Green MP Teanau Tuiono: Our future needs to be clean energy not fossil fuels

The Green Party has always been clear that climate change needs to be tackled now. Photo / Supplied

OPINION:

Say it isn't so. The good folks at Taranaki Climate Justice have revealed Greymouth Petroleum has been given permission to conduct a massive seismic survey off the coast of Taranaki.

We've already discovered enough fossil fuels to burn the planet so looking for more to throw on the climate bonfire just does not make sense. We just need to take a look around, climate change is already on our already often flooded doorsteps - just ask the East Coast.

When all our energy comes from the sun, the wind, and the flow of rivers, we won't need to burn the fossil fuels that cause the climate crisis.

Unfortunately the crown minerals regulator has allowed Greymouth Petroleum to piggyback off an existing mining permit to survey an adjacent area of more than 260 square kilometres because of a loophole in the 2018 amendment to the Crown Minerals Act. That amendment banned any new offshore oil and gas exploration but preserved many rights for existing permit holders.

Late last year a judicial review found the regulator, New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals, was wrong to turn down Greymouth's bid in 2017 for what could become the country's last new offshore oil and gas exploration permit.

We all know there are things we need to do collectively to stabilise the climate for future generations and we need to ensure a smooth transition away from fossil fuels. To extend existing permits defeats that purpose.

Fossil fuels enthusiasts like to bang on about the jobs they provide - but that should be a core part of a just transition.

A just transition should provide a hopeful and optimistic future for all workers, especially for those in industries that will be impacted by efforts to limit greenhouse gases, or by the introduction of new technologies. It is about making sure the economy works for everyone – employees, employers, contractors, people who are self-employed, people who are unable to participate in paid work, and people in unpaid caring roles.

The climate crisis demands urgent action to decarbonise the energy system. As we reset the economy after Covid-19, investing in clean energy will help tackle the climate crisis to build a stronger, more resilient economy.

• Teanau Tuiono is a Green list MP based in Palmerston North.