ACT unveils election climate policy, vows to scrap net zero target and repeal Zero Carbon Act
The New Zealand ACT party has announced its election climate policy, which includes repealing the Zero Carbon Act and scrapping net zero emissions targets. The party argues that current policies are economically damaging and proposes returning carbon tax revenue to households as a dividend.
Why it matters
This policy shift represents a significant challenge to established climate legislation in New Zealand and highlights the ongoing political tension between environmental targets and economic prosperity.
The ACT party has vowed to get rid of the net zero emissions target, repeal the Zero Carbon Act and cut carbon tax if elected.
Its climate policy is largely a repeat of what it brought to the 2023 election campaign , and promises not to "kneecap New Zealand's prosperity for the sake of political virtue signalling".
ACT leader David Seymour said the country's approach to dealing with climate change was broken and sending the country broke.
"A small trading nation can't ignore climate policy, but overdoing it backfires and puts unnecessary costs on Kiwi businesses and households," he said.
ACT's policy was "grounded in economic reality" and would reduce emissions without imposing costs on New Zealanders that trading partners were unwilling to bear, Seymour said.
ACT leader David Seymour said the government was not making money through carbon actions because it refused to sell units for less than $70.
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