Topics tagged with 'Agriculture'
Scientists out to develop better seeds
5 Oct 2012
A new research programme aims to deliver better seeds and plant species for farmers, to help to improve animal productivity and minimise environmental impacts.
Worried forest owners urge Key to act
28 Sep 2012
The heads of eight major forestry companies have asked the Prime Minister to intervene directly over the flow of cheap foreign carbon credits into New Zealand.
EDITORIAL: The problem called John Banks
28 Sep 2012
The Government may be weakening in its opposition to restricting the number of international carbon units allowed into New Zealand.
Think carrot ... not stick
28 Sep 2012
Carbon Match founder LIZZIE CHAMBERS says we need to think about how the carbon market can drive innovation - and artifically low carbon prices are not the answer.
Farmers see plan as a step too far
28 Sep 2012
Federated Farmers is appealing against the ground-breaking Environment Court decision allowing the Horizons Regional Council’s OnePlan to go ahead.
Fund backs war on wilding pines
21 Sep 2012
Projects to control wilding pines in Southland and Canterbury are among the recipients of the latest Community Environment Fund round.
Green firms an inspiration, says judge
21 Sep 2012
The top sustainability performers in the central and southern regions were recognised at a ceremony in Wellington this week.
Spaniards to build Canberra solar farm
21 Sep 2012
Australia’s largest photovoltaic solar farm will be built in Canberra by Spanish renewable energy company Fotowatio Renewable Ventures.
Scientists urge new way of thinking
21 Sep 2012
A landmark study has found that climate change is likely to have a major impact on Australia’s plants, animals and ecosystems that will present significant challenges to the conservation of the country’s biodiversity.
Europe eyes limit on crop biofuels
14 Sep 2012
The European Union plans to impose a limit on the use of crop-based biofuels over fears they are less climate-friendly than initially thought and compete with food production, according to draft legislation.
Bold farm plan: Let's trade in effluent
7 Sep 2012
Fancy trading in nitrogen discharges? The Environment Court says it’s a good idea.
Discharge rules inevitable, says farmer
7 Sep 2012
Limits on nutrient discharge from farms are inevitable – and the sooner farmers accept it the better, says outspoken Tararua farmer Andrew Day.
Weather wrecking food supply, says report
7 Sep 2012
New research shows that the full impact of climate change on future food prices is being underestimated, according to international agency Oxfam.
Pacific nations get climate change help
7 Sep 2012
Australia will fund a $58 million package to help Pacific countries to become more resilient to climate change.
Coconut compound does the trick
31 Aug 2012
A New Zealand scientist has come up with a product that he hopes will allow farmers to earn carbon credits while cutting greenhouse gas emissions and boosting production.
Cool idea could cut coal gas emissions
31 Aug 2012
Refrigerating coal-plant emissions could reduce levels of dangerous chemicals that pour into the air, American scientists believe.
Public split as ETS changes face scrutiny
24 Aug 2012
Changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme have gone into Parliament as a new poll shows that New Zealanders are evenly split over whether we should even have a price on carbon.
ETS bill has October deadline
24 Aug 2012
The Government expects to have its changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme through the select committee and back into Parliament by October 17.
EXCLUSIVE: Carbon News readers can now get full climate report
24 Aug 2012
Subscribers to Carbon News now have access to the full report on research into New Zealanders' views on climate change.
Let's all be like Taranaki, says Joyce
24 Aug 2012
The Government is continuing its pressure on local authorities to give environmental consents to mining and big dairying operations.
Transpower wins energy award
24 Aug 2012
A Transpower-led alliance to upgrade the North Island electricity grid has taken the environmental excellence title at this year’s Deloitte Energy Excellence Awards.
Biofuel under fire as food crisis looms
24 Aug 2012
Drought-stricken crops and record-high grain prices have strengthened critics of the European Union biofuel industry, adding fears of a food crisis to their claims that it does not ultimately reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Beer drinkers say cheers to reducing methane
24 Aug 2012
Australian beer drinkers don’t know it but they are helping cattle farmers to reduce methane produced by cows.
