Topics tagged with 'Agriculture'
Over 560 groups worldwide endorse ‘People’s Declaration’ for radical food systems
8 Nov 2021
Media Release - Amid the ongoing COP 26 in Glasgow, the Global People’s Summit (GPS) on Food Systems announced that 566 groups from 78 countries have endorsed its resulting Declaration that calls for people’s rights to just, equitable, healthy, and sustainable food systems and the end of corporate monopoly control.
U.S. announces new rules to curtail methane at climate summit
3 Nov 2021
EPA’s long-awaited rules cracking down on oil and gas methane will debut today in Glasgow, Scotland, forming the centerpiece of a U.S. offensive against the second-most important greenhouse gas.
National pushing for bilateral carbon market agreements
28 Oct 2021
The National Party is calling on the government to establish bilateral carbon market agreements regardless of the outcome of Article 6 negotiations at the upcoming COP26 Summit in Glasgow.
10 YEARS AGO...
28 Oct 2021
Ten years ago, a leak at the Maui gas field saw dairy companies unable to process milk and farmers forced to dump unprocessed milk.
Climate change to force crop switch for small farmers: experts
28 Oct 2021
Small farmers around the world who grow thirsty crops like corn will face a huge adaptation challenge as the effects of climate change worsen in the coming years, experts are warning.
European MPs push for binding methane target
22 Oct 2021
The European Parliament yesterday passed a resolution calling for a binding international agreement limiting methane emissions to be agreed on at next month's COP26 in Glasgow.
NZ dairy industry linked to illegal Indonesian palm oil plantations: Greenpeace
22 Oct 2021
Media Release - A new report released today by Greenpeace Indonesia, " Deceased Estate: Illegal palm oil wiping out Indonesia’s national forest", reveals that illegal palm oil plantations are destroying protected Indonesian rainforests and other habitats, and New Zealand’s industrial dairy sector is a major beneficiary.
Beef industry tries to erase its emissions with fuzzy methane math
20 Oct 2021
Scientists with the world’s top climate organization made reducing meat consumption an official policy recommendation in 2019, echoing what environmentalists had urged for years: Eating less meat, in particular beef, reduces the large volume of emissions attributed to livestock.
NZ ranks 9th in KPMG Net Zero Readiness Survey
15 Oct 2021
NEW ZEALAND'S agri-food sector is ranked first for decarbonisation in KPMG’s Net Zero Readiness Survey – a result that will be welcomed by the farming industry and raise eyebrows among environmentalists.
NZ should commit to regenerative agriculture at COP26: Greenpeace
1 Oct 2021
The National and ACT parties weren't the only ones, last week, criticising climate minister James Shaw's decision to travel to COP26 in November. Former Green Party co-leader, and current Greenpeace executive director, Russel Norman took to Twitter saying New Zealand had nothing to offer at the talks.
Government commits $28.7 million to decarbonising industry
30 Sep 2021
Media Release - The Government is continuing to back businesses in their switch from fossil fuels to cleaner power to fuel their industry, with the announcement of 23 new projects that will receive government co-investment from Round Two of the Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry (GIDI) Fund. The recipients will receive $28.7 million and will match this with $54.5m of their own funding.
Greenhouse gas emissions up by 2.1% in 2019
29 Sep 2021
Greenhouse gas emissions increased by 2.1% in 2019 according to figures released by Stats NZ today.
What would a net zero emissions policy mean for Australian agriculture?
29 Sep 2021
As the warring parties in the Coalition debate the idea of a net zero carbon emissions policy, a number of questions remain unanswered. What would such a policy mean for Australian agriculture?
Food waste feeds climate change
29 Sep 2021
Media Release - NZ Food Waste Champions 12.3 are calling on the Government to reduce food waste as a climate change solution. On 29 September, it is International Food Waste Awareness Day.
UN Food Summit commits to tackling world hunger and climate change
27 Sep 2021
Media Release - More than 150 countries made commitments to transform their food systems, while championing greater participation and equity, especially amongst farmers, women, youth and indigenous groups.
Civil society groups declare UN Food Summit 'anti-people'
27 Sep 2021
Media Release - The Global People’s Summit (GPS) on Food Systems slammed the recently concluded UN Food Systems Summit (UN FSS) for paving the way for greater control of big corporations over global food systems and misleading the people through corporate-led false solutions to hunger and climate change.
