Topics tagged with 'Agriculture'
Online GHG reduction calculator
28 Aug 2009
In an effort to increase the understanding of various emissions trading scheme-related policy suggestions, The ValueAdd Company has launched an online Greenhouse gas emissions reduction target analyser.
ETS deal hangs on Key's response to Goff
21 Aug 2009
National is having significant difficulty delivering the “broad-based political support” sought for an amended ETS by its Climate Change Issues Minister.
New tech means farmers can turn dung into dollars
21 Aug 2009
New technology could see farmers turning effluent into carbon credits
Smith hopes ETS will please everyone
21 Aug 2009
The Minister for Climate Changes Issues has told business leaders he hopes for a settled emissions trading scheme attracting broad political sign up.
Meridian buys US solar-farm developer
21 Aug 2009
Meridian Energy has bought an American photovoltaic solar farm developer.
Agriculture bogs down bipartisan ETS deal
14 Aug 2009
Talks between National and Labour over a bipartisan agreement on an emissions trading scheme are thought to be breaking down over agriculture.
Wind energy key to cutting electricity emissions
14 Aug 2009
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector will be vital in reaching the government’s 2020 reduction target, but policy certainty is needed urgently, says the New Zealand Wind Energy Association.
How green Denmark got ahead of the pack
14 Aug 2009
In December, all eyes will be on Copenhagen as world leaders gather to negotiate a new international climate change agreement. But how green are the Danes themselves.
Australia’s ag-carbon could be bigger than coal
14 Aug 2009
Australia could develop a trade in agricultural carbon offsets to the United States worth more than the nation's current global coal exports - but not if agriculture is covered by an emissions trading scheme, says an international carbon trading expert.
Greens: NZ to spend on emissions target when it could save
14 Aug 2009
The Government wants to take the most expensive route to its emissions target, telling the world it will purchase carbon credits rather than work to reduce New Zealand’s greenhouse gases, says the Green Party.
ANALYSIS: Now it comes down to the ETS deal for agriculture
10 Aug 2009
The Government has pretty cunningly positioned itself in its first emissions reduction target offering.
BUSINESS LEADERS: Target will have to rise later
10 Aug 2009
The Government’s opening offer to reduce New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions by 10 per cent to 20 per cent by 2020 will need to be improved during coming international negotiations, says the New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development.
OXFAM: Target shows NZ does not care
10 Aug 2009
The announcement today of the Government's proposed emissions reduction target is tantamount to telling millions of vulnerable people around the world that New Zealand does not care enough about their fate to make the cuts that are needed, says Oxfam.
Companies must take care with carbon-neutral claims
7 Aug 2009
Companies wanting to market themselves as carbon-neutral are being warned not to rely on the emissions trading scheme for their green credentials.
Aussie farmers call for carbon trading exemption
7 Aug 2009
Australia's peak farm body has urged the Rudd Government to follow the lead of all developed nations and permanently rule out including agriculture in its carbon trading scheme.
Household impact of US bill only modest, says study
7 Aug 2009
The United States climate change and energy bill passed by the House in June will bring somewhat higher energy prices for businesses and households and slow economic growth slightly by 2020.
UK taxpayer may foot bill for missed emission targets
7 Aug 2009
Britain might have to purchase carbon credits from private companies in a new carbon trading scheme set to begin in 2010 to help them to meet their national greenhouse gas emissions targets.
Most New Zealanders want 20-plus emissions reduction target
7 Aug 2009
Almost half of New Zealanders want the Government to set a target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent or more by 2020.
High price for 100 per cent renewable energy, says Smith
7 Aug 2009
Achieving 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2020 would cost $17.5 billion, put power prices up by 30 per cent and require the equivalent of seven Clyde Dams being built, Climate Change Minister Nick Smith says.
FORUM: Nick Smith doesn’t get it
7 Aug 2009
The Green party has produced a plan which is says will help New Zealand reach an emissions reduction target of 40% by 2020.
Emissions target to be set next week
31 Jul 2009
Public consultation on New Zealand’s 2020 emissions target ends today.
Fruit producers lead way in carbon footprinting
31 Jul 2009
Fruit producers are world leaders in their sector when it comes to carbon footprint measuring, says Pipfruit New Zealand’s chief executive officer Peter Beaven.
France faces internal fight over carbon tax
31 Jul 2009
France should aim to introduce a tax on carbon dioxide emissions by 2010 to help to fight global climate change, says a panel advising the government.
Costs of emissions cuts most likely overstated - report
31 Jul 2009
A carbon price of $100 to $200 per tonne is being assumed to generate estimates that New Zealand households will face a $3000-a-year bill for cutting emissions by 15 per cent, says the Business Council for Sustainable Development.
