New Zealand: All stories
A brief history of fossil-fuelled climate denial
24 Jun 2016
The fossil fuel industry has spent many millions of dollars on confusing the public about climate change. But the role of vested interests in climate science denial is only half the picture.
The trouble with concrete ...
24 Jun 2016
By itself, concrete is a very durable construction material. The magnificent Pantheon in Rome, the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome, is in excellent condition after nearly 1900 years.
COAL PART 6: Infographic, the state of coal
24 Jun 2016
Coal played a vital role in the Industrial Revolution and continues to fuel some of the world’s largest economies. This is the sixth in a series looks at coal’s past, present and uncertain future.
The race is on to feed a warming world
24 Jun 2016
Scientists warn that plant breeders will need to accelerate development schedules if they are to ensure the ever-growing population can be fed as global temperatures rise
Solar could meet 13% of global power by 2030
24 Jun 2016
The global share of electricity generated from solar power could leap from 2 per cent in 2016 to 13 per cent by the end of the next decade as falling costs drive investments around the world.
Officials tell why we need a carbon price floor
23 Jun 2016
A carbon price floor would be challenging but would give businesses certainty and guarantee foresters a price that made planting trees worthwhile, officials told the Government.
EU smashes 2020 emissions target six years early
23 Jun 2016
The European Union soared past its 2020 carbon cutting goal six years early, according to just-released European Environment Agency data.
Can robots cut farming’s carbon footprint?
23 Jun 2016
Drones, satellites and weed-killing lasers could slash the energy used to grow crops, say experts.
COAL PART 5: China’s future is up in the air
23 Jun 2016
As the world moves to combat climate change, it’s increasingly doubtful that coal will continue to be a viable energy source, because of its high greenhouse gas emissions. Part 5 of a series.
The case for overhead charging of EVs
23 Jun 2016
IDTechEx chair Dr Peter Harrop makes a case for overhead charging for electric vehicles:
Cars buck downward trend of EU carbon emissions
23 Jun 2016
Road transport has bucked a downward trend in European greenhouse gas emissions, growing by 17 per cent between 1990 and 2014, at the same time that emissions from other sectors fell by almost a quarter.
BMW beats Tesla to LAPD electric car contract
23 Jun 2016
German automaker BMW has beaten California-based Tesla Motors by winning a contract to supply the Los Angeles Police Department with 100 electric cars.
PUMP SLUMP: True carbon cost would punish petrol
22 Jun 2016
Pricing the true cost of carbon pollution into fossil fuels would push retail petrol prices up 42 cents a litre, making electric vehicles far more attractive, according to a new report.
NZ unlikely to use banked credits, says minister
22 Jun 2016
The Government is unlikely to use New Zealand’s banked carbon credits to make-good on hot-air credits we have already surrendered internationally, a Parliamentary select committee has heard.
Experts offer help to victims of solar charge
22 Jun 2016
Greenpeace has pooled its renewable energy and legal experts to create a solar hot desk to help people affected by New Zealand’s first charge for using solar energy.
Engineers build tower to power-up phones
22 Jun 2016
Engineers from WelTec’s School of Engineering and the School of Creative Industries have designed and built a solar-powered cell-phone charging tower.
COAL PART 4: Carbon capture unlikely to be the saviour
22 Jun 2016
Coal played a vital role in the Industrial Revolution and continues to fuel some of the world’s largest economies. This series looks at coal’s past, present and uncertain future.
Using CO2 could improve fracking efficiency
22 Jun 2016
Adding carbon dioxide instead of water to fracking fluids could help to fight climate change – and improve fracking efficiency, scientists say.
Bennett vows to hold carbon price at $25
21 Jun 2016
New Zealand’s carbon price cap will not rise above $25 for a long time – but neither will it go down, Climate Change Minister Paula Bennett has told a select committee.
What do you do with your old solar panels?
21 Jun 2016
Disposing of old photovoltaic panels is going to be a big business, a new report says.
China set for 25% of electricity from wind by 2030
21 Jun 2016
China is on track to generate more than a quarter of its electricity from wind power by 2030, and the figure could rise to nearly a third with power sector reforms, a new study has found.
Fonterra nod pleases bioenergy industry
20 Jun 2016
The approval for Fonterra to build a new milk-drying plant that will be partially fuelled by wood is a step forward for the diary giant, says the Bioenergy Association.
Portal holds our plantation forest facts
20 Jun 2016
Information about the environmental and social performance of New Zealand’s plantation forests – including their ability to sequester carbon from the atmosphere – is now available online.
Energy minister is electrifying
20 Jun 2016
Transport, Energy and Associate Climate Change Minister Simon Bridges is putting his money where his mouth is – he’s buying an electric car.
Battery miracle will transform power generation
20 Jun 2016
Low-cost, high-performance electric batteries are a game changer for the two key clean energy sectors: power generation and transportation.
