The Predatory Delay Diaries: The petroleum industry's survival campaign to slow New Zealand's transition to a low carbon economy

The climate crisis is worse than previously thought, according to scientists. 100 fossil fuel companies are responsible for over 70 percent of the world’s runaway emissions. UN Secretary General Guterres has called for urgent government action to end drilling. When the Labour-led Coalition came to power promising to end the country’s reliance on fossil fuels and transition to a low-carbon economy, the petroleum industry saw the writing on the wall. Led by the Petroleum Exploration and Production Association of New Zealand (PEPANZ) in collaboration with the political right, it embarked on a predatory delay campaign to slow transition, prolong the country’s dependency on oil and gas and encourage a popular backlash against government policies threatening the industry’s future. The Predatory Delay Diaries is a continuation of investigations Dr Loomis began in his 2017 book Petroleum Development and Environmental Conflict in Aotearoa New Zealand. The research identifies the key players and alliances behind the campaign; the lobbying strategies, misinformation and PR spin that PEPANZ and industry executives have adopted or borrowed from overseas; and how these have influenced Coalition Government policies. Loomis’s study suggests further supply-side measures besides the exploration ban the Government could adopt if it heeded the Secretary General’s call and urgently phased out oil and gas exploration and production. If you care about climate change and want to know where the petroleum industry’s predatory delay campaign is vulnerable to concerted citizen action as well as bolder Government measures, then this book is essential reading. http://www.terrenceloomis.ac.nz/