Greenpeace is slamming the Government for its plans to open the door to a LNG fossil gas import terminal, calling it outright climate denial and a generational betrayal of New Zealanders who will suffer the cost for decades to come.

Today, the government announced that it would "act with urgency" to reverse the ban on offshore oil and gas exploration and remove regulatory barriers to the construction of facilities to import liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Greenpeace Aotearoa executive director Russel Norman says, "The science is very clear now that all use of fossil fuels has to be rapidly phased out if we have any hope of surviving the climate crisis. Recent research has shown that fossil gas is as bad as coal when it comes to climate pollution.

"This incredibly stupid decision is a deliberate slap in the face for the Pacific nations the PM will be meeting at the Pacific Islands Forum this week. Pacific nations face rising sea levels and more intense cyclones due to climate change.

Pacific nations have expressed dismay over Luxon’s decision to try to restart oil and gas exploration and a fossil gas import facility is just more climate denial on climate denial.

"This choice by the Luxon Government to lock New Zealand into decades of increased reliance on expensive fossil fuels with an expensive LNG import terminal is outright climate denial that puts all of our futures at risk.

"Like an anti-Moses, Luxon is trying to drag New Zealanders back into fossil fuel slavery, into the forsaken land of climate apocalypse.

"At this moment in time, New Zealand is at an energy crossroads where we could choose to invest in electrification of transport and industry with more solar, wind generation and more energy storage to give us a future with less pollution, cheaper electricity prices, and safer, healthier towns and cities designed for people," says Norman.

In July, the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment released its latest electricity supply and demand scenario report, which mapped out a pathway for more solar, wind and batteries with a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels.

"Having Prime Minister Luxon ignore all science and good sense by choosing more fossil fuels instead of renewable energy locks New Zealanders into a future where energy prices continue to rise, pollution increases and energy security is uncertain.

"Choosing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to build a liquified gas import facility to import fossil gas from the petrostates of the world. This makes New Zealand more dependent on global fossil fuel markets and locks us into paying the global price for the most expensive energy source.

"In Luxon’s Dirty Energy Future, New Zealand’s costly climate emissions continue to rise, and we pour more fuel on the fire of extreme climate events that are ravaging communities, like floods, droughts, fires and cyclones."

Greenpeace has launched a petition calling on the Government to embrace New Zealand’s Clean Energy Future, invest in solar and wind, and reject new fossil fuel electricity generation and a new fossil gas import facility.

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