Should China save its last wild river?
20 Jun 2016
With global temperatures rising, can China afford to protect its rivers and forgo an alternative to the coal-fired plants responsible for much of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions?
Spy keeps an eye on our air
17 Jun 2016
Environmental monitoring website Land, Air, Water Aotearoa is expanding to show air quality information as well as data about water quality.
Islands could become first 100% renewable nations
17 Jun 2016
The rich world might soon be shown up by small, tropical island nations which have plenty of wind and sun and aren’t lumbered with outdated, base-load power plants to keep running.
Inside South Africa’s battle between coal and renewables
17 Jun 2016
Pretoria’s generous energy subsidies have got the country used to cheap, dirty power – but change is on the way as solar and wind prices plummet.
DIRTY DOLLARS: PM's bank backs the big polluters
16 Jun 2016
A bank in which Prime Minister John Key is a shareholder has been named one of the worst in the world for its level of investing in fossil fuels.
Farming's climate impacts getting worse
16 Jun 2016
New United Nations figures show pollution from farming is continuing to get worse.
Hog will be electric in five years
16 Jun 2016
Harley-Davidson says an electric model is coming within the next five years.
Carbon should trade in limited range, says forester
15 Jun 2016
New Zealand’s carbon prices should be kept within a band of $15 to $50, says a forestry company that has played a leading role in developing the carbon market.
Sanford hooks sustainability awards
15 Jun 2016
New Zealand fishing company Sanford has won awards for sustainability and integrated reporting at the Australasian Reporting Awards.
Nissan eyes bioethanol EV
15 Jun 2016
Nissan drivers could one day be running their car on electricity created inside the vehicle from bioethanol fuel.
Why we're getting it wrong on growth of cities
14 Jun 2016
New Zealand is failing to use joined-up thinking when it comes to preparing for the impacts of climate change, says the head of environmental planning at Waikato University.
HOW TO DO IT: Store CO2 by turning it into stone
14 Jun 2016
We seriously need to do something about CO2 emissions. Besides shifting to renewable energy sources and increasing energy efficiency, we need to start putting some of the CO2 away before it reaches the atmosphere.
COAL PART 3: How miners secured workers' rights
14 Jun 2016
Part three of this series examines coal’s role in the development of industrial relations. In New Zealand, it was a dispute at the West Coast's Blackball mine, over a lunch break, that led to the formation of the Federation of Labour (the "Red Feds"), and then to the birth of the Labour Party.
World nears peak fossil fuels for electricity
14 Jun 2016
Coal and gas will begin their terminal decline in less than a decade, according to a new analysis.
How coal giant funded disbeliever groups
14 Jun 2016
Peabody Energy, America’s biggest coalmining company, has funded at least two dozen groups that cast doubt on manmade climate change and oppose environment regulations, a new report reveals.
Beijing records highest number of EV sales
14 Jun 2016
Beijing has recorded the highest ever number of requests for electric vehicle registration - 17,600.
LanzaTech has role in global low-energy drive
13 Jun 2016
New Zealand-born LanzaTech is one of the businesses behind a new drive to get low-carbon sustainable fuels to the point where they make real cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.
EECA chief to end 10 years at the top
13 Jun 2016
The head of the government’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority will stand down later this year.
It's a sign of the times
13 Jun 2016
Not sure where to charge your electric vehicle? Look for the new nationally approved sign, unveiled on Friday.
COAL PART 2: Window on an ancient world
13 Jun 2016
As the world moves to combat climate change, it’s increasingly doubtful that coal will continue to be a viable energy source, because of its high greenhouse gas emissions. But coal played a vital role in the Industrial Revolution and continues to fuel some of the world’s largest economies. Part 2 of a series looks at coal’s past, present and uncertain future.
Introducing: The bionic leaf that could fuel a revolution
13 Jun 2016
Renewable energy experts and microbiologists have teamed up to create a super-efficient artificial leaf that uses photosynthesis to produce carbon-neutral liquid fuels.
Coal production plummets to lowest level in 35 years
13 Jun 2016
Coal production in the United States is plummeting to levels not seen since a crippling coal strike 35 years ago, according to a new report.
CRUISE CONTROL: Lax liners ingore environment rules
10 Jun 2016
Many of the cruise ships visiting New Zealand fail to meet basic environmental standards, a new report shows.
$20b Brownlee: We're doing all we can for climate
10 Jun 2016
Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee says the Government is making every effort it can to cut New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions.
COAL PART 1: King of the Industrial Revolution, but not always on the right path
10 Jun 2016
As the world moves to combat climate change, it’s increasingly doubtful that coal will continue to be a viable energy source, because of its high greenhouse gas emissions. But coal played a vital role in the Industrial Revolution and continues to fuel some of the world’s largest economies. This is the first in a series looks at coal’s past, present and uncertain future, starting today with how it’s formed.
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.
