Climate Change Response Act 2002

3 Purpose

  • (1) The purpose of this Act is to—

    • (a) enable New Zealand to meet its international obligations under the Convention and the Protocol, including (but not limited to)—

      • (i) its obligation under Article 3.1 of the Protocol to retire Kyoto units equal to the number of tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent of human-induced greenhouse gases emitted from the sources listed in Annex A of the Protocol in New Zealand in the first commitment period; and

      • (ii) its obligation to report to the Conference of the Parties via the Secretariat under Article 7 of the Protocol and Article 12 of the Convention:

    • (b) provide for the implementation, operation, and administration of a greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme in New Zealand that supports and encourages global efforts to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by—

      • (i) assisting New Zealand to meet its international obligations under the Convention and the Protocol; and

      • (ii) reducing New Zealand's net emissions of those gases to below business-as-usual levels; and

    • (c) provide for the imposition, operation, and administration of a levy on specified synthetic greenhouse gases contained in motor vehicles and also another levy on other goods to support and encourage global efforts to reduce the emission of those gases by—

      • (i) assisting New Zealand to meet its international obligations under the Convention and the Protocol; and

      • (ii) reducing New Zealand's net emissions of those gases to below business-as-usual levels.

    (2) [Repealed]

    (2) A person who exercises a power or discretion, or carries out a duty, under this Act must exercise that power or discretion, or carry out that duty, in a manner that is consistent with the purpose of this Act.

    (3) For the purposes of this section, business-as-usual levels means the levels of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions, estimated by the Minister or the EPA at any particular point in time, as if the greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme provided for under this Act had not been implemented.

    Section 3(1): substituted, on 26 September 2008, by section 5 of the Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading) Amendment Act 2008 (2008 No 85).

    Section 3(1)(b): replaced, on 1 January 2013, by section 5 of the Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2012 (2012 No 89).

    Section 3(1)(c): inserted, on 1 January 2013, by section 5 of the Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2012 (2012 No 89).

    Section 3 first subsection (2): repealed, on 8 December 2009, by section 6(1) of the Climate Change Response (Moderated Emissions Trading) Amendment Act 2009 (2009 No 57).

    Section 3(3): added, on 8 December 2009, by section 6(2) of the Climate Change Response (Moderated Emissions Trading) Amendment Act 2009 (2009 No 57).

    Section 3(3): amended, on 5 December 2011, pursuant to section 19 of the Climate Change Response Amendment Act 2011 (2011 No 15).