Business backs 20% emissions cut target
31 Jul 2009
The New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development has advised the Government to set a unilateral target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent by 2020.
No new tree planting under this Parliament, say Kyoto forest owners
31 Jul 2009
Climate Change Minister Nick Smith is "badly misreading commercial and economic realities" if he thinks the Government's planned changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme will lead to the private sector resuming tree planting, the Kyoto Forestry Association says.
Guarantee for good biofuel moves closer
31 Jul 2009
A guarantee that biofuels in New Zealand are good for the environment moved a step closer this week as a Member’s Bill from Green Party MP Jeanette Fitzsimons passed its first reading in the House with widespread support.
ETS in place by December, says Smith
31 Jul 2009
The Government aims to have an amended emissions trading scheme in place by December.
Our ag emissions in the spotlight, says minister
24 Jul 2009
Europe and Britain are watching New Zealand’s efforts to mitigate agricultural emissions, says Agriculture Minister David Carter.
Forum: Excluding agriculture from ETS neither principled nor smart
24 Jul 2009
New Zealand asking to exempt agriculture from the scheme to replace the Kyoto Treaty, is as credible as Saudi Arabia asking for the exemption of oil.
Government misreading public mood for free ride for agriculture?
24 Jul 2009
There appears to be little public tolerance for a freer ride for agriculture under New Zealand's ETS, despite a Ministerial claim to the contrary.
Companies link to hasten biofuel production
24 Jul 2009
Two New Zealand companies are joining forces to clean up water and produce biofuel.
IPCC to elevate plight of poorest countries
24 Jul 2009
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will use its next assessment due in 2014 to look at how the impact of global warming is falling unequally on the poorest developing countries.
Nike says no more leather from Amazon
24 Jul 2009
Sports shoes manufacturer Nike has announced that it will no longer use leather that comes from farms near the Amazon rainforest.
Agriculture (at last) on world emissions agenda
17 Jul 2009
Agricultural emissions are finally on the agenda for international climate change negotiators.
Govt sees NZ as leader in ag emissions research
17 Jul 2009
The Government is about to announce a formal proposal to promote New Zealand as a virtual centre for research on international agricultural emissions mitigation.
Low carbon: How Britain plans to do it
17 Jul 2009
In its low carbon transition white paper, the British government sets out how it intends to meet its binding carbon budget across all sectors.
US ready to lead on climate change, Chu tells China
17 Jul 2009
US Energy Secretary Steven Chu has told an audience in China that the United States is now ready to lead in the fight against climate change.
Babydoll sheep to cut emissions at vineyard
17 Jul 2009
In his quest to develop the world’s leading sustainable vineyard, Peter Yealands has come up with a novel way to keep the grass down at his 1000 hectare vineyard in the most sustainable way.
Maori Party might support Nats' ETS changes
14 Jul 2009
The Maori Party will today ask iwi leaders whether it should support the National Government’s changes to the emissions trading scheme – potentially giving it the majority it needs in Parliament.
Reluctant farmers ready to set reduction target
14 Jul 2009
Federated Farmers will set its policy on New Zealand’s 2020 emissions reduction target later this week - but the federation is still holding out for the emissions trading scheme to be scrapped.
Small miner puts case for use of coal
14 Jul 2009
Otago miner Kai Point Coal Co is using mass and boutique retail marketing techniques to sell its product.
Need for balance in climate change targets, says Meat & Wool New Zealand
14 Jul 2009
New Zealand’s post-2012 climate change policies, including any 2020 emissions target, must balance environmental and financial implications, says Meat & Wool New Zealand chairman Mike Petersen.
Soil carbon question difficult, says minister
10 Jul 2009
Climate Change Issues Minister Nick Smith says that soil carbon sequestration is a double-edged sword.
We're no climate deniers, says farm leader
10 Jul 2009
Farmers are not climate change deniers, says Federated Farmers’ president and new climate change spokesman Don Nicolson.
ANALYSIS: And in the red corner ...
10 Jul 2009
New Zealand is in the middle of a powerful, if somewhat veiled, vice when it comes to the emissions trading scheme.
Voluntary soil carbon market on the way
7 Jul 2009
New Zealand is on the road to establishing a voluntary soil carbon market.
Could rice possibly be the new concrete?
7 Jul 2009
Concrete is the world's most abundant building material; rice is one of the world's most abundant food crops. Now, one group of researchers is putting the two together to try to make concrete more environmentally friendly.
Un-baa-lievable ... Scottish sheep are shrinking
7 Jul 2009
Along with polar icecaps and sandy beaches, sheep on a remote Scottish island are gradually shrinking as a result of global warming, say reasearchers.
