New Zealand: All stories
Young Kiwi voices lead the climate change chorus
7 Jul 2017
By publisher ADELIA HALLETT | Two political actions this week give us some hope that New Zealand might one day get the leadership it needs to survive and prosper in a carbon-constrained world.
France to ban sales of petrol and diesel cars by 2040
7 Jul 2017
France will end sales of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040 as part of an ambitious plan to meet its targets under the Paris climate accord.
Hopes of mild climate change dashed by new research
7 Jul 2017
Hopes that the world’s huge carbon emissions might not drive temperatures up to dangerous levels have been dashed by new research.
Climate more sensitive to CO2 than records suggest
7 Jul 2017
One of the key questions about climate change is the strength of the greenhouse effect.
This is how climate change will shift the world's cities
7 Jul 2017
Summers are already warmer than they used to be, and could get dramatically hotter by century’s end - a problem that will be felt most acutely in cities.
Environment officials to get new science advice
6 Jul 2017
The Ministry for the Environment is to get a new science adviser.
Volvo to make only electric or hybrid cars from 2019
6 Jul 2017
All new cars launched by Volvo from 2019 onward will be partially or completely battery-powered, in what the company called a “historic end” to building models that only have an internal combustion engine.
Drivers top consumers of palm oil in Europe
6 Jul 2017
As millions of Europeans hit the road this month for a summer break, most won’t know they’re driving on palm oil.
IT'S OFFICIAL: Ministers get the word on ETS changes
5 Jul 2017
Official advice on changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme has made its way from officials to ministers.
Political uncertainty the enemy of carbon markets
4 Jul 2017
Lack of political certainty is damaging the effectiveness of carbon markets, says new research.
Amazon dams plan is set to cost the Earth
4 Jul 2017
It’s one thing to harness a river. It’s quite another to build a series of Amazon dams and control the life of the planet’s richest habitat.
Air on board cruise ships could be worse than in polluted cities
4 Jul 2017
Some public areas on cruise ships could be more polluted than the world’s worst-affected cities, a new investigation reveals.
YOUNG NATS: Climate change bigger than politics
3 Jul 2017
The National Party’s youth arm supports legislation to make New Zealand carbon-neutral by 2050, saying climate change is “bigger than politics”.
THE COUNT: Who said what ... or not
3 Jul 2017
Climate change wasn’t on the agenda for public statements by any of our political leaders last week.
Corporates stepping up to save the planet
3 Jul 2017
As US president Donald Trump reneges on climate change commitments, progressive businesses are implementing the measures themselves.
Half-a-degree makes all the difference, say scientists
3 Jul 2017
HALF-A-DEGREE of warming made a big difference to the type of weather Earth experienced in the past, scientists say.
LIFT-OFF: Hydrogen fuel reaches trial stage
3 Jul 2017
Using surplus electricity from renewables to make hydrogen fuel is starting a new era for all forms of heavy transport.
Disclosure must for all businesses, says Bloomberg
30 Jun 2017
All businesses – including banks - are being told to start disclosing their carbon exposure as soon as possible.
It's nonsense to say fracking can be made safe
30 Jun 2017
research can help to produce guidelines to reduce the risks associated with fracking, but ultimately it makes no sense to talk of fracking being entirely safe.
Motu researchers win international praise
30 Jun 2017
New Zealand’s Motu Research has been named one of the 10 best climate policy think-tanks in the world.
Why destroying mangroves would be a mistake
30 Jun 2017
Destroying the world's mangroves could mean an extra seven million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year, scientists say.
Boaty McBoatface has been busy down under
30 Jun 2017
Boaty McBoatface has gathered 'unprecedented data' from its first expedition to Antarctica, scientists say.
Government snubs MP's climate change motion
29 Jun 2017
The Government is refusing to support a motion acknowledging that a third of the world’s population is now exposed to deadly heatwaves because of climate change.
State should show the way, says bioenergy group
29 Jun 2017
The Government needs to put its new energy efficiency strategy into place – and State-owned operations are the place to start, says the Bioenergy Assocation.
NZ team has high hopes for hybrid-electric aircraft
29 Jun 2017
Wellington researchers hope their technology will help to build the first hybrid-electric jet plane.
Fossil lobbies threaten to scupper renewables in South Africa
29 Jun 2017
South African power utility Eskom recently repeated that it will not conclude supply contracts with the developers of new renewable energy power stations.
Closing nuclear plants threatens climate targets
29 Jun 2017
Closing nuclear plants in Europe and North America from 2020 threatens global plans to cut carbon emissions unless governments build new nuclear plants or expand the use of renewables.
Cutting emissions would slow growth, officials claim
28 Jun 2017
The Government is dealing with criticism of its industrial emissions target by turning it into a bottom line instead of a goal.
Science splits ranks over fossil fuel phase-out
28 Jun 2017
US academics are arguing with ferocity about how to achieve a fossil fuel phase out. But, for now, the debate is entirely academic.
Minister in dark on coal climate question
27 Jun 2017
The Department of Conservation has not raised with its minister the climate implications of coal mining, despite being involved in a proposal to allow mining on conservation land on the Buller Plateau.
