New Zealand: All stories
Oceans are running out of oxygen ... and quickly
12 May 2017
Circulation changes caused by warming waters and melting polar ice are the most probable explanations for the rapidly falling levels of oxygen in the ocean.
Indian solar power prices hit record low
12 May 2017
Wholesale solar power prices have reached another record low in India, faster than analysts predicted and further undercutting the price of fossil fuel-generated power in the country.
Foresters want carbon price range and ETS promise
11 May 2017
A price range for carbon and a promise that changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme will be backdated would get landowners planting carbon-sequestering trees now, says the Forest Owners’ Association.
Don't waste this $50,000 opportunity ...
11 May 2017
Got a great idea to cut the amount of waste generated in New Zealand?
MPs out of the loop on farm emissions advice
10 May 2017
Parliament has again been told that the Government is getting advice on bringing agricultural emissions into the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Slow-freezing Alaska drives surge in carbon emissions
10 May 2017
Alaska’s soils are taking far longer to freeze over, resulting in a surge in carbon dioxide emissions that could mean a much faster rate of global warming.
Problems with nuclear waste launch a gold rush
10 May 2017
Staggering sums of money involved in the long-term challenge of solving the world’s nuclear waste problems make it a booming business.
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.
Pacific climate response in question as NZ finance remains unclear
19 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With New Zealand's $1.3 billion international climate finance commitment set to end with no clarity on what follows, the Auditor-General says oversight of that funding remains patchy and long-term outcomes are unclear.
NZ hydrogen regulation to catch up with the world
18 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The government has announced a regulatory reset for New Zealand’s emerging clean tech hydrogen sector.
State-owned farmer drives profit growth with emissions reductions
19 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Government-owned Landcorp, trading as Pāmu, is one-third of the way to meeting its 2031 emissions reduction targets, with five years left to run to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30.3% against 2021 emissions.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transport pollution was the biggest contributor to an increase in New Zealand’s consumption-based emissions in 2023, with emissions from household travel up 12%, and consumption-based emissions totalling 58.3 million tonnes – up 1.6% from the previous year.
NZ could become ‘dumping ground’ for dirty vehicles: Commissioner
16 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Simon Upton, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, has warned the Government that its changes to the clean car standard could turn the country into a dumping ground for high emitting cars, making future emissions budgets harder to achieve.
Uncertainty eroding confidence in forestry sector
5 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Warnings are mounting that tree planting is set to plunge to “very close to zero”, as new Ministry for Primary Industries data shows ETS registration applications falling sharply as confidence in forestry declines.
Investors must support positive climate-tech
28 Nov 2025
OPINION: We need better leadership than the current ‘climate opportunism’ that is rife in the Beehive, and we need to back a marketplace that will make it happen, writes Rob Campbell.
