New Zealand: All stories
Airbus develops electric air taxis
18 Aug 2016
The Airbus Group is developing an autonomous flying vehicle platform as a solution for growing surface-transport gridlock in cities.
US issues new rules for truck emissions
18 Aug 2016
The Obama Administration has issued a new rule requiring heavy-duty trucks, such as tractor trailers, buses, and garbage trucks, to be more fuel efficient.
Welcome to the world of the community solar farm
18 Aug 2016
A growing number of consumers are buying into community solar farms that allow renters and apartment dwellers to access renewable energy produced on neighborhood plots.
Nordic countries could inspire EU bioenergy
18 Aug 2016
The experience of sustainable forestry management in Sweden and the other Nordic countries could serve as an inspiration for the EU when it draws up sustainability criteria for biomass.
Big role for business as NZ set to ratify Paris pact
17 Aug 2016
Business is being called in to help to plan New Zealand’s transition to a low-carbon economy, as the Government pledges to ratify the Paris Agreement this year.
Renewables up 70% in G20 countries
17 Aug 2016
New figures have shown that renewable energy generation in the world’s 20 major economies has increased by 70 per cent in the past five years.
LA switches on to virtual power plants
17 Aug 2016
Los Angeles area utilities are starting to turn to the new concept of “virtual power plants”.
UK to build largest offshore wind farm
17 Aug 2016
The giant Hornsea Project Two wind farm off the coast of Yorkshire is on track to become the world's largest offshore wind project.
DIRTY DOZEN: Big firms who traded in cheap units
16 Aug 2016
Some of New Zealand’s largest carbon emitters, along with forestry companies and even iwi are among the organisations that used cheap EURs to meet their liabilities under the Emissions Trading Scheme, a new report shows.
Our marine farms might be feeling the pinch
16 Aug 2016
Ocean acidification caused by climate change might already be affecting production in New Zealand’s marine farms, scientists say.
Science studies the changing face of vegetation
16 Aug 2016
Thirteen per cent of the world’s vegetation has changed its biome, or category, over the past 30 years, new research shows.
'THE BLOB': How marine heatwaves are causing climate chaos
16 Aug 2016
Wide-scale disruption from warming oceans is increasing, but they could change our understanding of the climate.
Simple pollination steps help cotton farmers
16 Aug 2016
Cotton is the world’s most widely grown and economically important non-food crop. In the United States alone, farmers grow cotton on 12 million to 14.5 million acres, and produce a yearly harvest worth nearly $25 billion.
Why it's a tough job to get Paris pact over the line
15 Aug 2016
Getting the Paris Agreement on climate change into force this year is technically possible, but getting across the emissions threshold will be hard, says a New Zealander at the heart of the process.
UN gives our Super Fund top marks
15 Aug 2016
The New Zealand Superannuation Fund has again scored an A-plus rating for governance and strategy around responsible investment in the latest benchmarking report by the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment.
E-CASH: Anybody got a good EV idea?
15 Aug 2016
The Government is offering money for projects to help to switch the nation’s fleet to electric vehicles.
Fonterra manager wins energy plaudits
15 Aug 2016
Fonterra energy manager Linda Thompson has been named Young Energy Professional of the Year 2016 at the Deloitte Energy Excellence Awards.
Good news or bad for our river water quality?
15 Aug 2016
Improvements in some components of river water quality are encouraging, but it’s too early to declare victory, says NIWA’s Dr Scott Larned.
China eyes California-like e-car rules
15 Aug 2016
China will consider mandates that carmakers produce more electric vehicles or purchase carbon credits from their peers, potentially emulating California’s system and transitioning from a subsidy-driven approach to catalyzing cleaner cars.
Why farmers should give up the plough
15 Aug 2016
Farmers need to give up the plough to protect UK food security in the face of climate change, warn government advisers.
IBM develops cheaper biodegradable plastics
15 Aug 2016
Researchers from US multinational International Business Machines say they found a way to create cheaper and biodegradable plastics.
Keep us out of the ETS, pleads steel industry
12 Aug 2016
New Zealand Steel wants the steel industry excluded from the Emissions Trading Scheme, saying that rising carbon prices are putting the industry at risk.
Wind covers Scotland's electricity needs for a day
12 Aug 2016
High winds recently boosted renewable energy output to provide 106 per cent of Scotland’s electricity needs for a day.
Carbon-farming case lawyer under investigation
11 Aug 2016
A lawyer who advised a carbon-farming company that was later prosecuted by the Overseas Investment Office is under investigation over the affair.
Local scientists probe use of artificial leaves
11 Aug 2016
Artificial photosynthesis could be used to store carbon dioxide in synthetic “leaves”.
