Topics tagged with 'Agriculture'
Greenhouse gas emissions: What others are doing
12 Sep 2008
Companies and governments, including New Zealand, are turning to emissions trading as a weapon to fight climate change, in a carbon market worth $64 billion last year.
Google Earth puts you in the cockpit for hotspots flyover
12 Sep 2008
People can “fly” to some of the world’s most dramatic environmental hotspots courtesy of the UN Environment Programme innovative use of the popular mapping tool Google Earth.
REACTION: Greenhouse Policy Coalition - Emissions trading scheme is flawed
12 Sep 2008
The passage of the most ambitious emissions trading scheme in the world will come at a high cost to the New Zealand economy, according to the Greenhouse Policy Coalition, representing the energy-intensive sector.
REACTION: Greens: ETS a first step, time for some big strides now
12 Sep 2008
The passing of the Emissions Trading Scheme is the first small step towards getting New Zealand’s carbon emissions under control – there is still much work to be done, the Green Party says.
LETTER: Bad news for Ngai Tahu
12 Sep 2008
In Carbon News (5 Sept 2008) Willie Te Aho was quoted as saying that the deforestation liability for Ngai Tahu would be around $15,000 per hectare for changing the use of its 80,000 hectare pre-1990 forest estate.
Businesses, wake up and smell the carbon
11 Sep 2008
New Zealand business woke up to a new reality today – it’s time to start counting carbon.
Forest owners first to feel effects of ETS
11 Sep 2008
Forest owners will be the first New Zealanders into the emissions trading scheme - with the first entering within 10 weeks.
New world of emissions - what happens and when
11 Sep 2008
The mandatory reporting period for pre-1990 forests starts this year, with ETS obligations and entitlements accruing all year, and a surrender date of December 31 next year.
REACTION: Thank god that's over, now back to the climate, says Greenpeace
11 Sep 2008
Greenpeace is calling on political parties to outline their future plans for tackling climate change, now the emissions trading scheme has been passed into law.
FORUM: Biochar holds many of the answers for climate change
11 Sep 2008
Biochar technology is an environmental triple-whammy, so why is it under attack? By Dr Peter Read.
Parker hails party leaders for 'great victory' on climate change bill
9 Sep 2008
Prime Minister Helen Clark, Finance Minister Michael Cullen and Agriculture Minister Jim Anderton have played pivotal parts in getting New Zealand’s emissions trading scheme passed, Climate Change Minister David Parker says.
China launches large-scale renewable energy plan
9 Sep 2008
China has released an ambitious plan to develop renewable energy to cut its surging carbon dioxide emissions.
Japan eyes home greenhouse gas savings in emission trading system
9 Sep 2008
The Japanese government is considering including greenhouse gas emissions from homes, farms and public facilities in the carbon emission trading system scheduled to launch on a trial basis next month.
Carbon forum helps Africa profit from greenhouse gas offset scheme
9 Sep 2008
Three days of deal-making and networking has wrapped up at the United Nations-backed Africa Carbon Forum in Senegal, aimed at improving the continent’s standing in the global carbon marketplace.
Energy expert welcomes investment guidelines
9 Sep 2008
The release of new draft guidelines around New Zealand investment in projects under the Kyoto Project has been welcomed by an energy sector expert.
Govt: ETS forestry compo benefits large number of iwi
5 Sep 2008
The Government claims a large number of iwi believe the compensation package under the emissions trading scheme gives them a net benefit rather than a net cost.
Rare glimpse of National's post-election ETS policy detail
5 Sep 2008
National may have pointed to its possible course on emissions trading law if it forms the government after this year’s election.
Climate forecasts crucial to water resources, say weather watchers
5 Sep 2008
The chief of the UN meteorological agency has called for weather forecasts to play a greater role in planning for economic development and poverty reduction because of the impact climate change has on water resources.
Crown submission on Meridian wind farm proposal
5 Sep 2008
The Crown has made a submission on Meridian Energy's wind farm proposal in the Central North Island, Environment Minister Trevor Mallard said.
Solar energy can bring clean energy to over 4 billion people by 2030
5 Sep 2008
Solar electricity can contribute largely to the energy needs of two-thirds of the world's population - including those in remote areas - by 2030.
Tough challenges to livestock agriculture
5 Sep 2008
The world's livestock industries will face a tough future as they come to grips with climate change.
We've done the hard yards, say frustrated farmers
2 Sep 2008
A new non-binding emissions reduction target for agriculture shows there is little official understanding of hard work farmers have already done to reduce their emissions, says Federated Farmers.
