New Zealand: All stories
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.
High carbon prices threaten NZ's low-carbon drive, say miners
17 Sep 2020
Record-high carbon prices risk driving away the very companies New Zealand needs in its push to decarbonise the economy, the minerals sector says.
Govt confirms mandatory climate-risk reporting regime
15 Sep 2020
New Zealand’s largest financial institutions and companies will be the first in the world to face mandatory disclosure of their climate risks.
OPINION: Now is the time for businesses to step up
15 Sep 2020
While covid-19 wreaks havoc on economies, industries and businesses around the world, some challenges are equally as urgent and potentially as devastating.
Global oil demand may have passed peak, says BP
15 Sep 2020
BP has called time on the world’s rising demand for fossil fuels after finding that demand for oil may have already reached its peak and faces an unprecedented decades-long decline.
Using rocket science to green transport
15 Sep 2020
French energy company Engie is teaming up with aerospace firm the ArianeGroup to steal a march on its rivals in the hydrogen production business, by drawing on expertise gained through Europe’s space programme.
Carbon forests 'buying our way out of sin', says Simpson
14 Sep 2020
Using carbon credits to meet New Zealand’s emissions reduction target is like trying to buy your way out of sin, says National’s climate spokesperson Scott Simpson.
How the pandemic lockdown slashed our greenhouse gas emissions
11 Sep 2020
New Zealand’s first covid-19 pandemic lockdown slashed the country’s consumption of oil to the lowest level since 1998, taking emissions of greenhouse gases from fuels to their lowest point in more than two decades.
New grass could cut methane from farm animals
11 Sep 2020
Developers of a new ryegrass say it could cut methane emissions from animals by nine per cent.
Climate change, migration and a deadly disease
11 Sep 2020
For thousands of years, an unknown virus lingered quietly among the wild ruminants of South Africa.
Adani world’s biggest owner and contractor of solar farms
10 Sep 2020
India’s Adani Group – the owners of the highly controversial coal project in Queensland’s Galilee Basin – is now the world’s leading solar power generation asset owner in terms of operating and off-taker contracted solar projects, new figures show.
Biochar golden opportunity for New Zealand, says expert
9 Sep 2020
New Zealand is squandering opportunities to use carbon sequestered under the Emissions Trading Scheme to improve soils, says bioeconomy consultant Dr Michael Lakeman.
Gas exploration won't be rushed, Beach tells EPA
9 Sep 2020
Any gas discovery by Beach Energy off the North Otago coast next year could require a further two years’ work to plan and prepare an appraisal drilling programme to determine how to develop it, the Environmental Protection Authority heard yesterday.
Green hydrogen breakthrough uses sun and water from the air
9 Sep 2020
Researchers have found a way to combine solar PV and water harvested from the air to produce low-cost green hydrogen, and are gearing up to put the zero-emissions fuel to the test in cars on Sydney roads.
WORTH NOTING
9 Sep 2020
Dates for the Environmental Defence Society’s Climate Change and Business Conference have been changed.
Shorter lifespan of faster-growing trees will add to climate crisis, study finds
9 Sep 2020
Live fast, die young is a truism often applied to rock stars but could just as easily describe trees, according to new research. Trees that grow rapidly have a shorter lifespan, which could spell bad news for tackling the climate crisis.
If business must disclose carbon debt, then so should we, says Shaw
8 Sep 2020
The Government is trying to find a way to calculate the cost of the country’s likely carbon debt – and is considering using revenue from the Emissions Trading Scheme to buy international carbon credits to help deal with it.
Biofuels maker says policies needed to cut carbon
7 Sep 2020
Fuel retailer Z Energy says direct intervention is the fastest and most effective way to decarbonise the transport sector.
Smithfield going for carbon-negative
7 Sep 2020
The world's biggest pork producer is promising to be carbon-negative on its own emissions by 2030.
Aviation emissions nearly doubled in two decades
7 Sep 2020
Flying is responsible for 3.5 per cent of global emissions, scientists say in new research.
New solar and lighting technologies could trigger an energy revolution
7 Sep 2020
Halide perovskites could revolutionise the energy sector.
Compulsory climate-risk reporting rules out soon, says minister
4 Sep 2020
The Government’s plans for mandatory disclosure of companies’ climate-change risk should be unveiled before the election.
Warming climate brings record winter temperatures
4 Sep 2020
This winter was the warmest on record in New Zealand and is in line with scientific predictions about climate change, scientists say.
We're cleaning up on fossil fuels, says Unilver
4 Sep 2020
Unilever says it will invest €1 billion eliminating fossil fuels from its cleaning products.
Govt signs NZ up for carbon credit co-operation with Philippines
Tue 28 Jul 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand has signed an agreement with the Philippines to establish a framework for Paris Agreement co-operation allowing offshore mitigation, including on Article 6 credits – despite the Coalition Government repeatedly telling the voting public they wouldn’t send “billions overseas”.
Greens want one-year pause on AI datacentres
Tue 28 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Datacentre opponents have welcomed the Greens' call to press pause on new operations, while others say the energy-hungry facilities will bring jobs to the regions.
Study outlines methane-cutting options for NZ livestock
21 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Breeding, feed and forage strategies could play a key role in reducing methane emissions from New Zealand's grazing livestock, with researchers concluding that a combination of approaches will be needed to achieve meaningful cuts.
'Terrible result': Emissions barely budged in 2024
5 Jun 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions were virtually unchanged in 2024, falling by 0.03%, despite the economy shrinking by ten times that amount during the same period, according to new data.
Weakening Clean Car Standard would hurt EV uptake, industry warns
7 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Electric vehicle advocates say weakening the Clean Car Standard would reduce access to new EV models, undermining New Zealand's place in global supply chains and slowing the country's transition to lower-emissions transport.
National deer management strategy urgently needed to halt 'catastrophe' for native forests
Mon 27 Jul 2026
Scientists are calling for an urgent national deer management strategy, with deer numbers now at unsustainable levels and decimating native forests.
Business leaders say climate report ‘wake-up call’ for NZ
Thu 23 Jul 2026
By Liz Kivi | CEO-led organisations representing 42% of GDP are calling the Climate Change Commission’s latest report “a significant wake-up call for New Zealand.”
