Today members of Extinction Rebellion Ōtautahi are delivering five Fossil of the Day awards to the electorate offices of Labour and Green MPs in Waitaha Canterbury.

Spokesperson James Barber said, “at a time when many New Zealanders are struggling with basic living costs the New Zealand government is giving away hundreds of millions of dollars in carbon credits to polluting companies every year.”

“This money should be used to pay for things like free public transport which will help make the lives of many people a little bit easier while also tackling the climate crisis.”

“In 2020 over $190 million worth of carbon credits were given away for free to major polluters under the emissions trading scheme. The data has not been released for 2021 but the price of carbon credits has increased substantially indicating that the value of the “free allocations” in 2021 are likely to be much higher than $190 million.”

“Despite beginning a phase out process many large polluters will still be receiving free carbon credits by 2050 at a time when the country is legally required to reach net zero carbon emissions. We need to stop giving away free carbon credits and start using the money to create a fairer and more just world.”

The awards were originally announced by the Climate Action Network during the global climate conference in Glasgow in 2021. Climate Minister James Shaw was awarded 2nd place for refusing to increase ambition on climate change. However, due to coronavirus restrictions an awards ceremony was unable to be carried out.

This is happening as part of a country wide Rise Up for Climate Justice action which is calling for: Free public transport, an end to giving away carbon credits to polluters, no GST on food, 0% income tax on low incomes, a capital gains tax and better hours and pay for health workers.

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