New Zealand, once a prominent advocate for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, is taking steps to eliminate oil and gas companies’ legal liability associated with fossil fuels amid a wave of climate lawfare [some emphasis, links added]:
Kiwi lawmakers passed legislation in 2019 mandating that the country eliminate carbon emissions by 2050.
But the right-leaning ruling coalition government that came to power in 2023 has been chipping away at some of the country’s aggressive climate change policies.
In February, the government said it wants to abolish the environment ministry. It has also lifted a ban on oil and gas exploration.
On Tuesday, New Zealand’s justice minister, Paul Goldsmith, said the government will change the law to block lawsuits seeking to hold fossil fuel companies liable for “climate change damage.”
“The courts are not the right place to resolve claims of harm from climate change, and tort law is not well-suited to respond to a problem like climate change, which involves a range of complex environmental, economic, and social factors,” Mr. Goldsmith said.
He added that the lawsuits are “creating uncertainty in business confidence.”
The change comes as climate activist Michael Smith has filed a lawsuit against six New Zealand companies, seeking to hold them liable for climate change.
New Zealand’s oscillating currents on climate activism echo similar tides in America, where states, cities, and other plaintiffs have made numerous attempts to sue fossil fuel companies.
Top: Oil extraction in New Zealand’s Taranaki Basin, where pastoral farmland meets the country’s primary onshore petroleum production region beneath Mount Taranaki. AI image.
Read rest at The NY Sun
