Topics tagged with 'Agriculture'
Govt releases climate change commitment report
13 Dec 2013
The Government has just released the Sixth National Communication on Climate Change report.
We need climate-smart agriculture, says UN
13 Dec 2013
Agroforestry, diversification of crops with legumes and other practical measures must be scaled up to end hunger, says United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Analysts fear big Australian polluters might win
6 Dec 2013
The Australian Government's proposed $2.55 billion Emissions Reduction Fund could be exposed to serious budget risk, according to carbon analytics firm RepuTex.
OPINION: Future of coal calls for serious debate … not slogans
6 Dec 2013
By CHIS BAKER, CEO, Straterra. Some New Zealanders are calling for an immediate ban on all new coal mines.
Future bright for small-wind power, says study
29 Nov 2013
The small-wind power market is expected to increase massively, from $609m in 2012 to $3 billion by 2020, says a new report.
Climate change will have economic impact on Pacific, says bank study
29 Nov 2013
The economic loss suffered by the Pacific region could range from 2.9 per cent to as high as 12.7 per cent of annual GDP by 2100, according to a new study from the Asian Development Bank.
It’s about more than talking the talk, says award winner
22 Nov 2013
Sustainability makes good business sense – but talking the talk is not enough, says the winner of the supreme award in this year’s NZI Sustainable Business Network Awards.
Local bodies need no-till, says scientist
22 Nov 2013
New Zealand local authorities are missing something when they prepare their environmental policies, a no-till advocate says.
Take a searching look at our rivers ... and be in the draw to win a copy of this book
22 Nov 2013
DAVID YOUNG has updated his 1986 historical geography Faces of the River. His new book is entitled, Rivers: New Zealand’s Shared Legacy, from Random House. In the politically and ecologically altered landscapes of the past quarter-century, almost nothing remains the same. This is especially true of our river systems, and especially of our lowland rivers. To go in the draw to win a copy of Rivers just email [email protected] with 'rivers' in the subject line.
Biggest field yet chases green business awards
15 Nov 2013
This year’s Sustainable Business Network awards have attracted unprecedented interest.
Smartrafts ... smart way to treat waterways
15 Nov 2013
A local company turned to nature to develop a water-treatment system that costs nothing to run, uses no energy and works continuously with minimal maintenance.
Here we go again ... still talking
15 Nov 2013
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification executive secretary MONIQUE BARBUT warns of imminent social chaos if we continue to ignore the impacts of climate change:
Why it's important that we do our bit
15 Nov 2013
With COP19 under way in Warsaw, CARBON MARKET SOLUTIONS looks at the background to international climate change agreements:
New freshwater rules won't work, say scientists
8 Nov 2013
Farmers say it’s a new start to freshwater management, but at least some scientists say Government proposals released this week won’t improve the quality of our waterways.
Meet Kennedy Graham, green sheep of the family ... and a man business would be wise to watch
8 Nov 2013
By editor ADELIA HALLETT. The irony of an ancestor owning a coal mine is not lost on Dr Kennedy Graham.
Young man in a hurry ... all the way to Warsaw
8 Nov 2013
A young man with a commerce degree and an interest in alternate energy will represent New Zealand at COP19 in Warsaw next week.
LanzaTech wins praise for China operation
8 Nov 2013
LanzaTech’s steelmill-waste-to-bioenergy plant in Beijing has earned recognition from international sustainability certifier RSB.
New carbon capture projects get go-ahead
8 Nov 2013
Five new carbon capture and storage projects have been approved.
How new food forest courses will add to our larder
1 Nov 2013
Many more food forests are likely to spring up around New Zealand as a new tertiary qualification shows how to produce food in ways which mimic forest ecosystems.
Pre-1990 forest owners back in the market for NZUs
1 Nov 2013
Spot NZUs fixed at $3.70 yesterday, with little change in the tone, OMFinancial reports.
