Draft Emission Reduction Plan approved by Napier City Council

Published: 29 August 2024

Last Updated: 30 August 2024

Napier City Council’s first Emission Reduction Plan (ERP) was approved by Council at today’s Prosperous Napier Committee meeting, along with long-term and interim emission reduction targets.

The ERP is the result of work over the last 12 months. This included completion of an independently verified greenhouse gas inventory, which informed Council’s emission reduction targets and the 30 action points that make up the initial ERP.

Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise says climate change is a defining issue for businesses and local governments throughout New Zealand.

“Here in Napier, we know very well the impact of extreme weather events. The science tells us there’s every chance these types of events will become more frequent. Taking action to reduce our vulnerability to climate change is the best thing we can do to mitigate risks to our community and become a more resilient city.”

“It’s important that we lead our community in improving Napier’s climate resilience and reducing emissions. It’s not just up to us though. We will need authentic partnerships with residents, businesses, community organisations, government agencies and other local councils,” says Mayor Wise.

Council’s proposed long-term and interim emission reduction targets are net zero by 2050 and a 63% reduction in emissions by 2035 respectively. The ERP outlines 30 measurable actions that will start Council on the journey of reducing NCC’s operational emissions to net zero and facilitate a reduction in Napier’s community emissions.

In general, emission reduction actions should save ratepayers money as Council focuses on energy efficiency, phasing out expensive fossil fuels, minimising waste and using equipment with proven lower total costs of ownership. These are things such as heat pumps, LED lighting, and electric and hybrid vehicles.

“Our emissions reduction plan brings together many projects already underway for other reasons. It will be a living document that develops as our understanding of our emissions improves and as new technologies, government initiatives and community priorities evolve,” says Mayor Wise.

Now that Council has approved the ERP, the next steps will be implementing the actions, especially those in the area of leadership, which will be a priority across all areas of Council.

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