New Zealand Blocks Lawsuits Against Firms over Climate Harm
The bill passed 67 votes to 53 and ends a climate activist’s case against six major companies, including Fonterra, over emissions liability.
- On Tuesday, New Zealand's Parliament passed the Climate Change Response Amendment Bill by a margin of 67 votes to 53, blocking civil lawsuits seeking to hold companies liable for climate change harm.
- Legislators introduced the bill specifically to address a lawsuit filed by Indigenous Maori climate activist Michael Smith against six major companies, including dairy giant Fonterra, for environmental harm linked to climate change.
- Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith defended the legislation, arguing it prevents courts from overriding government climate policy. He said climate response "sits with the elected government and the parliament."
- Opposition Green Party lawmaker Steve Abel called the change "intentionally against the public interest," while Smith described Tuesday as a "dark day for democracy, the rule of law and climate accountability."
- An independent Climate Change Commission report warned last month that Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's government ignored emissions-cutting advice, with the commission stating "current policy settings are not delivering at the pace needed.
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Strongly criticized by the opposition, the text envisages preventing civil disputes from going beyond the state's climate policy.
New Zealand blocks lawsuits against firms over climate harm
The right-wing coalition government's legal amendment cleared a final hurdle in parliament on Tuesday night by a margin of 67 votes to 53. The law aims to prevent civil litigation overriding its climate policy and undermining business confidence, the government said. It was introduced in response to a lawsuit filed by Indigenous Maori climate activist Michael Smith against six prominent New Zealand companies for their contribution to environment…
On Tuesday evening, the New Zealand Parliament passed a bill to block proceedings against companies accused of harming the environment. The right-wing government text was approved by 67 votes to 53.
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