Please rethink your position on the emissions reduction targets
Dear Hon. Simon Watts / Rt. Hon. Christopher Luxon,  I hope this email finds you well. My name is [Your Name], and I am a [briefly describe your role or connection to the community, e.g., “concerned resident of [region]” or “professional X living in [city]”].  I am writing to express my deep concern about the recent changes to our methane reduction targets.  The IPCC has continuously pointed to the importance of reducing methane emissions due to their potency as a greenhouse gas. In fact, it was noted two years ago that based on current scientific models “To limit the damage to 1.5C or even 2C, carbon dioxide and (importantly for New Zealand) methane need to start falling right away.” If our farming communities are struggling to achieve the urgent and necessary methane reduction goals that were previously established, then the Government ought to proactively support the industry to transition to less intensive, lower-emitting forms of agriculture such as regenerative farming–for instance through grants and subsidies–rather than cave to pressure and commit the country to fail to achieve our international obligations through the Paris Agreement.  While I recognise that farmers face a unique pressure from climate change due to the high-emitting nature of mainstream farming practices making the industry a target for emissions reductions, the fact of the matter is that emissions have to be reduced at a rate far greater than current commitments if we want to keep warming within 1.5C. According to University of Canterbury researcher Bronwyn Hayward,​ “We cannot ensure that we can protect communities and our livelihoods once our temperatures start rising over 1.5C…The actions we take now will affect current and future generations – but for thousands of years.” I strongly urge this government to rethink its position on these emissions reduction targets, to recognise the dire reality that is the climate crisis, and to recognise that strong action must be taken. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your response. Kind regards, [Your Full Name] [Your Contact Information]