COP30 is coming to an end this week after discussions with global leaders about reaching climate goals. Takeaway areas of discussion include innovation in the civil, energy, and aviation sectors. Protection of the Amazon and methane emissions was also discussed.
Climate Minister Simon Watts attended the event, which was held in Belém, Brazil. Since last year's COP meeting, the New Zealand Government has announced a raft of changes that will impact the environment. The most recent of those was lowering the 2050 methane target goals to 14% rather than 24%. Concerns were raised that this cut would impact New Zealand's Paris Climate agreements.
Yesterday, Aotearoa received the Dud Award of "fossil of the day" for the methane cuts. The award is handed out to shame countries that block progress at COP discussions. Further criticism followed with the 2026 Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) report. New Zealand is now sitting at 44th out of 67 countries, labelled a "low performer" for meeting climate goals. In the report, the CCPI cited several changes as being disappointing. The report condemned the Government's decision to exempt farming from emissions pricing, despite it being one of the largest contributors in Aotearoa. The report calls the rollback of the offshore oil and gas exploration troubling. The report also called the reduction in fuel taxes a step backwards.
Watts said before attending the event, he believed New Zealand would not face backlash.
