The Climate Change Performance Index released its updated ranking of countries’ efforts to tackle the climate crisis last night at the UN climate conference in Azerbaijan, and New Zealand has dropped from 34th to 41st place.

Greenpeace spokesperson Amanda Larsson says, "The Luxon Government is letting polluters write the policy on virtually every environmental issue, and this is the result.

"In every space where we need to be taking rapid action to reduce emissions, the foxes are running the henhouse. Fonterra, the country’s biggest climate polluter, is right now attending the UN climate conference on government badges. Shane Jones, notoriously connected to and funded by the mining industry, is now the minister for resources. Andrew Hoggard, former head of the anti-environment lobbying group Federated Farmers, is now an associate environment minister.

"It’s no secret that this Government’s approach to environmental policy is to let the polluters write the rules - and that’s why New Zealand has dropped in the rankings," says Larsson.

Key policies identified by the Climate Change Performance Index as contributing factors included the reversal of the oil and gas ban and the removal of agriculture from the Emissions Trading Scheme. Larsson says this is just the tip of the - rapidly melting - iceberg.

"There will be consequences. It is notable that the highest ranked countries are Denmark, the Netherlands and the UK. These are our trading partners and competitors. It will become harder for New Zealand to sell butter and other livestock products into markets that are increasingly valuing climate action.

"There will be impacts domestically too. If the government won’t hold polluters to account, then people will. People are increasingly taking to the streets and the courtrooms, putting their bodies on the line to shut down polluting industries. This will only escalate further unless New Zealand ups its game."

The full report is available for download here, while the New Zealand case study is available here.