Stopping Oil: Climate Justice and Hope

Lessons learned from the powerful climate justice campaign in Aotearoa New Zealand

A cautionary tale how deep-sea oil exploration became politicized in Aotearoa New Zealand, where community groups mobilized against it and the backlash that followed. It is also a story of activists exercising an ethic of care and responsibility, and how that solidarity was masked and silenced by the neoliberal state.

As Aotearoa New Zealand began to pursue deep-sea oil as part of its development agenda, a powerful climate justice campaign emerged, comprising a range of autonomous 'Oil Free' groups around the country, NGOs like Greenpeace, and iwi and hapu (Maori tribal groups). As their influence increased, the state employed different tactics to silence them, starting with media representations designed to delegitimize, followed by securitization and surveillance that controlled their activities, and finally targeted state-sanctioned violence and dehumanization.

By highlighting geographies of hope for radical progressive change, the authors focus on the many examples of the campaign where solidarity and political responsibility shone through the repression, leading us towards a brighter future for climate justice across the globe.

Author: Sophie Bond, Amanda Thomas, Gradon Diprose
Publisher: Pluto Press (UK)
Published: 01/20/2023
Pages: 160
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.50lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.50d
ISBN13: 9780745341316
ISBN10: 0745341314
BISAC Categories:
- Political Science | Public Policy | Environmental Policy
- Political Science | Political Process | Political Advocacy
- Nature | Environmental Conservation & Protection | General

About the Author

Sophie Bond is a Geographer at the University of Otago, Aotearoa New Zealand. She has written for various publications, including The Conversation, Antipode and Planning Theory.

Amanda Thomas is a Geographer lecturing in environmental studies at Victoria University of Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. She has written for a number of journals including Antipode, New Zealand Geographer and Area.

Gradon Diprose is a Geographer working as a Social Science Researcher at Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. He has written for the Community Development Journal, The Conversation, and Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space.