New Zealand: All stories
Business makes bid for $7.23 billion
22 Oct 2020
Businesses want the new Government to back $7.23 billion worth of projects they say will cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by 5.5 per cent over the next decade.
Geology’s human footprint is enough to spur rage
22 Oct 2020
Once again science has presented evidence that a new geological epoch is here. This human footprint is all our own work.
Businesses talking sustainable procurement
21 Oct 2020
Some of the country’s biggest organisations are working together to figure out how to drive sustainable purchasing by businesses.
Rising heat means more heat and more methane
21 Oct 2020
Nights are warmer. So are northern lakes. And farm livestock are at greater risk of disease, thanks to rising heat.
We need to solve the dry-year problem, says Carr
20 Oct 2020
Electrification of more of the economy to reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions will require a resolution to the risk posed by dry years to the hydro-electricity system, says Climate Change Commission chair Dr Rod Carr.
The four who could be our next climate minister
19 Oct 2020
Who will be New Zealand’s next climate minister? Carbon News canvasses the options and comes up with four names.
Delivering credit for carbon storage
19 Oct 2020
In 1915, Mike Gibbs’ ancestors made their way from the flat, agricultural plains of Southland to the wild, steep, forested edge of Eastern Fiordland.
World makes haste too slowly on cutting energy use
19 Oct 2020
The world is dragging its feet on efforts to tackle the climate crisis by reducing its energy use, according to a global watchdog.
Carbon tariffs for steel, aluminium, on the table
16 Oct 2020
A new Labour Government could bring in carbon tariffs at the border, says Trade Minister David Parker.
AGRICULTURE: Sage confirms Cabinet vetoed carbon pricing from next year
16 Oct 2020
Climate Minister James Shaw tried to put a price on greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture from next year, according to fellow Green Cabinet minister Eugenie Sage.
National releases its climate policy - at last
15 Oct 2020
Forestry's role under the Emissions Trading Scheme would be reviewed under a National Government and agricultural emissions would not face a carbon price until other countries do the same.
Our greenhouse gas emissions are being pushed by growth
15 Oct 2020
Economic growth is driving New Zealand’s rising greenhouse gas emissions, a new report confirms.
EDITORIAL: An end to endless growth
14 Oct 2020
Earlier this year, two economists warned that meeting the Paris Agreement was likely to require negative economic growth.
IEA outlines how world can reach net-zero emissions by 2050
14 Oct 2020
For the first time, the International Energy Agency has set out what would need to happen this decade to reach net-zero emissions globally by 2050.
Business, experts, brief PM in secret meeting
13 Oct 2020
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and three of her Cabinet heavyweights have been briefed on what experts and business leaders see as the real issues in dealing with climate change.
Sharp rise is extreme weather, says UN
13 Oct 2020
Extreme weather events have increased dramatically in the past 20 years, taking a heavy human and economic toll worldwide, and are likely to wreak further havoc, the UN has said.
Steel giant joins growing list of companies aiming for net-zero
13 Oct 2020
Luxembourg company ArcelorMittal produces more steel than any other company. It is also taking a leading role in developing technologies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from steel-making.
Ending hunger: science must stop neglecting smallholder farmers
13 Oct 2020
Policymakers urgently need ideas on ways to end hunger. But a global review of the literature finds that most researchers have had the wrong priorities.
Want some eco-friendly tips? A new study says no, you don’t
13 Oct 2020
Hearing eco-friendly tips such as riding bikes instead of driving and going vegan to save the planet actually makes people less likely to do anything about climate change, new research shows.
Parker pushes back against pumped-hydro critics
12 Oct 2020
Environment and former climate and energy minister David Parker says he is backing investigations into a pumped-hydro scheme because it has the potential to slash the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Is New Zealand merely a climate-follower?
12 Oct 2020
Back in pre-COVID times last year, when New Zealand passed the Zero Carbon Act, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern insisted “New Zealand will not be a slow-follower” on climate change. But how has she performed?
Exxon’s leaked documents reveal pollution plan
12 Oct 2020
Leaded documents show Exxon plans to increase its carbon production by 17 per cent by 2025 - an increase equivalent to the total annual emissions of Greece.
Lines project first to try covid consent process
9 Oct 2020
A project that could form part of the Government’s pumped-hydro electricity scheme is the first to be considered by an expert panel set up under the Government’s covid-19 fast-tracking consenting process.
Biorefinery boost to forestry
9 Oct 2020
A venture pushing to develop a $160 million biorefinery near Gisborne believes the project can help fill a long-standing gap in the country’s forestry research sector.
Rising fertiliser use could cost Paris target
8 Oct 2020
Global growth in nitrous oxide emissions from intensive farming is jeopardising climate goals, scientists say in a major new paper.
Labour targets transport and heat in climate policy
8 Oct 2020
A re-elected Labour Government would ban the installation of most new coal-fired industrial boilers and decarbonise the public transport fleet by 2035, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced yesterday.
Carbon capture 'moonshot' moves closer, as billions of dollars pour in
8 Oct 2020
As the world dices with the climate emergency, businesses and governments are starting to push funding towards technology that aims to trap planet-heating gases rather than let them saturate the atmosphere.
