Andrew Dickens Afternoons

New Zealand needs to quickly stop burning fossil fuels, plant vast amounts of forest - and switch to electric vehicles and greener agriculture, a major report has found.The Productivity Commission's final report on how the country can shift to a low-emissions economy also called for emissions standards for newly registered vehicles, a "feebate" scheme to boost the uptake of EVs, and putting a price on gases from farms.Chairman Murray Sherwin said the period between now and 2050 - the target the Government has set for its bold Zero Carbon Bill - would pass quickly, and delaying action now would make the shift harder and costlier in the long run.The commission recommended a move away from using fossil fuels for providing process heat for industry, and a "rapid and comprehensive" switch from petrol cars to EVs, of which fewer than 10,000 are on our roads today.The suggestion has been met with mixed reaction from talkback listeners, particularly around the switch to electric vehicles.Some callers were positive ab