Topics tagged with 'Agriculture'
Clean streams progress just a trickle
16 Dec 2011
The Dairying and Clean Streams Accord Snapshot of Progress Report for the 2010/11 dairy season, shows a mixed bag of progress towards improving fresh water quality, MAF says.
Scientists get excited about biochar
16 Dec 2011
Biochar could help to improve agricultural productivity and assist farmers and landholders to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, says a new Australian report.
Why we must target the 2deg limit
9 Dec 2011
Scientists working on the Global Carbon Project have said that despite nearly 15 years of pledges to make cuts, the release of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels is still increasing at a record rate.
Cadmium, compaction, carbon ... our soil is under attack
2 Dec 2011
Toxic cadmium levels, soil compaction and carbon loss are looming as major problems which could affect New Zealand’s agricultural economy, a soil scientist is warning.
Fonterra forces farmers to fence
2 Dec 2011
The fencing of water ways is to become a condition of supply for Fonterra dairy farmers as the industry moves to clean up its environmental image.
Millions marked for look at biochar
2 Dec 2011
Australia is putting $2 million up for grabs for biochar research.
Farmers sign up to $99m green fund
2 Dec 2011
The first round of the $99 million Action on the Ground programme to help farmers to cash in on Australia’s clean energy future is under way.
Biological farming gets cash boost
25 Nov 2011
New Zealand Biological Farming Systems Research Centre as been awarded funding by DairyNZ for a scoping study into biological farming systems.
Greenhouse gas levels reach worst-ever levels
25 Nov 2011
The presence of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere last year reached its highest levels since pre-industrial times, says a new report.
ETS here to stay, vows Groser
18 Nov 2011
New Zealand will push for a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, but the Emissions Trading Scheme is here to say regardless of the outcome of international climate change negotiations in Durban this month.
Environment: Where the minor parties stand
18 Nov 2011
Both National and Labour are vowing that the Emissions Trading Scheme is here to say, but what do the smaller parties have to say about the environment?
Farmers growing keen on sustainability
18 Nov 2011
Dairy farmers are rapidly buying into the sustainability debate, says the fertiliser industry.
Business getting serious about green investment
18 Nov 2011
Businesses and governments are accelerating investment in the green sectors of the economy, a just-released United Nations report shows.
Australia joins drive to change food system
18 Nov 2011
A major transformation in the global food system is needed to address future threats to food security, according to experts from some of the world’s leading science organisations.
Smart boxes come to the Waikato
18 Nov 2011
Regional lines company WEL Networks is taking the next step in the continuing modernisation of its network to provide customers a more efficient and reliable electricity supply.
Pig gas turns into nice little earner
11 Nov 2011
Australian pig farmers are to earn carbon credits for cutting methane emissions from their animals.
Wind power projects short of money
11 Nov 2011
Development of the wind power industry is being held back by a lack of capital, a new report says.
Where Labour and Greens stand on carbon trading
11 Nov 2011
Carbon Market Solutions casts an eye over the carbon-trading policies of Labour and the Greens:
Environment key poll issue, says Labour
4 Nov 2011
Labour is about to pitch its environment policy as an election-winner.
Chauvel lists flaws in ETS review
4 Nov 2011
The Emissions Trading Scheme would be up for review again under a Labour Government.
We can capture carbon, says report
4 Nov 2011
Carbon capture and storage technologies could work safely and effectively in New Zealand, Straterra says.
Gas outage spurs forest biofuel option
4 Nov 2011
Major industries, hotels, hospitals and large schools in the central North Island should be seriously considering forest residues as an energy source, say forest owners.
Politicians to face ETS questions
28 Oct 2011
Politicians will face up to questions about the Emissions Trading Scheme on Monday.
Greens air milk disposal worries
28 Oct 2011
As the Maui gas leak continues to limit milk processing capabilities, the Green Party is calling on Fonterra to assess which farmers have the ability to dispose of unprocessed milk safely, and to intervene to support farmers who do not.
China expecting huge growth in wind power
28 Oct 2011
China will be generating more than 11 gigawatts of electricity from offshore wind turbines by 2020, a new report says.
Dodgy ... that's Auckland City investment
28 Oct 2011
Council for Socially Responsible Investment chairman Dr ROBERT HOWELL questions Auckland City's investment strategy ...
Innocent forest owners will pay price
21 Oct 2011
Many forest owners are about to discover that they are in the Emissions Trading Scheme when they don’t have to be – an oversight which could cost them dearly.
Leaders must make changes, says report
21 Oct 2011
In light of recent extreme weather events, as well as long-term disruptions related to climate change, a major new report calls for different approaches to decision making by national leaders.
