Robert McLachlan: Massey University Science Professor on Air NZ backtracking on their climate targets

Surprise and disappointment as Air New Zealand's 2030 climate targets go up in smoke. 

It's backtracked on a plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 28.9% from 2019, with a 16.3% drop in absolute emissions. 

Massey University Science Professor Robert McLachlan told Mike Hosking it's unexpected and sets a bad precedent. 

He says it's a bit soon for the airline to pull out of a target it only set two years ago and made a big deal of at the time. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Back to We're in New Zealand. As I said before
the news, they pulled the pin on this twenty thirty
carbon emissions target due to the resources needed being unaffordable, unavailable,
not to mention regulation, all sorts of things. Professor and
applied mathematics specializing in climate change, Robert McLaughlin is with
us on this. Robert, very good morning to you.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Good morning.

Speaker 1 (00:16):
So this has gone international coverage the BBC, for example,
the New Zealand becomes first major airligne in the world
to drop twenty thirty climate goal. Are we setting a
bad precedent here?

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Yeah? I think so. I was surprised by this. I
didn't see it coming, so it's surprised and disappointed a bit.
Any ze One made a lot of hay out of
this when they signed up in twenty twenty two. That's
not so long ago. So yeah, I think it's a
bit soon to be pulling out of a twenty thirty target.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
If you can't do something, you can't do something, what
else should they do?

Speaker 2 (00:49):
Well? The many other airlines, big airlines around the world
are still in this system. It's called the Science Based
Targets Initiative. So it's a it's a private initiative, voluntary initiative,
but it is backed by the UN. It's pretty credible,
and other airlines are sticking to it, so China Airlines,
Delta United. So it can be done. But yep, as

(01:09):
you said, it is difficult. It's going to require some
investment in more efficient planes and new low carbon aviation fuels.

Speaker 1 (01:18):
But when you say they're sticking to it, are they
sticking to it or are they just they're going to
announce in the next week or so exactly what are
New Zealands announce? In other words, everyone's working out they
can't stick to it.

Speaker 2 (01:29):
Yes, So the purpose of these voluntary corporate initiatives, it
is kind of a commitment mechanism. You stake your claim publicly,
you say, yep, we've got this credible target and we
will stand up and be tracked against it. So that
is the purpose of how this is supposed to work.
Outside a lot of other large New Zealand companies are

(01:53):
in the same initiative, Fonterra, Fletcher Building Contact and that
is how it's supposed to work. That we know everyone
gets to them and how they're tracking and see if
they're chieving their goals.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
Are we just getting a reality check? I mean, if
you're an airline you can't buy planes because they can't
make them fast enough and there is no aviational fuel
that's suitable at this present point in time, then that's
your reality check, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
Yeah? Trick. It is a tricky sector, and some of
the claims by the sector, like Zara twenty fifty are
a little bit implausible and not credible. So that's why
we really want to see a bit of short term progress.
It doesn't have to be revolutionary, we just want small,
steady steps.

Speaker 1 (02:34):
Really should we temper our excitement because I was suggesting
before the news the reality here is a lot of
these people jumped on. There's a bit of green washing
going on here among court. I'm not a corporate U
Zealan at the whole world, everyone wants to be on
a bandwagon. What's the point of being on a bandwagon
if you've got a backtrack because it's not real.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
Well, there is greenwashing, of course, and there's companies do
make sometimes make unrealistic claims, but there's also genuine progress.
And I think the government will be disappointed by this
because if you hear the messaging the same thing. They
do want the industries and business world to step up
a bit more and not have everything just done by

(03:13):
government regulation, which is true, it does require a partnership,
so I think the government would be disappointed by this.

Speaker 1 (03:20):
Good on you, Robert, appreciate your time. Robert McLaughlin, professor
and applied mathematics specializing in the climate chain. For more
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