New Zealand: All stories
Waste Management fleet going electric
9 Sep 2016
Waste Management is converting its rubbish trucks to run on electricity as part of plan to switch its 1000-strong fleet away from fossil fuels.
Shipping industry prepares for looming climate tax
9 Sep 2016
As pressure mounts on shipping to pull its weight in global climate efforts, the sector is anticipating a carbon price on bunker fuels.
BIOGAS BONUS: NZ is slow to get the message
8 Sep 2016
New Zealand is slow to grasp the potential to cut greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution by turning waste into biogas, says a company providing the technology all over the world.
Lobby group asks investor to drop fossil fuels
8 Sep 2016
KiwiSaver provider Simplicity is being challenged to add fossil-fuel companies to the list of investments it won’t touch.
Humans running the show, so let’s make sure we learn
8 Sep 2016
As we head into the Anthropocene epoch, we often stand accused of inadvertently running “global experiments” through our effects on wildlife, food chains, landscapes and the climate.
Europe’s nuclear club slows emissions cuts
8 Sep 2016
The prospect of using nuclear energy appears to deter European countries from adopting renewable technologies such as wind and solar, and from introducing energy efficiency measures.
Auckland chemist strikes gold in biogas breakthrough
7 Sep 2016
A membrane invented in Auckland and worth more than its weight in gold could drastically change biogas production.
Shipping pollution kills thousands a year in Asia
7 Sep 2016
A boom in shipping is aggravating air pollution in China and other nations in east Asia, causing thousands of deaths a year in a region with eight of the world’s 10 biggest container ports, scientists have said.
Biggest funds blocking climate action
7 Sep 2016
Some of the world’s biggest funds are not living up to their responsible investment rhetoric, an analysis of ExxonMobil investors reveals.
A-CHOO!: Warming world set to raise pollen count
7 Sep 2016
Allergic diseases already cause misery for hundreds of millions of people, with serious implications for public health budgets in both developed and developing countries.
Time to move on life-saving soil science solutions
7 Sep 2016
Not many years ago, global health advocates bemoaned the fact that it took decades for life-saving vaccines to become widely accessible in poorer countries. This resulted in the unnecessary deaths of millions of children every year.
Banks put high price on climate change risks
6 Sep 2016
Twenty-eight per cent of banks operating in Asia and the Pacific say that exposure to climate change risk is a reason for not lending money.
Greens' Hague quits to head Forest & Bird
6 Sep 2016
Green Party MP Kevin Hague is quitting Parliament to become chief executive of the environmental organisation Forest and Bird.
Who should pay for aerosol pollution?
6 Sep 2016
Affluent consumers in developed countries like New Zealand might have to pay for the pollution caused by production in developing countries of the goods they buy, a new paper suggests.
US eyes public land for renewables
6 Sep 2016
More wind turbines and solar power plants could be coming to vast tracts of public lands in theUS if the Obama administration finalises a new rule aiming to streamline how federal lands can be developed for renewable energy.
Big Two back move on aviation emissions
5 Sep 2016
China and the United States have pledged support for a new deal to curb carbon dioxide emissions from the aviation sector.
FLY BUYS: Insects could be the animal food of the future
5 Sep 2016
While science is racing to develop more drought tolerant crop strains through genetic engineering, there may be a simpler alternative ‑- flies.
Global carmakers select a different forward gear
5 Sep 2016
As China's domestic firms bet heavily on electric cars, foreign peers are set to stay in a different, petrol-driven gear.
Planet paying high price for palm oil profits
5 Sep 2016
Palm oil makes a big contribution to modern life as one of the most widely used substances in food, cooking, cosmetics, medicines and a range of chemicals. But the industry that produces it is seriously harming the planet.
FOREST FIX: Will the government play ball?
2 Sep 2016
Foresters say they’ve got a deal that will get farmers planting trees – but the Government needs to play ball.
G20 emissions pledges are far too low
2 Sep 2016
The promises made by the G20 group of the world’s leading economies to meet the goals reached in last December’s Paris Agreement on emissions reduction are nowhere near adequate, according to new analysis by a global consortium.
Minister wants to see environmental accountability
1 Sep 2016
Environment minister Nick Smith says the Environmental Reporting Act should have as far-reaching an impact as the Fiscal Responsibility Act has had.
Why shipowners see little point in greener vessels
1 Sep 2016
Efficient ships can save millions of dollars in fuel costs, but their owners see little of the benefit.
Bennett talks climate change in Canberra
31 Aug 2016
Climate change minister Paula Bennett is in Canberra this week talking with her Australian counterparts about New Zealand’s progress on tackling climate change.
Forestry up for Prince of Wales awards
31 Aug 2016
Sustainable forestry in New Zealand is being recognised with two new awards from the Prince of Wales.
Government wants to hear sustainability views
31 Aug 2016
Got views on educating the public about sustainability? The Government wants to hear them.
Most of China's 200 EV startups are facing wipeout
31 Aug 2016
China’s electric-vehicle industry, with 200-plus companies backed by a raft of billionaires, verges on a massive shakeout as the government imposes stricter technology standards on fledgling manufacturers and considers limiting their number to only 10.
