Prof Diaz-Rainey was reacting to a Statistics New Zealand report, which shows that more cars on the road means our household emissions continue to grow.
Renewable energy increases, and dairy taking a greater share, are other features of the latest Stats NZ environmental-economic accounts report.
This document summed up changes to greenhouse gas emissions across industry and households from 2007-2017.
Prof Rainey, of the University of Otago accountancy and finance department, said the report, overall, was "not good news".
New Zealand still had "a very high greenhouse gas intensity compared to other industrialised countries"-greenhouse gas emissions relative to GDP.
We had also "performed poorly relative to countries like Denmark" that had made large cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.
The report would help set sectoral carbon budgets as part of the Zero Carbon Act, but more policy moves were needed, including stopping dairy conversions and intensification, encouraging electrification of the light vehicle fleet, and product policies that banned inefficient appliances.
Moves to encourage more energy-efficient buildings and retrofits were also needed.
Prof Rainey also directs the Otago department's climate and energy finance group.
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Comments
So why is it New Zealand doesn't do this, isn't good at that, needs to do this, that country is better than us etc etc with these 'academic' types.
If they think New Zealand is that bad then why do they stay.
We are a small country with 4 million persons on the bottom of the world, we are a drop in the bucket compared to places like India etc.