Mill Creek wind farm to play key role
17 Aug 2012
Meridian Energy has turned the first sod on Mill Creek, its 26-turbine wind farm north-west of Wellington City.
We must value water, say irrigators
17 Aug 2012
Instead of knocking the productive use of water for activities such as irrigation, it’s time all New Zealanders accepted and celebrated how water adds value, the irrigation industry says.
Study warns South Pacific of storm shocks
17 Aug 2012
South Pacific countries will experience more extreme floods and droughts, in response to increasing greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new study.
Conference urges Govt to act on carbon
10 Aug 2012
A conference on feeding the world and saving the planet is calling for Government action to lift the price of carbon.
Europe slams US for backing off
10 Aug 2012
The European Union and small island states have criticised the United States for backing away from a United Nations goal of limiting global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius
Right food vital, say UN experts
10 Aug 2012
Countries must take immediate action to promote sustainable diets and food biodiversity to improve the health of their citizens, says the United Nations food agency in a new book.
Business execs taking it seriously
3 Aug 2012
Business managers and executives are among the New Zealanders most concerned about climate change.
Don't stand back, environment adviser tells NZ
3 Aug 2012
Feeding the world and saving it at the same time is possible – but New Zealand might leave it too late.
ETS impact report out today
3 Aug 2012
Latest figures on the impact of the Emissions Trading Scheme will be out today.
A good word to use is languish ...
3 Aug 2012
Do we really want to know what is going on with the carbon markets in Europe and elsewhere, Carbon Market Solutions asks.
Sheep emissions loophole to close
27 Jul 2012
A loophole that allocates all greenhouse gas emissions from sheep to the meat sector and none to wool is about to be closed.
Forester forms safe haven for kiwi
27 Jul 2012
Forestry company Ernslaw One is promising to look after kiwi living in one of its forests.
Foresters might swap carbon for cows
20 Jul 2012
Tumbling carbon prices could trigger the conversion of large tracts of forest into dairy farms, the forestry industry is warning.
Our world in peril
20 Jul 2012
The world is in a perilous position - economically, environmentally and socially, according to a new report. And New Zealand is not exempt. Here, Rick Boven, Catherine Harland and Lillian Grace, the authors of Navigating an uncertain future: Environmental foundations for long-term success, outline the situation.
It's all good news for biodiesel maker
20 Jul 2012
Biodiesel producer Biodiesel NZ is upbeat about the future – despite the loss of a Government subsidy.
Plastics recovery sets record high
20 Jul 2012
The Agrecovery Rural Recycling programme has experienced unprecedented growth over the past two years, with collection of waste plastics reaching record levels, organisers say.
NZ helps Tonga build solar plant
13 Jul 2012
Auckland Mayor Len Brown and a delegation of New Zealand business leaders this week visited a Tonga solar farm project will become the first utility-scale energy generation facility in the kingdom.
Fisheries report gives NZ a nod
13 Jul 2012
The latest United Nations report on the state of the world’s fisheries released this week acknowledges New Zealand’s sustainable approach to fisheries management, the Seafood Industry Council says.
Bio-farming pays the bills, says study
6 Jul 2012
Biological farming systems use significantly fewer agrichemicals, are more energy-efficient, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve soil qualities without reducing output and financial benefits than conventional farming, new research shows.
Carbon forestry in hibernation
6 Jul 2012
The announcement from Government on the review undertaken in 2011 on the Emissions Trading Scheme will provide a continuation of the status quo for the next two years, and reveals fundamentally good sense, given current economic conditions, but also dismisses perhaps a good opportunity to prove to the rest of the world that New Zealand Inc could have been enhanced upon a shift toward a low-carbon high-primary-production future, Carbon Market Solutions says.
Heavy metals firm wins accolade
29 Jun 2012
A company recycling heavy metals heads a new list of clean-tech companies that are turning over more than $1 billion a year between them.
Puketoi wind farm gets go-ahead
29 Jun 2012
Mighty River Power has been given the go-ahead for the 53-turbine Puketoi Range wind farm.
Rio pledges pass $500 billion mark
29 Jun 2012
More than $513 billion in funding has been committed by governments, the private sector, civil society and other groups to achieve a sustainable future.