Study sheds new light on cattle emissions
21 Oct 2011
New CSIRO research indicates that the amount of methane emitted from cattle fed on tropical grasses in northern Australia is up to 30 per cent less than figures currently used to calculate the northern cattle industry’s contribution to Australia’s greenhouse gas accounts.
Investors sniff out NZ forest fortunes
14 Oct 2011
New Zealand should expect intense interest in our carbon-sequestering forests from Australian investors, especially if the two countries’ emissions trading schemes are linked, says a company involved in carbon forestry on both sides of the Tasman.
Historic moment as carbon tax gets a yes
14 Oct 2011
In what the Gillard Government is calling "a historic moment”, the Australian House of Representatives has passed clean energy legislation which will give the country a price on carbon.
Changing climate could lead to chocolate meltdown
14 Oct 2011
Climate change could transform the cherished chocolate bar into a luxury few can afford, according to a new study.
Abbott will eat his words, says CMS
14 Oct 2011
The Australian emissions trading scheme legislation was passed through that country’s Federal Parliament this week, and is expected to begin being passed into law by the Senate next month.
Windflow founder backs shares plan
7 Oct 2011
Windflow Technology founder Geoff Henderson is lending the company $150,000 to keep it afloat as the company extends the closing date for a share purchase plan.
Pre-1990 credits near 10 million mark
7 Oct 2011
Nearly 10 million carbon credits have been issued for pre-1990 forests, latest Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry figures show.
Eco question: What price our environment?
7 Oct 2011
A British environmentalist who started the first eco-tourism business in the Galapagos Islands says that New Zealand needs to follow the British example and put some dollar values on intrinsic worth of the environment.
Scientist: PM didn't tell the whole story
30 Sep 2011
A prominent environmental scientist says the Prime Minister selectively quoted him during a debate in Parliament over water quality.
Reward inhibitor farmers, says study group
30 Sep 2011
Farmers should be given carbon credits to encourage them to use nitrogen inhibitors, a government committee says.
How ecotourism can help save forests
30 Sep 2011
The increasing demand for ecotourism can play a vital role in saving endangered forests, a United Nations-backed partnership believes.
Nelson projects aim to cut emissions
30 Sep 2011
Three significant projects launched in Nelson as part of the global day of action last weekend will make practical differences to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promoters say.
Taupo diffuses water time-bomb
23 Sep 2011
New Zealand’s Lake Taupo Water Quality Trading Scheme is being cited by the OECD as an example of how markets can be used to improve the environment.
Green jobs galore, promises Norman
23 Sep 2011
The Green Party has launched a policy it says will create 100,000 new green jobs through business incentives and government leadership.
Scientists spring speed checks on wind
23 Sep 2011
Scientists in Australia are taking the first steps to improve estimates of long-term wind speed changes for the fast-growing wind energy sector.
Number of positives in ETS review
23 Sep 2011
The Government’s release of the Emissions Trading Scheme review report and recommendations last week provides an interesting basis for all interested parties to detail analysis over whether the recommendations are “good” or “bad”, Carbon Market Solutions says.
That's it ... till after the election
16 Sep 2011
The Emissions Trading Scheme has been kicked for touch until after the election.
Farmers could make money from new-deal ETS
16 Sep 2011
Recommended changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme could see farmers meet their obligations through offsetting.
ETS review: We've been heard, say farmers
16 Sep 2011
Federated Farmers sees many of the key points for which it has advocated reflected in the Emissions Trading Scheme review panel’s report.
ETS review: Messages mixed, says Labour
16 Sep 2011
The Government continues to have two messages on whether it will include agriculture in its Emissions Trading Scheme, says Labour's Climate Change spokesperson, Brendon Burns.
ETS review: Weak scheme gets weaker
16 Sep 2011
The review of the Emissions Trading Scheme proposes to increase subsidies to climate polluters at the cost of the New Zealand taxpayer and the climate, the Green Party says.
ETS review: Act stands for abolition
16 Sep 2011
The Government should "drop the pretence" and scrap the Emissions Trading Scheme, the Act Party says.
Govt unveils National Adaptation Framework
Thu 16 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Minister of Climate Change Simon Watts has revealed the first actions under New Zealand’s National Adaptation Framework, which sets out the Government's approach to the rising risks from natural hazards such as floods and storms.
NZ needs to be part of a regional SAF strategy: Z, Air NZ
9 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand needs to be part of a regional strategic approach to sourcing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with domestic production less the aim than ensuring access to the fuel from one of a number of strategically positioned bio-refineries around the world.
Air NZ inks deal for its first internationally verified carbon credits
9 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Air New Zealand has committed to buying 8000 tonnes of carbon removals by 2030, in partnership with local native forest investment platform My Native Forest.