Abbott wants ideas for emissions scheme
25 Oct 2013
Australia’s new Government is calling for submissions on how to design a scheme to replace the carbon tax and emissions trading scheme.
NZ turns away Australian carbon units
18 Oct 2013
More than two million Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) issued under that country’s Carbon Farming Initiative will not be eligible for surrender in New Zealand.
Solar revolution carries huge financial pain
18 Oct 2013
An imminent revolution in the use of solar energy poses a huge financial risk to the Government and energy companies, an industry pioneer says.
Would you like cadmium with that?
18 Oct 2013
Scientists are working on a cadmium-free potato as part of a response to growing alarm over the accumulation of the toxic heavy metal in New Zealand soils.
Water key to sustainable development, says UN
11 Oct 2013
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has stressed the vital role of water in sustainable development, highlighting in particular its importance with regard to food security, climate change and sanitation.
Forest trust for all seeks board members
11 Oct 2013
The Forest Growers' Levy Trust, the new organisation representing the interests of all plantation forest owners, large and small, is calling for nominations for its first elected board.
Happiness is herbs for boom business
4 Oct 2013
A sustainable business started in a linen cupboard has turned into an $800,000-a-year company.
WEB WIRE ... news from the world of carbon
4 Oct 2013
IPCC report, fraud charges, farming key, Kiribati worried, European ETS, climate-think, water bills ...
Animal emissions can be controlled , says report
4 Oct 2013
Wider use of available best practices and technologies could help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the livestock sector by as much as 30 per cent, according to a new study.
What is NZ doing to help Pacific?
4 Oct 2013
CARBON MARKET SOLUTIONS continues its look at what New Zealand is doing to help its Pacific island neighbours adapt to climate change:
True carbon price bioenergy aid, says expert
27 Sep 2013
A realistic carbon price and support from large companies would help to propel bioenergy from a good idea to reality, says one of our leading experts.
High Court throws out One Plan appeals
27 Sep 2013
The High Court has backed the legality of the ground-breaking Horizons Regional Council One Plan.
Brussels aims to chop through EU forest rules
27 Sep 2013
An agriculture council is to discuss the European Union’s new forest strategy, which aims to cut through the mass of rules governing the protection of forests.
Norway helps farmers to diversify
27 Sep 2013
Norway has invested $US23.7 million to conserve and sustainably manage the world’s most important food crops to help farmers to cope with the effects of climate change and population increase.
Scientist gets $2m for dairy research
20 Sep 2013
University of Waikato Earth Scientist Professor Peter Kamp has been awarded $2.07 million funding to continue research into energy efficiency in the dairy sector.
Science sees human waste as weapon in war against climate change
20 Sep 2013
Human waste could be the next weapon in the fight against climate change, according to an Australian academic.
We waste one-third of world’s food every year
13 Sep 2013
The waste of 1.3 billion tonnes of food each year is causing economic losses of $750 billion and significant damage to the environment, according to a new United Nations report.
Our businesses must lead, says green champion
6 Sep 2013
The Global Sustainability Leader of the Year says New Zealand businesses need to step up to the responsibilities – and opportunities – of environmental issues like climate change.
BOC boasts fumigant is ozone safe
6 Sep 2013
BOC gases has come up with a non-ozone-damaging fumigant to replace methyl bromide.
Give carbon farm back to the cattle, says Govt
6 Sep 2013
The Northern Territory Government says it is determined to see a cattle station bought with Australian Government funding two years ago for the purposes of carbon farming returned to cattle production, now that it is back on the market.
Is this the new Groser, asks academic
30 Aug 2013
Climate Change and Trade Minister Tim Groser appears to have had a Road to Damascus experience.
Contact decision disappoints wind energy body
23 Aug 2013
The New Zealand Wind Energy Association is disappointed that Contact Energy has decided to exit the Hauâuru mâ raki wind generation development on the Waikato coast.
Academic links climate change and civil wars
23 Aug 2013
A Harvard University academic is looking for connections between climate change and civil war.
