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Environmental groups go to New Zealand court over climate
The New Zealand government is facing legal challenges to changes to the climate plans drafted by the previous government. Environmental groups argue that these changes, which they call "relaxations," will not achieve the stated goals. They want the government to reverse its course, forced by the court.
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The case against the government led by conservative Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has been ongoing for some time and focuses primarily on the plans to offset methane emissions from livestock farming with massive tree planting. While there is scope for this in New Zealand, groups like Climate Action New Zealand, Lawyers for Climate Action, and Greenpeace argue that tree planting is not the right approach. They believe that methane emissions should be reduced first and foremost.
The activist groups are also unhappy that the Luxon government has scrapped or amended a total of 35 measures from the old climate policy of the left-wing government led by Jacinda Ahern. They believe the court should now determine whether the government is still acting lawfully and not deviating from its stated objectives.
The current Luxon government says it will stick to the previously set climate goals, but says it wants to try to achieve them in a different way.
Parallel
The situation in New Zealand appears to parallel that in the Netherlands, where Greenpeace has also taken the government to court over its climate policy. Incidentally, Greenpeace is also dissatisfied with the climate policies of Ireland, Uruguay, and the United States, but so far it has not gained much traction in those countries.