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The Climate Change Minister is defending his emissions reduction plan after revealing it's no longer on track to meet its third emissions budget.\xa0

This is despite being on track under the policies of the last government.\xa0

Projections published at the end of 2023 based on policies from the last Government, showed the country hitting its first three emissions budgets. Under new projections published today, which incorporate decisions the new Government has made to bin a host of Labour-era policies like decarbonising heavy industry and subsidies for EVs, the government will sail 17 Mt CO2-e above that third budget, which runs from 2031\u201335.\xa0\xa0

The government is on track to meet its current budget, emissions budget 1, and the second emissions budget.\xa0\xa0

An emissions reduction plan is a document the Government releases under the Zero Carbon Act. It is meant to set out policies that will help the Government to meet its emissions budgets on the way to hit the Government\u2019s ultimate goal of net zero emissions for long-lived gasses in 2050. The Government has one more emissions budget to deploy to hit its third budget.\xa0\xa0

The Government released its draft plan today for consultation. A final plan will be published before the end of the year.\xa0

The new reduction plan includes investing in electric car chargers, waste minimisation, and planting thousands of hectares of pine and native trees.\xa0

Climate Change Minister Simon Watts told Mike Hosking this plan has a short-term focus.\xa0

He says the initiatives will support the struggling economy while also still hitting the first two targets.\xa0

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