Free market doesn't do it for us, say academics
16 Aug 2013
The free market will not deliver the innovation New Zealand needs to move to a high-tech, high-income, low-carbon economy, says the author of a book launched in Wellington last night.
Forest figures meaningless, say growers
16 Aug 2013
One hundred and seventy owners of post-1989 forests left the Emissions Trading Scheme last year.
EPA gets ready to sidestep Congress
16 Aug 2013
A top US climate change official says the Obama administration is finished waiting for Congress to act on climate change and plans to bypass the legislative branch in developing a federal response.
China safe at top of wind power market
16 Aug 2013
China will continue to be the largest wind power market in 2020 as it attempts to reduce its carbon footprint while increasing electricity production in rural areas, says research firm GlobalData.
Soot and methane not the whole emissions story
16 Aug 2013
Cutting the amount of short-lived, climate-warming emissions such as soot and methane in our skies won't limit global warming as much as previous studies have suggested, a new analysis shows.
NZ eyes move to natural capital cost
2 Aug 2013
Government officials are working on ways to bring in policies recognising the economic value of New Zealand natural capital.
NZ art focussing on climate on display at Beijing Biennale
Thu 12 Feb 2026
An artist responding to the consequences of climate disruption is the first New Zealander in six years to feature at the prestigious Beijing Art Biennale.
NZ’s government wants tourism to drive economic growth – but how will it deal with aviation emissions?
22 Oct 2025
By Robert McLachlan, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University | Following a brief dip during the COVID pandemic, aviation is back in a growth phase.
Why Trump might be onboard with a UN carbon-offset programme for airlines
Thu 12 Feb 2026
The president’s team has backed the rollout of an initiative that calls for the use of sustainable aviation fuel and carbon credits, even as Trump has pulled back from other international emissions-reduction efforts.
World fight against invasive species comes to Auckland
Tue 10 Feb 2026
Media release: University of Auckland | From countering invasive pink salmon in Norway to controlling feral cats in the Cayman Islands, knowledge on eradicating invasive species will be shared by international experts in New Zealand.
Govt launches strategy backing wood-based heat sector
23 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Forestry biomass could replace as much as 40% of fossil fuel-generated process heat by 2050, but access to supply, regulatory settings and business cases for converting to wood-based heat sources are required, the Government says in a series of documents released yesterday.
Carbon market rallies but auction floor still out of reach
Fri 13 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The carbon market has rallied, with secondary market prices up more than 25% in the past two weeks, although current prices in the mid-$40s are still far below this year’s $71 auction floor, with the first auction of 2026 less than three weeks away.
Point of no return: a hellish ‘hothouse Earth’ getting closer, scientists say
Fri 13 Feb 2026
The world is closer than thought to a “point of no return” after which runaway global heating cannot be stopped, scientists have said.
Minister’s letters: Mildly positive or just virtue signalling?
5 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The carbon market was buoyed slightly yesterday, after letters between the Government and the Climate Change Commission were proactively released.
NZ still lacking coherent energy strategy
Fri 13 Feb 2026
By Rod Carr | COMMENT: The government’s levy-funded foreign gas proposal for an LNG terminal shows New Zealand’s politicians being outmanoeuvred yet again by the multi-trillion dollar energy industry.
LNG: a rational choice compared to unpalatable alternatives
Tue 10 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: By deciding to underwrite the private construction of a liquefied natural gas import facility in Taranaki, the Government has made a rational choice in favour of energy security and affordability.
RMA’s successors hinge on two untested bets
17 Dec 2025
Two ideas sit at the heart of the Government’s replacement for the Resource Management Act: regulatory relief and spatial planning.
Opposition attacks Govt over fossil fuel phaseout backdown
2 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | Revelations that Resources Minister Shane Jones ruled out New Zealand signing up to a 'road map' away from fossil fuels at last year’s global climate summit show the National Party’s minor coalition partners’ undue influence over the Government, according to Labour leader Chris Hipkins.
