Moving on from Oil and Gas

What is a sacrifice community? Why is a fresh water ecologist speaking at a community information day on oil and gas?

More than 70 people from around Aotearoa were at the Dowse gallery in Lower Hutt yesterday to hear the answers. Speakers included Climate Justice Taranaki’s Catherine Cheung, Dr Lyndon DeVantier and Emily Bailey, Dr Mike Joy and Jeanette Fitzsimmons.

Photographer Fiona Clark and Pikikore Moore from ‘Friends of the Waitara River’ gave the history of the indigenous struggle to save their kai moana and the beautiful and now polluted Waitara river. “We don’t eat anything from the river or sea around it now” said Moore.

An audience member, Stephen Blyth said “We’re not known for corruption in this country. But what I’ve heard today about the stalling, the defensive behaviour, the paucity of State of the Environment water monitoring sites in Taranaki compared to other regions, what else can we call it?”

Jeanette Fitzsimons from Coal Action Network and Our Climate Declaration took us through the latest science to debunk the industry’s line that gas is a bridge to a renewable future.

“It’s a bridge to nowhere. Fugitive emissions from gas fields and gas facilities vary but in some cases gas is worse for the environment than coal. We must relentlessly oppose all fossil fuel development.”

The day ended with all groups unanimously calling on Prime Minister Jacinda Arden to ban all new fossil fuel exploration and extraction and implement a rapid and just transition to renewable sources of energy.

ENDS

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