New Zealand: All stories
Refinery could get windfall carbon credits
22 Apr 2020
Bringing the Marsden Point oil refinery into the Emissions Trading Scheme could cost taxpayers money, Cabinet has been told.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
22 Apr 2020
Today is Earth Day – and the fourth anniversary of the signing of the Paris Agreement.
Flying and driving on post-covid agenda
21 Apr 2020
A third of New Zealanders intend travelling again when covid-19 pandemic restrictions are lifted, new research shows.
Windows could produce future electricity
21 Apr 2020
Windows could replace rooftop solar panels within a decade as a way of generating electricity, scientists say.
Pandemic slashes emissions by 25%
20 Apr 2020
Covid-19 pandemic restrictions are cutting New Zealand’s annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2 per cent a month, the Sustainable Business Network says.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
20 Apr 2020
The Government will announce today whether the level-four restrictions imposed as part of the covid-19 pandemic response will be eased.
POLITICS: Shaw tells business to speak up
17 Apr 2020
Climate minister James Shaw says businesses wanting the covid-19 pandemic economic recovery to be a low-carbon transformation need to lobby Cabinet ministers now.
Act before public gets angry, warns Z head
17 Apr 2020
The Government has two months to get emissions reductions into covid-19 economic recovery plans before the public starts getting angry and demanding a return to the way things were, says Z Energy chief executive Mike Bennetts.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
17 Apr 2020
Submissions on the Government’s plans to regulate the fuel market close on April 25, on the draft transport policy statement on April 27 and on the
Shell plans to be net-zero carbon by 2050
17 Apr 2020
Royal Dutch Shell plans to become a net zero-carbon company by 2050 or sooner by selling more green energy to help to reduce the carbon intensity of its business.
More frequent violent weather could bring bloodshed
17 Apr 2020
Violent weather – seasonal storms, floods, fires and droughts – is growing more extreme, more often. And bloodshed might follow more often, too.
WATER WARNING: We don't yet have the answers
16 Apr 2020
New Zealand has insufficient information to accurately predict the impact climate change will have on the country’s waterways and water supplies, a new report out today is warning.
Our hill-country is easy going for nitrous oxide
16 Apr 2020
New Zealand’s hill-country farms are releasing much less nitrous oxide than previously thought.
Emissions-fighter invites other businesses to follow
16 Apr 2020
A company that imports insulation panels from Europe wants all small businesses to join it in cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
16 Apr 2020
Submissions on the Government’s plans to regulate the fuel market close on April 25, on the draft transport policy statement on April 27 and on the draft rail plan on May 11.
Plane-free skies spur research into impact of aviation
16 Apr 2020
Mass groundings of flights caused by the coronavirus pandemic are giving scientists a rare chance to study plane-free skies and pin down how far aviation stokes global warming.
Fewer emissions, but we need to be doing more
15 Apr 2020
New Zealand’s emissions fell slightly in 2018 – but not because the country has changed its behaviour.
Upton raises moratorium on new coal mines
15 Apr 2020
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton says New Zealand should be thinking about a moratorium on new coal mines.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
15 Apr 2020
Our Freshwater 2020, updating the 2017 official report on the state of New Zealand’s waterways, will be released tomorrow.
Capital council might sell $7m worth of credits
14 Apr 2020
Greater Wellington Regional Council might sell more than $7 million worth of carbon credits to fund its low-carbon transition.
ClimCom sees greening bonus from pandemic plans
14 Apr 2020
The Climate Change Commission is calling on the Government to use its covid-19 recovery plan to kick-start the country’s decarbonisation and says reform of the Emissions Trading Scheme should continue.
Climate-fight veteran has fresh hopes for the future
14 Apr 2020
Roger Blakeley is optimistic about climate change for the first time in a long time.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
14 Apr 2020
This week, we find out whether New Zealand’s emissions are falling, as they need to do if the country is to meet its Paris Agreement obligations.
Emissions from fossil fuels could fall 5% this year
14 Apr 2020
Global carbon emissions from the fossil fuel industry could fall by a record 2.5 billion tonnes this year, a reduction of 5 per cent, as the coronavirus pandemic triggers the biggest drop in demand for fossil fuels on record.
