New Zealand: All stories
Farmers say no to environmental taxes
24 Sep 2018
Farmers are overwhelmingly opposed to environmental taxes – unless the revenue comes to them.
Building walls on seafloor might help, say scientists
24 Sep 2018
Building walls on the seafloor might become the next frontier of climate science, as engineers seek novel ways to hold back the sea level rises predicted to result from global warming.
Sun-powered golden sandwich gives solar panels more bite
24 Sep 2018
Japanese scientists have developed a sun-powered golden sandwich: an experimental solar panel that they claim could be up to 11 times more effective than most equipment on the market.
Satellite will precisely track how ice is melting
24 Sep 2018
The world will soon have a much clearer picture of how quickly humans are melting Earth’s ice and expanding the seas, with data collected by a sophisticated satellite launched by Nasa.
Getting rid of free credits worth $2b, says TWG
21 Sep 2018
Ditching free carbon credits for trade-exposed heavy emitters could generate $2.1 billion a year in revenue, the Tax Working Group says.
Wind and rain gives renewables a boost
21 Sep 2018
A wet and windy winter slashed New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation.
Exxon, Chevron join oil and gas climate alliance
21 Sep 2018
ExxonMobil, Chevron and Occidental Petroleum have joined a global group of oil giants aiming to limit their climate impact.
Microplastics take to the skies by riding with flying insects
21 Sep 2018
Microplastic can escape from polluted waters via flying insects, research has revealed, contaminating new environments and threatening birds and other creatures.
Why all new buildings should be carbon-neutral
20 Sep 2018
Requiring all new buildings to be carbon-neutral is the most cost-effective emissions-reduction action New Zealand can take, the Government is being told.
‘Circle of five’ carmakers under EU cartel probe
20 Sep 2018
The European Commission's anti-competition team is looking into BMW, Daimler and the VW group for allegedly limiting the roll-out of technology meant to clean up car emissions.
Diesel vehicle numbers still growing
20 Sep 2018
Three years after the Dieselgate scandal erupted, the number of highly polluting diesel vehicles on Europe’s roads has risen to 43 million.
European nations make plans for hydrogen
20 Sep 2018
Dozens of European countries are backing a plan to increase the use of hydrogen as an alternative to fossil fuels to cut the continent’s carbon emissions.
Germany takes the h-train
20 Sep 2018
Germany has launched the world's first hydrogen train. It has a range of 960km on a single tank of hydrogen, similar to that of diesel trains.
New maps will settle forest-planting posers
19 Sep 2018
The thorny question of whether land is eligible for carbon forests could soon be solved – with a map.
Shell announces methane emissions target
19 Sep 2018
Royal Dutch Shell has announced plans to reduce methane emissions.
It’s time to make polluters pay for damage
19 Sep 2018
In the last few days as hurricane Florence battered the east coast of the United States and typhoon Mangkhut hit the Philippines and China an important scientific breakthrough took place.
Officials wobble under Govt's climate assault
18 Sep 2018
The Government’s heavy climate-change work programme is putting pressure on officials, confidential papers show.
OPINION: The answer's not a better kind of coffee cup
18 Sep 2018
By GEORGE MONBIOT | We must challenge the corporations that urge us to live in a throwaway society rather than seeking ‘greener’ ways of maintaining the status quo.
Mexico strikes green gold with bioplastics
18 Sep 2018
Tequila, avocado and corn are proving their worth beyond Mexican fiesta staples as key components for a fast-growing bioplastics market.
Google street cars will map city air pollution
18 Sep 2018
Google Street View cars will be outfitted with sensors that test air quality in cities and towns across the globe.
WISE WORDS: Where ProdCom report is wrong
17 Sep 2018
The Productivity Commission has got it wrong, say some of our wisest people.
OPINION: A dangerous political compromise
17 Sep 2018
By SIR ALAN MARK | After decades of sitting on our hands, the simple the act of commissioning an inquiry into becoming a low-carbon economy has been hugely positive on public perception.
Farms can grow more and slow climate change
17 Sep 2018
New ways of digging the dirt could both deliver more food and slow climate change. And farmers in the developing world are making a difference.
Climate action-man puts new emissions option
14 Sep 2018
The man who got politicians from both sides of Parliament to agree on climate change says there might be a third option for dealing with New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Science is getting forests to release carbon secrets
14 Sep 2018
Ground-breaking research suggesting New Zealand’s native forests store more carbon than believed is being stepped up as the country pushes to carbon neutrality.
Quarter of world's 100 busiest airports in danger from the sea
14 Sep 2018
As a typhoon tore through Japan last week, travellers at Kansai International Airport looked out on a terrifying void: Where the runway should have been, they saw only the sea.
OPINION: Politicians, get your heads out of the coal pit
14 Sep 2018
By PETER HOLDING | Farmers are dealing with increasingly extreme weather as a result of global warming. We need meaningful action now.
Minister plays it safe on agricultural emissions
13 Sep 2018
Agriculture minister Damien O’Connor steered clear of making promises to cut New Zealand’s agricultural greenhouse gas emissions when he spoke on an international stage yesterday.
Businesses make it to EECA finals
13 Sep 2018
Finalists in this year’s EECA Business Awards range from the country’s largest company to a thermal hot-pool operator.
