New Zealand has earned the ire of climate activists, receiving the first 'Fossil of the Day' award at COP28 over the Government's decision to repeal the ban on oil and gas exploration.
The award is presented by the Climate Action Network to countries who are "doing the most to achieve the least" in terms of progress on climate change.
"New Zealand has won this award in the past, but I don't think we've ever seen it being awarded to New Zealand on the first day, and I don't think we've ever seen the New Zealand Government roll back so far on a climate commitment that existed in the past," said Greenpeace Aotearoa head of campaigns Amanda Larsson.
The nomination was put forward by a coalition of New Zealand NGOs at the COP28 including Forest and Bird's Bianca Ranson.
"New Zealand has an opportunity to position ourselves as global leaders in fighting climate change and phasing out fossil fuels," Ranson said.
"This ill-informed decision is a devastating U-turn that undermines years of iwi, community and NGO struggle, and puts New Zealand and our Pacific neighbours at risk."
However Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the Government is "deeply committed to delivering on our net carbon zero goals for 2050 and beyond".
"Minister [Simon] Watts is actually due to go to COP and we are very supportive of where the direction of consensus statement is going," he said at his post-Cabinet standup on Monday.
Meanwhile the President of COP28 has sparked outrage by claiming there is ''no science'' that proves phasing out fossil fuels is necessary to meet global warming limits.
Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber was a controversial selection for the job. As well as running this year's international climate summit, he's also the chief executive of the United Arab Emirates state oil company.
Opening Cop28 just days ago he said: "I will do everything in my power to channel the momentum you generate at this summit into an ambitious response to the global stocktake and to keep the north star of 1.5C within reach."
But in comments made last month as part of an online climate discussion, Sultan Al Jaber's 'north star' of limiting warming to 1.5C didn't include a commitment to phasing out fossil fuels.
"Show me a roadmap for a phase-out of fossil fuels that will allow for sustainable socio-economic development. Unless you want to take the world back into caves?" he said.
"And there is no science out there or no scenario out there that says that the phase-out of fossil fuels is what's going to achieve 1.5C."
The comments are at odds with UN chief Antonio Guterres who included a fossil fuel phase-out in his 'hopes for COP28'.
