Topics tagged with 'Agriculture'
UK sued over plan to import more polluting Australian beef
25 May 2023
Campaigners have challenged the UK government over its assessment of an imminent free trade agreement with Australia, which critics say ignored the full climate impact of meat farming and consumption.
Canterbury receives nearly $2M funding for soil conservation
18 May 2023
Media release | Environment Canterbury’s Soil Conservation and Revegetation Programme (SCAR) receives $1,902,359 in funding, which will support farmers with erosion-prone land across North Canterbury.
Leading US carbon farming programme paid $5.1 million in 2022
18 May 2023
Truterra LLC, the carbon farming and sustainable agriculture unit of cooperative Land O'Lakes Inc, paid U.S. farmers $5.1 million in 2022 for capturing and storing 262,000 metric tons of carbon via sustainable practices.
US, UAE announced climate farming fund has grown to $13 bn
9 May 2023
Funding for a global initiative aimed at creating more environmentally friendly and climate-resilient farming has grown to $13 billion, co-leaders the United States and the United Arab Emirates said Monday.
Dairy farmer uses multi-species, legumes and charcoal to combat climate change
9 May 2023
Summer arrives sooner and the hot, dry winds linger longer than when David Vonhoff was a child helping his parents on the farm.
Agriculture minister attends US/UAE sponsored summit
8 May 2023
Agriculture minister Damien O’Connor is in Washington DC attending the Agricultural Innovation Mission for Climate Summit organised by the US and the United Arab Emirates.
Inside big beef’s climate messaging machine: confuse, defend and downplay
4 May 2023
The US beef industry is creating an army of influencers and citizen activists to help amplify a message that will be key to its future success: that you shouldn’t be too worried about the growing attention around the environmental impacts of its production.
Ireland commits €169 million for climate transition in peat-dependent "midlands"
4 May 2023
Ireland is committing €169 million to help the country’s so-called ‘midlands’ to transition away from the carbon-intensive fossil energy industry.
Soybean crops can take advantage of climate change to increase productivity
2 May 2023
As the climate continues to warm, atmospheric drying — the reduction of the amount of water the air can hold — is becoming a major concern for crop producers around the world.
Climate change endangering Australian wine
1 May 2023
In 2008, the Brown family watched on helplessly as destructive bushfires ripped through the Victoria countryside. For them, it was a wakeup call.
Barn-fed animals will have far lower emissions than NZ produced meat: Rod Carr
26 Apr 2023
Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr says Europe's barn-fed livestock will increasingly have a far lower carbon footprint than meat produced in New Zealand.
Business leaders outline election priorities to drive climate action
26 Apr 2023
Media release - Sustainable Business Council | The Sustainable Business Council (SBC) and Climate Leaders Coalition (CLC) have laid out their joint climate policy priorities for political parties to consider as they gear up for October’s General Election.
Restaurant menu labels could help fight climate change: new research
18 Apr 2023
If people had more information about the carbon footprint generated by the food they eat, would they make different decisions when ordering in restaurants?
Tiny decrease in gross emissions, net emissions up slightly
14 Apr 2023
New Zealand’s net emissions increased slightly in 2021 - by 3% - while gross emissions were down a tiny 0.7% on the previous year, a slight reduction in gross emissions for the second consecutive year.
NZ farmers would benefit from playing long game
13 Apr 2023
The Conversation - Anita Wreford, John Tobias Saunder, Meike Guenther | The recent report issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) underscores the urgency of emissions reductions.
Agribusiness and govt investment fund gives $1.8m to methane inhibiting start-up
12 Apr 2023
The Centre for Climate Action, the new agribusiness and government joint venture, has made its first investment of almost $1.8 million in a start-up aiming to reduce methane emissions from dairy and beef cattle.
Growing rice and raising animals together creates a synergistic ecosystem
6 Apr 2023
A traditional Southeast Asian rice farming technique of raising fish and other aquatic livestock in paddies has potential to meet global food demands, improve the health of both people and the environment and earn producers an additional $150 billion a year worldwide, a new study finds.
British author and climate activist accuses Silver Fern Farms of greenwashing
31 Mar 2023
British author and climate activist George Monbiot has hit out at what he calls “meatwashing” by New Zealand’s Silver Fern Farms.
Study highlights potential of Africa's 'forgotten' food crops for climate resilience and nutrition
31 Mar 2023
Scientists have identified several forgotten food crops in sub-Saharan Africa that can be incorporated into the cropping system to support climate resilience and nutrition in the region. The study has been published in the journal PNAS.
Meat and dairy giants face $24bn of climate-related losses by 2030
30 Mar 2023
That is according to a new report from investor coalition FAIRR, which convenes members with more than $70trn of assets under management in a drive to improve sustainability-related engagement between investors and companies in the protein sectors.
Best by the rest...
24 Mar 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: the Climate Change Commision wants the Government to explain why it rejected advice; meanwhile, the commission failed to win legal costs from Lawyers for Climate Action NZ; and the Labour-Green coalition is under pressure as Labour dumps climate policies.
