"Zero" has a quality about it that does not fit too well with some words at the other end of the alphabet, such as ambitious, aspirational and achievable.
It implies an absoluteness.
One big discussion that will happen at the Dunedin City Council will be about a plan to get Dunedin to a state of net-zero carbon by 2030.
Broadly, this means the amount of carbon the city produces would be cancelled out by how much carbon is absorbed, such as by trees.
Specifically, it means getting to net-zero emissions of all greenhouse gases by 2030 other than for biogenic methane, which is on a separate track of reduction targets out to 2050.
This has been described as "achievable if the city works together with courage and urgency" and "possible if organisations, businesses and communities in Ōtepoti Dunedin collectively pull all the available levers as hard as possible to achieve the scale of change required".
Type "aspirational goal" into Google and one definition that comes up is that such a goal "defies logic in many ways in that you can’t see a specific path to achieving the goal when you set it".
This may have described the city council in 2019 when it declared a climate emergency and set its sights on carbon neutrality by 2030. The point of a draft plan in front of the council today is it should make the path a lot clearer. Change needed would cover the spectrum from rebalancing the transport network to heating buildings more efficiently.
Why is all this considered necessary?
As the draft plan puts it, climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing humanity. And "the city is experiencing more extreme weather, sea levels are rising, ecosystems are under pressure and communities are being disrupted by new hazards and risks".
Some of the council’s draft plan plainly relies on central government playing its part. It would certainly need to ensure all of New Zealand’s electricity generation is renewable by 2030, for example.
The council could do with plenty more going its way. It would help if aspirations for commuter rail between Mosgiel and Dunedin are taken seriously. It would help if shore power for ships at port happens as soon as possible.
What we have seen from the government lately is an agenda to build roads, even though it is conceded this will "likely" increase emissions. The National Party is on much the same page.
The Green Party stands in marked contrast, offering such things as doubling minimum investment in walking and cycling infrastructure to $1 billion a year and reallocating funding from roads.
Speaking of roads, a proposal to have widespread reductions in speed limits is to be discussed by the city council today.
Proposed reductions apply to significant stretches of Dunedin and its rural surrounds and they were developed "in accordance with the guidance and recommendations" set out in Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s Road to Zero strategy.
What is supposed to happen nationally by 2030 is a 40% reduction in deaths and serious injuries.
How?
"When crashes occur, we can prevent serious harm through safe vehicles, safe speeds and forgiving road design."
However, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins narrowed the speed reduction programme for state highways to focus on the most dangerous 1%.
Despite softened language about making transport "substantially safer", the government denies walking away from Road to Zero.
Meanwhile, National has pledged to rip up a rule it described as "blanket speed limit reductions", which came out of Road to Zero.
The document itself spells out what happened to the previous strategy, Safer Journeys.
"Although it was based on a sound approach and compelling evidence, it did not have sufficient buy-in, investment, leadership and accountability to achieve a significant reduction in deaths and injuries."
The council’s draft zero-carbon plan, too, puts emphasis on various parties and individuals needing to work together, and quickly, to achieve the targets.
Interestingly, the council seemed to anticipate in 2019 governments might not play their part, because the council acknowledged "all levels of central government need to act".
If there is excuse-making from the council in 2030, central government shapes as an easy target.
• Consideration of the Dunedin City Council's draft zero-carbon plan was postponed on Tuesday morning and was now likely to come before the council by the end of October.
