CIVICUS speaks with Matt Hall, director of the Environmental Law Initiative, a New Zealand civil society organisation that is taking legal action against the government for replacing its greenhouse gas emissions reduction strategy with one that relies heavily on offsetting, without proper public consultation.
In June, civil society groups in New Zealand filed a legal challenge against the government’s revised Emissions Reduction Plan, denouncing it as dangerously inadequate. The plan dismantles key climate policies while relying heavily on forestry offsets, prompting serious concerns about its effectiveness and legality. Environmental lawyers contend that the plan fails to meet legal obligations and undermines climate justice.
