Hipkins rejects LNG terminal, backs renewables
Tue 24 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Labour leader Chris Hipkins used his State of the Nation address to warn that worsening extreme weather and rising energy costs show climate change is no longer a distant threat.
Environmental groups boycott Bluegreens forum
Tue 24 Feb 2026
National’s Bluegreens forum in Wellington doubled as a small but telling election-year rehearsal: a bid to reclaim “moderate green” territory while parts of the environmental NGO ecosystem conspicuously stayed away.
Tairāwhiti needs proper Govt support to heal the land – not empty announcements for political optics
Tue 24 Feb 2026
OPINION: The Government’s answer to Tairāwhiti’s severe erosion crisis – that the region apply for modest, contestable funding rounds – while rejecting the region's own land transition business case, leaves our long-term resilience hanging in the balance, writes Manu Caddie.
Ruapehu Mayor welcomes $3.5m to restore fire-scarred Tongariro
Tue 24 Feb 2026
By Moana Ellis, Local Democracy Reporter | Ruapehu Mayor Weston Kirton has thanked the Government for its pledge of $3.5 million over five years to restore more than 3000 hectares of Tongariro National Park destroyed by fire last year.
NZ’s EV uptake decelerates
Mon 23 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s EV uptake is lagging behind other countries, with a huge drop in EV sales since 2023 bucking international trends, at the same time the Government contemplates abolishing its standard for clean cars entirely.
CARBON PRICE
Tue 24 Feb 2026
Exclusively for subscribers, the Carbon News NZU Index tracks daily movements in the compliance carbon market across multiple trading platforms.
Carbon price drops as volatility continues
17 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The carbon market is still displaying extreme volatility, with prices dropping back to below $40 yesterday, after trading as high as $46.25 last week.
Carbon market rallies but auction floor still out of reach
13 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The carbon market has rallied, with secondary market prices up more than 25% in the past two weeks, although current prices in the mid-$40s are still far below this year’s $71 auction floor, with the first auction of 2026 less than three weeks away.
Minister’s letters: Mildly positive or just virtue signalling?
5 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The carbon market was buoyed slightly yesterday, after letters between the Government and the Climate Change Commission were proactively released.
Govt looks to Commission for ways to shore up carbon price
4 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government has asked the Climate Change Commission to look at lower auction volumes and an increase in the auction floor price as options to revive the Emissions Trading Scheme, as carbon prices remain weak.
Trump tariff reversal could cut costs for US energy firms but will likely leave broader flows unchanged
Tue 24 Feb 2026
The U.S. Supreme Court's Friday decision to strike down trade tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump last year may ease costs for some oil producers and drillers, but experts and analysts told Reuters that broader energy flows would likely remain unchanged for now.
Brazil and India agree to boost cooperation on rare earths
Tue 24 Feb 2026
Brazil and India sealed a deal Saturday on critical minerals and rare earths, enhancing cooperation on crucial resources between two major countries of the global south as they seek to diversify their trading relationships.
‘They pushed so many lies about recycling’: the fight to stop big oil pumping billions more into plastics
Tue 24 Feb 2026
Plastic production has doubled over the last 20 years – and will likely double again. For author Beth Gardiner, metal water bottles and canvas tote bags are not the solution. So what is?
Limiting warming to 2C is ‘crucial’ to protect pristine Antarctic Peninsula
Tue 24 Feb 2026
Keeping global warming to less than 2C above pre-industrial temperatures is “crucial” for limiting damage to the Antarctic Peninsula’s unique ecosystems, according to a new study.
Weaned off Putin's gas, Europe now addicted to US LNG
Tue 24 Feb 2026
The EU is set to cut off Russian gas supplies in 2027. However, its promise to diversify and transition to renewables is under threat as LNG shipped from the US floods the bloc.
EDS proposes drafting changes to fix new resource management laws
Tue 24 Feb 2026
Media release | The Environmental Defence Society has lodged its final submission on the Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill with Parliament’s Environment Select Committee, including detailed tracked-change drafting to address significant weaknesses in the legislation.
World’s largest A/C firm to open multi-million dollar NZ facility
Tue 24 Feb 2026
Media release: Daikin NZ | A multi-million-dollar Christchurch facility to be opened by the world’s largest air conditioning manufacturer will integrate upcycled climate-damaging refrigerant from end-of-life heat pumps into its operations, preventing it from entering the waste stream.
CLIMATE CALENDAR
Tue 24 Feb 2026
The Carbon News calendar of talks, events, conferences, consultations, and petitions related to climate change.
Sea ice coverage could drop 20% in Antarctica's worst-case scenario
Mon 23 Feb 2026
Media release – Frontiers | A new study on the Antarctic Peninsula shows that the choices we make in the next decade will determine Antarctica’s fate for centuries.
IEA Declaration strengthens international co-operation on critical minerals
Fri 20 Feb 2026
Media release – NZ Government | New Zealand has joined international leaders at the 2026 International Energy Agency Ministerial meeting in committing to strengthen global co-operation on critical minerals to strengthen long‑term energy security.
