New Zealand: All stories
Britain's nuclear white elephant stumbles
1 Aug 2016
Celebrations by the nuclear industry planned for today have been cancelled following the shock decision by Britain to put the world’s largest electricity project on hold.
54 DEG: Searing Kuwait temp could be among the hottest
1 Aug 2016
A heat wave in the Middle East has sent temperatures soaring to heights that are rarely seen even there. On July 21, Mitribah, Kuwait, recorded a temperature of 54degC.
... and it's staying warm here
1 Aug 2016
The unseasonably warm weather is likely to continue, with forecasters saying there is a 65 to 70 per cent chance that the next three months will be warmer than usual.
State fracking controls don't exist, study finds
1 Aug 2016
Most local authorities in the United States are setting no controls on the impacts of fracking on communities, a new study says.
Fossil fuel workers to retrain in clean energy
1 Aug 2016
Scottish workers leaving the increasingly embattled oil and gas sector are being offered the chance to retrain for work in clean energy industries, under a new training scheme funded by the Scottish Government.
How right price, right credits would suit farmers
29 Jul 2016
A carbon price of $25 and a 50 per cent allocation of free credits would make the Emissions Trading Scheme viable for some farmers, a new report shows.
Call me Mercury, says Mighty River
29 Jul 2016
Mighty River Power says a rebranding campaign launched today reflects New Zealand’s future in clean energy.
Don't expect a solar 747 anytime soon
29 Jul 2016
After 12 years of planning and testing, Solar Impulse has finally completed its epic voyage around the world.
A short history of nuclear fission ...
29 Jul 2016
An Italian physicist, Enrico Fermi, was the first to achieve it but just recently nuclear fission’s popularity has been decreasing.
Renewables overtake coal in UK power generation
29 Jul 2016
Biomass, wind and other clean sources produced a quarter of UK electricity last year, government figures show, as plant closures reduced coal’s share to 22 per cent.
Denmark targets 100% renewable electricity by 2050
29 Jul 2016
Currently, 40 per cent of Denmark’s electricity comes from wind, and the country’s target is to reach 50 per cent by 2020 and 100 per cent renewables by 2050.
Bennett: We'll have to revisit emissions cuts
28 Jul 2016
New Zealand will take another look at its post-2020 emissions reduction target once it has ratified the Paris Agreement, the climate change minister says.
Big emitters face landmark human rights case
28 Jul 2016
The world’s largest oil, coal, cement and mining companies have been given 45 days to respond to a complaint that their greenhouse gas emissions have violated the human rights of millions of people living in the Phillippines.
SUSTAINABILITY: We're getting the hang of it
27 Jul 2016
New Zealand companies are becoming more socially and environmentally active – and it’s all down to the housing crisis, growing inequality and the United Nations’ new sustainable development goals.
Z gets an A for corporate responsibility
27 Jul 2016
New kid on the block Z Energy was the only New Zealand-owned company to get top marks in this year’s review of the state of corporate social responsibility in New Zealand and Australia.
NZ airs views at aviation emissions talks
27 Jul 2016
New Zealand is looking to join an international plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft.
Floods sound call to sea-level action, say Greens
27 Jul 2016
Floods in Kapiti and Waitara last weekend show why the Government must take action over rising sea levels caused by climate change, says the Green Party.
A nuclear reactor in every town? Don't laugh
27 Jul 2016
The nuclear industry sees the UK as a springboard for its plans to expand in the next 20 years, especially as a pioneer in the deployment of a new breed of small reactors.
Bacteria powers microscopic 'wind farm'
27 Jul 2016
By TYLER SHENDRUK | Many of society’s energy challenges require gigawatts of power, but many more are small – and some are entirely microscopic.
Solar plane makes history
27 Jul 2016
Solar Impulse 2 has completed the first round-the-world flight by a solar-powered aeroplane, after touching down in Abu Dhabi.
London Mayor targets tube network
27 Jul 2016
The new Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is in the process of securing a licence to provide “clean energy” for London tube stations.
PARIS POSER: We must sign the pledge ... but when?
26 Jul 2016
An announcement is imminent on the tricky question of when New Zealand will ratify the Paris Agreement.
Pest-free state could help to control climate changes
26 Jul 2016
The Government’s mission to make New Zealand predator-free by 2050 could have a positive spin-off for the battle against a warming climate.
China's coal peak hailed as turning point
26 Jul 2016
The global battle against climate change has passed a historic turning point with China’s huge coal burning finally having peaked, according to senior economists.
EPA finding clears way for limit on aircraft emissions
26 Jul 2016
The Environmental Protection Agency has declared that jet engine exhaust endangers public health by contributing to climate change, a key milestone as it works to develop regulations that will cut carbon emissions from commercial aircraft.
Irish agriculture faces emissions dilemma
26 Jul 2016
Ireland is facing a classic conflict, pitching economic growth targets against the need for action on climate change.
How forestry can make as much money as dairying
25 Jul 2016
Details of a study showing that forestry can be as profitable as dairying have been made public.
AGS forests will bank million tonnes of carbon
25 Jul 2016
Forests planted under the revived Afforestation Grant Scheme this year are expected to store 1.3 million tonnes of carbon.