Right, says Ban, now get on with it
29 Jun 2012
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged world leaders to build on the commitments they made during the Rio+20 conference to achieve economic, environmental and social prosperity for people all over the world.
Joyce slams businessmen's report
15 Jun 2012
Economic Development Minister Stephen Joyce says the Pure Advantage business group is just looking for subsidies for businesses it likes.
Wind energy pathway to jobs, says report
15 Jun 2012
The wind energy industry will be creating jobs and revenue on a par with the oil and gas industry by 2030, a new report says.
Figures paint sad picture of the world
15 Jun 2012
A snapshot of our world paints a sorry picture on the eve of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20, in Rio de Janeiro.
Governments must vote in favour of moratorium on deep sea mining
Tue 29 Jul 2025
Media release - Greenpeace | The 30th session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has ended with Greenpeace saying governments are continuing to fall short in protecting the deep sea.
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.
Airlines risk legal challenges by advertising jet fuel as “sustainable”, NGO warns
18 Jul 2025
Amid suspected fraud in the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a new report says the airline industry should stop calling all alternatives to kerosene “sustainable”.
Challenges persist in bid to mine the deep sea, even after boost from Trump
Tue 29 Jul 2025
After years of delay, the deep-sea mining plans of Canadian firm The Metals Company (TMC) now appear to be progressing as it pursues a controversial new path to securing a license to mine in international waters under U.S. jurisdiction.
Sustainability claims questioned as renewable diesel surges
14 May 2025
Critics are sceptical about industry claims of renewable diesel life-cycle greenhouse gas emission cuts and warn renewable diesel carbon releases will surge if sourcing is scaled up, triggering tropical deforestation as producers convert forests to energy crops, such as oil palm and soy.
Carbon prices slide as market awaits ETS decision
Fri 1 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | Volatility has returned to the secondary carbon market, with prices sliding again after plateauing in recent weeks, as the market waits for government decisions on Emissions Trading Scheme settings.
The US is sitting out the most consequential climate summit in a decade. It may offer a victory to China
Fri 1 Aug 2025
The Trump administration fired the last of the US climate negotiators earlier this month, helping cement America’s withdrawal from international climate diplomacy. It may also have handed a huge victory to China.
Bearish sentiment lingers for carbon market
11 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The compliance carbon market could be set for a gradual upward trajectory, however unsold volume from the quarterly Emissions Trading Scheme auctions continues to act as ‘a price ceiling,’ according to an expert.
Coal use drove recent emissions increase
Fri 1 Aug 2025
Increased use of coal for electricity generation was a large driver for an increase in New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions in the last quarter.
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?
Fri 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.
NZ voluntary carbon market’s sad state
14 Jul 2025
By John O’Brien | OPINION: A combination of scandals, challenging economic times, and cheaper offshore carbon credits, mean that the domestic voluntary carbon market in New Zealand remains absolutely tiny.
Bill to restart oil and gas exploration clears final hurdle
Fri 1 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government’s Crown Minerals Amendment Bill is set to become law after passing its third reading in parliament last night, with critics calling it humiliating for the climate minister and an embarrassment to New Zealand's international reputation.
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.
Warmer than usual weather ahead, wetter in north and east, as La Niña signals strengthen
Fri 1 Aug 2025
Media release – Earth Sciences New Zealand | Seasonal Outlook Climate August to October 2025 suggests warm, damp weather, with La Niña’s possible return.
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.
Wilding pines threaten Molesworth Station
Mon 28 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Without increased support, the unchecked spread of wilding pines will continue to creep across Marlborough’s high country – putting iconic landscapes and one of New Zealand’s top five biodiversity hotspots at serious risk, according to an expert.
Last minute change to oil and gas legislation over cleanup costs
Thu 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.
A modest geothermal strategy
Thu 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.
European Central Bank to consider 'climate factor' when lending to banks
Thu 31 Jul 2025
The European Central Bank will add climate change considerations to its lending operations from late 2026, raising pressure on banks to channel financing towards greener sectors as the euro zone seeks to reduce its carbon footprint.
