Topics tagged with 'Agriculture'
NZ could pay the price for Australian energy targets
27 Jan 2009
Australia’s mandatory renewable energy target of 20 per cent by 2020 could cost New Zealand investment dollars.
Dairy farmers place orders for local biogas system
27 Jan 2009
The first commercial orders have been placed for the Landcorp-backed BioGenCool biogas energy system for dairy farms.
Biofuels a sham, says Goldsmith's ecology magazine
27 Jan 2009
The Wellington-based Pacific Institute of Resource Management - the Australasian arm of millionaire environmentalist Teddy Goldsmith - is denouncing the push for sustainable biofuels as the “most appalling sham.”
Leading investors call for US 'green recovery'
27 Jan 2009
A group of 44 US and international investors managing more than $1.7 trillion in assets has called on Congressional leaders to include significant funding for energy efficiency, clean energy and clean transportation in the economic stimulus bill being debated this week in Congress.
Submissions open on Turitea wind farm
27 Jan 2009
Mighty River’s plan to build a 122-turbine wind farm at Turitea, near Palmerston North, is open for public submission.
Deadline looms for owners to report deforestation
23 Jan 2009
Owners of pre-1990 forests have just over a week to report any deforestation last year as the government starts the massive job of accounting for changes in land use.
Europe votes to ban toxic chemicals in pesticides
23 Jan 2009
The European Parliament has voted to ban the use of several toxic chemicals in pesticides and has put in place new rules to protect the public and the environment from other pesticides.
It's all win-win for no-till farmers, says scientist
20 Jan 2009
New Zealand farmers could be collecting carbon credits, cutting crop production costs and boosting yield all at the same time, says a New Zealand scientist.
Farming attitude change could slash NZ emissions
16 Jan 2009
New Zealand could cut its greenhouse gas emissions by two million tonnes a year by moving to no-tillage farming.
Ministry hunts out experts to boost green exports info
16 Jan 2009
Work is under way to address a critical skill-shortage in the area of greenhouse gas lifecycle analysis, which is threatening our exports.
Emissions trading will increase Aussie grazing costs
16 Jan 2009
Emissions trading could increase the production costs for livestock by 18 per cent by 2030 if farmers have to offset methane emissions from their cattle and sheep, according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE).
Peru planting 40 million trees to fight climate change
16 Jan 2009
Peru has embarked an ambitious project to plant 40 million trees in three months to help to deter the effects of climate change.
Emerging economies more concerned, but optimistic about solving climate change
16 Jan 2009
Consumers in emerging economies are more concerned and willing to take actions against climate change than those in developed countries, according to global research by Accenture.
New investment in climate change research
16 Jan 2009
Agriculture and Forestry Minister David Carter has announced over $10 million in funding for research projects designed to help the agriculture and forestry sectors adapt and respond to climate change.
National will have to do better than announce old policy , says Anderton
16 Jan 2009
The National Party is to be congratulated for finally recognising the importance of climate change mitigation for farmers, but it’s a bit cheeky to act as if it has a new fund of money, Opposition agriculture spokesman Jim Anderton says.
Used cooking oil slashes hot water power bill by 92%
16 Jan 2009
A Kaikoura backpackers has slashed a massive 92 per cent off the cost of its hot water bill by re-using cooking oil from local takeaways and restaurants to fire its boiler.
Environment Court confirms Mahinerangi windfarm
22 Dec 2008
The Environment Court has confirmed the resource consent conditions for TrustPower's proposed Mahinerangi Windfarm.
Environmental footprinting expertise funded
22 Dec 2008
Proposals are being sought to establish New Zealand's first professorship for the study of the environmental footprint of our primary products, the Minister of Agriculture & Forestry Hon David Carter announced today.
2008 among 10 warmest years on record, UN experts say
19 Dec 2008
The year 2008 is likely to rank as the 10th warmest year on record since the beginning of the instrumental climate records in 1850, although the global average temperature was slightly lower than previous years of the 21st century, according to United Nations weather experts.
Board of inquiry into Turitea wind farm proposal
19 Dec 2008
Environment Minister Nick Smith today announced his decision to refer the Mighty River Power proposal for a 131-turbine wind farm at Turitea, near Palmerston North, to an independent Board of Inquiry.
Australia sets minimum target of 5% emissions cut
16 Dec 2008
The Rudd Government has set Australia a minimum target to cut emissions by 5 per cent by 2020, based on year 2000 levels.
Banks praise direct selling of carbon credits
16 Dec 2008
Trust Power’s direct marketing of its own carbon credits is being applauded in banking circles.
Environmental sustainability key issue, say advisers
12 Dec 2008
Environmental sustainability is now a central issue for New Zealand, say top government advisers.
Hugh Green: Contractor turns oil and gas hunter
12 Dec 2008
Little-known outside the contracting business in which he made his fortune, Irish-born Hugh Green has quietly become New Zealand’s pre-eminent independent oil and gas explorer.
Climate experts begin to doubt renewables, says survey
12 Dec 2008
Support for renewable energy technology to fight global warming is weakening in the face of worldwide economic problems and the true scale of the carbon reductions required, a new survey has suggested.
