Court rejects challenge to Minister and Commission over climate targets
Wed 28 Jan 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Supreme Court has rejected Lawyers for Climate Action’s bid to challenge the Climate Change Commission and former Climate Minister James Shaw over climate targets, ending a long-running case which had been working its way through the courts since 2021.
Govt weighs LNG backstop as gas decline accelerates
Wed 28 Jan 2026
Liquefied natural gas imports are moving from a back-pocket idea to an active procurement process, with ministers expected to make decisions soon on whether – and how – to add LNG as an emergency backstop for New Zealand’s tightening gas and electricity system.
NZ’s sodden January explained: what’s driven this month’s big wet?
Wed 28 Jan 2026
By James Renwick, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington It has been a month of umbrellas rather than sunscreen across much of New Zealand, with persistent rain, low sunshine and deadly storms dominating headlines and daily life.
Shifting peak power use could save NZ $3 billion, report finds
Tue 27 Jan 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Almost a quarter of New Zealand’s peak electricity demand could be shifted to off-peak hours, saving the country $3 billion in power generation and infrastructure to meet peak demand, according to new analysis from EECA.
Govt consulting on further ETS fee cuts for foresters
Tue 27 Jan 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has moved to reduce compliance costs for forest owners, announcing a further cut to ETS registry charges and a new consultation on service fees, a move welcomed by forestry industry groups.
CARBON PRICE
Wed 28 Jan 2026
Exclusively for subscribers, the Carbon News NZU Index tracks daily movements in the compliance carbon market across multiple trading platforms.
Carbon News updates ten-year NZU forward curve
Tue 27 Jan 2026
Carbon News has updated its ten-year NZU forward curve, following a recent fall in carbon spot prices.
Why did NZUs fall a further $5 over the holiday period?
Mon 26 Jan 2026
By Liz Kivi | NZU prices dropped a further $5, or 14%, from an already weak base over the holiday period, with the carbon price falling to its lowest in five years in mid-January.
How wrong they were: NZU-holder poll
Mon 26 Jan 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Just 6% of NZU-holders who answered a Ministry for the Environment poll last year anticipated a decrease in the price of a tonne of carbon in the NZ Emissions Trading Scheme.
Carbon News publishes ten-year NZU forward curve
10 Dec 2025
Carbon News has published a new ten-year NZU forward curve mapping how carbon prices could evolve through to 2035 under a range of policy and market conditions.
‘Abdication’: Trump takes US out of Paris climate agreement for a second time
Wed 28 Jan 2026
Experts are watching for how other countries will react as the ‘real economy’ shifts to cheaper, cleaner energy.
Australian heatwave fans bushfires, towns evacuated, Melbourne endures hottest day in 17 years
Wed 28 Jan 2026
A major heatwave across Australia's southeast stoked bushfires, forced hundreds of residents in rural towns to evacuate and brought record-breaking temperatures, with Melbourne recording its hottest day in nearly 17 years.
Whistleblowers warn that ad industry is fuelling online hatred and climate crisis
Wed 28 Jan 2026
Anonymous group of senior executives say major ad agencies are “enabling harm rather than doing good.”
Nearly half of world’s population to face extreme heat by 2050: Oxford study
Wed 28 Jan 2026
In countries where uncomfortably hot days will more than double, cooling demands per capita wil increase drastically, pushing up energy needs & subsequent emissions.
Indonesia’s massive captive coal plans are putting climate targets and economy at risk: study
Wed 28 Jan 2026
Operational and planned industrial coal capacity to fuel the nickel boom has tripled since 2023, surpassed Australia’s entire coal fleet and is nearing Germany’s total, raising concerns over emissions and long-term competitiveness.
Kiwis back renewables over fossil fuels, polling reveals
Wed 28 Jan 2026
Media release: WWF-New Zealand and Lawyers for Climate Action | New nationwide polling shows strong public support for renewable energy over fossil fuels, growing concern about New Zealand’s climate backsliding, and widespread unease that a return to offshore oil and gas exploration could expose the country to trade and legal risks.
CLIMATE CALENDAR
Wed 28 Jan 2026
The Carbon News calendar of talks, events, conferences, consultations, and petitions related to climate change.
Mercury powers up new geothermal generator
Mon 26 Jan 2026
Media release | A new fifth unit at Mercury’s Ngā Tamariki Geothermal Station, near Taupō, has begun delivering generation to the grid.
Offshore windfarms enhance function of coastal waters and diversity of aquatic life
19 Dec 2025
Media release | A study conducted by researchers from Murdoch University in Australia and Dalian Ocean University in China has found that offshore windfarms can improve marine ecosystems and diversify aquatic food chains.
Meri Kirihimete
19 Dec 2025
This is our final issue for the year as the Carbon News team takes a break over the summer holidays. A huge thank you for your subscriptions and support! We’ll be back with more crucial climate coverage from New Zealand and around the world from 26 January 2026.