Climate Commission ignored climate benefits of cutting synthetic nitrogen: Greenpeace
23 Sep 2021
Media Release - A hidden report uncovered by Greenpeace shows that the Climate Change Commission ignored its own internal advice that could cut agricultural climate emissions by a third or more.
NZ climate change plan a missed opportunity to save thousands of lives and billions of dollars
21 Sep 2021
The Climate Change Commission’s final advice to government fails to take account of the potential health benefits of climate change mitigation measures that have the potential to save thousands of lives and billions of dollars in health costs, according to a paper published in the New Zealand Medical Journal.
Govt gives cautious welcome to US-European methane pledge
20 Sep 2021
Climate Change minister James Shaw says it’s great to see the EU and US committing to reducing methane emissions by 30% over the next nine years but isn’t committing the government to signing New Zealand up just yet.
UN calls for 'repurposing' farm subsidies harming environment
15 Sep 2021
Farming subsidies worth around $500 billion doled out by governments every year must be repurposed, three UN agencies warned on Tuesday, citing the environmental and health damage they cause.
Media goes potty over toilet trained cows
14 Sep 2021
There was never any doubt that a scientific paper on the viability of toilet training cows to fight climate change, released today, would be a hit with news editors. And they didn’t disappoint with, ‘No Bull,’ ‘Moos in the Loo’ and ‘Potty trained cows’ making headlines in media reports around the globe.
The carbon footprint of a full English breakfast
14 Sep 2021
Over four-fifths of the English population say they enjoy a full English breakfast. But when food production accounts for a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, and 11% of UK emissions come from agriculture, it’s time to think critically about how we can reduce the impact of our breakfasts – without compromising on quality or taste.
Organic Week @ Home
13 Sep 2021
Media Release - COVID-19 may have stopped our planned in-person events, but there are loads of fun ways you can still celebrate Organic Week at home.
Top 5 meat and dairy companies match Exxon in greenhouse gas emissions
10 Sep 2021
The world's five biggest meat and dairy companies emit the same volume of greenhouse gases as fossil fuel giant ExxonMobil.
Is the price of carbon beginning to bite?
9 Sep 2021
For years critics of the ETS said the price of NZUs were too low to make a difference. With NZUs smashing through the $65 mark, this week, that could be changing.
Will chocolate survive climate change? Actually, maybe
1 Sep 2021
The forecast has been bad for domesticated cacao. But some environments in Peru might hold the key to the future of the world’s sweet tooth.
Forced farm buy outs mooted in Netherlands
31 Aug 2021
One solution to reduce the Netherlands’ nitrogen compound emissions would be for the state to buy out farmers, according to experts.
Has methane-free vegan icecream arrived?
30 Aug 2021
Nothing hits quite so good as a cone full of ice cream on a sweltering summer day. Alas, that single serving of classic vanilla may cool you off, but it has the exact opposite effect on the Earth. The dairy industry accounts for a massive 3.5 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions, and the US's 8.8 million cows are a huge source of the planet-warming gas methane.
Sweet taste of carbon neutrality
27 Aug 2021
Listed Manuka honey producer Comvita has committed itself to being carbon neutral by 2025 and carbon positive by 2030.
Climate change will lead to changes in crop diseases
24 Aug 2021
A new study that looked at climate change models has predicted that with rising temperatures, the burden of crop diseases will increase in some parts of the world and fall in others.
Time for a cow tax?: Mother Jones
23 Aug 2021
During a debate about the Democrats’ new infrastructure bill in the Senate chamber on Tuesday night, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) took the floor, positioned next to a sign stating “No Cow Tax.”
NZ could be at forefront of blue carbon market: report
16 Aug 2021
Government support is needed if New Zealand is to position itself at the forefront of an emerging market in seaweed-based environmental services including ‘blue carbon’, a report released today says.
Indonesia urged to ban new oil palm plantations forever
12 Aug 2021
Indonesia should make permanent its temporary ban on new permits for oil palm plantations to advance progress on tackling deforestation and meet its climate goals, environmentalists say.
Climate change policy farmers' number one concern
10 Aug 2021
Media Release - Asked to identify their three greatest concerns in a recent survey, farmers listed climate change policy and the ETS (chosen by 18.5% of respondents), followed by regulation and compliance costs (17.1%), and freshwater policy (11.0%).
Could winter tomatoes and capsicums be facing carbon extinction?
9 Aug 2021
The production director of one of New Zealand’s largest capsicum producers says the hike in the cost of carbon is a contributing factor in the decision by an increasing number of growers to quit the industry.
