New Zealand: law passed to block climate lawsuits against companies

This is a text that is not at all to the taste of environmental defenders in New Zealand. Parliament passed a bill on Tuesday evening that aims to block lawsuits against companies accused of contributing to climate change.

The Chamber approved the right-wing government's text by 67 votes to 53. It plans to prevent civil litigation from overriding state climate policy and undermining confidence in businesses, the government said.

Maori activist deplores vote

This project was tabled in response to legal action brought by Maori activist Michael Smith against six New Zealand companies accused of harming the environment by contributing to global warming. Its adoption puts an end to this procedure.

Michael Smith spoke of a “dark day for democracy” to public broadcaster RNZ. Opposition parliamentarian Steve Abel (The Greens) denounced before the House a change “intentionally against the public interest”.

A blow against the reduction of CO2 emissions

The Minister of Justice, Paul Goldsmith, for his part estimated that the law would provide certainty to companies regarding their climate obligations. “The ongoing litigation at the High Court, where a claimant has brought civil claims against six major companies for their greenhouse gas emissions, risks developing a new regime which contradicts the framework that Parliament has already established,” he argued.

An independent panel warned in July that the New Zealand government's policies risked missing its CO2 emissions reduction targets.