EU weighing options to support industry in carbon market overhaul
Mon 9 Feb 2026
The European Commission is looking at various ways to support industries in an upcoming overhaul of the EU carbon market to prevent them moving to areas with lower pollution standards, the head of the Commission’s climate department said late on Wednesday.
Lawyers seek answers on climate impacts of LNG import facility
Fri 13 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Lawyers for Climate Action has written to Climate Change and Energy Minister Simon Watts warning that the Government's plan for an LNG import terminal could be in conflict with New Zealand’s climate obligations and emissions reduction targets.
DOC trims costs and winds down jobs for nature
10 Nov 2025
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is entering a new phase of tighter budgets and structural change as it winds down the pandemic-era Jobs for Nature programme and reshapes its operations to absorb long-term cost pressures.
Media round-up
Fri 13 Feb 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Senior UK ministers have asked their New Zealand counterparts to explain new climate policies, National’s LNG blunders are a warning ahead of election campaign, and what are the lessons New Zealand should take from another summer of weather disasters?
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.
'Damning' report challenges forestry’s role in Tairāwhiti as sector rejects conclusions
4 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New independent analysis commissioned by Mana Taiao Tairāwhiti challenges long-standing claims that industrial forestry underpins the Tairāwhiti economy.
LNG plan risks fossil fuel dependency: Environment Commissioner
Wed 11 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Importing liquefied natural gas risks creating a “new path dependency on fossil fuel” unless LNG is ring-fenced for use only in the electricity system and only during extended periods of hydro-electricity water shortages, says the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton.
RMA to speed up fossil fuel consents
18 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | An energy lobby group has welcomed a last-minute amendment to the RMA that puts fossil fuels on the same footing as renewables, however a sustainable energy expert says the move “beggars belief.”
European Central Bank's green supervision grows teeth, but will banks avoid being bitten?
Fri 13 Feb 2026
After several years of issuing guidance and repeatedly calling on banks to take climate and environmental risk management seriously, the European Central Bank is moving from guidance and expectations to enforcement.
Green Member’s Bill aims to give whales legal ‘personhood’
Mon 9 Feb 2026
The Green Party wants to give whales legal rights, including the right to sue.
Kiwi startup takes on global plastic pollution
Thu 12 Feb 2026
A New Zealand startup is launching what it says is the world’s first plastic-free effervescent drink tablet, with the ambitious aim of eliminating bottled beverages to reduce global plastic pollution.
Govt missing opportunity to slash electricity prices, says expert
Wed 11 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s fixation on eliminating the "dry-year risk margin" as a lever to reduce costs misses a much bigger opportunity to lower electricity prices, according to Christina Hood, head of Compass Climate.
Hydrogen emissions are ‘supercharging’ the warming impact of methane
19 Dec 2025
The warming impact of hydrogen has been “overlooked” in projections of climate change, according to authors of the latest “global hydrogen budget”.
Wales council to buy and demolish homes prone to flooding
4 Feb 2026
A row of homes in a village in south Wales is to be bought by a local authority and demolished as they can no longer be protected from flooding caused by the climate crisis.
Climate law change spanner in the works for Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry
19 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s controversial changes to New Zealand’s legal framework for climate policy have thrown a spanner in the works for a long-running Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry into climate change.
Greenpeace set to take UK Government to court over deep-sea mining licences
5 Feb 2026
Environmental NGO Greenpeace has kick-started a legal challenge against the UK Government’s decision to approve the transfer of two seabed exploration licences to a newly-formed mining company with US links.
Govt unveils plans for carbon storage regulations – and ETS rewards
18 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government has released plans to regulate carbon capture and storage in natural geological formations, which include Emissions Trading Scheme incentives, with the aim of introducing related legislation in 2026.