MPs to get the heatwave message
27 Jun 2017
Parliament will be asked tomorrow to note that up to a third of the world’s population is now exposed to deadly heatwaves as a result of climate change.
Energy major talks of falling fossil fuel demand
27 Jun 2017
One of the world’s biggest energy companies sees problems ahead with falling fossil fuel demand and huge growth in renewables.
Ocean levels on the rise ... and quickly
27 Jun 2017
Seas are rising faster, prompting scientists to warn that coastal adaptation plans should be put in place urgently.
Organic farming might not cut climate risk
27 Jun 2017
Organic farming does not always benefit the environment in the ways people expect, and might not avert climate change effects, scientists say.
THE COUNT: How important is climate change to the politicians who would be PM?
26 Jun 2017
Carbon News is keeping count of the number of times political leaders talk in the lead-up to the September 23 general election about the biggest issue the world faces.
Federated Famers warns of consequences
26 Jun 2017
Federated Farmers is warning politicians of “consequences” if agricultural emissions are brought into the Emissions Trading Scheme before other countries put a carbon price on farming.
Renewable energy no longer niche investment
26 Jun 2017
Institutional investors remain eager to put money to work on renewable energy projects even as US President Donald Trump has vowed to revive their chief competitor: coal.
Panasonic joins push to put solar on car roofs
26 Jun 2017
Panasonic has started producing a 180-watt array of solar cells that can be put on the roof of a vehicle.
Not so much coal about ... but we're burning more
23 Jun 2017
New Zealand’s coal consumption is climbing.
Soil scientists back putting carbon in the ground
23 Jun 2017
Carbon sequestration in soil has the potential to enhance food security and mitigate climate change, says an international team of soil experts.
Top banks still lend billions to extract fossil fuels
23 Jun 2017
Some of the world’s top banks are continuing to lend tens of billions for extracting the most carbon-intensive fossil fuels, according to a report of top lenders.
Renewables investment by 2040 will be in the trillions
23 Jun 2017
More than $10 trillion will be invested in new power generation capacity by 2040, of which nearly three-quarters will be in renewables.
SUCKER PUNCH: Plant pulls CO2 directly from the air
23 Jun 2017
On the roof of a waste incinerator outside Zurich, a Swiss firm has built the world’s first commercial plant to suck CO2 directly from the air.
CARBON CATCH-22: The pollution in our soil
23 Jun 2017
Bad behaviour doesn’t usually have good consequences but our fossil fuel and fertiliser habits may have had some “good” environmental side-effects.
Government keeps lid on Buller mining papers
22 Jun 2017
The Government is refusing to release briefing papers on proposed new coal mines on the Buller Plateau.
Tyre mountains will be turned into biofuels
22 Jun 2017
An Otaki company with a plan to turn mountains of waste tyres into biofuels says the key to success is processing them at multiple sites around the country.
COUNTRY CALL: Farmers want ETS and water price
21 Jun 2017
Parts of the agricultural sector are calling for farming to be included in the Emissions Trading Scheme and for a price on water.
World’s largest coal company to retire 37 mines
21 Jun 2017
The largest coal mining company in the world, Coal India, has announced plans to decommission a total of 37 mines which are no longer economically viable.
OPINION: Adaption versus mitigation
20 Jun 2017
Adaptation is about survival. Mitigation is about finding and implementing solutions to prevent the need to go into survival mode, says DR ANN SMITH chief executive of Enviro-Mark Solutions
Scientists fear EU rules will hide forest carbon loss
20 Jun 2017
Leading researchers have condemned attempts to change the way carbon from trees will be counted in Europe.
Watts full-throated in National’s support for Paris
Today 12:45pm
By Pattrick Smellie | Climate Change Minister Simon Watts came to this week’s Climate Change and Business Conference with nothing to announce.
Milestone for NZ Steel electrification
Today 12:45pm
By Pattrick Smellie | NZ Steel has passed an installation milestone for its new electric arc furnace, which will reduce emissions from the Glenbrook steel mill site by as much as one megatonne (1Mt) a year.
International scientists slam NZ govt's proposed approach to methane
13 Aug 2025
New Zealand's proposed approach to methane emissions has again been attacked by international climate scientists, with a new study saying the attempt to redefine climate target-setting by livestock-exporting countries undermines the transition to a sustainable and equitable food system
Vector hits emissions reduction goal five years early
Fri 5 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | Auckland lines company Vector has met its 2030 emissions reduction reduction target five years early, more than halving its direct emissions, and crediting innovation and a laser-focus for its success in a hard-to-abate sector.
NZ needs to be part of a regional SAF strategy: Z, Air NZ
Tue 9 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand needs to be part of a regional strategic approach to sourcing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with domestic production less the aim than ensuring access to the fuel from one of a number of strategically positioned bio-refineries around the world.
Kawerau's new hope: Plan to replace coal with pine ramps up
Mon 8 Sep 2025
By Diane McCarthy, Local Democracy Reporter | Construction on a $300 million wood pellet plant in the Eastern Bay of Plenty is expected to start next month, with hopes it could cut the use of coal in New Zealand.
XRB consults on delaying climate reporting requirements
Thu 4 Sep 2025
The External Reporting Board is proposing a further two years relief for companies to adopt anticipated financial impacts reporting and scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions reporting and assurance.
