New Zealand: All stories
Apologies
5 Aug 2022
Due to a technical glitch - we forgot to push send - yesterday's Carbon News bulletin wasn't sent out until this morning.
Groundswell tells farmers to “Say No” to reporting emissions
5 Aug 2022
Farming protest group Groundswell is undermining climate efforts by the government and He Waka Eke Noa, launching a campaign to boycott government requests for information.
Best by the rest...
5 Aug 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media: Former Green Party leader Russel Norman on greenwashing and He Waka Eke Noa; political journalist Branko Marcetic on why the pundits are getting the Green Party leadership stoush all wrong; and land use expert Keith Woodford underlines the significance of recent government announcements for forestry rules and carbon pricing.
Global forest area declined by 60% since 1960, study finds
5 Aug 2022
A new study has found an alarming loss in forest areas globally, including that global forest area per capita has dropped from 1.4 hectares in 1960 to just 0.5 hectares per person by 2019, a 60% decline.
Unprecedented, climate-driven disasters are stymieing preparation efforts
5 Aug 2022
A new study warns that unprecedented events — disasters so extreme that communities haven’t experienced anything like them before — are stymieing attempts to prepare for them. Risk management strategies based on past climate norms are no longer effective for a more extreme future.
Future governments could sell offshore carbon credits into ETS
4 Aug 2022
The government could purchase carbon credits from another government and then sell them through the ETS, Climate Change Commission commissioner Catherine Leining told an open Zoom session on Tuesday.
Who will pay for adaptation?
4 Aug 2022
The National Adaptation Plan (NAP) has been welcomed as a good start, but the big question of who is going to pay for the billion dollar large-scale adaptation is still up for debate.
Consultation period on forestry regulations "too short"
4 Aug 2022
Investment group Jarden has criticised the three week consultation period set down by the government as not enough time for stakeholders to process the complexities of the draft Climate Change (Forestry Sector) Regulations.
Consultation open on penalties for small foresters in ETS
4 Aug 2022
The Ministry for Primary Industries and the Ministry of the Environment are consulting on two options to change the penalty for small foresters in the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) who fail to surrender or repay units by the due date.
What’s hotter than solar panels? Solar window
4 Aug 2022
The tantalizing idea behind solar windows is that the vertical surfaces on the outside of just about any building could unobtrusively generate electricity.
How climate change is muting nature’s symphony
4 Aug 2022
When Jeff Wells, vice president for boreal conservation at the Audubon Society, first encountered the call of the common loon on a pond near Mt. Vernon, Maine — about an hour and a half north of Portland — he thought he may have heard a ghoul. “I leaped out of bed and ran into my parents’ bedroom, like, ‘What is that?’” he told Grist, describing a melancholy wail that has made loons famous far beyond the birding community.
First national climate adaptation plan launched today
3 Aug 2022
The Government plans to introduce legislation to support managed retreat in response to the worsening impacts of climate change, according to the first national climate adaptation plan, released this morning.
Scientists say it’s ‘fatally foolish’ to not study catastrophic climate outcomes
3 Aug 2022
As global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, some climate scientists say it’s time to start paying more attention to the most extreme, worst-case outcomes, including the potential for widespread extinctions, mass climate migration and the disintegration of social and political systems.
Government’s decision to delay permanent forestry decision slammed
2 Aug 2022
Beef + Lamb NZ and farming protest group 50 Shades of Green have slammed the government’s move to put off a decision on removing exotics from the permanent forest category of the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Youth scholarships to Climate Change and Business Conference up for grabs
2 Aug 2022
The Climate Change and Business Conference, being held in Auckland in September, has announced a scholarship for 18-30-year olds to allow them to attend the $975 event.
Smelter’s future on the line
1 Aug 2022
By Ian Llewellyn - Energy & Environment | It came later than many expected, but NZ Aluminium Smelters confirmed it would begin talks for power supply to extend the life of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter past 2024 when its current deal with Meridian and Contact ends.
How is the jet stream connected to simultaneous heat waves across the globe?
1 Aug 2022
The deadly heat waves that have fueled blazes and caused transport disruptions in Europe, the U.S. and China this month have one thing in common: a peculiar shape in the jet stream dubbed “wavenumber 5.”
Tourism expert calls to scrutinise cruise ships’ emissions
29 Jul 2022
By Liz Kivi | A sustainable tourism expert wants greater scrutiny around cruise travel, including the impacts of mega cruise ships and their carbon emissions, ahead of the vessels’ return to New Zealand waters in October.