NZ not 'holding the line' on wilding pine management – experts
Wed 15 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand is no longer “holding the line” against invasive threats, with the country’s scale, remoteness and rugged terrain making control costly and complex, one expert has said ahead of this week's Wilding Pines Conference.
Researchers say sealing old oil wells with bio-oil from crop waste is a dual carbon-removal solution
19 Sep 2025
A new analysis shows that oil made from corn husks, wood chips, and other waste could plug greenhouse gas-belching abandoned oil wells while sequestering carbon for about $152 per ton.
Broker predicts all this year’s carbon auctions will fail
10 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Marex New Zealand is forecasting that the government will sell no ‘pollution permits’ at the NZU auctions this year, with a significant gap continuing between secondary market prices and this year’s $68 auction floor price.
UN agency says CO2 levels hit record high last year, causing more extreme weather
Fri 17 Oct 2025
Heat-trapping carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere jumped by the highest amount on record last year, soaring to a level not seen in human civilisation and “turbo-charging” the Earth’s climate and causing more extreme weather.
Will govt’s light touch approach lead to higher carbon prices?
3 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Carbon market watchers are hoping the government’s plan for the electricity sector will eventually lead to higher carbon prices, with the secondary market still trading sideways for the longest time in its history.
Electricity to remain in ETS
1 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The Government has rejected Frontier Economics' recommendation that electricity should be removed from the Emissions Trading Scheme.
The merchants of doubt are back
3 Sep 2025
OPINION: If you don’t follow climate policy closely, you might not know that the Trump administration is launching an effort to overturn one of the most fundamental pillars of American climate policy.
Milestone for NZ Steel electrification
10 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | NZ Steel has passed an installation milestone for its new electric arc furnace, which will reduce emissions from the Glenbrook steel mill site by as much as one megatonne (1Mt) a year.
UN limits staff at COP30 climate summit over accommodation concerns
19 Sep 2025
High hotel prices for Brazil's COP30 climate summit in November have prompted the United Nations to urge its staff to limit attendance, while government delegations are still scrambling to find rooms within their budgets.
All carrot, no stick for farmers on methane
Fri 17 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: The abandonment of methane emissions pricing and the adoption of a weaker target is effectively the last nail in the coffin of the historic cross-parliamentary consensus embedded in the Zero Carbon Act 2019.
Unlocking the national potential of flexible energy use through residential appliances – EECA calling for submissions
Thu 16 Oct 2025
Media release | EECA is asking for feedback from the energy sector on a newly published green paper about unlocking the potential of demand flexibility through end-use products, such as appliances, used in New Zealand homes.
From nuisance to crisis: New report on pest wasps In Aotearoa
24 Sep 2025
Media release: Moths and Butterflies NZ Trust | Just published is the Final Report of the Pest Wasps Survey carried out by the Moths and Butterflies of NZ Trust (MBNZT) offering a comprehensive look at New Zealanders’ awareness, experiences, and attitudes toward wasps and the growing ecological, health, and social issues associated with them.
Difficult trade-offs ahead for climate adaptation
Fri 17 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | While climate impacts are already here, bringing the urgent need to accelerate effective adaptation now, the Government's newly minted adaptation framework still leaves important questions unanswered about who will pay.
NZ marine heatwaves could double in intensity under high-emissions pathway
Thu 16 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show marine heatwaves will grow more intense around the North Island and more frequent around the South Island as the climate warms – raising risks for fisheries, aquaculture, coastal ecosystems and tourism.
World falling far behind deforestation goals with farms and fires driving loss, report says
Wed 15 Oct 2025
The report said the world permanently lost 8.1 million hectares (20 million acres) of forest, an area about the size of England, in 2024 alone.
‘Damp squib’ – Govt energy plan slammed for locking in fossil fuels
2 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Critics across business, climate groups and the opposition say the Government’s electricity reforms duck structural change, double down on LNG and gas, and offer little relief for soaring power prices – warning of an “expensive white elephant", deeper energy poverty and a missed chance to scale renewables.
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.”
Climate investment is only growth opportunity of 21st century, says leading economist
Wed 15 Oct 2025
Investment in climate action is the economic growth story of the 21st century, while growth fuelled by fossil fuels is futile because the damage it causes ends in self-destruction, the economist Nicholas Stern has said.
Where’s Watts? Climate Minister no-show at climate conference
Thu 16 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Opposition parties have slammed the Climate Change Minister’s failure to front up to a major international conference in Christchurch, saying it shows that climate adaptation is a low priority for the National Party.
Climate credibility gap widening for Aussie firms
1 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Australian public companies’ climate change commitments are in retreat, reflecting difficulty in achieving stated targets and increased fossil use, but not because of any pressure to make less effort, according to a study of major companies’ ESG reporting.