PHEW! Are these really winter temperatures?
25 Jul 2016
Winter temperature records across the country continue to tumble, with Auckland as warm on Saturday night as a night in November.
Australians make hydrogen with near-zero emissions
25 Jul 2016
An Australian company is using “cheap as dirt” iron ore to convert methane in natural gas into hydrogen generating near-zero emissions.
MINE GAMES: Plunder of Earth’s natural resources is rising
25 Jul 2016
Humans’ appetite for gnawing away at the fabric of the Earth itself is growing prodigiously.
As nuclear power plants close, states need to bet big on energy storage
25 Jul 2016
Pacific Gas and Electric has started the process of shutting down the Diablo Canyon generation facility, the last active nuclear power plant in California.
US oil sector fights climate disclosure push
25 Jul 2016
Oil companies say a campaign by environmentalists to force them to reveal more about their climate change risks and carbon emissions in financial documents could cause "disclosure overload" that would not better inform investors.
Our forests key to the future, say scientists
22 Jul 2016
Heavy-emitting businesses could be buying more than $500 million worth of forestry credits a year by 2025, says the Crown Research Institute Scion.
UN awards us a fail mark for handling of environment
22 Jul 2016
New Zealand’s poor environmental management – including action on climate change and sustainable agriculture – has scored it a fail mark on five of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
Tesla unveils plans for new vehicle types
22 Jul 2016
Tesla Motors has outlined a new model for vehicle sharing and disclosed plans for several new electric vehicles, including much heavier trucks.
Nations urged to back airlines carbon scheme
22 Jul 2016
Governments are being urged to support a proposed United Nations carbon offset scheme to ensure airlines can tackle climate change at a global level.
Labour-Greens vow to champion clean-energy business
21 Jul 2016
Clean-tech manufacturing would have a seat at the Cabinet table under a Labour-Greens government.
Let's not rush carbon tax, says economist
21 Jul 2016
Research results saying New Zealand needs a carbon tax as well as the Emissions Trading Scheme should be investigated further before being adopted as policy, says an economist involved in emissions reduction modelling for the Government.
The future of Big Oil? At Shell, it's not oil
21 Jul 2016
At Australia’s Curtis Island, you can see Big Oil morphing into Big Gas. Just off the northeastern coast lies a 667-acre liquefied natural gas terminal owned by Royal Dutch Shell, an engineering feat of staggering complexity.
Audi plans e-car push to put heat on Tesla
21 Jul 2016
Audi will aim for electric cars to account for a quarter of its sales by 2025 as part of a strategic overhaul following the emissions scandal at parent Volkswagen Group, company sources said, in a move that could step up the challenge to Tesla Motors.
How farmers, big emitters blow our carbon budget
20 Jul 2016
More than 90 per cent of New Zealand’s carbon budget for the 2020s will be spent on subsidising agriculture and trade-exposed heavy emitters, government estimates show.
Minister reports on second stage of ETS review
20 Jul 2016
Climate change minister Paula Bennett has reported to her colleagues on the second stage of the Emissions Trading Scheme review.
Offshore windfarms power ahead in Europe
20 Jul 2016
Falling costs mean that power generated by offshore wind farms is becoming increasingly competitive with other fuels – and that’s good news for the climate.
Drones set to play big role in change to renewables
20 Jul 2016
Energy providers are looking at the emergent technology of drones to help them with their day-to-day maintenance of renewables installations and to decrease their costs.
America's booming marijuana industry is an energy hog
20 Jul 2016
As Americans go to the polls in November, at least four states will consider ballot questions on marijuana legalisation.
Carbon policy proposals fail to impress Beehive
19 Jul 2016
Two policy proposals floated in Carbon News yesterday – a Climate Responsibility Act, and combining carbon trading with a carbon tax and a cut in the goods and services tax – have not impressed the Government.
Humans leave greater green fingerprints
19 Jul 2016
Evidence of increased greening of the northern hemisphere over the past half-century points to the dominant effect human-induced greenhouse gases have on climate.
Solar farms offer bonus for tropical crops
19 Jul 2016
Research in England shows that solar farms reduce local temperature and provide shade, enabling crops in hot and desert climates to flourish.
Why we need a carbon tax ... as well as an ETS
18 Jul 2016
New Zealand needs a carbon tax as well as the Emissions Trading Scheme if it is to meet its promise to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, new research shows.
Growth, energy and climate in focus at Trans-Tasman bilateral talks
Fri 5 Sep 2025
Trans-Tasman climate cooperation was one of the themes at the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum, with senior government officials and business leaders from both sides of the ditch meeting in Canberra this week.
Meridian reports worst earnings in a decade
Wed 3 Sep 2025
Meridian Energy has posted its weakest result in 10 years, with earnings hit by a combination of droughts, low wind and declining gas supply.
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.
Air NZ declares surprisingly low SAF prices
Wed 3 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Air New Zealand is able to source sustainable aviation fuel at between 1.5 and 2.5 times the price of conventional fossil fuels used for flying, all sourced from the US.
Forest carbon stores massive blind spot - study
Thu 4 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Aotearoa New Zealand’s planted forests hold significant deep soil organic carbon — with over half of it stored below 30 cm, and much of it over 1,000 years old.
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.
