Credit Pool photo by Dean Lewins |
WELLINGTON,
New Zealand — New Zealand will stop issuing permits for offshore oil
and gas exploration as it moves to combat climate change, the government
announced Thursday, but it stopped short of halting exploration already
underway.
The
move provoked bitter responses from the petroleum industry, which said
that New Zealand would be forced to rely on more expensive imports.
Prime
Minister Jacinda Ardern said the move was part of the country’s efforts
to reduce carbon emissions that contribute to global warming.
“When
it comes to climate change, our plan is clear,” said Ms. Ardern, a
member of the center-left Labor Party. “We are committed to the goal of
becoming a net zero emissions economy by 2050.”
Ms. Ardern said she hoped New Zealand’s electricity system would rely completely on renewable energy sources by 2035.
The
government said it would allow the existing 22 active offshore permits,
covering more than 38,000 square miles, to run until their expiration,
which is “as far out as 2030.”
Companies
that find more oil and gas reserves where they already have permits
could drill for decades, and new onshore permits could be issued.
The
Petroleum Exploration and Production Association of New Zealand
criticized the government for not consulting the industry, saying that
alternative energy sources were not yet ready to meet demand and that
oil would have to be imported from other countries at a higher cost.
“The
decision is a lose-lose for New Zealand’s economy and environment,
likely to threaten jobs and mean higher prices for consumers,” said
Cameron Madgwick, the association’s chairman.
The
mayor of New Plymouth, the largest city in Taranaki, the area where the
country’s oil and gas exploration is concentrated, called the decision
“a kick in the guts” for the regional economy.
“This
announcement sends a message to some of Taranaki’s major investors and
employers that they do not have a long-term future in New Zealand,”
Mayor Neil Holdom said.
Simon
Bridges, the leader of the center-right National Party, New Zealand’s
main opposition party, said on Twitter that the decision to end oil and
gas exploration was “a wrecking ball” that could only hurt the country.IMAGE |
The government said that “no current jobs” would be lost, as it was “honoring all agreements with current permit holders.”
Government
figures show that in New Zealand’s crude oil production declined in
2016 to the lowest level in a decade, and spending on production had
fallen in line with a global drop in prices stemming from the shale
revolution in the United States.
New
Zealand imports more oil than it exports, and it is a small player on
the world stage, with industry figures putting the value of exports at
$1.1 billion a year.
A
page on the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise website — a government
agency that promotes international trade and economic development — says
the government’s aim is “to increase the value of New Zealand petroleum
exports tenfold” by 2025.
In Australia, plans to drill for natural gas offshore in the Great Australian Bight, known as Australia’s Galápagos, have drawn criticism from the fishing and tourism industries, which the potential of a spill is too great a risk.
Links
- Drilling the Great Australian Bight: Hoping for Jobs, but Fearing a Spill
- Australia Debates: Does a Warming Planet Really Need More Coal?
- Falling Renewable Costs 'Chilling' For Fossil Fuels
- Coal Plant Construction Extends Dive - But Not Fast Enough: Report
- Revealed: The Extent Of Job-Swapping Between Public Servants And Fossil Fuel Lobbyists
- Top Climate Scientist: Humans Will Go Extinct If We Don’t Fix Climate Change By 2023
- Revolving Doors: How The Fossil Fuel Lobby Has Governments Ensnared
- New York City Plans To Divest $5bn From Fossil Fuels And Sue Oil Companies
- Fossil Fuel Companies Undermining Paris Agreement Negotiations – Report
- How Fossil Fuel Money Made Climate Change Denial The Word of God
- Revolving Doors: How The Fossil Fuel Lobby Has Governments Ensnared
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