August 28, 2019
Biggest firms sued for climate change actions
Climate change activist Mike Smith has sued seven of New Zealand's top carbon emitters for failing to protect New Zealanders from climate change.
The companies include dairy giants Fonterra and Dairy Holdings, power company Genesis Energy, New Zealand Steel, Z Energy, petrol refiner The New Zealand Refining Company, and BT Mining.
Mr Smith, who chairs the Climate Change Iwi Leaders Group, says the companies named in the High Court action have committed public nuisance, have been negligent or breached other legal duties by emitting greenhouse gases and by 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 because of its effect on poor and coastal communities and on traditional resources such as fisheries.
Mr Smith is heading to Mexico as one of the Pacific representatives at an Indigenous peoples climate forum .
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