Petition to support transition to plant-based agriculture
29 Jul 2022
The Vegan Society is calling on the government to support farmers to transition to a plant-based economy, with a petition sent to parliament yesterday.
Best by the rest...
29 Jul 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media: Is the government abandoning its proposal to limit permanent exotic forest in the ETS? Two court cases fighting over further fossil fuel prospecting; and why confronting climate change means sharing power.
Global CCS rates overestimated by up to 30% – Imperial College London
29 Jul 2022
The amount of carbon that has been captured and stored globally via carbon capture and storage (CCS) since 1996 has been overestimated by up to 30%, according to new research from Imperial College London.
How forests lost 8,000 years of stored carbon in a few generations
29 Jul 2022
"Plant a tree" seems to be the go-to answer to climate change concerns these days. Booking a rental car online recently, I was asked to check a box to plant a tree to offset my car's anticipated carbon dioxide emissions.
Carbon market wakes from its slumber following Climate Change Commission advice
28 Jul 2022
The price of NZUs on the secondary market reached $82.50 – a jump of close to 13% on its opening price – following yesterday’s release of the Climate Change Commission’s advice to government on the NZ ETS settings.
Active transport subsidy a hit with staff
28 Jul 2022
A $750 active transport subsidy has proved a hit with employees of the New Zealand arm of the international engineering consultancy WPS.
Supervolcano study indicates carbon dioxide emissions key to avoid climate change
28 Jul 2022
A new study has linked the volume and speed of carbon dioxide emissions from supervolcanoes to past environmental crises. According to the researchers, the findings are instrumental in understanding how to prevent future climate disasters.
Climate Change Commission recommends reducing number of NZUs on offer
27 Jul 2022
The Climate Change Commission has recommended the government reduces the number of NZUs on offer at auction and an increase in the trigger price of the cost containment reserve, in advice to the climate change minister released this morning.
New e-bike subscription service electrifies Christchurch commutes
27 Jul 2022
By Liz Kivi | A new e-bike subscription service is on a mission to reduce barriers for light electric vehicle uptake and help users decarbonise their commute.
Delay to improving insulation could increase GHGs by 200,000 tonnes
26 Jul 2022
The government has delayed tightening building regulations outlined in the Emissions Reduction Plan by six months, a move that could potentially increase GHG emissions by nearly 200,000 tonnes.
The case for paying carbon taxes on unsustainable food
26 Jul 2022
Minimizing the risk of living on an unlivable planet requires significantly reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through various means, like shifting to renewable energy and electrifying sectors that rely on fossil fuels.
Shaw “quietly confident”
25 Jul 2022
Climate Change Minister James Shaw declared himself “quietly confident” of winning an upcoming vote for the Green Party co-leader position at a press conference this morning.
Regulation change aims to support decarbonisation - Woods
25 Jul 2022
By Ian Llewellyn - Energy & Environment | Energy minister Megan Woods has urged electricity lines companies to be more innovative now that Low Fixed Charges regulations are being rolled back and more money is available to electrify industrial processes.
Federated Farmers “devastated” stations sold to offshore forestry interests
22 Jul 2022
By Liz Kivi | Federated Farmers says the sale of 6000 hectares of sheep and beef farming land to an overseas buyer for forestry is “devastating” for the East Coast.
Taupo’s carbon bill grows by close to $2 million since 2017
22 Jul 2022
Taupo District Council’s ETS obligations have grown from $75,560 in 2017 to an estimated $2.057 million in the 2022/23 financial year.
Best by the rest...
22 Jul 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media: How not to solve the climate crisis; Are carbon markets hurting farming communities? Plus the government’s $9.8 million climate-wrecking stimulus.
Government to slash number of free carbon credits given to industry
21 Jul 2022
The government has announced the first reduction in the number of free carbon credits allocated to trade exposed businesses under the Emissions Trading Scheme in more than a decade.
First six months of 2022 second warmest on record
21 Jul 2022
While an unprecedented heat wave wreaks havoc in Europe, and temperatures reach all-time highs in the U.S., New Zealand’s weather also shows clear evidence of global heating, according to NIWA’s latest figures.
AAP fact checks Groundswell and finds it's telling porkies
21 Jul 2022
The Australian Associated Press has fact checked a claim by lobby group Groundswell that New Zealand has the world's lowest carbon footprint and, not surprisingly, declared it false.
MPI calls for submissions on changes to ETS forestry regulations
20 Jul 2022
The Ministry for Primary Industries is calling for submissions on draft changes to forestry regulations in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).
