New Zealand: All stories
China’s carbon count is not as high as feared
24 Aug 2015
The use of poor-quality coal in Chinese power plants means that the carbon dioxide emissions of the world’s biggest polluter are 10% less than previously thought.
If we want to eat tuna, we need to learn how to share
24 Aug 2015
Amid growing demand for seafood, gas and other resources drawn from the world’s oceans, and growing stresses from climate change, QUENTIN HANICH examines some of the challenges and solutions for developing 'the blue economy' in smarter, more sustainable ways.
Renewables raise challenge to coal in power league
24 Aug 2015
Wind, solar and other renewable sources of clean energy are now second only to coal in generating the world’s electricity.
Time to tap an underused energy source: wasted heat
24 Aug 2015
Millions of people worldwide can’t afford to keep their homes warm, but few realise the heat wasted in our energy system could provide the answer.
Our ecolabelling is right on the mark
24 Aug 2015
New Zealand’s ecolabelling is officially up to global standards.
Milk plant cuts water consumption
24 Aug 2015
A new drying plant at Fonterra’s Pahiatua milk-powder plant will cut water consumption per litre of milk by reusing its own condensate, the dairy co-operative says.
Climate expert gives Anzacs a fail mark
17 Aug 2015
Australia has set a post-2020 emissions reduction target as poor as that of New Zealand.
'Myopic focus' costing us climate change progress
17 Aug 2015
New Zealand might have reached the limits of its ability to exploit natural resources, the Labour Party says.
Review ETS after Paris, says climate lawyer
17 Aug 2015
The Emissions Trading Scheme review should be pushed off into next year, a climate change lawyer says.
It's time for packaging that cares about the future
17 Aug 2015
Our Daily Waste founder Dr SHARON McIVER on why how smart businesses are future-proofing by getting rid of plastic packaging now.
Contact to close gas-fired Auckland plant
17 Aug 2015
The 400MW Otahuhu B gas-fired power station will close from the end of next month.
Clouds gather over China’s solar power industry
17 Aug 2015
The recent turmoil in China’s stock market has sent shockwaves through the country’s corporate sector, including its mighty solar power industry which in recent years has grown to dominate the world market.
Wind and solar surge sends EU emissions tumbling
17 Aug 2015
Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions are falling fast, mainly because of the rapid spread of the wind turbines and solar panels that are replacing fossil fuels for electricity generation.
The urban machine solution is not good for cities
17 Aug 2015
First-world cities have an unhealthy dependence on the “urban machine” - the modern engineering solutions within their infrastructure - making their inhabitants vulnerable to disaster, new research shows.
Extreme weather puts Africa's food security at risk
17 Aug 2015
A British government scientific panel says increasingly frequent heat waves, droughts and other extreme weather threaten more – and more severe – global food crises.
Clean Power Plan will have a real impact
17 Aug 2015
The United States Government’s recently announced Clean Power Plan will have a negative impact on the country’s coal industry, with the potential loss of up to 60 Gigawatts of coal power capacity by 2020, according to an analyst with research and consulting firm GlobalData.
India lets loose the reins of its energy horses
17 Aug 2015
India’s “seven horses of energy” electricity sector transformation is gathering pace, with far-reaching ramifications for renewable energy development and the structural decline of seaborne thermal coal, says a new report.
Added gene can make rice more climate-friendly
17 Aug 2015
Scientists discover a way to boost production of the grain that billions rely on for food – and reduce its damaging emissions of methane.
Why coal commitment will cost Fonterra dearly
10 Aug 2015
Fonterra’s determination to keep using coal is exposing it to future high carbon costs, an international energy expert is warning.
World doesn't have time for pessimism, says IPCC man
10 Aug 2015
IPCC deputy chair Professor Jean-Pascal van Ypersele says he hasn’t got time to be pessimistic about whether the world will take action to avoid catastrophic climate change.
Foresters sidestep Government and go it alone
10 Aug 2015
Establishing a national forestry policy is top of the agenda at a sector meeting in Wellington today.
Iwi leaders sign up to water partnership
10 Aug 2015
Maori and local government have agreed to work together on freshwater issues.
Land deal runs foul of investment office
10 Aug 2015
An Australian company that used a New Zealand contact to buy land for carbon farming has fallen foul of the Overseas Investment Office.
Revolutionary fence is set to trap the sea’s power
10 Aug 2015
A British company has announced plans for an array of unique marine turbines that can operate in shallower and slower-moving water than current designs.
Here’s how we can save the car – and the planet
10 Aug 2015
Passenger cars are still the most popular transportation mode. In 2014, nearly 68m were produced globally.
‘Peak car’ means UK might get much closer to carbon targets than it realised
10 Aug 2015
Cars are one of the biggest threats to the planet. The transport sector accounts for more than 60% of global oil consumption and about a quarter of energy-related carbon emissions, and it’s seen as harder to decarbonise than other parts of the economy.
