Three Hundred Lawyers Walk Into Court Over Climate Policy

New Zealand's government just got served with legal papers over climate policy, and the lawyers behind it aren't messing around. Two hundred and ninety-nine colleagues joined forces to challenge what they're calling a fantasy plan disguised as serious environmental policy.

The case landed in Wellington High Court on Tuesday, targeting Climate Change Minister Simon Watts and his government's approach to reaching net zero emissions by 2050. Lawyers for Climate Action NZ and the Environmental Law Initiative argue the current plan contains "glaring holes" that will create "huge consequences" for the country.

Policies Vanish Into Thin Air

The right-leaning government took office in November 2023 and immediately started wielding the policy axe. Thirty-five climate initiatives got chopped without bothering to ask the public what they thought about it.

Gone: the clean car discount that helped people afford electric vehicles. Eliminated: funding for industries trying to reduce their carbon footprint. The lawyers claim this violates New Zealand law requiring public consultation before major policy changes.