Anglican Bishop of Wellington welcomes end to oil and gas exploration

The Right Reverend Justin Duckworth, Anglican Bishop of Wellington, has welcomed the announcement today that the Government will not issue any new permits for offshore oil and gas drilling.

“Today’s announcement is a step forward in loving our global neighbours. As New Zealanders, we cannot love others properly while ignoring our own contribution to climate change. Ending new offshore exploration permits is one significant step in our transition to a clean economy. The sooner we transition, the sooner we can live in loving relationships with our global neighbours, and our environment which is our common home,” Bishop Justin said.

Last month, Christians joined demonstrations outside the Petroleum Conference calling for an end to all new exploration permits. Leading up to that action, many church leaders wrote to the Energy Minister and church members visited her to share their concerns. This follows other climate action by the Anglican Diocese of Wellington, including divesting from fossil fuels, employing a climate advocate and supporting the Zero Carbon Act campaign.

Bishop Justin continued, “Today’s announcement shows the government is listening. We thank them for that and encourage them to take further steps towards a clean economy, including ruling out new coal mines and ending subsidies for the fossil fuel sector.”