Wairarapa pine planters mourn loss of ETS millions
9 Dec 2008
Wairarapa’s long-established pine forests would have generated the best part of $5 million for their owners if the emissions trading scheme had gone ahead, says carbon trader Greenair.
UN defends American attack on carbon trading scheme
9 Dec 2008
The UN’s top climate official has defended a global trading scheme to reduce greenhouse gas emissions after the US government released a report questioning its efficacy.
Australian paper questions role of carbon trading
9 Dec 2008
A discussion paper released in Australia yesterday suggests that carbon trading alone will not be enough to stimulate a significant bioenergy industry in that country.
Research to reduce run-off effects
9 Dec 2008
Protecting marine environments from unnecessary waste runoff has been a top priority for Victoria University researcher Bruce Dudley.
We should put a price on water, says Treasury
5 Dec 2008
Treasury is floating the prospect of a market price for water.
Food disaster looms in Pacific, says UN report
5 Dec 2008
Disasters linked to climate change such as cyclones, flash floods and droughts are likely to have a serious impact on food production in Pacific island nations, a new United Nations report warns.
UK airport tax 'reprisal' for NZ stand on food miles
5 Dec 2008
Britain’s $240-a-head airport surcharge scheme amounts to a reprisal against New Zealand's stance on the food miles issue, some industry sources believe.
Hawaii signs up for electric car network
5 Dec 2008
Hawaii has become the first US state to confirm it will establish a network of electric car stations to wean the islands off oil.
ETS review could damage farming, says Pedersen
2 Dec 2008
Former farming leader Charlie Pedersen, who championed the need for agriculture to be in the New Zealand emissions trading scheme even though he felt isolated and unsupported, is warning that the farming sector could be damaged by the review of the climate change and the ETS.
British bulldog snarls Kyoto message Downunder
2 Dec 2008
A strong coded message is being sent from No 10 Downing Street to government heads in New Zealand and Australia: do not deviate from your planned commitments to Kyoto.
We're risking our clean reputation, says organics chief
2 Dec 2008
New Zealand risks scoring a “spectacular own-goal” if it backs away from its proactive stance on climate change, a leading agricultural lobbyist says.
District council factors in 10% cost of ETS
2 Dec 2008
Stratford District Council will factor in a 10 per cent increase in operating costs from 2011 to cover the increased transport and reporting costs under the current ETS, and “perhaps” a 5 per cent increase in its farm operating budget from 2013.
UK climate chief cracks down on coal-fired energy
2 Dec 2008
Britain’s chief climate change adviser has come down hard on coal, saying new coal-fired power stations should be built only on the understanding that they would be retro-fitted with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology by the early 2020s.
Anxious EMA wants to meet ministers on ETS review
28 Nov 2008
The Employers and Manufacturers' Association is seeking urgent meetings with government ministers to express concern that a review of the emissions trading scheme might include questioning whether human-induced climate change is real.
Govt mum on position for Poznan
28 Nov 2008
Government ministers and officials are tight-lipped the position New Zealand will take at next week’s Poznan talks preparing for next year’s Copenhagen conference on the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.
CO2 levels reach highest point … and still growing
28 Nov 2008
Levels of climate-warming greenhouse gases continue to increase in the atmosphere, the World Meteorological Organisation says in its latest report.
FORUM: How the world will look in 2025
28 Nov 2008
A report by the Atlantic Council, an American non-partisan think tank The international system - as constructed following the Second World War - will be almost unrecognizable by 2025 owing to the rise of emerging powers, a globalising economy, an historic transfer of relative wealth and economic power from West to East, and the growing influence of nonstate actors.
FORUM: more wind means more power
25 Nov 2008
Wind Energy Association chief executive Fraser Clark finds positive news in a report on the relationship between wind and water.
Electricity from coal seam gas now on the national grid
25 Nov 2008
New Zealand has a new source of electricity following the connection to the national grid of a 1MW generator driven by coal seam gas from Solid Energy’s pilot field near Huntly in the Waikato.
Report deals blow to wind-and-water power backers
21 Nov 2008
A new report to members of the Major Electricity Users’ Group appears to have dashed the hopes of supporters of the idea of infinitely available sustainable energy through wind and water.
Voluntary carbon market first to embrace REDD
21 Nov 2008
The Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) has become the first global carbon accounting standard to introduce robust rules designed to unlock vital funding for credible agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFOLU) projects.
DECEMBER 8-9: Bioenergy Australia conference
21 Nov 2008
The prospect of bioenergy becoming a major renewable energy source for transport fuels, heat and power will be up for discussion at Bioenergy Australia 2008, the bioenergy conference to be held in Melbourne next month.
ETS delay deal scuppers forestry project worth millions
18 Nov 2008
A $125 million forestry project has been scrapped and scores of forestry jobs lost as a result of a deal between the Act and the new National government to review the emissions trading scheme.
Beware the brown peril – the abc of ABCs
18 Nov 2008
A three kilometre-thick "brown cloud" of man-made pollution, which stretches from the Arabian Peninsula to China to the western Pacific Ocean, is making Asian cities darker, speeding up the melting of Himalayan glaciers and affecting human health, according to a new United Nations Environment Programme report.
Arnie orders full steam ahead on climate strategy
18 Nov 2008
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has ordered state agencies to begin preparing for the projected impacts of global warming on the economy, people and natural resources.
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.