Millions face climate-related hunger, says Oxfam
7 Jul 2009
Shifting seasons are destroying harvests and causing widespread hunger – but this is just one of the multiple climate change impacts taking their toll on the world’s poorest people – says a new report launched from Oxfam.
More Aucklanders than ever taking climate action
Mon 8 Dec 2025
Media release: Auckland Council | Aucklanders are embracing climate action in record numbers, with more people getting involved each year and the momentum is building.
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.
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.
NSW government, energy company under fire after native bird habitat cleared for renewables project
Fri 5 Dec 2025
A New South Wales government-backed renewable energy project has been accused of environmental vandalism after dozens of threatened birds were found in native trees it had cleared.
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 conduct pioneer passes on the baton
Mon 8 Dec 2025
Media release | The International Carbon Reduction and Offsetting Alliance (ICROA), a pioneer in early voluntary carbon market conduct, has announced that it will wind down operations by late 2026.
What Victoria auditor-general's report actually says about so-called 'transition chaos'
Mon 8 Dec 2025
Mainstream media loves a electricity blackout scare, but in the wake of this week’s report from the Victorian auditor-general on the state of the state’s transition to renewables, the headline hysteria hit new heights.
Carbon auction tipped to be a non-event
2 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Tomorrow’s Emissions Trading Scheme auction is all but certain to fail, with participants blaming the government for destroying confidence as NZUs continue to change hands on the secondary market at a 40% discount on the $68 auction floor.
Hello, foreign oligarchs and corporations! Please come and sue the UK for billions
Wed 3 Dec 2025
COMMENT: The case of a planned Cumbrian coalmine shows how governments around the world are being threatened by litigation in shadowy offshore courts.
Investors must support positive climate-tech
28 Nov 2025
OPINION: We need better leadership than the current ‘climate opportunism’ that is rife in the Beehive, and we need to back a marketplace that will make it happen, writes Rob Campbell.
$235 billion worth of NZ buildings exposed to flooding
30 Oct 2025
More than 750,000 New Zealanders live in locations exposed to one-in-100-year floods, according to a nationwide study which shows escalating flood risk.
Al Gore's case for optimism
Mon 8 Dec 2025
This year’s United Nations climate summit in Belém, Brazil had everything: A literal flood, a literal fire, a record-breaking 1,600+ fossil fuel lobbyists, and delegates from oil-producing nations working overtime.
Govt ‘scaremongering’ over co-operation – former climate ambassador
Fri 5 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s former top climate diplomat, Kay Harrison, says the Government’s recent comments ruling out buying climate mitigation offshore amount to scaremongering, and the country is missing a chance to give our businesses a boost.
Trans-Tasman ministers push climate cooperation amid NZ retreat from climate commitments
Mon 8 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Last week's 2+2 Climate and Finance Ministers’ Dialogue in Auckland urged deeper trans-Tasman climate cooperation, despite New Zealand’s recent moves to weaken climate policies.
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.
Southland's waters warming faster
Mon 8 Dec 2025
Matthew Rosenberg, Local Democracy Reporter | Waters are warming in Murihiku Southland at higher rates than elsewhere, with implications for fisheries and habitats.
NZ marine heatwaves could double in intensity under high-emissions pathway
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.
Uncertainty eroding confidence in forestry sector
Fri 5 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Warnings are mounting that tree planting is set to plunge to “very close to zero”, as new Ministry for Primary Industries data shows ETS registration applications falling sharply as confidence in forestry declines.
Media round-up
Fri 5 Dec 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Labour’s chronic evasiveness as the Government reneges on climate change; newly released documents reveal the country's new methane target is associated with 'perilous' 2.7C of warming; and New Zealand's 'pitiful' decision on emissions targets comes with costs.
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.”
Analysis: Why COP30’s ‘tripling adaptation finance’ target is less ambitious than it seems
Fri 5 Dec 2025
One of the headline outcomes to emerge from COP30 was a new target to “at least triple” finance for climate adaptation in developing countries by 2035.
Climate comments ‘outrageous’ – former top climate negotiator
Wed 3 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s former climate ambassador, Kay Harrison, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ recent statements that the Government had ruled out buying offshore climate mitigation are “outrageous”.
TotalEnergies loses in Paris court, marking a turning point for fossil fuel truth-in-advertising
5 Nov 2025
TotalEnergies was found to have misled consumers about its role in the energy transition.
Tribunal warns govt geothermal strategy risks Treaty breach
2 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government's geothermal development strategy risks breaching the Treaty of Waitangi, according to a report from the Waitangi Tribunal released last week.
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.
