New Zealand greenlights new offshore oil and gas search despite climate pledges
New Zealand’s center-right coalition has scrapped a seven-year moratorium on new oil and gas permits, arguing fresh drilling will stabilize energy supplies and prices.
Eva Corlett reports for The Guardian.
In short:
- Parliament passed the Crown Minerals Amendment Bill 68–54, repealing a 2018 ban imposed by the previous Labour government.
- The coalition has earmarked NZ$200 million to entice drillers and last month quit the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance to signal its commitment to expanded extraction.
- Environmental critics say a late amendment could saddle taxpayers with future well-clean-up costs and tarnish New Zealand’s international climate reputation.
Key quote:
“We are yet again dangerously off track and putting our international reputation in the shredder.”
— Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb, chief executive of WWF New Zealand
Why this matters:
New Zealand brands itself “clean and green,” yet fossil fuels still supply about 60% of its primary energy. By reopening its seabed to rigs, Wellington joins a wider push by exporters from Alaska to Australia to extend the life of oil and gas just as scientists say global production must fall roughly 5% a year to keep warming near 1.5 C. The decision could lock in decades of new infrastructure, boosting emissions far beyond the country’s population weight and intensifying pressure on its sensitive coastlines, where endangered Maui dolphins, migrating whales and fisheries already face warming-driven stress.
Learn more: New Zealand’s treasured seabed faces threat as mining battles intensify
