Oil and gas Block Offers a Giant leap backwards

“Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges this morning offered more than twice the size of New Zealand up to oil and gas companies, taking another giant leap backwards and dragging the rest of us with him.” Said Oil Free Otago Spokesperson Rosemary Penwarden.

The new block offer in Otago covers an area of 141,755 km2 in the Canterbury and Great South Basins.

“This offer comes two days after the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) released the second part of its fifth report. New Zealand can expect more frequent and severe flooding and heatwaves, more rainfall on the already wet west coast and less in the east and north east, and sea level rise of up to one metre. Dunedin is already paying for sea wall fortification. The effects of climate change on our city will make our stadium debt look like a walk in the park” said Ms Penwarden.

To keep within the two degree limit of global warming agreed to by the world’s governments most of the already discovered oil, gas and coal has to stay unburned.

“We shouldn’t be wasting resources searching for more, in riskier and riskier places” said Ms Penwarden. “Mr Bridges is effectively saying that his government doesn’t care about its international responsibilities and that a quick buck trumps a stable future for the next generations.”

“April Fools Day is over but Simon Bridges is still fooling around with our children’s future. His government needs to go before they do any more damage. A clean energy future is still within reach. Instead of going backwards we should be developing solutions to transition us to a safe, low carbon economy.”

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