22nd March 2016

Oil and gas block offer total madness

"The government's announcement to open up a further 525,515km2 of land and sea to oil and gas exploration is total madness. It is completely irresponsible for the government to open up more areas to oil and gas exploration" says Urs Signer, a member of Climate Justice Taranaki.

"Onshore, most of the Taranaki region is now covered in permits and open to bidders. Offshore, everything is up for grabs, including 2,600km2 of the critically endangered Maui’s Dolphin sanctuary."

"Yesterday's block offer comes just days after the announcement that February 2016 was the hottest month since records began. Words fail us. We have to leave fossil fuels in the ground and immediately transition to a low-carbon economy. We owe this to our planet, the fellow species we share this amazing place with and to future generations of humans."

"With a worldwide downturn in oil prices and little exploration currently taking place, it shows a desperation on the part of government and completely contradicts their stated goals to reduce emissions in line with global limits set late last year in Paris. We are energised by the global climate justice movement and take inspiration from the hundreds of people who blockaded the Sky City Convention Centre in Auckland yesterday, where the block offers were announced by Minister of Energy and Resources Simon Bridges. Together, we are organising for a future free of fossil fuels" concludes Urs Signer.

ENDS

© Scoop Media