Oct 11
4
Earth Report – Blue Sky Dreaming 1 of 2 – New Zealand – BBC Documentary, recorded 05.02.2010 New Zealand plans to be the first to create a carbon neutral economy. Their target is 2020. They have big plans for renewable power generation and a switch to electric cars. But half of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions come from sheep and cows. So how are they going to do it and what does carbon neutrality really mean? Earth Report investigates. The New Zealand government’s targets include: Energy – 90 per cent to come from renewable sources by 2025. This is achievable as New Zealand has plentiful hydro-electricity, wind and geothermal potential, and already generates 70 per cent of its energy from renewable sources. Transport – 50 per cent cuts in emissions by 2040, achievable only through a massive switch to hybrid and electric vehicles. While New Zealand’s huge renewable energy resources mean it has the capability of powering all road vehicles from renewable fuels, in practice its showcase electric vehicle project has still to import a single electric car. But reducing New Zealand’s emissions from its vast agriculture sector are likely to be by far its biggest challenge. These emissions are partly from methane released from grazing animals’ stomachs. But one-third of livestock emissions are derived from the release of animal urine into the soil, forming nitrous oxide which – like methane – is a potent greenhouse gas. For more information, see www.tve.org .
Sign up for our newsletter and download "Hypermiling: How to Make Your Car Go Further with Less Gas" absolutely free!