Price of carbon driving forestry conversions
5 Aug 2021
Research commissioned by Beef + Lamb New Zealand has found that about 26,550 hectares of farmland has been sold to “carbon-only” entities since 2017.
The ‘queen of vegan cheese’ wants to change the dairy industry
5 Aug 2021
Miyoko Schinner has been on a years-long quest to make tasty vegan cheese. Now she wants to help dairy farmers switch to plant-based farming.
Land of milk and fecal matter
4 Aug 2021
New Zealand's 6.5 million strong dairy herd’s fecal output is equivalent to that of 1.4 billion people – that’s one of the more startling facts in the six-part documentary Land of Milk and Money currently streaming on TVNZ on Demand
Investors sought for carbon cutting cooling technology
4 Aug 2021
Introducing Eco2Dairy; Cold Energy Technology’s latest piece of innovative cooling technology, capable of reducing New Zealand’s dairy farming carbon footprint by 263,250 tonnes of CO2e per year.
Avoiding the potential pitfalls of lab-grown meat
30 Jul 2021
If cellular agriculture is going to improve on the industrial system it is displacing, it needs to grow without passing the cost on to workers, consumers and the environment, write Jan Dutkiewicz and Gabriel N Rosenberg.
Climate change threatens pomegranates in their land of origin
28 Jul 2021
Climate change is threatening to end Afghanistan's 'historical cradle' of world pomegranate production.
Coal imports hit historical high; methane targets require 'scientific Hail Mary': RNZ
26 Jul 2021
Climate change is making a splash on RNZ this morning. The public broadcaster has published an in-depth report on methane, a report on coal imports hitting and all time high, and a story on a new on-line emissions tracking tool.
The huge sequestration potential of regenerative farming
23 Jul 2021
By some estimates, if the 1.2 billion acres of American agricultural land (more than half of the U.S. land base) transitioned towards regenerative farming practices, it could sequester up to 20 percent of the carbon required to reach the Biden administration's goal of fully offsetting America's carbon emissions by 2050.
Bioenergy Assoc responds to environmental concerns
22 Jul 2021
Last week we published an article outlining the concerns of a coalition of zero waste and regenerative farming groups about the potential for biogas development to lock in unsustainable farming practices. Today the Bioenergy Association's executive officer Brian Cox responds.
10 YEARS AGO...
19 Jul 2021
Ten years ago, the manager of NZ Carbon Farming was saying confidence in the future of the Emissions Trading Scheme had led to an upsurge in carbon investment.
Biogas proposals risk locking in unsustainable agriculture: groups claim
15 Jul 2021
Proposals in a recent biogas report, part-funded by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), risks locking in agricultural practices that harm the country’s soils and waters and contribute to climate change, a coalition of zero waste and regenerative horticulture groups say.
Silver Fern Farms launches "net carbon zero" beef
9 Jul 2021
Media Release - Net Carbon Zero Certified* Beef, Regenerative Agriculture and the elimination of coal by 2030; today, Silver Fern Farms has committed to several bold initiatives to drive its vision of being the world’s most successful and sustainable grass-fed red meat company.
Strong case for biogas generation: Professor Ralph Sims
8 Jul 2021
EMERITUS Professor Ralph Sims, who co-wrote an NZ Standard on biogas in the 1980s, responds to the Biogas and Biomethane Report released yesterday.
Biogas could meet 20% of NZ’s needs by 2050
7 Jul 2021
A joint study by engineering consultancy Beca, Firstgas and Fonterra claims renewable gas could replace close to 20% of New Zealand’s total gas usage by 2050.
Shuttering NZUs 'wouldn't hurt': Shaw
5 Jul 2021
Minister for Climate Change James Shaw says buying NZUs with the intention of lowering New Zealand's total emissions 'wouldn't hurt,' in part two of his interview with Carbon News.
Shane Jones on climate change – it’s real, but…
Fri 15 Aug 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand First deputy leader Shane Jones believes climate change is real, but is uninterested in what is causing it and primarily focused on adapting to it.
NZ Post drops science-based climate target
8 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | NZ Post has dropped its science-based emissions reduction target of 42% by 2030 with no plans to replace it.
Why plane turbulence is becoming more frequent - and more severe
6 Aug 2025
As climate change shifts atmospheric conditions, experts warn that air travel could become bumpier: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are expected to increase the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.
'Cali Fund’ for nature still empty as emails show industry hesitation
8 Aug 2025
A major fund for biodiversity remains starved of resources more than five months after its launch – with no money yet put forward by the large companies who could contribute.
