New Zealand: All stories
Targeted forests could slash farm emissions
9 May 2017
Planting forests to clean up waterways could cut New Zealand’s net greenhouse gas emissions from land use by 80 per cent.
Investors urge G7 leaders to back Paris pact
9 May 2017
Long-term institutional investors with nearly $22 trillion in assets are calling on G7 members to stand by the Paris Agreement.
Germany’s weekend powered 85% by renewables
9 May 2017
Renewable energy sources – including wind and solar – provided the majority of Germany’s power over the weekend, generating more than 85 per cent of electricity on Sunday.
Our big houses bad for better insulation
8 May 2017
The benefits of better home insulation are being cancelled out by the trend toward bigger houses.
MICROBE MAGIC: How we can be mates with methane
8 May 2017
Ingenuity in laboratories worldwide is harnessing microbes, water and hot air to produce different types of renewable energy from greenhouse gas.
UK's new pollution plan 'weak and inadequate'
8 May 2017
The government’s new plan to tackle the UK’s toxic air crisis is “much weaker than hoped for”, according to the environmental lawyers that forced ministers to deliver the proposals.
One power station deal eats up Govt forest fund
5 May 2017
New Zealand will need an extra 17,000ha of new forest to offset emissions from a new gas-fired power station at Otorohanga, the Green Party says.
RIDE SHARE-PLUS: How to cut carbon emissions by 80%
5 May 2017
Layering autonomous and electric tech with ride-sharing could cut carbon emissions 80 per cent by 2050, says a new report.
Is the climate consensus 97%, 99.9%, or is tectonics a hoax?
5 May 2017
A new study argues the 97 per cent climate consensus estimate is too low, while deniers claim it’s too high.
CLIMATE CONSCIENCE: Believing is half the battle
5 May 2017
If we believe that we can personally help to stop climate change with individual actions – such as turning the thermostat down – then we are more likely to make a difference, according to new research.
Spray on, printables next for the solar panel market
5 May 2017
Thin film technology is touted as a gamechanger for the solar panel market, but it’s not without drawbacks.
Officials look at pricing of agricultural emissions
4 May 2017
Officials are investigating whether a price should be put on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, despite the issue being specifically excluded from the current review of the Emissions Trading Scheme.
UK to pay diesel car owners to scrap polluting vehicles
4 May 2017
Drivers of the most-polluting diesel cars in the UK will receive compensation if they trade in their vehicles for newer, cleaner models.
Government acts on decarbonising the economy
3 May 2017
The Productivity Commission is to investigate the cost of decarbonising New Zealand’s economy.
Coal price of $150 a tonne key to new Coast mine
3 May 2017
The Government is counting on a coking-coal price of $US150 a tonne in estimates about the economic benefits of proposed new mining on the Buller Plateau.
FACT CHECK: Are diesel cars really more polluting?
3 May 2017
The science now tells us that diesel vehicles cause more than four times the pollution than petrol cars.
Next decade will be critical for climate targets
3 May 2017
European researchers stress urgency in tackling global warming to meet climate targets, and say the goal of a less than 2deg rise may be unrealistic.
Climate change will alter flow of the Nile
3 May 2017
The 400 million people who depend on the predictability of the River Nile face an uncertain future as global warming delivers more extreme weather.
Clean energy now employs over 9.4 million
3 May 2017
More than 9.4 million people across the world are now employed in the renewable energy sector.
Water shortage could hurt European farmers
3 May 2017
Water scarcity half a world away caused by climate change could push up prices for meat and diary products in Europe.
COLD ON COAL: Westpac backs low-carbon lending
2 May 2017
Westpac is putting the heat on coal and says it will increase financial backing for low-carbon projects.
Student gives Auckland investment message
2 May 2017
Another Auckland University student has turned what might have been the biggest moment of her life to date – graduation – into a protest against the university’s investment in fossil fuels.
HOT NEWS: Good chance El Niño will be back this year
2 May 2017
The climate event that helped to supercharge global warming to record levels in 2015 and 2016 is 50-60 per cent likely in 2017.
Nitrite pollution puts warming waters at risk
2 May 2017
Nitrite pollution caused by rising temperatures is changing the chemistry of coastal waters, threatening more algal blooms and zones devoid of fish.
Climate could drive coastal food webs to collapse
2 May 2017
Coastal marine food chains could be in danger of collapse as a result of rising carbon dioxide levels.