EPA appoints science voice for the people
11 Aug 2016
The Environmental Protection Authority has appointed a chief scientist to help people to understand the science behind its decisions.
Swiss pioneer new way of storing energy
11 Aug 2016
A pilot project is developing a new system that stores electricity in the form of compressed air in the Swiss Alps.
Dairy groups blast methane reductions
11 Aug 2016
California’s attempt to curb emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, is facing vocal opposition from a dairy industry that fears government meddling in the flatulence of its cows.
Anxious farmers keen to keep carbon subsidies
10 Aug 2016
Farmers – already exempt from liability for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions from their businesses – urged the Government to keep other subsidies in place to further protect them from carbon pricing.
Renewable electricity hits 90% mark
10 Aug 2016
New Zealand has hit its target of 90 per cent renewable electricity production this year.
RIGS TO REEFS: Should we leave oil platforms alone?
10 Aug 2016
The global offshore oil and gas industry has installed a wide variety of infrastructure throughout our oceans, including tens of thousands of wells, thousands of platforms and many thousands of kilometres of seabed pipelines.
Europe aims to close loophole on wood energy
10 Aug 2016
European officials are moving to close a loophole that promotes the burning of wood for electricity by an industry that’s felling American trees, and a new report they commissioned has laid bare the urgent need for reform.
German firm runs first climate-neutral train
10 Aug 2016
A German company has run the first train in the country with a zero-carbon footprint by using an innovative environmental project in Rwanda to offset emissions.
Nation needs emissions targets, says banker
9 Aug 2016
New Zealand should be setting annual emissions targets, says Westpac
Fonterra turns dairy waste into fertiliser
9 Aug 2016
New wastewater treatment technology at Fonterra’s Edendale site is turning dairy waste into fertiliser that is helping local pastures to flourish.
Green build group chooses new chief
9 Aug 2016
The Green Building Council has a new chief executive.
Christchurch office wins 5-star rating
9 Aug 2016
Insurance company IAG and property investor Goodman have been awarded a 5-star NABERSNZ whole-building rating for their Christchurch office.
Mighty mangroves might be major weapon in climate fight
9 Aug 2016
Mangroves might be one of the world’s most viable solutions to fighting climate change.
Can Tesla go from sexy cars to clean energy?
9 Aug 2016
Elon Musk, who tapped into branding magic at Tesla Motors when he built electric cars that are stylish and drive fast, is now looking to get into the bigger and less-sexy realm of sustainable energy, solar power and batteries.
CLIMATE COSTS: Three things we must do now
8 Aug 2016
New Zealand needs an Earthquake Commission-style Climate Change Fund to help to pay for the inevitable impacts of climate change, says an expert in public policy.
Environment groups push plan to meet Paris goals
8 Aug 2016
Environmental groups are working on a plan they say will help the Government to do what it needs to do to meet the Paris Agreement emissions reduction target.
Landcorp to can palm kernel animal feed
8 Aug 2016
Palm kernel won’t be fed to animals on Landcorp-owned farms after this financial year.
It just got easier to find a charging station
8 Aug 2016
Power distributor Vector has launched an interactive map to help Auckland motorists to find the nearest electric vehicle charging station.
Packager cracks takeaway coffee poser
8 Aug 2016
A New Zealand packaging company says it has come up with an environmentally sound way of getting a takeaway coffee.
Giant Amazon dam fails environment test
8 Aug 2016
Plans to build a giant hydroelectric dam in the heart of the Amazon rainforest have been halted by Brazil’s environmental protection agency because of mounting concerns about the fate of indigenous communities and wildlife living in the area.
German e-car discount scheme draws a crowd
8 Aug 2016
Nearly 2000 people in Germany have applied for the government's electric car discount scheme, introduced on July 1, and a third of them are buyers of BMW models.
Trees clear winner as carbon farmer cashes in
5 Aug 2016
Carbon credits have netted a dairy farmer more than he could have ever made from running livestock on his Taranaki hill country.
Climate-friendly flying could cost billions
5 Aug 2016
Sourcing biofuels to replace oil will cost billions, but without radical cuts in air traffic or improvements in technology it may be the only solution to cut airline emissions.
China reveals futuristic straddling bus
5 Aug 2016
China is testing a 2m-high bus which runs on electricity and straddles the cars below, allowing them to pass underneath uninterrupted.
UK charge points set to outnumber petrol stations
5 Aug 2016
Public electric vehicle charge points will outnumber petrol stations in the UK by the end of the decade, marking a potential tipping point in the adoption of zero emission vehicles.
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.
