New Zealand plan to halve greenhouse gases criticised as an ‘accounting trick’

Experts say commitment to cut emissions by 2030 is not ambitious enough and relies too heavily on carbon offsets

Climate change experts have warned that New Zealand has employed accounting tricks" to create a target for greenhouse gas emissions cuts that looks far more ambitious than it really is.

On Sunday the country pledged to halve its emissions by 2030 aspart of the Paris agreement to limit global warming to 1.5C. The announcement was made on the eve of the United Nations Cop26 climate conference.