Contact files consent application for Waitahora wind farm
2 Sep 2008
Contact Energy yesterday filed resource consent applications with the Tararua District Council for its 177 megawatt Waitahora wind farm south-east of Dannevirke.
Call for funding for trials of alternative fertilisers on farms around lakes
2 Sep 2008
The time bomb of chemical leaching threatening Rotorua lakes and waterways can be worked through with alternative farming practices that not only maintain production but look after the environment according to fertiliser company Agrissentials.
PGG Wrightson moves into fuel distribution
2 Sep 2008
Clients of nationwide rural business specialist PGG Wrightson now have the opportunity to buy fuel through the company.
Wind energy developers keep keen eye on new approvals process
29 Aug 2008
The wind energy sector is waiting with bated breath to see how the new “calling in” approvals process works.
Council sees reluctance to accept change to water usage system
29 Aug 2008
New Zealand’s current water allocation system plays favourites for some and they are unlikely to want it to change, says Business Council for Sustainable Development chief Peter Neilson.
ETS DEALS: What the Greens and NZ First got changed
29 Aug 2008
Changes to the ETS bill, negotiated in return for the support of the Green and New Zealand First parties, are:
MAF excited at finding cellulose perennial solution to biofuels
29 Aug 2008
A MAF report indicates that using 12 per cent of the nation’s pastoral land to grow herbaceous feed-stocks for bioethanol production would provide equivalent energy to that “derived from current total petrol usage.”
Film-makers get chance to tell climate change stories
29 Aug 2008
The World Bank has launched a world-wide documentary competition that will highlight the social aspects of climate change as experienced by the film-makers.
Biofuels sustainability review puts forests ahead of food crops
29 Aug 2008
A scientific review of options for the production of bioenergy in New Zealand, their economic viability and sustainability, provides further weight to the argument that energy from forests is one of New Zealand's best option for producing its own biofuels.
Progressive Party supports ETS
29 Aug 2008
The Progressive Party will vote to support the Government’s Emissions Trading Scheme, leader Jim Anderton said today.
BREAKING NEWS: ETS bill has the numbers
27 Aug 2008
The Government has got the numbers to pass the emissions trading scheme.
Statement from New Zealand First
27 Aug 2008
New Zealand First has decided to support the amended Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) after several months of consideration and negotiations with the Government.
REACTION: Greenpeace welcomes Greens' decision
26 Aug 2008
Greenpeace has welcomed the Green's support for the emissions trading scheme (ETS), saying the party has secured some positive measures.
Heavy emitters stand to lose credits under deal with Greens
26 Aug 2008
New Zealand’s heaviest emitters of greenhouse gases will have to relinquish some of their free carbon credits to smaller companies under a deal won by the Green Party.
Report spells out future for precious water resources
26 Aug 2008
A major report into the management of one of New Zealand’s most precious commodities – fresh water - will be released tomorrow.
Climate change will deplete fisheries production, warns FAO
26 Aug 2008
Global warming and the consequent changes in climatic patterns will have strong impact on fisheries with far-reaching consequences for food and livelihood security of a sizeable section of the population, a UN agency warns.
Kyoto Forest owners say they need ETS passed
26 Aug 2008
The thousands of New Zealanders who invested their own savings to plant trees in the 1990s need the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) legislation to be passed in order to secure the estimated $1.6 billion of carbon credits promised to them by all parties in Parliament, the Kyoto Forestry Association (KFA) has told the Green Party.
Bamboo can be a lucrative friend, pioneer tells Kiwis
22 Aug 2008
Environmentally friendly bamboo could be a winning crop for New Zealand if people didn’t have such a negative view of it, says an industry pioneer.
Niwa scientists take serious look at algae for biofuel
22 Aug 2008
The sudden falling-from-grace of biofuels because of links to food shortages and food-price rises has intensified research into local algae sources by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research.
Fonterra trialling new eco-friendly tanker
22 Aug 2008
Fonterra is trialling a new eco-friendly tanker in its milk collection operations that could significantly cut emissions in the company’s 427 strong fleet which covers about 75 million km every year.
ETS must pass despite weaknesses, says Greenpeace
22 Aug 2008
Despite shortcomings, it is imperative that New Zealand's emissions trading scheme (ETS) is passed into law this parliamentary term, says Greenpeace
Car-racing series gives nod to ethanol-mix biofuels
19 Aug 2008
Cars in the Toyota Racing Series will be allowed to run on ethanol-based biofuels, after Motorsport New Zealand modified the rules to allow it.