Ministry mum on who will run carbon auction
7 Oct 2020
New Zealand’s first auction of carbon credits will take place on March 17, but there is no word yet on who will be running it.
How the Greens changed the language of economics
7 Oct 2020
When Health Minister Chris Hipkins recently quipped that the Green Party is “to some extent the conscience of the Labour Party” he was not simply referring to polls suggesting Labour may need the Greens’ support to form a government.
Scientists didn’t expect wildfires this terrible for another 30 years
7 Oct 2020
This year has been hell on earth, in more ways than one. Catastrophic blazes have spanned the planet from Australia to the Arctic, and wildfires have torched large swaths of the western United States, all fulfilling forecasts much faster than scientists had predicted. It’s as if the wildfires of 2050 are already here.
Nuclear power hinders fight against climate change
7 Oct 2020
Countries wishing to reduce carbon emissions should invest in renewables, abandoning any plans for nuclear power stations because they can no longer be considered a low-carbon option.
The young and Green voters still hot on climate
6 Oct 2020
Climate change remains the country’s biggest issue for young voters, despite the covid-19 pandemic, a new independent political poll shows.
Government subsidies to cut emissions in public buildings
6 Oct 2020
Lincoln and Auckland universities and hospitals in Invercargill, New Plymouth and South Auckland are the latest public facilities to get a slice of the Government’s Clean-Powered Public Service Fund.
Green hydrogen could be cheap transformative fuel within a decade
6 Oct 2020
Chinese manufacturers have reported making systems to create hydrogen with renewable energy for up to 80 per cent less than official Australian estimates from just two years ago.
Refinery closure could boost global emissions
5 Oct 2020
Refining New Zealand has confirmed cost-cutting measures for next year, but says a decision on whether to stop refining operations altogether is still a while away.
Covid crisis not affecting climate investment drive
2 Oct 2020
Investors representing more $1.5 trillion in funds say their enthusiasm for low-carbon strategies hasn’t been dented by the economic impacts of the covid-19 pandemic.
Voters divided over climate policy and action
2 Oct 2020
New Zealanders are polarised on climate-change policy, putting the two major political parties in a difficult position.
M&S cuts soya from its milk supply chain
2 Oct 2020
British food retailer Marks & Spencer eliminated soya from the production of all its milk as part of its commitment to end deforestation in its supply chain.
Policy could prevent shift to low-emissions tech, says Genesis
1 Oct 2020
The Labour Government’s plan to bring forward its 100 per cent renewable electricity generation target to 2030 is an example of siloed thinking and is likely to be self-defeating, Genesis Energy has told shareholders.
Super-enzyme eats plastic super-fast
1 Oct 2020
A super-enzyme that degrades plastic bottles six times faster than before has been created by scientists and could be used for recycling within a year or two.
Most parties get a 'fail' on climate and health
30 Sep 2020
Just one political party has policies that comprehensively address the threat climate change poses to the country’s health, a new analysis show.
NZ companies risk reputation by lagging on climate reporting
30 Sep 2020
New Zealand’s top 30 corporations do a poor job reporting on climate change compared with similar Australian and Fortune Global 500 companies.
Labour promises $5 million a year more for just transition
29 Sep 2020
Labour is promising to spend more money on getting the country’s workforce ready for the low-carbon economy.
Lentils can feed the world – and save wildlife too
29 Sep 2020
UNITED STATES scientists have worked out how to feed nine billion people and save wild life from extinction, both at the same time – thanks to healthy lentils.
Exxon uses carbon capture to keep oil flowing
29 Sep 2020
Sprawled across the arid expanse of southwestern Wyoming is one of the world's largest carbon capture plants, a hulking jumble of pipes, compressors and exhaust flues operated by ExxonMobil.
Publishing schedule
28 Sep 2020
Due to bereavement, Carbon News will be publishing only market updates for the next few days. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause readers, and thank you for the messages of sympathy over the loss of a highly valued colleague and loved husband and father.
National promises carbon credits from CCS
21 Sep 2020
A National Government would amend the Emissions Trading Scheme to recognise carbon capture and storage, clearing the way for technology to generate tradable carbon credits.
TRIBUTE: Environmental journalist Sandy Macdonald
21 Sep 2020
By ADELIA HALLETT | Today, Carbon News marks the passing of someone who has been at the heart of the publication since it started in 2008.
CARBON FORESTS: First, prove there's a problem, says Parker
18 Sep 2020
Details of the Government’s response to concerns about farmland being converted to carbon forests are starting to emerge.
Toyota reveals plan to turn trucks into emissions-free 'power plants'
18 Sep 2020
Portable emissions-free “power plants” could soon hit the road under plans by Toyota to fit some of the company’s light-duty trucks with hydrogen fuel cells that can generate electricity.
Green Party calls for national electrification plan
Mon 20 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party is calling for a national plan to electrify homes, transport and industry using renewable energy, to reduce fossil fuel dependence in response to the Middle East crisis.
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.
Victoria Hydrogen announces Southland urea fertiliser project using coal
Today 11:45am
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.
