New Zealand passes law blocking climate action against companies: ‘dark day for democracy’

New Zealand has passed hotly contested legislation to block lawsuits that seek to hold companies liable for climate change harm. The right-wing coalition government’s legal amendment cleared a final hurdle in parliament on Tuesday night by a margin of 67 votes to 53. The law aimed to prevent civil litigation overriding its climate policy and undermining business confidence, the government said. It was introduced in response to a lawsuit filed by indigenous Maori climate activist Michael Smith...