As part of a larger process to improve their environment, New Zealand has announced it will no longer issue permits for offshore oil and gas exploration, reaffirming their commitment to combatting climate change and protecting the coastal communities, a huge shift from the previous administration who actively promoted offshore drilling.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made the announcement last week, and it is just a small part of her wider election campaign where she also pledged to make New Zealand ‘zero carbon’ by the year 2050.
Also as part of her campaign, she promised to plant 100-million trees every year, achieving a billion new trees in the next 10-years and hopes that the whole country will be running on 100% renewable energy by 2035.
Admirable goals indeed, and it sends out a clear message: New Zealand takes climate change seriously!
