Planned coal mine borders internationally significant wetland
Thu 30 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Victorian Hydrogen, the company behind plans for a huge coal-to-urea project, has applied for a permit to explore for coal next to an internationally significant wetland in a sensitive catchment in Southland.
Govt missing tricks to save fuel in crisis
Thu 30 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government is being urged to shift its response to the fuel crisis away from short-term relief and towards measures that reduce demand, with public health experts warning it is missing an opportunity to boost energy security and lower household costs.
Energy uncertainty holding back investment – report
Thu 30 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Uncertainty around energy costs and supply is delaying investment decisions for New Zealand businesses, with new research showing firms would ramp up spending on growth, workforce capability and electrification if conditions were more stable.
AI maps disappearing urban canopy to guide smarter city planning
Thu 30 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New research, using AI to help map urban tree loss, shows Christchurch lost 14.5% of its canopy cover in the five years between 2016 and 2021.
New funding for low methane farming uptake
Wed 29 Apr 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The government will co-fund projects under an Early Adoption Accelerator scheme announced today to accelerate the uptake of low emissions farming technologies emerging from the AgriZero public-private partnership.
CARBON PRICE
Thu 30 Apr 2026
Exclusively for subscribers, the Carbon News NZU Index tracks daily movements in the compliance carbon market across multiple trading platforms.
‘Formidable’ El Niño expected this winter
Wed 29 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Meteorologists are anticipating a significant El Niño influence on weather patterns across the country from winter onwards, with predicted lower rainfall for some areas and heavier rain for others likely to impact multiple sectors of the economy as well as the carbon market.
Commission advises no change to ETS settings but warns Govt of looming risks
24 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Climate Change Commission is warning the Government of a possible shortfall of Emissions Trading Scheme units by the late 2020s and says the scheme will struggle to provide an investment signal by the mid-2030s.
Govt moving to two-yearly ETS updates
22 Apr 2026
The Government is moving to update ETS settings every two years, rather than each year as it does currently, as part of upcoming changes to climate legislation.
Carbon price rises as lack of forestry credits hint at tightening supply
21 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Prices on the secondary carbon market have rallied to their highest point in 2026, recovering to levels last seen in November last year, just before the Government announced it was unlinking the Emissions Trading Scheme from international climate goals.
Why the UAE's exit from Opec is a big deal
Thu 30 Apr 2026
It is a very big deal that the United Arab Emirates has announced its abrupt exit from Opec, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries. The Emiratis were members even before they became a nation state in 1971.
World ‘will not see significant return to coal’ in 2026 – despite Iran crisis
Thu 30 Apr 2026
A much-discussed “return to coal” by some countries in the wake of the Iran war is likely to be far more limited than thought, amounting to a global rise of no more than 1.8% in coal power output this year.
Solar power soars to new heights but fears over 'dangerously high' temperatures
Thu 30 Apr 2026
Last year heatwaves hit from the Mediterranean to the Arctic, and Greenland lost 139 billion tonnes of ice, according to a new report from Copernicus, while solar power soared to new heights.
France unveils plan to ditch all fossil fuels by 2050
Thu 30 Apr 2026
Dozens of nations gathered in Colombia to hold the first-ever talks on how to transition away from fossil fuels. France published a 'roadmap' that explicitly aims to phase out coal by 2030, oil by 2045 and gas for energy purposes by 2050.
Sail-power offers passengers new crossing between England and France
Thu 30 Apr 2026
As governments and travellers look for ways to cut transport-related emissions, a small British startup is offering passengers an alternative way to cross the English Channel: by sail.
CLIMATE CALENDAR
Thu 30 Apr 2026
The Carbon News calendar of talks, events, conferences, consultations, and petitions related to climate change.
The one-million whale climate solution: 6000-mile voyage launches to audit ocean carbon sinks
Tue 28 Apr 2026
Media release: Pacific Whale Fund | An unprecedented, multi-year ocean expedition launches this week to lay the scientific and legal groundwork for recognising the recovery of whale populations as a vital climate solution across the Pacific.
UC researcher shortlisted for $1m global planet prize
23 Apr 2026
Media release | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha University of Canterbury PhD candidate and research associate Daniel Hernández-Carrasco is one of 25 scientists worldwide recognised in the 2026 Frontiers Planet Prize for research helping humanity stay within Earth’s environmental limits.
Mercury signs major hydro upgrade programme with ANDRITZ
23 Apr 2026
Media release | Mercury has signed a contract with international technology group ANDRITZ as part of a $590 million upgrade of three of the nine hydro stations on the Waikato River.
Forest owners welcome next step in India trade deal
21 Apr 2026
Media release | The New Zealand Forest Owners Association (NZFOA) welcomes confirmation that legal verification of the New Zealand-India Free Trade Agreement has been completed, with both countries confirming the agreement will be signed on 27 April in New Delhi.