Dodgy dealing cost us dearly, says Asia expert
30 Aug 2016
Using dodgy carbon credits has damaged New Zealand’s chances of becoming an Asian carbon trading hub, says an expert on doing business in South-East Asia.
Welcome to the Anthropocene epoch ...
30 Aug 2016
Humanity’s impact on the Earth is now so profound that a new geological epoch – the Anthropocene – needs to be declared, according to an official expert group.
The fact is eco housing is not expensive
30 Aug 2016
Low-energy or zero-energy housing is international best practice, but is still considered costly. Part of the problem is that studies of housing standards typically use only cost-benefit analysis to assess their value, and so often wrongly conclude that sustainable housing is unaffordable.
Americans face rising hurricane bills
30 Aug 2016
German scientists have just issued a financial weather forecast that in a world of unmitigated climate change, the financial losses for the US per hurricane could triple, and annual losses due to hurricanes could rise eightfold.
How Paris Agreement could punish the economy
29 Aug 2016
New Zealand will face significant economic damage from the Paris Agreement if carbon stored in forests is not recognised, the Emissions Trading Scheme is not linked internationally, and agricultural emissions incur a carbon price, a new report shows.
How long weekends can help to save the world
29 Aug 2016
Three-day weekends might be one of the easiest steps we can take to radically reduce our environmental impact – and future-proof our economy.
Asia gets its own back ... soot, that is
29 Aug 2016
Black carbon – soot particles that absorb sunlight, spread by fossil fuel combustion – are thought to accelerate the thinning of the glaciers of Himalaya and Tibet. Scientists have just identified the source of this Asian carbon.
PARIS PROMISE: Money men wanted farmers to pay
26 Aug 2016
Treasury opposed $20 million in extra funding to the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases, announced by Prime Minister John Key in Paris in December, saying the farming industry should be putting up money.
Four ways technology will change commuting
26 Aug 2016
Columbus, Ohio, is a mid-size city known primarily as the home of Ohio State University, not as a hub of cutting edge technology for public transportation. But that is exactly what this city of 790,000 people plans to be.
2005 TRICK: It doesn't tell the real emissions story
25 Aug 2016
New Zealand appears to be locking in 2005 as the baseline for emissions reductions, effectively ignoring the massive rise in the country’s greenhouse gases before then, says Green MP Kennedy Graham.
Group of 10 to advise on electric vehicles
25 Aug 2016
Nine men and one woman have been appointed to the Government’s Electric Vehicles Leadership Group.
DE-GROWTH D-DAY: Why we must shrink the economy
25 Aug 2016
What is so refreshing about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals is that they recognise the inherent tension between economic development and the ecology of our planet. Or so it seems.
Rich investors call on G20 leaders to ratify Paris
25 Aug 2016
A group of 130 institutions that control $13 trillion of investments have called on G20 nations to ratify the Paris Agreement this year and accelerate investment in clean energy and forced disclosure of climate-related financial risk.
RANGE ANXIETY: Today’s e-cars right on the button
25 Aug 2016
Electrifying transportation is one of the most promising ways to significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, but so-called range anxiety – concern about being stranded with an uncharged car battery – remains a barrier to electric vehicle adoption.
Bennett backs 'creative accounting' for emissions
24 Aug 2016
New Zealand is planning to use what has been described as creative accounting to meet its post-2020 emissions reduction target.
It's official, King Coal has been dethroned
24 Aug 2016
This is the worst year in decades for US coal. During the first six months of 2016, US coal production was down a staggering 28 per cent compared to 2015, and down 33 per cent compared to 2014.
Climate impact of clouds defies simple analysis
24 Aug 2016
Scientists have just been presented with new evidence on how tropical clouds’ climate impact affects rates of global warming, and therefore need to be factored into computer simulations of climate change over the next century.
Electric car sales increase 21% in Europe
24 Aug 2016
A total of 91,300 electric vehicles were sold in Europe in the first six months of this year – a 21 per cent year on year increase.
Energy breakthrough could save billions
24 Aug 2016
Engineers have developed a new way to separate chemicals that could drastically cut the energy required to make fuels or synthetic polymers.
NZ lets economics rule environment policies
23 Aug 2016
Balancing the environment with development is tricky. One way for policymakers to include the value of ecosystems in development is to set limits for pollution and other environmental impacts, known as environmental bottom lines.
Musk wants to build entire roofs of solar panels
23 Aug 2016
A new venture spearheaded by Elon Musk will create house roofs made entirely of solar panels, in a sweeping expansion of Tesla’s clean energy ambitions.
Rock-solid carbon storage hopes rise
23 Aug 2016
Geologists have resolved one great problem about the capture of carbon dioxide from coal-fired or gas-fired power stations and its sequestration deep in the Earth, with what appears to be the prospect of rock-solid carbon storage.
Sugarcane waste takes on new powers
23 Aug 2016
Sugarcane waste is to be turned into power in new biomass plants in the Philippines.
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.
