Decarbonising Aotearoa New Zealand’s Aviation Sector: hard to abate, but even harder to govern

Abstract

Aotearoa New Zealand ranks sixth in the world for total per capita aviation emissions. Our geographic isolation, our globally dispersed families and our large tourism industry make international aviation especially significant. Domestic aviation is also important, in part due to a lack of passenger rail services. We need to decarbonise aviation. Yet, uncertainties of future technologies and responses to prospective policies make it a challenge to prescribe a definite course of action. We suggest that a wide range of policies, including emissions budgets, a sustainable aviation fuel mandate, emissions trading and fuel tax reform, and a rethink of tourism are essential.