Coal imports up 650%
12 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams and Liz Kivi | Coal imports are up 650% as generators stockpile the most polluting fossil fuel ahead of next winter.
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.
Study warns climate leadership falling short in NZ
1 Oct 2025
Media release - Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland | Research suggests New Zealand’s climate leadership is falling short, with current adaptation efforts focused on property and cost-cutting rather than protecting communities.
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.
Judge dismisses suit by young climate activists against Trump’s pro-fossil fuel policies
Fri 17 Oct 2025
Plaintiffs had ‘overwhelming evidence’ of climate crisis but a court injunction would be ‘unworkable’, ruling says.
'Non-negotiable' – EU carbon pricing to hit Kiwi exporters, expert warns
11 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | High carbon exports will inevitably face a high carbon tax at the EU border, possibly in the next five years, and high methane agricultural products might not be exempt, an international expert told a local audience yesterday.
Deep sea mining threatens sharks, rays and ghost sharks
6 Oct 2025
Mining the world’s deep seas for metals will likely threaten many species of sharks, rays and chimaeras (ghost sharks), according to researchers.
Govt promises ‘earlier action’ in response to Commission’s warning climate targets at risk
Fri 17 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government says it will “explore opportunities for earlier action” ahead of the third Emissions Reduction Plan, and has committed to looking at ways to stop the system of free carbon credits for industrial polluters from disincentivising industrial decarbonisation.
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.
‘Weird and sad’ – Tuvalu Climate Minister condemns NZ halving methane target
Wed 15 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Dr Maina Talia, Tuvalu’s Minister for Home Affairs, Climate Change, and Environment, says he’s surprised at New Zealand’s decision to weaken its target for reducing methane emissions – and is planning to take up the issue with his counterpart Climate Minister Simon Watts this week.
NZ’s biggest ever climate meeting kicks off
Tue 14 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The world's largest climate adaptation conference kicked off in Christchurch yesterday, with nearly 2000 attendees expected, making it potentially the biggest international climate meeting Aotearoa New Zealand will ever host.
Bottom trawling a triple threat to marine environments - new report
9 Oct 2025
Media release | Greenpeace is calling for urgent action to restrict bottom trawling after a new government report highlights the compounding effects this destructive fishing method has on climate change, habitat degradation and biodiversity loss.
Lobby group launches ‘blueprint’ for ocean management reform
18 Sep 2025
The Environmental Defence Society yesterday released its plan to tackle widespread ecological decline in our oceans.
Councils need funding tools to address climate challenges – LGNZ
Fri 17 Oct 2025
Media release | Local Government New Zealand is welcoming the Government’s new National Adaptation Framework, while cautioning that councils will struggle to meet its new expectations without additional funding tools.
Students repeat request for Victoria University to divest from fossil fuel investments
24 Sep 2025
Media release | A group of students campaigning for climate action at Victoria University of Wellington have dropped a banner protesting against the university’s lack of action on its 2014 commitment to divest from fossil fuels.
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.
Record global renewable energy growth remains short of climate target, report says
Thu 16 Oct 2025
A new report finds that a record amount of global renewable energy capacity was added last year, but that still leaves countries “short of targets towards meeting a UN climate goal to triple capacity by 2030”.
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.
Climate scientists and republican lawyers are taking aim at Big Tech’s emissions
Fri 17 Oct 2025
Technology companies have long been one of the biggest investors in clean energy, but new accounting rules could upend that.
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.
For Australia to get moving on electric vehicles, we must ban petrol and diesel cars by 2035
Fri 17 Oct 2025
COMMENT: If nothing is done, transport is projected to be Australia’s largest emissions source by 2030.
Fix it, don't ditch it: University of Auckland hosts first Repair Cafe
9 Oct 2025
Media release - Auckland University | The University's first-ever Repair Cafe is bringing students and staff together to give broken items a new lease on life, while promoting a culture of repair and reuse.
Farmers face heightened solvency risks as climate changes: research
10 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Increasingly volatile weather patterns, higher insurance costs driven by climate change risk and global financial volatility represent risks to New Zealand farmers’ capacity to service debt and remain solvent, according to new research by Christchurch-based research firm Kōmanawa Solutions.
‘Con,’ ‘scam,’ ‘hoax’: Trump’s UN speech on climate
24 Sep 2025
The president used a large chunk of his hour-long speech to world leaders to condemn climate science and clean energy policies.
Trump administration moves to revoke permit for Massachusetts offshore wind project
24 Sep 2025
The Trump administration has moved to block a Massachusetts offshore wind farm, its latest effort to hobble an industry and technology that President Donald Trump has attacked as “ugly” and unreliable compared to fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas.