Insurers welcome govt decision to keep NHC levy unchanged
21 Nov 2025
Media release |The Insurance Council of New Zealand | Te Kāhui Inihua o Aotearoa (ICNZ) has welcomed the Government’s decision to leave the Natural Hazards Commission levy unchanged, amid ongoing concerns around the cost-of-living.
Why I’m not outraged at the Govt’s latest climate backsliding
7 Nov 2025
COMMENT: The Government’s latest climate rollbacks underline New Zealand’s long history of a lack of genuine desire to cut emissions, writes Geoff Bertram.
NZ’s rejection of emission targets fuels risk of international law breach
Mon 8 Dec 2025
By Karen Scott, Professor in Law, University of Canterbury | The New Zealand government’s decision this week to reject all of the Climate Change Commission’s emission target recommendations was just the latest in a string of policy statements that weaken the country’s action on climate.
NZ fails to back ‘roadmap’ to phase out fossil fuels at COP
24 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | Eighty-six countries including Australia, the UK, Germany, and Ireland backed a proposal at COP30 for national plans on how to quit oil, gas and coal – but New Zealand wasn’t one of them.
Media round-up
28 Nov 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: How the oil and gas industry helped rewrite New Zealand’s drilling rules, confusion reigns as the climate minister appears unaware of his own announcement, and the fierce battle over mining on Denniston Plateau.
Govt's emissions ‘buffer’ an illusion with all NZ's carbon budgets off track
28 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Dr Christina Hood, head of consultancy Compass Climate, says the Government’s claim that New Zealand has a comfortable emissions “buffer” to absorb higher agricultural pollution is misleading, with projections showing emissions budgets are actually set to be missed in real terms.
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.
Storms in the Southern Ocean are producing more rain – and the consequences could be global
Mon 8 Dec 2025
Storms in the Southern Ocean influence weather patterns across Australia, New Zealand and the globe.
Govt rejects advice on international aviation and shipping emissions
Thu 4 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government has rejected all the Climate Change Commission’s recommendations to strengthen emissions targets.
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.
Govt green lights rural recycling scheme
Thu 4 Dec 2025
The Government has approved new regulations to bring rural waste schemes under one unified framework.
Govt to unveil RMA replacement as summer looms
Mon 8 Dec 2025
The last session of Parliament for the year begins this week, and the Government is expected to introduce the legislation that will replace the Resource Management Act.
Shipping movements disrupted as climate change protesters block coal ships
2 Dec 2025
NSW police have arrested 141 people who attempted to block the shipping channel in Newcastle Harbour during Rising Tide protests, which began on Thursday.
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.
Rare win for renewable energy: Trump administration funds geothermal network expansion
Fri 5 Dec 2025
A first-in-the-nation heating and cooling network in Massachusetts is set to double in size.
NZ's ‘missed opportunity’ on aviation and shipping emissions
Fri 5 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s refusal to include international aviation and shipping in New Zealand’s 2050 climate target has been met with disappointment from climate experts, who say the decision undermines accountability for a transport-reliant nation, and misses a critical opportunity to strengthen New Zealand’s climate leadership.
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.
Pollution from coal plants was dropping. Then came Trump and AI.
1 Dec 2025
Data centres’ hunger for electricity is prompting some states to keep their coal-burning power plants from closing – while DC relaxes air pollution limits.
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.
Spain announces $1.5 billion package to boost electric vehicle market
Fri 5 Dec 2025
Spain's plan includes 400 million euros in direct subsidies in 2026 for consumers to buy EVs.
Treasury to offer first stab at climate liabilities pre-election
Thu 4 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The Treasury will make a first attempt at accounting for Crown liabilities arising from New Zealand’s international climate change commitments in next year’s pre-election economic and fiscal update.
Kaicycle celebrates ten years of collective climate action in Pōneke
14 Nov 2025
Media release: Kaicycle | Since 2015, Kaicycle has grown from a humble pilot project growing kai and collecting compost on bicycles into the thriving urban farm and composting hub that Wellingtonians know and love.
Study provides a step-change in understanding NZ’s groundwater
28 Nov 2025
Media release | Earth Sciences New Zealand has developed a world-first National Groundwater Age Map and a powerful suite of tools to support the sustainable management of our hidden groundwater resources, from national through to local scales.
‘The effects are already here’: Northland communities face the realities of a changed climate
Fri 5 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Te Taitokerau Northland is facing more intense storms, rising temperatures and shifting seasons – pressures that are reshaping communities, ecosystems, infrastructure and livelihoods across the region, according to a new case study from the Climate Change Commission.
NZ’s energy system at a crossroads – report
21 Nov 2025
A new report says New Zealand’s rapid shift toward a 95% renewable electricity system is at a critical turning point, urging faster consenting, stronger firming solutions and better grid planning.
