Topics tagged with 'Agriculture'
Carbon-sniffing satellite sleuth readies for launch
18 Nov 2008
NASA's first spacecraft dedicated to studying carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earth's climate, has arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, to begin final launch preparations.
Govt must unravel carbon standards rules, says consultant
14 Nov 2008
A global environmental and engineering consultancy is calling on the new government to help New Zealand companies to cope with the implications of Britain’s new carbon standards.
$11.75m for rural projects
14 Nov 2008
The new funding round for the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's Sustainable Farming Fund opens today.
Farmers upset over permit-to-farm decision
14 Nov 2008
Farmers say they are "completely gutted" by an Environment Court decision that will require Taupo farmers to seek a permit to farm.
Hide stands firm: ETS should be scrapped
11 Nov 2008
The future of the emissions trading scheme is back on the table today as National and Act continue negotiations to form a government.
Time for another look at carbon tax, say farmers
11 Nov 2008
Federated Farmers wants the carbon tax revisited.
O'Reilly questions future of leadership forum
11 Nov 2008
Business New Zealand chief Phil O’Reilly is questioning the future role of the Leadership Forum on Climate Change in overhauling the emissions trading scheme, saying that it is highly politicised.
Hitch-a-ride pioneer adopts TradeMe approach
11 Nov 2008
A small New Zealand internet-based transport-sharing service might be only a month old, but already it has its eyes on the European market.
BP decisions big blow to Britain’s energy hopes
11 Nov 2008
International oil giant BP has dealt a double blow to Britain’s energy plans by pulling out of involvement in designing Britain’s first carbon capture and storage project and by announcing it will concentrate its wind-power investments in the United States.
Rudd under pressure to water down emissions scheme
11 Nov 2008
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is under pressure to water down his government’s plans to tackle climate change as the global financial crisis threatens jobs and economic growth, experts say.
Don’t sit around and wait, Aussie farmers told
11 Nov 2008
Australian agriculture can’t afford to sit around and wait until 2013 for government to decide how it fits into the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, a global expert in carbon trading says.
Meeting hears why Africa left behind in carbon offset trade
11 Nov 2008
Administrative and technical problems mean that Africa cannot profit from schemes to tackle climate change through projects to cut carbon emissions in developing countries, climate specialists meeting in Dakar said.
Fisheries TAG in the wings as others wind down
7 Nov 2008
A fisheries ETS technical advisory group is due to be set up next year, but most other advisory groups are winding up.
Key ETS agriculture decisions out this month
4 Nov 2008
Officials’ recommendations on how the emissions trading scheme should be applied to the agricultural sector – including the controversial point-of-obligation – will be released at the end of this month.
Science, agriculture and New Zealand's future - Anderton
4 Nov 2008
Federated Farmers is to be congratulated for its contribution to the debate about the economy's future direction, Agriculture Minister and Progressive Leader Jim Anderton said today.
Agriculture and emissions trading don’t mix, says report
4 Nov 2008
Imposing emissions trading on to agriculture is like trying to fit a saddle on a cow, the Australian Government has been told in a report released yesterday.
UN expert calls for world action to halt desertification
4 Nov 2008
The “silent” crisis of desertification or land degradation if tackled properly can help to address a range of world problems, says a senior United Nations environment expert.
TrustPower opens Australian wind farm
4 Nov 2008
New Zealand-based TrustPower officially openied of Stage 1 of its first Australian wind farm, located at Snowtown 170km north of Adelaide, at the weekend.
Nervous foresters: We don't want policy flip-flops
31 Oct 2008
Foresters awaiting regulations due to released at the end of the year in order to make firm calculations of their carbon credits and liabilities fear that a new government might turn the existing policy on its head.
Forum leaders keen to keep on being heard
31 Oct 2008
The Climate Change Leadership Forum is making a bid to keep going.
Exporters fear impact of European emissions decisions
31 Oct 2008
New Zealand exporters say increased costs from recent emissions legislation decisions in Europe will be passed on to customers, but Air New Zealand isn’t talking about the potential impact on the cost of air freight and air travel.
Brits reluctant investors in climate change, says report
31 Oct 2008
British investors are still failing to grasp the significant opportunity offered by climate change, according to a report from wealth management specialist Holden & Partners.
Australian scientists to help wean chemicals industry off crude oil
31 Oct 2008
CSIRO scientists have joined one of the world’s largest biotechnology consortia to help to develop crops which produce oils to be used by the chemicals industry as sustainable alternatives to those derived from the world’s non-renewable stocks of crude oil.
FORUM: The flawed economics of nuclear power
31 Oct 2008
By Lester R. Brown, president, Earth Policy Institute, California. Over the past few years the nuclear industry has used concerns about climate change to argue for a nuclear revival. Although industry representatives may have convinced some political leaders that this is a good idea, there is little evidence of private capital investing in nuclear plants in competitive electricity markets.
ETS will put us out of business, says horticulture chief
28 Oct 2008
The horticulture sector’s official body says that the ETS legislation was enacted in dangerous haste and will put many of its members out of business.
Cities' leaders pledge action on climate change
28 Oct 2008
Leaders of 40 of the world's major cities have pledged action to fight climate change, taking measures ranging from promoting solar energy to tracking genetically modified food.
