Integrated land use options for the Aotearoa New Zealand low-emissions ‘careful revolution’

Abstract

The Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act 2019 is a welcome start on the path towards a low-emissions future for Aotearoa New Zealand, but it is not much more than a set of targets and some tools. There are also so many potential alternative tools and processes now on offer that we face the additional significant risk of an unsystematic effort, without enough focus to secure an optimal pathway. Most of the needed tools and processes involve decisions about land use. This article outlines various options for well-integrated land use policies for Aotearoa New Zealand that in sum attempt to address the land use-related lowemissions challenge in a coherent way. The analysis is built around seven key integrative themes: an Aotearoa New Zealand world view and identity; sustainable low-emissions dietary and nutrition policy; integrated lower-emissions farming, forestry and freight transport; natural capital’s contribution to wellbeing; integrated catchment approaches; resilient cities; and meta-integration. Without significant effort on the integration of these and many other components of the required ‘careful revolution’, the revolution will be neither careful nor successful.