Ministers celebrate fast-track milestone amid criticism
Tue 10 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government is marking the first anniversary of its fast-track approvals regime, saying it is helping “build New Zealand’s future”, despite continued criticism from environmental groups, opposition parties, and industry voices following several controversial project decisions.
Govt looks to Commission for ways to shore up carbon price
4 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government has asked the Climate Change Commission to look at lower auction volumes and an increase in the auction floor price as options to revive the Emissions Trading Scheme, as carbon prices remain weak.
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.
Climate change linked to decline in southern right whale
Thu 12 Feb 2026
Scientists in Australia are warning southern right whales are showing signs of climate-related stress, just days after a Green Party Member’s Bill was introduced in New Zealand proposing legal personhood for whales.
Climate ambassador moves on
Fri 13 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government is on the hunt for a new top climate diplomat, with previous climate ambassador Stu Horne moving on to a posting in Honolulu as New Zealand’s Consul General to Hawai’i.
Commentators slam Govt inaction in aftermath of climate change-fuelled storms
30 Jan 2026
By Liz Kivi | Climate action - or inaction - is shaping up to be an election issue, with multiple commentators drawing a line between the Coalition Government’s backsliding on climate targets and the deadly extreme weather events of the past week.
Major health risks linked to plastics emissions set to soar by 2040
28 Jan 2026
The adverse health consequences stemming from the global plastics system are projected to more than double by 2040, driven by greenhouse gases, air pollutants and toxic chemicals released throughout its lifecycle.
Three Greenpeace activists removed by police from Fonterra
17 Dec 2025
Media release | Three Greenpeace activists were removed by police from Fonterra’s downtown Auckland offices, following a protest on Monday at the Shareholders’ Fund meeting over the corporation’s role in the contamination of rural communities’ drinking water.
Critical minerals talks with US questioned in Waitangi Tribunal climate inquiry
Mon 9 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand and the United States' negotiations over critical minerals have raised questions for the Waitangi Tribunal’s long-running inquiry into climate change.
January floods driven by tropical systems and La Niña conditions
Thu 12 Feb 2026
Record-breaking rainfall across parts of Aotearoa in January was fuelled by tropical moisture and persistent low-pressure systems, with some regions recording more than five times their normal monthly rainfall, Earth Sciences New Zealand says.
Solar households to get little-noticed tax break
23 Sep 2025
A provision in the government’s latest tax bill would exempt households from paying tax on income they earn by selling excess electricity back to the grid.
NZ-UAE partnership boosts advanced tech
Mon 9 Feb 2026
Media release | A new Antarctic science partnership with a leading UAE university will grow New Zealand’s advanced engineering and modelling capability, supporting high-value jobs, encouraging economic growth, and enabling smarter climate risk management, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti 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.
China maximises battery recycling to shore up critical mineral supplies
Wed 11 Feb 2026
Beijing is bracing for a tsunami of spent EV batteries by taking steps to boost recycling – a strategy that could also cut its reliance on imports of clean energy minerals.
EU to ban destruction of unsold clothes and shoes
Thu 12 Feb 2026
The European Commission has adopted new measures that will require medium and large companies to stop discarding unsold clothing and footwear, in the bloc’s latest move to target textile waste.
Heatwaves, downpours and droughts – Auckland on track for more extreme weather
1 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show Auckland will face more heatwaves, heavier downpours, worsening droughts and growing coastal threats as climate extremes intensify, according to a new report from Earth Sciences New Zealand.
Argentina fires ravage pristine Patagonia forests, fueling criticism of Milei’s austerity
4 Feb 2026
The wildfires, among the worst to hit the drought-stricken Patagonia region in decades, have devastated more than 45,000 hectares (174 square miles) of Argentina’s forests in the last month and a half, forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists.
Hydrogen plant to start construction
Tue 10 Feb 2026
Construction is set to start this month on Hiringa Energy’s long delayed green hydrogen project in South Taranaki, after years of consenting fights that culminated in the Court of Appeal rejecting Greenpeace’s challenge in late 2023.
