Topics tagged with 'Agriculture'
Police probe Mafia ties in wind energy scams
20 Nov 2009
Italian finance police have arrested two prominent businessmen in the wind energy sector on charges of fraud.
Time for a cup of tea, says veteran Nat
20 Nov 2009
A life-long National Party member is criticising the Government’s “headlong rush” into changes to the emissions trading scheme.
Dejected dairy giant plans next ETS move
16 Nov 2009
Dairy giant Fonterra is considering its next move after a parliamentary select committee failed to prevent measures that will exclude the co-operative’s processing from receiving free carbon credits.
Harmonisation not the way, says expert
16 Nov 2009
An international expert on emissions trading says that detailed harmonisation of the New Zealand scheme with that of Australia is not necessary or desirable.
National foolish in slavishly following Australia, says Chauvel
16 Nov 2009
The Australian Government's decision to exclude agriculture from its emissions trading scheme is further evidence of the folly of National's headlong rush to harmonise with Australia in this area, Labour's climate change spokesperson Charles Chauvel says.
Aussie farmers out of ETS ‘faster than a rat up a drainpipe’
16 Nov 2009
As predicted by Federated Farmers two weeks ago, Australia’s Federal Government yesterday opted to permanently exclude farmers from its emissions trading scheme.
Aussie agriculture backflip could be first of many
16 Nov 2009
The Australian government’s sudden backflip on agriculture yesterday could lead to even more concessions being made to try to get the country’s proposed emissions trading scheme through the Senate in the next couple of weeks.
Treasury says it hasn't got Kyoto accounts wrong
13 Nov 2009
Treasury is disputing a claim that it has failed to include liabilities for future forestry harvesting in New Zealand’s Kyoto accounts.
FORUM: Britain stands shoulder to shoulder with Maldives on climate change
13 Nov 2009
By Douglas Alexander, British international development secretary, and Mohamed Nasheed, president of the Maldives
Farmers might move offshore, warns Fonterra
6 Nov 2009
Fonterra is being cut out of free carbon credits under the Government's amended emissions trading scheme - and is warning the move could drive farmers offshore.
Methane scare: NZ urged to watch and wait
6 Nov 2009
New Zealand policy makers are being urged not to react too quickly to American research suggesting methane might play a bigger part in climate change than previously thought.
ETS politics frustrating, says business chief
6 Nov 2009
Wellington’s obsession with the politics of climate change and carbon trading is turning off the rest of the country, says the EMA (Northern).
Senate moves on energy ... without Republicans
6 Nov 2009
Democrats on a key US Senate committee today bypassed a Republican boycott and approved a sweeping plan to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
Environmental priorities must connect the dots, say Greens
6 Nov 2009
This week's New Zealand Institute of Economic Research report on environmental priorities fails to connect the dots between modern environmental challenges, particularly when it suggests that reducing climate change emissions is a low priority for New Zealand, says the Green Party.
Sydney drags chain in Asian carbon-hub race
30 Oct 2009
Sydney might be the loser as Hong Kong, Beijing and Singapore gear up to be the Asian hub of carbon trading.
Farmers condemn Stern’s vegetarian call
30 Oct 2009
British farmers have accused a leading climate change expert of being “irresponsible” for urging the world to turn vegetarian.
Farming opportunites huge, says recruiter
23 Oct 2009
Carbon reduction and carbon trading hold huge potential for farmers – if they can get beyond the rhetoric and see the opportunities, says an Australian consulting firm looking for staff in New Zealand.
Turia confirms big iwi leading Maori Party ETS policy
23 Oct 2009
The Maori Party is taking its lead from the iwi leadership group on emissions trading policy.
Chauvel to energy leaders: ETS changes too generous to last
23 Oct 2009
It’s unfair to business to give large concessions and subsidies that won't last.
China, India forge alternative to UN treaty
23 Oct 2009
China and India’s joint plan to cut greenhouse-gas emissions provides the developing world with an alternative to the global climate treaty that wealthier nations want them to sign in Copenhagen this year, analysts said.
INTERVIEW: It's time to do the hard bit, says Nick Main
16 Oct 2009
Talking about a carbon economy is easy, says expatriate New Zealander Nick Main, but doing it is the hard part.
Push to exempt Australian farmers from carbon laws
16 Oct 2009
The Australian government will be asked to exempt farmers from carbon trading in order to pass landmark emissions laws through parliament under changes this week being pushed by opposition lawmakers.
Biodiesel looking better than ever, says study
16 Oct 2009
Biodiesel is better than ever at harnessing the power of the sun and turning it into fuel, new research says.
EVENT: Sustainable housing symposium, November 19-21
16 Oct 2009
Registrations are now open for the Sustainable Habitat Challenge Symposium, in which the experiences and outcomes of an ambitious nationwide competition will be revealed, organisers say.
Protests force slowdown on full-speed-ahead ETS
15 Oct 2009
The Government has been forced to back down over plans to restrict oral submissions on changes to the emissions trading scheme to 50 – all of which were to be heard today.