Now is the time to get out of Kyoto, says Hide
24 Oct 2008
ACT party leader Rodney Hide says New Zealand should pull out of the Kyoto Protocol in the face of increased pressures on businesses and households caused by the global financial crisis - but it won’t be a make-or-break issue during any post-election discussions with National.
National-Maori deal to put geothermal under Minerals Act?
24 Oct 2008
Close to the top of the agenda for a prospective prime minister John Key with any Maori Party allies is the business of transferring the nation’s geothermal resources from the jurisdiction of the Resource Management Act to Crown Minerals.
MAF’s master tool for farm emissions measurement in doubt
24 Oct 2008
The efficiency of a proprietary, home-grown software package that underpins much of the ETS and Kyoto governance calculations is increasingly being called into question.
Costs force Smart Drive innovator to look at US base
21 Oct 2008
Freight costs might force a New Plymouth-based renewable energy company to set up a base in the United States to manufacture and distribute its products.
Nats promise electricity-first ETS by 2010
21 Oct 2008
The National Party will have an emissions trading scheme covering the electricity sector by January 1, 2010, climate change spokesman Nick Smith said in a debate yesterday.
Parker: Nats won't, but we'll answer the questions
21 Oct 2008
Climate Change Minister David Parker says that he is willing to answer Carbon News’ questions on climate change policy – even if National isn’t.
Biodeisel demand fuels price of wood waste
21 Oct 2008
Solid Energy’s demand for high-grade biomass materials is forcing up prices for sawmill shavings and other prime process residue.
National-Maori coalition raises major issues over fate of ETS
17 Oct 2008
ANALYSIS: If a National-Maori Party Government takes power next month the new coalition could face immense difficulties agreeing on changes to the emissions trading scheme.
Climate change targets could cripple UK agriculture, say farmers
17 Oct 2008
New targets to cut Britain’s greenhouse emissions by at least 80 per cent will cripple agriculture, according to farmers.
It’s full speed ahead for America’s new energy economy
17 Oct 2008
As fossil fuel prices rise, as oil insecurity deepens, and as concerns about climate change cast a shadow over the future of coal, a new energy economy is emerging in the United States, says sustainability expert Lester Brown.
US dairy industry slashes carbon footprint
17 Oct 2008
Improved efficiency in the production of milk has resulted in a huge reduction in the dairy industry's carbon footprint, making it very "green," said a University of Illinois Extension dairy specialist.
Company clustering aims to cut energy and waste costs
14 Oct 2008
Energy-intensive industries can cut greenhouse-gas emissions and energy costs by pooling resources on projects like bio-energy plants using waste materials, says the Clean Energy Centre.
Anderton vows to shelter farmers troubled by ETS
14 Oct 2008
Agriculture Minister Jim Anderton has vowed to do all he can to shelter farmers from any adverse effects of the emissions trading scheme.
Hydro schemes on wrong side of the island, says report
14 Oct 2008
A long-range rainfall forecast has ignited a controversy that the bulk of the South Island hydro capacity was built on the wrong side of the Southern Alps.
Don’t blame cities for climate change troubles, says report
14 Oct 2008
Cities are being unfairly blamed for most of humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions and this threatens efforts to tackle climate change, warns a new report.
Key players ponder Nat's 'unusual' R&D decision
10 Oct 2008
Key players in New Zealand’s renewable energy sector are stoic - if somewhat bemused - in the face of National’s announcement that it intends dropping the 15 per cent tax-credit for research and development if it wins power.
Bluff smelter sale could mean big problems in the south
10 Oct 2008
BHP Billiton’s ever-closer acquisition of Rio Tinto could solve one big and enduring problem ... and create another even bigger one.
FORUM: Institute of Forestry reply
10 Oct 2008
It is time for politicians and farm leaders to stop using knowledge of cobalt deficiency and incomplete economic analysis as excuses for deforestation, says NZ Institute of Forestry president Andrew McEwen.
The Deadly Dozen - 12 climate change diseases that could sweep the world
10 Oct 2008
Health experts are calling them the Deadly Dozen - 12 pathogens that could spread into new regions as a result of climate change and could have potential impacts on both human and wildlife health as well as global economies.
Reducing greenhouse gases one fridge at a time.
10 Oct 2008
Natural refrigeration specialist company Arneg New Zealand is to tell this year’s New Zealand Cold Storage Association conference that the industry needs to do more to reduce the effect of refrigeration systems on the environment.
Time for green thinking on the economy, say Greens
7 Oct 2008
It is time for Government to set its sights on a green economy to ensure there will be jobs for New Zealanders, that food will be affordable, and it won’t be out of people’s reach to get around, the Green Party says.
Farmers working hard for the environment
7 Oct 2008
Otago dairy farmer Philip Wilson and his family had a point to prove when they entered this year’s Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
Power users unite in push for electricity reform
3 Oct 2008
Electricity users across the economy are joining forces to push the Government into the biggest review of our electricity system since the 1996 deregulation.
Wind power poser: Low lakes mean low wind speeds
3 Oct 2008
The same weather conditions that cause hydro-generation lakes to go dry will also stop some wind farms generating power, according to a new report.
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.