Climate resilient vertical farming gets govt funding boost
22 Mar 2023
The government is investing $3.53 million in a vertical farming venture that uses up to 95% less water, is climate resilient, and pesticide-free.
Plan to reduce emissions will have unintended consequences on Australian agriculture, farmers say
20 Mar 2023
A debate is raging over what role carbon offsets and agriculture will play as Australia deals with the complicated task of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Only 3% are aware of meat’s impact on the climate
17 Mar 2023
Despite accounting for the same quantity of emissions as transport globally, only 3 per cent of people in the UK, US, France and Brazil think livestock farming is a leading cause of global warming, according to exclusive polling shared with Spotlight.
A warmer, wetter climate challenges a Chinese eco-farm
17 Mar 2023
In recent years, a new narrative has appeared on Chinese social media: that a warmer and wetter climate in Northwest China will herald a return to the “golden age” of the Tang dynasty (618–907 AD).
Trees can only partly offset agricultural emissions: Environment commissioner
13 Mar 2023
Environment Commissioner Simon Upton has outlined the mammoth task facing the agriculture sector in reducing biological methane emissions to meet targets.
Dutch farmers, climate activists hold protests in The Hague
13 Mar 2023
More than 10,000 Dutch farmers protested in The Hague on Saturday against the government's plans to limit nitrogen emissions.
Chinese rice farming trials cut methane emissions
13 Mar 2023
In a mountain village in south-west China, the local people are playing a guessing game. A new climate-friendly way of growing rice is being trialed here that will reduce methane emissions. So, what’s the difference in yield between it and the conventional method?
Dairy-alternative Kiwi start-up raises $1.5 million in seed funding round
10 Mar 2023
Daisy Lab, a precision fermentation start up, has successfully closed an oversubscribed $1.5 million seed funding round.
Global food systems can cause world to exceed temperature targets: study
7 Mar 2023
A new study by climate scientists sheds light on the significant role food systems will play in future global warming and what can be done about it.
Govt announces $9.5 million in funding for agricultural greenhouse gas research
2 Mar 2023
The government yesterday announced an additional $9.55 million dollars for research into reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.
Emissions up for third consecutive quarter, driven by increased use of coal and gas
1 Mar 2023
New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions increased 0.8% in the June 2022 quarter, up 161 kilotonnes from the previous quarter, despite a 7.5% fall in manufacturing emissions (194 kilotonnes).
Climate-resistant grapes? Spanish winemakers revive ancient varieties
1 Mar 2023
The ads – tucked in the corners of local newspapers and directed at winemakers – began turning up across Catalonia in the 1980s. “If you know where to find any uncommon grape varieties, please get in touch,” they read.
Less roast pork, more lentils needed to reach Denmark's climate targets - govt adviser
1 Mar 2023
Danes should replace two-thirds of their meat intake with vegetables and other plants as part of efforts to reach the country's ambitious climate targets by the end of the decade, the government's independent adviser said on Tuesday.
Farmers for Climate Action rally in Washington
28 Feb 2023
Farmers and farm organisations from across the country will rally in Washington, D.C., March 6-8 to advocate for a 2023 Farm Bill that addresses and supports climate solutions.
National Party leader Christopher Luxon slams govt’s climate change record
27 Feb 2023
National Party leader Christopher Luxon slammed the government’s track record on climate change in a speech over the weekend but failed to propose a single alternative policy.
Japan researchers working to reduce climate impact of cow burps
27 Feb 2023
The project led by Yasuo Kobayashi, a specially appointed professor in the Graduate School of Agriculture at Hokkaido University, aims to reduce cows' methane emissions by 80 percent by 2050.
Taxing farming vital for Denmark's climate target: govt adviser
21 Feb 2023
Denmark should aim to reduce beef and dairy production by levying an emissions tax on farming of 750 Danish crowns (NZ$172) per tonne in order to reach its ambitious climate targets, the government's independent adviser says.
China: What the world’s largest food system means for climate change
21 Feb 2023
In 2019, China’s giant food system produced 1.9bn tonnes of CO2 equivalent – around the same as the total annual emissions of Russia, the world’s fourth largest polluter.
Climate change is redrawing the coffee growing map
20 Feb 2023
Harvesting coffee is a delicate process that occurs just once per year in the plant’s 20 year lifetime, and only after reaching around four years old.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand respond to meat lobby financing academic research claims
16 Feb 2023
Beef + Lamb New Zealand respond to a Carbon News story about its support for a tour of New Zealand by US academic Dr Frank Mitloehner who the New York Times has reported receives millions of dollars in funding from the meat industry in the United States.
Outcry as scientists sanctioned for climate protest
16 Feb 2023
More than 2000 researchers from around the world have signed a letter asking the American Geophysical Union (AGU) to reverse actions it took against two scientists who briefly protested at its annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois, in December.
UK climate activist George Monbiot speaking at NZ EDS conference
14 Feb 2023
The Environmental Defence Society’s upcoming conference will feature the UK’s bestselling climate change author and environmental activist George Monbiot, as well as speakers from across New Zealand’s political spectrum.