Micro-EV promoter disappointed by government’s inaction
20 Jul 2022
Toa Greening, who’s been campaigning for a change to New Zealand’s laws regarding micro-EVs for close to a decade, says safety concerns are over-blown when compared to the risk posed by e-scooters which can be legally driven on our roads.
Government looking at carbon tariff
19 Jul 2022
In an ideal world New Zealand would replace the current system of allocating NZUs to trade exposed industries with a border adjustment levy, climate change minister James Shaw told the Environment Select Committee yesterday.
Shared transport could reduce emissions: Researchers
19 Jul 2022
A team of researchers from multiple universities are looking at shared transport as part of the solution to New Zealand’s currently unsustainable systems, which they say are belching greenhouse gases, inequitable, and congested.
PSA launches Vote Climate campaign
18 Jul 2022
The Public Service Association (PSA) has launched a campaign to get voters to support local government candidates who will invest in reducing transport emissions.
Five buyers gobbled up 95% of NZUs at June’s ETS auction
18 Jul 2022
The top five participants in June’s ETS auction bought more than 96% of the 6,125,000 NZUs up for grabs, the interim NZETS auction monitoring report reveals.
Government must balance potential costs of reducing gas
18 Jul 2022
By Ian Llewellyn - Energy & Environment | A Cabinet paper on the Government’s development of the Gas Transition Plan says it must reduce the use of gas but balancing the potential costs in doing that will require shifting priorities over time.
Micro EV regulations to be reviewed… sometime
15 Jul 2022
Transport minister Michael Wood says regulations that currently prohibit the sale of some of the world’s most popular EVs will be reviewed but not any time soon.
Best by the rest...
15 Jul 2022
IN our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media: some of the country's biggest companies won't be covered by new climate disclosure laws; how protein from our paddocks could by-pass the cows-in-the-middle altogether; and is the government indulging in "magical thinking" with its biofuel plans?
Millions more at risk from dangerous summer temperatures if climate goals aren't met
15 Jul 2022
Health-threatening heatwaves will become more intense due to climate change, putting millions more people at risk from dangerous summer temperatures, new research has revealed.
$2.1 million up for grabs for greenhouse gas inventory research
14 Jul 2022
The Ministry of Primary Industries’ annual round of funding for research that will help improve its agricultural, forestry and land-use inventory opens today.
Forests are becoming less resilient because of climate change
14 Jul 2022
Climate change has been linked with a widespread decline in the ability of many of the world’s forests to bounce back after events such as drought and logging.
"Sparky" the tug set to electrify Auckland ship moves
13 Jul 2022
The world's first full-sized ship-handling electric tug could be plying Auckland’s waters by the end of the month, with “Sparky” on track for handover and commissioning by July 25.
ETS a ‘broken paradigm’ undercutting biodiversity efforts
Mon 25 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Pure Advantage is calling on the government to reform the Emissions Trading Scheme, with a new policy briefing saying that New Zealand’s offset-heavy approach is a “broken paradigm” undermining biodiversity and shifting risk to communities.
Profound shifts in our changing energy system – new data
Wed 27 Aug 2025
New Zealand’s energy system is undergoing a profound shift as falling gas production and a dry hydro year reshaped the electricity market in 2024, according to data from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Energy in New Zealand 2025.
International scientists slam NZ govt's proposed approach to methane
13 Aug 2025
New Zealand's proposed approach to methane emissions has again been attacked by international climate scientists, with a new study saying the attempt to redefine climate target-setting by livestock-exporting countries undermines the transition to a sustainable and equitable food system
Marginal drop in last year's regional emissions
Wed 27 Aug 2025
Regional greenhouse gas emissions were down slightly last year, with a fall in gas supply leading to a big drop in Taranaki, but more coal burnt leading to higher emissions in Waikato, according to new figures from Stats NZ
Fund for low emissions transport winds up
31 Jul 2025
New Zealand’s Low Emission Transport Fund has officially wrapped up, ending a nine-year programme that put hundreds of millions of dollars towards accelerating the country’s shift to cleaner transport.
Certainty crucial to emissions cuts – Watts
20 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says that policy certainty is the Government’s primary lever for unlocking private capital and meeting climate targets, telling a carbon forestry conference that ETS settings are 'locked' through 2030.
Why climate strategy is now central to business success
Tue 26 Aug 2025
SPONSORED CONTENT: Ahead of next month’s Climate Change and Business Conference, New Zealand businesses are being urged to treat climate strategy not as a regulatory burden, but as a core driver of economic competitiveness.
