Z Energy among firms being sued for climate change

An environmental activist is taking action against New Zealand’s top carbon emitters in the Auckland High Court.

Climate Change Iwi Leaders Group chairman Mike Smith has filed proceedings against Fonterra, Z Energy, Genesis Energy, Dairy Holdings, New Zealand Steel, The New Zealand Refining Company and BT Mining.

Smith, infamous for his 1994 chainsaw attack on the pine on One Tree Hill, is alleging the companies have been negligent or breached other legal duties by emitting greenhouse gases.

The companies are not doing enough to reduce those emissions in the face of scientific evidence that their emissions have caused, and will continue to cause harm, he says.

“Māori are particularly vulnerable to climate change, being disproportionately represented amongst the poor, who will be the hardest hit.

“Rising sea levels, coastal erosion, flooding and storm surges will irrevocably damage low lying coastal communities, and warming oceans and ocean acidification will damage traditional resources, including fisheries.

“The urgency of climate change means we need far greater action and we need it now, and not just from government but also across the private sector,” he says.

The litigation seeks relief including a declaration that the companies have acted unlawfully, and an injunction requiring each of them to reduce total net greenhouse gases by half by 2030, and to zero by 2050, or to otherwise cease their emitting activities immediately.

Z Energy confirmed the court action to the NZX and says it’s “currently assessing the claim”.