Media round-up
Fri 15 Aug 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Australia could be about to leapfrog New Zealand on climate targets; 'strangled' rivers are fighting back; and 10 rangatahi will join Aotearoa New Zealand’s delegation at the United Nations' major climate conference in Brazil.
Forestry the source of all ETS risk, says top economist
Fri 15 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Forestry is the source of all of the risk in New Zealand's Emissions Trading Scheme and it's inevitable that the scheme has to be reformed, according to Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment chief economist Geoff Simmons.
Wildfires fanned by heatwave and strong winds rage across Europe
Fri 15 Aug 2025
Wildfires caused by arsonists or thunderstorms and fanned by a heatwave and strong winds wreaked destruction across southern Europe on Wednesday, burning homes and forcing thousands of residents and tourists to flee.
Forestry sector could take legal action over ETS changes
Thu 14 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | The forestry sector is threatening legal action against the Government over changes to legislation intended to limit whole farm-to-forest conversions in the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Why China is still building new coal – and when it might stop
Thu 14 Aug 2025
Last year, China started construction on an estimated 95 gigawatts (GW) of new coal power capacity, enough to power the entire UK twice over.
Is extending Huntly power station to 2035 in consumers’ best interest?
22 Jul 2025
By Simon Orme | COMMENT: Genesis Energy is proposing a cartel to keep high-emitting Huntly Power Station in business to 2035. If extending Huntly has economic benefits, is a cartel necessary?
What does 'drier' really mean in 'green' homes?
1 Aug 2025
Media release - Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland | Researchers say green-rating systems could improve clarity and effectiveness by explicitly defining ‘drier’ and using two measures of humidity.
Cuts to climate finance put exports in jeopardy: Lawyers
23 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has halved international climate finance, a move aid organisations describe as “devastating,” and which lawyers say could put our Paris Agreement commitments and export market access at risk.
Carbon price underperforming: Environment secretary
Wed 13 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has been focussed on reducing the Emissions Trading Scheme ‘stockpile’ and carbon prices should rise soon, according to the Secretary for the Environment.
Hot water heat pumps next big thing – but need a push
Thu 14 Aug 2025
Media release – Ecobulb Limited | Bold action is needed to accelerate New Zealand’s transition to cleaner, more energy-efficient homes and businesses, says energy efficiency expert Dr Chris Mardon.
Key orange roughy population on verge of collapse, govt considers closure
9 Jul 2025
Media release - Deep Sea Conservation Coalition | New data reveals that New Zealand’s main orange roughy fishery, accounting for half of the country’s total catch, is on the brink of collapse, with one model showing it may have reached that point already, and the government’s considering closing it.
Latest trawl bycatch numbers 'a grim wake-up call'
24 Jun 2025
Media release – Greenpeace | The latest fisheries bycatch data paints a grim picture, with trawlers hauling up thousands of kilograms of coral and killing hundreds of fur seals and seabirds over a 12 month period.
Global oil markets face record supply glut next year, IEA says
Fri 15 Aug 2025
Global oil markets are on track for a record surplus next year as demand growth slows and supplies swell, the International Energy Agency said.
A modest geothermal strategy
31 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The Government has unveiled a far more modest geothermal energy strategy than its primary backer, Resources Minister Shane Jones, had sought.
Govt rejects Te Kuha coal mine fast-track bid
Wed 13 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The controversial Te Kuha coal mine on the West Coast has had its application for fast-track approval declined, after failing to meet seven of the application criteria.
Will reflective roofs help beat the heat?
Fri 15 Aug 2025
Media release - University of Auckland | About 500 roofs across four continents have been painted with a reflective coating, as part of research into tackling the health impacts of climate change.
How the meat industry uses environmental groups to make beef seem climate-friendly
Mon 11 Aug 2025
The meat industry may have enlisted environmental groups to persuade people to “feel better” about eating beef, despite the sector’s ballooning emissions of climate-heating pollution.
Watts talks big on energy reform, but barriers persist
29 May 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Energy and Climate Change minister Simon Watts says the government is doubling down on efforts to boost renewable energy generation, streamline regulation, and drive private sector investment as New Zealand faces mounting energy security and affordability challenges.
Hiringa eyes green methanol plant near Whanganui
29 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Green hydrogen pioneer Hiringa Energy is deep in planning to develop an “eight-to-nine figure” methanol plant near Whanganui, using a combination of biomass and hydrogen produced using renewable energy.
