New Zealand will accelerate its adoption of electric vehicles and investigate hydrogen as an alternative energy source as it seeks to phase out fossil fuels and play its role in mitigating global warming.
Announcing its first emissions reduction plan Monday in Wellington, the government said it will initially allocate 2.9 billion New Zealand dollars ($1.8 billion) over four years to fund a range of measures, from electric car incentives to phasing out coal boilers and helping farmers reduce methane emissions from livestock.
"This is a landmark day in our transition to a low emissions future,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a statement. "We’ve all seen recent reports on sea-level rise and its impact right here in New Zealand. We cannot leave the issue of climate change until it’s too late to fix.”