Who Foss wants to hear on the ETS today
15 Oct 2009
Carbon News has obtained the list of organisations the ETS select committee chair wants to hear from in a single day for oral submissions.
Smelter might suffer under Aussie rules
9 Oct 2009
New Zealand operations powered by renewable energy - like the Rio Tinto aluminium smelter at Bluff - could be disadvantaged by plans to calculate average emissions levels with Australia under a new intensity-based scheme.
COMMENT: Are farmers still denying climate change?
9 Oct 2009
On September 4, 2003, Federated Farmers led hundreds to the steps of Parliament to oppose paying for research into reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Brazilian beef giants agree to moratorium
9 Oct 2009
Four of the world's largest cattle producers and traders have agreed to a moratorium on buying cattle from newly deforested areas in the Amazon rainforest.
Domestic NZUs price likely to settle at $23 a tonne, says trader
2 Oct 2009
The domestic market for New Zealand Units is likely to settle around $23 a tonne if the Government’s cap on prices goes ahead, says a leading trader.
OPINION: The ETS and your business
2 Oct 2009
Kensington Swan energy and resources team leader Bryan Gundersen looks at the implications of proposed amendments to the ETS:
US Senate bill toughens emissions target
2 Oct 2009
The first draft of a US Senate climate bill, released yesterday by senators Barbara Boxer and John Kerry, includes a tougher 2020 target than its companion bill passed by the House of Representatives.
China eyes emission trading as part of economic plan
2 Oct 2009
China plans to include a pilot emissions trading system in its five-year plan for economic development from 2010-15, although it is unclear whether carbon dioxide would be covered.
Bank issues dire warning to Asia-Pacific countries
2 Oct 2009
Asia-Pacific countries face food and energy shortages, worsening poverty and declining crop yields if they ignore climate change, according to studies released yesterday.
Labour grizzles as ETS changes go through House
23 Sep 2009
National’s changes to the emissions trading scheme moved a step closer yesterday amid threats that a Labour Government would throw them out again.
Switch to trees pays off for carbon-conscious farmer
23 Sep 2009
Politicians might be bogged down in arguments over the emissions trading scheme, but in Marlborough, they’re quietly getting on with cutting emissions and making money.
Let farmers opt in to ETS, says expert
23 Sep 2009
New Zealand farmers should be able to opt-in to the emissions trading scheme to benefit from cuts to their emissions levels, says AbacusBio.
FORUM: ETS is farmers' ball and chain
23 Sep 2009
Dr Peter Amer, of AbacusBio, says there are opportunities for farmers in the ETS.
Solid Energy and Ravensdown investigate lignite-to-fertiliser plant
23 Sep 2009
Energy producer Solid Energy, and agricultural fertiliser supplier Ravensdown are jointly investigating the viability of building a US$1 billion-plus coal-to-fertiliser plant in Eastern Southland.
Labour releases ETS breakdown papers
18 Sep 2009
The Labour Party has released more documents from the failed negotiations for a National-Labour deal on the emissions trading scheme.
World is listening to us, says Groser
18 Sep 2009
Other countries are coming around to New Zealand’s position on forestry and agriculture in climate-change mitigation, says the Associate Minister for Climate Change, Tim Groser.
IN THE HOUSE: Deal with Maori under scrutiny
18 Sep 2009
Questions over the deal between the National and Maori parties have dominated environmental debates in Parliament this week.
Farmers could have gained millions in secret deal proposed by Labour
14 Sep 2009
A draft ETS deal sent to the National party by Labour Monday morning reveals the Opposition proposed a special deal for agriculture which could have paid farmers millions before 2013.
EXCLUSIVE - The "Dear Lucy" deal e-mail from Labour to National
14 Sep 2009
Carbon News has an e-mail sent Monday morning from Labour's climate change negotiator to Minister Nick Smith.
Smith: ETS revisions "balance" environment, economy
14 Sep 2009
The Government, with Maori Party support, will revise the Emissions Trading Scheme to reduce the costs to households and the impact on jobs while ensuring New Zealand takes a responsible approach to the global problem of greenhouse gas pollution and climate change.
Confident Labour sits in ETS driving seat
11 Sep 2009
Talks over the future of the emissions trading scheme are on again, with Labour sending strong signals that it feels in the driving seat.
Sarkozy sets carbon tax to 'save human race'
11 Sep 2009
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has vowed to lead the fight to "save the human race" from global warming, launching a carbon tax to encourage families and industry to cut their use of fossil fuels.
Irish might need cow tax to meet EU targets
11 Sep 2009
The Irish Government might have to introduce a “cow tax” to help it to meet new tough targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions laid out in the European Union’s climate change strategy.
Cities better carbon traps than forests, says study
11 Sep 2009
Compared with tropical rain forests - the densest natural ecosystems - cities store more carbon, acre for acre, in their trees, buildings, and dirt, a new study says.
Climate change could slash crop yields
11 Sep 2009
Even if global temperatures rise slowly, climate change could slash the yields of some of the world's most important crops almost in half, according to a new United States study.
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.
