New Zealand: All stories
Polluted rivers become deadly threat to millions
26 Sep 2016
More than half the rivers of Asia, Africa and Latin America have become more dangerous in the past 20 years, with steep rises in organic and pathogen pollution.
China to slow green growth after boom
26 Sep 2016
After installing more wind and solar farms than anywhere else on the planet, China is ratcheting back the pace of growth in an industry that’s helped lower the costs of green energy worldwide.
Sometimes the research doesn't do the job
26 Sep 2016
Research has shown that models used by economists to calculate the effects of climate change policies can produce polar opposite recommendations.
Why we might have trouble phasing out HFCs
23 Sep 2016
New Zealand is among more than 100 countries calling for an early phase-out of use of the potent greenhouse gas hydroflourocarbon – which could be a challenge, because this country’s use of it appears to be rising.
NZ will join aviation emissions agreement
23 Sep 2016
New Zealand will join an international market-based system to reduce aviation emissions, the Government has just announced.
Soil carbon storage not the fix we thought
23 Sep 2016
Hopes that large amounts of planet-warming carbon dioxide could be buried in soils appear to be grossly misplaced, with new research finding that the ground will soak up far less carbon over the coming century than previously thought.
What we can do about threats to our food security and feed nine billion people
23 Sep 2016
Can we really feed nine billion people? That’s the estimated global population in the year 2050.
Dire climate impacts go unheeded
23 Sep 2016
The social and economic impacts of climate change have already begun to take their toll – but most people do not yet know this.
Solar behemoth arises in China
23 Sep 2016
A massive 2-gigawatt solar project is under development in China's Ningxia region. The $2.34 billion project will need about six million panels and will likely be the world's largest solar farm.
Asia eyes renewable energy super grid
23 Sep 2016
Entrepreneurs in China, Russia, Japan and South Korea have signed a memorandum of understanding which sets out plans to create an Asian renewable energy super grid.
NZ mulls over stand on aviation emissions
22 Sep 2016
New Zealand is considering its position on international plans to reduce the aviation industry’s impact on the climate.
No way, Nick, you can't claim credit for the ETS
22 Sep 2016
The Government is doing it again – claiming to have introduced the Emissions Trading Scheme when it actually voted against it.
Emissions targets need all-electric cars
22 Sep 2016
A new study says that achieving limits on temperature rise agreed at last year’s Paris climate conference will require a massive switch to zero emissions electric-powered vehicles, coupled with the development of a completely decarbonised power sector.
Tokyo wants self-drive cars for 2020 Olympics
22 Sep 2016
Tokyo aims to introduce self-driving vehicles by the time the Olympic Games are staged there in 2020.
Study sees carbon price reaching $60 by 2030
21 Sep 2016
Carbon could be $60 a tonne by 2030, boosting renewables and fuelling a drive toward energy efficiency, a new report shows.
CARMAGEDDON | Let's face it, cars always were a dumb idea
21 Sep 2016
It was a mistake – a monumental, world-class mistake. Cars for everyone was one of the most stupid promises politicians ever made.
Native American pipeline resistance is about climate justice
21 Sep 2016
Over the past months, hundreds of indigenous persons and their allies have gathered near the crossing of the Missouri and Cannon Ball rivers in the ancestral territories of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.
New patent boosts CO2 capture hopes
21 Sep 2016
A technology that could in theory catch 90 per cent of carbon dioxide from coal-fired power stations has been patented by US government scientists.
Toyota using sewage to power new electric car
21 Sep 2016
For unlimited clean energy, Toyota is turning to one of the dirtiest places there is: the toilet.
We need a million electric vehicles, says report
20 Sep 2016
New Zealand needs 1.2 million light electric vehicles on the road by 2030 to meet its Paris Agreement emissions reduction target, a report shows.
Minister admits Government can't afford e-cars
20 Sep 2016
Government departments are so cash-strapped they can’t afford to buy electric vehicles, the transport minister says.
Green glue hailed as gamechanger
20 Sep 2016
An environmentally friendly bioadhesive labelled a gamechanger for the wood panel industry has been named Biotechnology of the Year.
Why are millions of trees dying across the US?
20 Sep 2016
A quiet crisis playing out in US forests as huge numbers of trees succumb to drought, disease, insects and wildfire – much of it driven by climate change.
DUNNE DEAL | United Future offers cash for e-cars
19 Sep 2016
One of the Government’s support parties is promising to do what Treasury advised and what the Government has refused to do – offer cash to anyone buying electric vehicles.
New stations blossom in e-drive week
19 Sep 2016
International Drive Electric Week last week saw new electric vehicle charging stations opened in Nelson, Thames Wellington and Auckland.
Agriculture emissions continue to grow
16 Sep 2016
New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture continue to climb.
RAIL v ROAD: Trains still come out in front
16 Sep 2016
Rail will continue to out-perform road transport when it comes to climate change, regardless of whether it’s using electric trains or not, KiwiRail says.
GOODBYE GAS: Why petrol cars must go by 2035
16 Sep 2016
The last gasoline-powered car will have to be sold by about 2035 to put the world on track to limit global warming to the most stringent goal set by world leaders last year, a new study says.
Renewables establish economic lead
16 Sep 2016
The cheapest way of generating energy today is to use renewable fuels – and the authors of a new analysis predict that renewables are set to enjoy even more of an advantage within a few years.
Investment in new renewables outpaces demand
16 Sep 2016
The International Energy Agency has released a report showing that investment in new renewables has covered the global electricity demand in 2015.
