Rod Carr - 'I would not underestimate the challenge that humanity faces in decarbonising our livelihoods and lifestyles'

<p><strong>By Gareth Vaughan</strong></p><p>Climate Change Commission Chairman Rod Carr says he's optimistic about New Zealand's transition towards a zero carbon future despite the massive challenges we face, including from inflation.</p><p>Carr spoke to interest.co.nz in an episode of the <i>Of Interest Podcast</i>.</p><p>In the podcast he discusses the impact on inflation from moves to combat climate change, and from climate change itself, and what can be done to mitigate it. This includes so-called "fossilflation," "greenflation," and "climateflation."</p><p>In a world that now has high consumer price inflation I ask Carr whether he's concerned this may slowdown efforts to combat climate change. For example, by reducing petrol excise duty and road user charges to give consumers some relief from high petrol prices while we are trying to wean ourselves off fossil fuels, does the Government risk countering measures such as clean car rebates and cash for clunkers to encourage the take-up of electric vehicles?</p><p>We also discuss the big global electrification push and what this is doing to demand for key mined metals and minerals required in the green transition such as copper, lithium and cobalt.</p><p>Then there's the rising number of severe weather events, and the impact this has on food product, supply and prices. </p><p>"I would not underestimate the challenge that humanity faces in decarbonising our livelihoods and lifestyles. The fossil fuel technology that has been developed and deployed largely since the middle of the 19th century is incredibly powerful as a source of energy. And we have embedded that in our civilisation, in the way we earn our livings, and how we live our lives. And that transition is going to be costly. And that transition needs to be done with urgency. And the consequence is that relative prices will change. The price of high emission lifestyles will rise, and the vulnerability of high emission livelihoods will increase," Carr says.</p><p>"The major cause of the consumer price inflat