Why insurers worry the world could soon become uninsurable
Mon 11 Aug 2025
Top insurers fear the climate crisis could soon outpace industry solutions, effectively threatening to make entire regions around the world uninsurable.
Will NZ walk away from the Paris Agreement?
20 Dec 2024
By Geoff Bertram | COMMENT: Unless the government can find very cheap offshore mitigation, the temptation to walk away from its Paris Agreement obligations may well be too strong to resist for a coalition government focused on fiscal austerity.
First-of-a-kind US class-action lawsuit would force EPA to reinstate $3bn climate program
7 Aug 2025
Coalition of non-profits, tribes and local governments sued EPA chief for halting climate justice grants.
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.
A mineral mining boom is not ‘critical’ for the green transition
Wed 13 Aug 2025
New research shows renewable energy goals could largely be met with the amount of minerals produced today – but the military industry wants more.
NZ's latest climate target 'weak' – Climate Action Tracker
24 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand's new international climate target to 2035 is weak, and could even allow for higher emissions than the 2030 target, according to a global scientific project that tracks government climate action.
Oil states accused of using scare tactics in bid to sink green shipping deal
Tue 12 Aug 2025
Saudi Arabia, Iran and other oil-reliant countries are campaigning to stop the adoption of the IMO’s Net-zero Framework in October.
Backlash over govt conservation changes
4 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government’s proposed changes to the Conservation Act are the most significant roll back in conservation protections in a generation, according to the Green Party.
Plastic treaty talks nearing collapse as nations remain deadlocked on production
Thu 14 Aug 2025
Environmental organisations warn that without urgent compromises the session could fail to produce a treaty capable of tackling the scale of the crisis.
New resource management bill an 'unprecedented power grab' by ministers
Wed 13 Aug 2025
Media release – Environmental Defence Society | The changes proposed in the Amendment Paper represent an "egregious aggregation of power" by Minister Bishop, aimed at disempowering councils who protect the environment.
A new report shows how local climate activism leads to ‘remarkable’ gains
7 Aug 2025
Efforts to pass laws and advance clean energy projects can significantly reduce emissions, and at a low cost.
Straterra has a new name: the New Zealand Minerals Council
16 Apr 2025
Media release | Straterra has been renamed as New Zealand Minerals Council, says chief executive Josie Vidal.
Heat pumps could cut household energy bills by $1.5 billion a year
Tue 12 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | Heat pumps could save Kiwi households hundreds of millions of dollars each year, as well as freeing up energy for industrial users, according to a new report.
International scientists slam NZ govt's proposed approach to methane
Wed 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
Climate groups want UK wealth tax to make super-rich fund sustainable economy
17 Jul 2025
Growing number of campaigners urge government to ensure green investment is not done ‘on backs of the poor’.
Last minute change to oil and gas legislation over cleanup costs
31 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government is expected to repeal the oil and gas ban today, with a last-minute amendment handing discretionary power to two ministers over the controversial issue of decommissioning.
African $60 billion high-speed rail project takes shape
Fri 15 Aug 2025
One of the largest infrastructure projects in Africa has received a new update that could see construction begin soon.
Momentum sagging at UN plastic pollution treaty talks
Tue 12 Aug 2025
Talks on forging a landmark treaty to combat the scourge of plastic pollution were stumbling Saturday, with progress slow and countries wildly at odds on how far the proposed agreement should go.
'Yet another rate': Franz Josef ratepayers balk at $2.8m stopbank extension
4 Aug 2025
By Lois Williams, Local Democracy Reporter | Franz Josef ratepayers have given the thumbs down to plans for a $2.8 million stopbank extension to protect the town’s sewerage plant from the Waiho River.
Warmer end to winter but dry spell expected over southern lakes
5 Aug 2025
As hydro lake levels hover just below average levels, climate forecasts indicate that warmer than usual weather conditions will reduce demand, but there will likely be less rain over the southern hydro lakes as New Zealand moves towards spring and summer.
Record UK wildfires have burned an area twice the size of Glasgow in 2025
Tue 12 Aug 2025
Wildfires have scorched more than 40,000 hectares of land so far this year across the UK – an area more than twice the size of the Scottish city of Glasgow.
For the first time, China invests more in wind and solar than coal overseas
29 May 2025
China’s Belt and Road Initiative, long derided for its heavy carbon footprint, was dominated by wind and solar power projects for the first time from 2022 to 2023, according to a new analysis. But coal plants financed in earlier years are still coming online.