Chinese ride to the rescue of Europe’s nuclear industry
10 Aug 2015
The Chinese are planning to come to the rescue of a European nuclear industry so short of money that it cannot build any new stations without outside help.
Arctic’s melting ice shrinks Europe-Asia shipping routes
10 Aug 2015
The disappearing Arctic ice cap will boost trade between north-west Europe and countries such as China, Japan and South Korea by making the sea routes far shorter, according to economic analysts.
Investor group names new chief executive
10 Aug 2015
The Investor Group on Climate Climate Change Australia/New Zealand has a new chief executive.
Why Tiwai stands between us and 100% renewable energy
3 Aug 2015
New Zealand could have 100 per cent renewable electricity generation within a decade if the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter closed.
Caygill sets out on new energy mission
3 Aug 2015
Former Finance Minister David Caygill is to chair the BusinessNZ Energy Council – a group of energy companies whose mission is to secure a sustainable energy future for New Zealand.
Water talks aim to get answers
3 Aug 2015
The state of New Zealand’s freshwater quality and who is to blame will be debated in Hamilton next week.
Fossil fuel industry still winning the investment war
3 Aug 2015
The campaign to convince investors not to use their money to support the extraction and use of fossil fuels is failing to gain enough converts, experts say.
Wildfire threat spreads across warming world
3 Aug 2015
As climate change warms the world, vegetation dries, rainfall patterns waver and the threat of wildfire spreads.
Good practice makes perfect sense for emissions cuts
3 Aug 2015
European researchers investigating ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the internationally agreed safety level have arrived at the good news that we can just about achieve it – provided all nations show the political will to do so.
As biodiversity declines on corn farms, pest problems grow
3 Aug 2015
Biodiversity performs critical ecosystem functions that cannot be replaced indefinitely by technology, such as pesticides and herbicides. This includes a diverse population of insects on farms.
Treasury maps out our path to a low-carbon enconomy
27 Jul 2015
A strong carbon price, better urban planning, a climate commission and systematic assessment of how government policies affect climate change would help New Zealand’s transition to a low-carbon economy, Treasury says.
Key: It's our climate policy and we're sticking with it
27 Jul 2015
Prime Minister John Key has rejected calls for cross-party agreement on climate change policy.
Why cities are a rare good news story in climate change
27 Jul 2015
The visit last week of 65 mayors to the Vatican to discuss climate change, among other things, reflects the central role of cities in debates that for too long took place only at the global and national level.
Soil maps could help show the way for farmers
27 Jul 2015
Detailed soil maps of farms could reduce nitrate leaching and help to improve food production, a Lincoln University report suggests.
Norway pumps up 'green battery' plan for Europe
27 Jul 2015
Norway is hoping to become the “green battery of Europe” by using its hydropower plants to provide instant extra electricity if production from wind and solar power sources in other countries fade.
Big money in reforming fossil fuel subsidies
27 Jul 2015
Reforming fossil fuel subsidies could release enough money to finance universal access to water, sanitation, and electricity in many countries, as well as helping to cut global greenhouse-gas emissions, new research in Nature Climate Change suggests.
Forecasting dead zones and toxic algae in US waterways: a bad year for Lake Erie
27 Jul 2015
Over the past two decades, scientists have developed ways to predict how ecosystems will react to changing environmental conditions.
Recession cut US emissions, not falling coal use
27 Jul 2015
Between 2007 and 2013 emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels burnt in the US fell significantly − by about 11% − and many analysts credited this to ac hange from coal to natural gas in electricity production.
You knock it down, we'll pick it up, says recovery firm
27 Jul 2015
New Zealand’s capacity to recycle construction, industrial and demolition material has been boosted.
Taupo scheme ticking along ... but there are problems
20 Jul 2015
High transaction costs and a lack of liquidity mean that the Lake Taupo Nitrogen Trading Market isn’t working as well as it could, researchers say.
Groser pleads special case for animal emissions
20 Jul 2015
New Zealand wants the next global climate change agreement to treat biological gases treated differently from other greenhouse gases.
Recycling trial aims to solve plastic bags problem
20 Jul 2015
The packaging sector and the Government are working together to find a way to recycle supermarket bags and other soft plastic.
Japan signs up for geothermal classes
20 Jul 2015
New Zealand and Japan will work together on geothermal energy research.
Barriers, canals and fake islands ... how we can save cities from rising sea levels
20 Jul 2015
Extreme storms and rising sea levels will threaten the existence of coastal cities worldwide, unless preventative action is undertaken.
Pacific Islands call for fossil fuel phase-out, NZ hangs back
Thu 23 Apr 2026
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
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
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.
