Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas
Relying on trees to offset New Zealand's emissions years into the future is putting "a significant number of eggs in one basket", the Climate Change Commission chair has warned politicians.
New trees would need to be "in the ground" within a couple of years and could still be destroyed by forest fire or extreme weather events - wiping out their carbon savings.
Appearing before Parliament's environment select committee on Monday, commission chief executive Jo Hendy was questioned about the "significant risks" the commission identified earlier this year when it came to meeting the country's emissions budgets.
Emissions budgets are set by the government, taking into account advice from the commission.
They establish the total net emissions the country can produce over
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