It takes only a few countries to kickstart a revolution
2 May 2017
In 2016, more renewable energy was added to the global grid than ever before, and at a lower cost. A global energy revolution is clearly under way.
Sunscreen might be guilty of destroying coral reefs
2 May 2017
Studies show that oxybenzone, a common chemical found particularly in spray-on sunscreens, contributes to coral bleaching and leaves reefs deformed.
New study backs coastal property value warnings
1 May 2017
The Insurance Council’s prediction that climate change-induced rising sea levels will burst the property bubble has been backed by a new report.
Power plants must cut emissions under new EU rules
1 May 2017
POWER plants in the EU will have to cut the amount of toxic pollutants such as nitrogen oxides they emit under new rules approved by member states.
UK announces gamechanger for cycling
1 May 2017
A new cycling and walking investment strategy is the first legislation of its kind to legally bind the UK government to long-term funding for cycling and walking provision.
Government agrees dairying can't keep growing
28 Apr 2017
The Government is publicly acknowledging that the dairy industry is running into environmental limits.
FACE THE FACTS: The Government has done little
28 Apr 2017
Two major reports on climate change – one on the likely impacts on New Zealand, the other on ways the country can cut emissions – were released a year ago by the country’s top scientific body, the Royal Society. Energy expert RALPH SIMS, who chaired the report committee, reflects on progress.
Is deep sea mining worth the risk?
28 Apr 2017
Scientists have discovered massive amounts of a rare metal called tellurium, a key element in cutting-edge solar technology.
Deep in the forest, there are trees giving off methane
28 Apr 2017
Scientists have long been aware of a forest’s ability to absorb carbon, but a new US study has discovered trees that emit methane.
IT'S OFFICIAL: Our water quality is getting worse
27 Apr 2017
Water quality in New Zealand’s rivers is getting worse, says an official government report out today – and there’s yet another warning that the country is running up against its environmental limits.
Deadline looms for forest planting grants
27 Apr 2017
Applications for the latest round of the Government’s Afforestation Grants Scheme close tomorrow.
More investors recognise risk of climate change
27 Apr 2017
For the first time, a majority of global investor heavyweights recognise the financial risks of climate change, according to the results of a major global index rating how investors manage such risks.
UK acts to get gas out of the atmosphere
27 Apr 2017
The UK has launched a £8.6 million national research programme to investigate how to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, the first of its kind.
Top scientist dismisses talk of warming slowdown
27 Apr 2017
Much of the public and scientific discussion around a slowdown, or hiatus, in the rate of global warming has been misguided, says prominent climatologist.
Can we design a better fuel economy label?
27 Apr 2017
Governments around the world are looking for ways to increase consumers’ use of fuel-efficient vehicles, including information in the form of labels.
Native forests have potential to earn millions
26 Apr 2017
Landowners with 10,000 hectares of native forest could earn $1.5 million a year in carbon credits, a new report says.
Antarctica is swimming with rivers, lakes and ponds
26 Apr 2017
The network of rivers, streams, ponds and lakes across Antarctica has been mapped for the first time, and the extent of water flow is phenomenal.
UK power generation achieves first coal-free day
26 Apr 2017
Friday was Britain’s first working day without coal power since the Industrial Revolution.
Scottish wind powers affordable housing
26 Apr 2017
Three wind turbines in Scotland are generating electricity for the national grid and helping to raise funds to build affordable homes in rural communities.
Dutch building Europe’s first vertical farm
26 Apr 2017
A farm in the Netherlands will serve one of Europe’s biggest supermarket chains with lettuce grown using LED horticultural lighting.
Weird weather is being felt down on the farm
21 Apr 2017
Changes to New Zealand’s weather caused by global warming are starting to affect the country’s agricultural earnings.
CARBON CREEP: Suddenly, CO2 hits the 410ppm mark
21 Apr 2017
Chalk up another climate milestone … atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations hit 410 parts-per-million this week, the highest they’ve been in more than 15 million years.
Energy Star rating loses its twinkle
21 Apr 2017
The Government is scrapping the Energy Star rating on home appliances.
Clean water should be affordable to everyone
21 Apr 2017
Ask someone in Flint, Michigan, or São Paolo, Brazil — the list of cities rocked by water disasters seems to grow each day — how much safe, clean water is worth.
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.
