Jacinda Ardern Launches New “Green Fund”

“New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a new NZ$100 million green investment fund on Wednesday, aimed at boosting private-sector participation in a campaign to achieve zero net carbon emissions by 2050,” writes Charlotte Greenfield in an article for Reuters.

“This new investment fund is an important component of New Zealand’s plan to build a clean, sustainable, low-carbon economy that has both lower emissions and profitable enterprises,” Ardern said in an emailed statement.

Tackling climate change is one of her centre-left government’s top priorities.

“New Zealand faces a number of challenges in reaching the 2050 target, including reliability issues, when switching the last roughly 20 percent of the power that is produced from fossil fuels to renewable sources,” writes Greenfield.

“The economy also relies heavily on agriculture, a major source of greenhouse gas emissions globally.”

“The green fund would likely target electric vehicles, manufacturing, farming practices and energy-efficient commercial buildings, Ardern’s statement said.”

Article Source: Reuters, Charlotte Greenfield, December 5, 2018

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