EU organics organisation warns of 'greenwashing' of food products
14 Feb 2023
Greenwashing misleads and confuses consumers, misdirects investments and policy and undermines serious regenerative actors, the European umbrella organisation for organics said.
Controversial researcher touring NZ with Beef + Lamb sponsorship
13 Feb 2023
NZ Beef + Lamb are sponsoring a tour of New Zealand universities by a researcher the New York Times has reported receives millions in funding from the meat industry in the United States.
Carbon emissions from fertilisers could be reduced by as much as 80% by 2050
10 Feb 2023
Researchers have calculated the carbon footprint for the full life cycle of fertilisers, which are responsible for approximately 5% of total greenhouse gas emissions—the first time this has been accurately quantified—and found that carbon emissions could be reduced to one-fifth of current levels by 2050.
Can Danone reach its climate goals without scaling back dairy farming?
10 Feb 2023
Last month, the French food company Danone — owner of milk and yogurt brands like Activia and Horizon Organics — pledged to cut absolute methane emissions from its milk supply chains by 30% by 2030, making it the first major food company with a methane-specific emissions target.
China’s rice farming trials cut methane emissions and increase yields
9 Feb 2023
In a mountain village in south-west China, the local people are playing a guessing game. A new climate-friendly way of growing rice is being trialled here that will reduce methane emissions. So, what’s the difference in yield between it and the conventional method?
Costs could rise even more in 2023—and thousands of CEOs blame climate change
8 Feb 2023
Thousands of CEOs say they expect 2023′s high prices to rise even more over the course of the year. Their reason: climate change.
Oat milk in NZ uses 93% less emissions than dairy: study
3 Feb 2023
Media release - A new study released today shows farming oats in New Zealand is much more sustainable than dairy, but dairy is still more profitable.
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.
Does NZ need a national incentive scheme for wetlands?
Fri 25 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | An expert is calling for a national incentive programme to restore New Zealand’s wetlands and wants to stop schemes to drain these vital carbon-sequestering ecosystems.
At least 30 killed and several missing as heavy rains and floods lash northern China
Today 11:45am
Thousands of people were evacuated as the region, including the capital Beijing, braced for more rainfall overnight.
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.
Multi-day protest continues at coal mine
Today 11:45am
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.
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?
Common low-grade clay strengthens low-carbon concrete
5 Jun 2025
Media release | Engineers at RMIT University have converted low-grade clay into a high-performance cement supplement, opening a potential new market in sustainable construction materials.
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.
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.
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.
A third of ‘slum residents’ in global south are exposed to disastrous flood risks
Today 11:45am
One in three people in informal settlements in the global south live in floodplains and are at risk of a “disastrous flood”.
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.
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.
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.
SBTi releases Net Zero Standard for banks, investors
Thu 24 Jul 2025
The Science Based Targets initiative announced the release of its finalised Financial Institutions Net-Zero Standard, aimed at enabling banks and investors to set net zero-aligned targets for their lending, investing, insurance and capital markets activities.
NZ part of hidden global deep-sea network beneath the waves
Fri 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.
Methanex closure comes early this year
14 May 2025
The almost-now-annual closure of Methanex has come earlier this year, giving more confidence that the electricity system will get through the winter without a fuel shortfall.
Taranaki mayors want hydrogen kick-start from Wellington
Mon 28 Jul 2025
By Craig Ashworth, Local Democracy Reporter Taranaki mayors want central government to partner up with their councils to kick-start a hydrogen industry. This despite ongoing questions about the gas’s effectiveness in reducing carbon emissions.
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.
The ICJ’s ruling means Australia and other major polluters face a new era of climate reparations
Fri 25 Jul 2025
By Harj Narulla | OPINION: Australia has found itself on the wrong side of history.
All aboard for passenger rail in the golden triangle
Mon 28 Jul 2025
Media release – The Future Is Rail | New Zealand’s national passenger rail advocacy group, The Future is Rail, has announced its strong support for the Green Party’s proposal to establish a new passenger rail service connecting Auckland and Tauranga.
Urgent action needed to get on track for climate goals - commission
Fri 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
Thu 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.
Media round-up
Fri 25 Jul 2025
In our round-up of the climate coverage in local media: Dairy conversions surge; Gore is hit with a drinking water crisis; meanwhile farming lobby groups Groundswell and Federated Farmers are up in arms about a plan to classify environmental impacts in the agriculture and forestry sector.
As US climate data-gathering is gutted, Australian forecasting is now at real risk
Today 11:45am
As damage from climate change intensifies, political change overseas is threatening Australia’s ability to track what’s happening now, and predict what will happen next.
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.
China's carbon emissions may have peaked thanks to renewables push
Mon 28 Jul 2025
Climate experts say China's carbon emissions may have peaked, which could affect global climate targets, the fight against global warming – and the Australian coal industry.
Ocean heatwaves may signal climate tipping point
Fri 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.
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.