Minister way off mark on EVs, says transport expert
15 Sep 2016
Government suggestions that improved fuel efficiency will get New Zealand’s transport emissions under control are nonsense, an expert says.
Scientists get closer to methane answers
15 Sep 2016
New research has added yet another layer to a major scientific debate about the global emissions of methane.
Modified wood aims to save forests from the axe
15 Sep 2016
A hardwood substitute has been developed to effectively end the need to log native forests.
Stand by for the electric Mini
15 Sep 2016
BMW is planning a big shift in its electric vehicle strategy that would greenlight electric versions of some of its most important vehicles, including the 3-series sedan, X4 crossover and iconic Mini.
Gas pipelines run over EU energy policy
15 Sep 2016
Civil society campaigners have accused the European Union of pouring unprecedented amounts of state aid into a huge energy project that runs counter to its own climate change objectives.
Lower crop yields test market forces
15 Sep 2016
Food will cost the consumer more as a result of climate change, but it is not at all clear that farmers will profit accordingly, says a new study.
UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE: Otago puts heat on Auckland
14 Sep 2016
Otago University is extending its ban on fossil-fuel investments as part of a global divestment movement of nearly $5 trillion, putting more pressure on Auckland University to do the same.
Now it's milk ... minus the dairy industry
14 Sep 2016
A San-Francisco startup believes it has found a solution for the guilty conscience of consumers who love eating dairy ice-cream, cheese and yoghurt, but oppose factory-style farming and its environmental footprint.
Green-powered boat readies for round-world voyage
14 Sep 2016
Dubbed the “Solar Impulse of the Seas”, the first boat to be powered solely by renewable energies and hydrogen aims to make its own historic trip around the world.
E-bus can run 560km on one charge
14 Sep 2016
Manufacturer Proterra is debuting a new electric bus, called the Catalyst E2 Series, that can drive up to 560 kilometres per charge.
Taxpayers gift $80m to industrial emitters
13 Sep 2016
Taxpayers have this year given industrial emitters of greenhouse gases free carbon credits worth more than $80 million on today’s market – and soon they’ll be getting twice as many.
Warmer world not healthy for wheat crops
13 Sep 2016
Global wheat production will fall as temperatures rise, a new study shows.
New fabric generates electric power on the go
13 Sep 2016
A super-thin fabric that generates electricity from both sunlight and movement promises a lightweight, flexible, foldable power source on the go.
Fasten your seat belt - turbulence is on the rise
13 Sep 2016
Severe turbulence, which recently forced the emergency landing of a transatlantic flight, is on the rise. But why and what can be done?
RUC exemption could save thousands for truckers
12 Sep 2016
Truck and bus operators could save thousands of dollars a year under road-user charge exemptions now before the Government.
Survey quizzes big business on sustainability
12 Sep 2016
Environmental and social sustainability in business is going mainstream, say those behind the latest S&P Dow Jones sustainability indices.
Our best shot at cooling the planet might be right under our feet
12 Sep 2016
Studies suggest that regenerating the soil by turning our backs on industrial farming holds the key to tackling climate change.
Making wine brings a lot of energy headaches
12 Sep 2016
Wine production consumes large amounts of energy and generates a sizeable quantity of greenhouse gases.
Planting flooded paddies raises rice methane threat
12 Sep 2016
Directly seeding rice into fields rather than transplanting it into flooded paddies would dramatically reduce methane emissions and slow down climate change, according to scientists studying the staple crop.
New EV exemption won't work, says Treasury
9 Sep 2016
The Government is extending an exemption from road user charges for light electric vehicles – despite being told by Treasury that the move won’t get more people into electric cars.
Pacific Islands call for fossil fuel phase-out, NZ hangs back
Today 11:00am
By Liz Kivi | Pacific Islands nations have launched a landmark declaration for a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific, calling for a Fossil Fuel Treaty and urgent phase-out of fossil fuels, however New Zealand isn’t rushing to join the call.
Going concern status flags depth of Methanex NZ's gas crisis
Tue 21 Apr 2026
Methanex's New Zealand operation is relying on financial support from its Canadian parent to remain a going concern after a second consecutive year of asset impairments left the business with negative equity.
Fonterra admits ‘100% grass-fed’ claim breached law in greenwashing row
2 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Fonterra has admitted its “100% New Zealand grass-fed” claims on Anchor butter were misleading and breached the law, settling a case brought by Greenpeace Aotearoa over packaging used between December 2023 and April 2025.
Climate pollution static but NZ still on track for first emissions budget, says MfE
Fri 17 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand is still on track to meet its first emissions budget, according to the Ministry for the Environment, despite the pace of emissions reductions slowing to a standstill.
NZ’s latest push to roll out more EV chargers is a good thing – but can it go the distance?
14 Apr 2026
A $50 million plan to expand New Zealand’s public electric vehicle (EV) charging network marks another step toward a lower-emissions transport system.
Wilding conifers continue to plague Southland
Fri 17 Apr 2026
By Matthew Rosenberg, Local Democracy Reporter | Fast-spreading conifer trees are causing headaches in Southland as inconsistent funding continues to hinder control efforts.
Victorian Hydrogen announces Southland urea fertiliser project using coal
Wed 22 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Australian-based Victorian Hydrogen has announced it is developing a new 1.5 million-tonne-a-year urea fertiliser operation in Southland, which it will apply for under fast-track legislation.