Clean energy can provide all electricity, says study
13 Sep 2018
All the electricity the world needs can come from clean energy, reliably and throughout the year and at any time of day or night, UK researchers say.
Vertical farming sounds great but it eats energy
13 Sep 2018
A company in Scotland has unveiled what it claims is the world’s most technically advanced indoor farm.
GE ryegrass could slash emissions, Govt hears
12 Sep 2018
Feeding animals a genetically engineered high-energy ryegrass could cut greenhouse gas emissions from New Zealand farms by more than 20 per cent, the Government has been told.
Why carbon removal is not enough to save climate
12 Sep 2018
Carbon removal from the atmosphere cannot match reducing emissions of greenhouse gases as a way of slowing global warming, US analysts say.
Gluckman report backs cuts to methane emissions
11 Sep 2018
A third investigation says New Zealand must make drastic cuts to methane emissions.
New forestry rules will boost planting, says Govt
11 Sep 2018
Changing forrestry accounting rules under the Emissions Trading Scheme is expected to lead to the planting of 102 million trees in new forests by 2030.
Low-carbon economy worth $26 trillion, says Stern
11 Sep 2018
Making the transition to a low-carbon economy has the potential to unlock $US26 trillion in benefits by 2030, says economist Lord Nicholas Stern.
Can big business and the environment get along?
11 Sep 2018
Sustainability can bring benefits to everybody – including company execs with their eyes on the bottom line.
Green power set to surge while fossil fuels decline
11 Sep 2018
Electricity is set to dominate energy demand by mid-century, doubling to a 45 per cent share, says a new report.
Fewer cows can mean more profit, says scientist
10 Sep 2018
Cutting stock numbers on farms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect waterways would actually boost farm profits, says the lead author of research out today.
The world is not building enough green power
10 Sep 2018
All across the world, we hear uplifting stories that reflect the fast changes in the energy scene. Yet the Paris climate targets seem in jeopardy and most forecasts say not enough is being done.
Farmers' cost claims wrong, says commission
7 Sep 2018
Claims by the farming sector that cutting agricultural greenhouse gas emissions will cost farmers $230,000 a year by 2050 are wrong, the Productivity Commission says.
Parties begin climate commission talks
7 Sep 2018
Cross-party discussion has started on establishing a climate commission to oversee the decarbonisation of the economy.
OPINION: Don't be fooled, weather is not climate
7 Sep 2018
By KATE MARVEL, climate scientist | I’m going to say something controversial. As a climate scientist, I predict a sustained, noticeable, and severe cooling trend across the Northern Hemisphere.
Batteries could be made from paper ... and spit
7 Sep 2018
Scientists have found a way to make batteries from paper and spit. But don’t expect the batteries to power your electric vehicle.
Electric Mercedes spearheads Germany's assault on Tesla
6 Sep 2018
Mercedes-Benz is set to unveil its much-anticipated electric SUV this week, marking the start of a German onslaught against Tesla.
Foresters happy, farmers wary of carbon path
5 Sep 2018
Recommendations for what is being called the biggest land-use change in New Zealand’s history are pleasing foresters but not farmers.
World Bank issues first sustainable water bond
5 Sep 2018
The World Bank has launched a Sustainable Development Bond series to raise awareness of the importance of ocean resources.
PRODCOM 1: Innovation key to our carbon future
4 Sep 2018
Carbon prices of $200 a tonne, the end of fossil-fuels and agriculture subject to carbon pricing are on the cards if the Government picks up a new report.
PRODCOM 2: Market needs special treatment
4 Sep 2018
The carbon market should be managed by a special authority, the Productivity Commission says.
PRODCOM 3: Farmers deserve emissions subsidy
4 Sep 2018
Farmers should be paying for greenhouse gas emissions – albeit at a subsidised rate, the Productivity Commission says.
Pacific climate response in question as NZ finance remains unclear
19 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With New Zealand's $1.3 billion international climate finance commitment set to end with no clarity on what follows, the Auditor-General says oversight of that funding remains patchy and long-term outcomes are unclear.
NZ hydrogen regulation to catch up with the world
18 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The government has announced a regulatory reset for New Zealand’s emerging clean tech hydrogen sector.
State-owned farmer drives profit growth with emissions reductions
19 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Government-owned Landcorp, trading as Pāmu, is one-third of the way to meeting its 2031 emissions reduction targets, with five years left to run to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30.3% against 2021 emissions.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transport pollution was the biggest contributor to an increase in New Zealand’s consumption-based emissions in 2023, with emissions from household travel up 12%, and consumption-based emissions totalling 58.3 million tonnes – up 1.6% from the previous year.
NZ could become ‘dumping ground’ for dirty vehicles: Commissioner
16 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Simon Upton, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, has warned the Government that its changes to the clean car standard could turn the country into a dumping ground for high emitting cars, making future emissions budgets harder to achieve.
Uncertainty eroding confidence in forestry sector
5 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Warnings are mounting that tree planting is set to plunge to “very close to zero”, as new Ministry for Primary Industries data shows ETS registration applications falling sharply as confidence in forestry declines.
Investors must support positive climate-tech
28 Nov 2025
OPINION: We need better leadership than the current ‘climate opportunism’ that is rife in the Beehive, and we need to back a marketplace that will make it happen, writes Rob Campbell.
