New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden declares a climate emergency.

New Zealand Prime Minister declared a climate emergency to increase pressure for action in order to combat global warming.

New Zealand Prime Minister declared a climate emergency to increase pressure for action in order to combat global warming.The New Zealand Government declared an emergency as an initiative to achieve carbon neutrality in the public sector by 2025. Speaking in parliament, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the country must act with urgency and called climate change "one of the greatest challenges of the current times." She further added that the government sector would be required to buy only electric or hybrid vehicles. The majority of parliamentarians have voted in support of the declaration, whereas the main opposition National Party voted against the climate emergency.

Minister of Climate Change James Shaw said that achieving carbon neutrality across the public sector by 2025 will build on the government's progress over the last three years to transition New Zealand to net-zero carbon emissions. The program is backed by the $200 million State Sector Decarbonisation Fund that will finance public sector coal boilers' replacement and support electric or hybrid vehicles' immediate purchase replacing the Government's petrol car fleet.

Thirty-two other nations have formally acknowledged the global crisis by declaring a climate emergency.