NZ part of hidden global deep-sea network beneath the waves
25 Jul 2025
Media release - Earth Sciences New Zealand | A world-first study of marine life, including sea creatures found in New Zealand's dark, cold, pressurised ocean depths, has revealed that deep-sea life is surprisingly more connected than previously thought.
‘Ideological sludge’: How NZ is quiet quitting climate action
17 Jul 2025
New Zealand once stood out as a world leader on climate change. In June it became the first country in the world to abandon a commitment to phase out oil, gas and coal.
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
Tue 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.
Climate catastrophes are creating a ‘new market reality’ for insurance carriers
23 Jul 2025
Raging wildfires and severe storms contributed to record-high global insurance losses — totalling an estimated US$84 billion — for the first six months of the year.
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.
Multi-day protest continues at coal mine
Wed 30 Jul 2025
Bathurst Resources has been forced to truck coal from its Stockton mine as climate activists occupy coal buckets at the mine for a third day.
Fund for low emissions transport winds up
Thu 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.
Urgent action needed to get on track for climate goals - commission
25 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand is making progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but more work is needed – urgently – to set up for future reductions, according to the latest report from the Climate Change Commission.
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.
Toxic algae are turning South Australia’s coral reefs into underwater graveyards
Tue 29 Jul 2025
Since March, a harmful algal bloom, fueled by a marine heat wave, has been choking South Australia’s coastline.
NZ govt’s fossil fuel plans could break international law
24 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government could be breaching international law with its plans to subsidise and expand fossil fuel extraction, following a ruling overnight from the world’s highest court.
Tipping points: Window to avoid irreversible climate impacts is ‘rapidly closing’
11 Jul 2025
In the midst of a record-breaking heatwave in Europe, the UK city of Exeter recently played host to the second international conference on “tipping points”.
‘Total infiltration’: How plastics industry swamped vital global treaty talks
Mon 28 Jul 2025
Petrostates and well-funded lobbyists at UN-hosted talks are derailing a deal to cut plastic production and protect people and the planet.
Activists sue US development bank over $4.6bn loan to massive Mozambique gas project
18 Jul 2025
Environmental groups claim loan is ‘unlawful’ in legal filing.
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.
Tilting at windmills? Trump’s claims about turbines fact-checked
Thu 31 Jul 2025
The US president has taken a swipe at wind power as the blades visible from his Turnberry golf course turn.
Ocean heatwaves may signal climate tipping point
25 Jul 2025
A recent study that tapped into satellite data has revealed that 2023 marked an unprecedented year for marine heatwaves, with record-breaking levels of duration, reach and intensity across the world's oceans.
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’.
Can robot taxis solve NZ's transport woes?
23 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Ministry of Transport has tested the idea of driverless taxis as a futuristic fix. But while new modelling explores how "robotaxis" could ease congestion and reduce car ownership, critics say it misses a crucial point – the country’s worsening transport emissions.
United Nations carbon market rules agreed but concerns remain
25 Nov 2024
New carbon market rules agreed at the fractious UN climate summit will be a relief to New Zealand and Singapore, who were leading the negotiations, but concerns about greenwashing and disadvantaging nature-based solutions remain.
EV sales fall, but it’s complicated
Tue 29 Jul 2025
Imports of fully electric vehicles fell over 50% in value during the 12 months to June 2025, compared with the year ended June 2024, according to Stats NZ.
The ICJ’s ruling means Australia and other major polluters face a new era of climate reparations
25 Jul 2025
By Harj Narulla | OPINION: Australia has found itself on the wrong side of history.
Waste Levy risks becoming ‘slush fund’ under proposed changes – Commissioner
5 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Proposed changes to New Zealand's waste legislation risk undermining public trust in the waste levy scheme, according to Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton.
The struggle for control of the Arctic is accelerating - and it's riskier than ever
11 Jul 2025
As the battle for one of the world’s coldest places heats up, an increasingly fragile security balance may be breaking down, leading to an escalating arms race.
UN University report warns against carbon credits from REDD, tree planting, and improved forest management
13 Jun 2025
But the report stops short of recommending banning the trade in carbon temporarily stored in trees.
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.
