3. Climate Change—Government Measures to AddressBARBARA KURIGER (National—Taranaki - King Country) to the Minister for Climate Change IssuesClimate Change—Government Measures to Address3. BARBARA KURIGER (National—Taranaki - King Country) to the Minister for Climate Change Issues: How is the Government helping New Zealanders better understand what action New Zealand is taking to tackle climate change?Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Climate Change Issues): Today I released this snapshot—New Zealand's Action on Climate Change—outlining all the action New Zealand is taking to tackle climate change. It highlights the significant work going on across central and local government as well as in the private sector. For example we have programmes in place to encourage foresters to plant 17 million trees by 2020 and to double the number of electric vehicles each year. Last year we invested $31 million into understanding climate change and its impacts. New Zealanders should be proud of what we have done and confident that we are up to the challenges ahead. Barbara Kuriger: What is New Zealand contributing to the efforts to reduce emissions from agriculture?Hon PAULA BENNETT: Emissions from agriculture are a challenge for New Zealand but that also means we have a fantastic opportunity to be world leaders in finding a scientific solution. We are a key player in the 46-country-strong Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases which is leading research about how to increase food production without growing emissions. Our farmers are already changing and without some of the efficiency improvements that they have made our agricultural emissions would have increased by 40 percent since 1990. Barbara Kuriger: What are the next steps for our action on climate change?Hon PAULA BENNETT: As I have said we have got a lot to be proud of but equally I think we have got a lot of work to do. In the next few weeks we will ratify the Paris Agreement with the agreement of the House locking in our ambitious targets for 2030. We are also working internationally to phase down the use of hydrofluorocarbons which could cut our greenhouse gas emissions by 2 percent and which are known to be really dangerous to the environment. Domestically we have established or are about to establish technical advisory groups on adaptation forestry and agricultural emissions. New Zealand is up for the challenge. James Shaw: Why does the pamphlet entitled New Zealand's Action on Climate Change fail to mention that New Zealand's emissions have increased 19 percent on her Government's watch?Hon PAULA BENNETT: As I clearly said in my answer to other questions we have got challenges ahead and we want to see ourselves reducing those emissions. On per head of population measure of course that has reduced and it would have gone up a lot higher if we had not been making the changes that we have.James Shaw: Why does the pamphlet entitled New Zealand's Action on Climate Change fail to mention that the most recent Ministry for the Environment projection of our future emissions is that they will increase 96 percent if her Government's policies remain unchanged?Hon PAULA BENNETT: It is because as the pamphlet's back page clearly says we are going to change. We need to do more we are up for the challenge and we are going to bend that curve.