WELLINGTON: New Zealand has placed itself on the right side of history in the battle against climate change, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Thursday, after lawmakers adopted a measure to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2050.

Thursday’s framework enshrines in law the new 2050 greenhouse gas reduction target and makes it a legally binding objective to keep global warming below a rise of 1.5 degrees Celsius forecast by the United Nations.

“Today, we have made a choice that I am proud of,” Ardern told parliament. “I hope it means the next generation will see that we…were on the right side of history.”

(Agencies)