First offshore oil & gas permit granted: Green light for fossil fuels a backwards step for New Zealand’s energy future
Resources Minister Shane Jones has today signed off on Australian-owned EnZed Energy exploring for petroleum off the coast of South Taranaki – the first permit issued since the Government repealed the ban on new exploration.
Today’s decision raises serious legal questions in light of New Zealand’s international climate commitments and last year’s Supreme Court ruling that climate change must be a consideration in new permitting decisions.
In Climate Clinic Aotearoa v Minister for Energy, New Zealand’s highest court made it clear that climate change must be considered when deciding whether to open areas for oil and gas exploration, and climate commitments are baked into several of our trade agreements. Similarly, the International Court of Justice has been absolutely clear that new fossil fuel exploration does not align with international legal obligations. As well as choosing yet again to delay New Zealand’s transition to cheaper, cleaner energy, granting such applications exposes New Zealand to enormous reputational risk.
The permit area also overlaps with the West Coast North Island Marine Mammal Sanctuary – an area set aside to protect the critically endangered Māui dolphin.
Polling commissioned by WWF-New Zealand and Lawyers for Climate Action NZ shows growing public scepticism that new oil and gas exploration will reduce energy costs, alongside strong support for more renewable energy.
“If the goal is reliable, affordable energy, the fastest and cheapest options are clean energy like wind, solar and hydro. Our future doesn’t lie in risky offshore drilling that benefits overseas companies and may never produce a single barrel of oil”
