The NZ Government is ramming a bill through Parliament reversing the oil and gas exploration ban. Public consultations are open for 4 days. WTF.
Tena koutou,
This bill is absolutely on the wrong side of history. Today’s tamariki will not look kindly on the decision to pass this bill, and even considering it should be a source of deep shame. We are in 2024, the daily average CO2 level is 417ppm today, and we are experiencing record heat and storms due to anthropogenic climate change. The year is no longer 1984 and we have no excuse and no need for additional oil and gas exploration. This Government needs to get with the program.
In 2024, oil and gas are firmly established as the energy solutions of the past. Today, energy production in the form of solar and wind, as well as energy storage in the form of hydro dams and batteries, are becoming astoundingly inexpensive and climate-friendly. Aotearoa New Zealand will stand to benefit itself and the climate by accelerating uptake of these cheap, practical, and modern technologies.
It is not even clear to me that oil and gas exploration are worth the investment for petroleum companies today, because of the obsolescence of these technologies.
This ridiculous bill should be scrapped, as should new oil and gas exploration in general. The ban on oil and gas exploration must stay in place.
The Government should promote solar and wind electricity generation as well as hydro and battery energy storage.