POLITICS: Roll out the big guns
9 Apr 2020
The Government’s climate programme is under double-fire this week.
Scientists blame poor soil for carbon limits
9 Apr 2020
Issues like poor soil fertility are limiting the ability of mature forests to store carbon and help reduce climate change, scientists say.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
9 Apr 2020
Tomorrow and Monday are public holidays in New Zealand. Carbon News will be published again on Tuesday.
New mutant enzyme recycles plastic bottles in hours
9 Apr 2020
A mutant bacterial enzyme that breaks down plastic bottles for recycling in hours has been created by scientists.
All companies should have to disclose, says NZX
8 Apr 2020
NZX says every business should have to disclose its climate-risk exposure.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
8 Apr 2020
The release of the official update on the state of the country’s fresh water scheduled for today has been pushed back because of the covid-19 pandemic.
New renewables capacity hit record in 2019
8 Apr 2020
Almost three quarters of new electricity generation capacity built in 2019 uses renewable energy, representing an all-time record.
Govt: Transport spending must cut emissions
7 Apr 2020
Decisions about transport infrastructure must line up with the Paris Agreement – and that means people living and working in the same area and almost zero emissions from vehicles, the Government says.
Submissions reveal support for disclosure
7 Apr 2020
Plans to make companies disclose their climate risk have widespread support, if submissions are anything to go by.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
7 Apr 2020
Submissions on the rules governing the outdoor storage of tyres close tomorrow.
Taxing oil and gas fields could work, says Upton
6 Apr 2020
Taxing oil and gas exploration and strengthening the Emissions Trading Scheme could be more effective ways of cutting greenhouse gas emissions than banning exploration, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment says.
Todd wins sole exploration permit
6 Apr 2020
Todd Corporation, the country’s largest privately owned energy company, has won the country’s only new licence to explore for oil and gas.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
6 Apr 2020
Parliament’s Environment Select Committee meets online today and on Thursday to hear submissions on the Urban Development Bill.
Carbon News still coming your way
6 Apr 2020
New Zealand is under a state of emergency, with all non-essential movement and contact banned.
Airlines bailouts should come with climate conditions
6 Apr 2020
Financial help from taxpayers to airlines hit by the coronavirus crisis must come with strict conditions on their future climate impact, green campaigners have said.
Virus could trigger record fall in carbon emissions
6 Apr 2020
Carbon dioxide emissions could fall by the largest amount since World War Two this year as the coronavirus outbreak brings economies to a virtual standstill, according to scientists.
POLITICS: We're on a climate knife-edge
3 Apr 2020
By ADELIA HALLETT | Is the covid-19 pandemic going to be a repeat of the Global Financial Crisis in terms of climate change? It could go either way.
EDS (and more) welcomes moves on emissions
3 Apr 2020
Moves to make local councils consider greenhouse gas emissions in resource consents would have thrilled climate activist and former Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons, says Environmental Defence Society chief executive Gary Taylor.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
3 Apr 2020
International climate negotiations – including the COP26 talks in Glasgow – have been postponed because of the covid-19 pandemic.
Carbon News still coming your way
3 Apr 2020
New Zealand is under a state of emergency, with all non-essential movement and contact banned.
Blue energy revolution comes of age
3 Apr 2020
The amount of energy generated by tides and waves in the past decade has increased 10-fold. Now governments around the world are planning to scale up these ventures to tap into the oceans’ vast store of blue energy.
Lift RMA emissions ban, says select committee
2 Apr 2020
A 2004 ban on considering greenhouse gas emissions in resource consents should be overturned, the Environment Select Committee has told Parliament.
Government aims to put planning on fast-track
2 Apr 2020
The Government is looking at ways to fast-track through the planning process projects under its covid-19 recovery package.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
2 Apr 2020
The Environmental Defence Society has cancelled its August summit but hopes to go ahead with the annual Climate Change and Business Conference in October.
Carbon News still coming your way
2 Apr 2020
New Zealand is under a state of emergency, with all non-essential movement and contact banned.
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.”
