New Zealand Steps Up Climate Change Fight With Exploration Ban
- Government will stop issuing new offshore oil, gas permits
- PM says nation has to take Paris accord targets seriously
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New Zealand will stop granting offshore oil and gas exploration permits, saying it is committed to playing its part in tackling climate change.
The government is taking “an important step to address climate change and create a clean, green and sustainable future for New Zealand,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Thursday in Wellington. It will limit the 2018 offer of exploration permits to onshore acreage in the oil-rich province of Taranaki, she said, adding existing exploration and any future mining permits are unaffected by the decision.