Carbon sequestration has its problems, warns report
15 Aug 2008
Burying carbon dioxide from coal-fired plants could increase other pollutants, warns a new study.
Aussies vote $1 million to boost small wind-turbines
15 Aug 2008
The Australian Government is sinking more than $1 million into developing a stronger small wind-turbine industry.
NZ in the box seat on emissions trading, says economist
12 Aug 2008
New Zealand risks squandering the huge natural advantages it will have in a carbon economy if it delays bringing in an emissions trading scheme, warns Karo Group principal Simon Young.
Greenair: Forestry carbon opportunities are real
12 Aug 2008
Greenair Group has entered the Wairarapa-Manawatu debate over get-rich-quick interests seeking to take advantage of regional farmers and foresters through carbon credit schemes.
Fifty years of observations, no reversal of glacier climate damage
Tue 31 Mar 2026
Media release: Earth Sciences New Zealand | Fifty years on from the first aerial survey of our Southern Alps glaciers, late snow and variable summer weather delivered a temporary reprieve from rapid ice loss, says Earth Sciences New Zealand.
$30m airline fund risks ‘burning public money’ without lasting benefit – expert
20 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A $30 million government package to support regional air routes risks delivering poor value for money while increasing emissions, according to transport strategist Tim Adriaansen.
Signs of jet fuel hoarding emerge in Asia on Iran oil shock
Thu 26 Mar 2026
Signs are growing that Asian countries are hoarding jet fuel after the Iran war sent oil prices surging, reflecting growing strain on the aviation industry.
Wellington planting nears one million trees
Mon 30 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Greater Wellington’s parks restoration programme will hit one million native trees this year, with the first dams to rewet peat wetlands in Queen Elizabeth Park now completed after a years-long effort to bring these ecosystems – and their carbon sequestering superpowers – back to life.
Air NZ joins Marsden Point SAF project
3 Mar 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Air New Zealand has quietly added its name to a consortium exploring the viability of green hydrogen production for sustainable aviation fuel at Channel Infrastructure’s Marsden Point energy hub.
Economic contraction will impact carbon market
Today 11:45am
By Liz Kivi | While higher fossil fuel prices strengthen the long-run economics of decarbonisation, the current fuel crisis won’t inspire near-term confidence in the carbon market, according to Lizzie Chambers of Carbon Match.
Why the real oil crisis hasn’t started yet
Today 11:45am
If the Strait of Hormuz remains closed much longer, things will get really bad, really fast.
Carbon price: Ups and downs amid geopolitical uncertainty
Thu 26 Mar 2026
By Liz Kivi | After ups and downs in recent weeks, the carbon market again broke above the $40 mark this week, with questions around how the Middle East conflict will play out weighing on market confidence.
Labour mulls GIDI 2.0 as factory closures mount
Today 11:45am
By Pattrick Smellie | Factory closures across the country could have been prevented if the last Labour-led government’s GIDI fund to assist companies with the cost of electrification hadn't been scrapped, Labour energy spokesperson, Megan Woods, says.
Death toll in Afghanistan flooding increases to 28, authorities say
Today 11:45am
Afghan authorities said Monday that the death toll from severe weather that has struck swathes of the country over the past four days has increased to 28, with 49 people injured. Dozens of people have died from extreme weather in the country so far this year.
Sustainable retail-office project breaks ground under new Green Star framework
19 Feb 2026
Construction is set to begin on a new retail-office development in central Auckland, which is targeting a 40% reduction in embodied carbon and 25% lower energy.
Opposition attacks Govt over fossil fuel phaseout backdown
2 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | Revelations that Resources Minister Shane Jones ruled out New Zealand signing up to a 'road map' away from fossil fuels at last year’s global climate summit show the National Party’s minor coalition partners’ undue influence over the Government, according to Labour leader Chris Hipkins.
Carbon trading schemes cut more emissions than carbon taxes, according to global study
20 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Carbon trading schemes are more effective than carbon taxes at reducing emissions, cutting fossil fuel use, and accelerating the shift to renewable energy, a global study has found.
‘Even more bonkers now’ – energy expert on LNG terminal
Today 11:45am
By Liz Kivi | An energy consultant says the Government’s plan to back an LNG import facility is a “non-starter” in the face of rising gas prices due to the Middle East conflict.
Environmental groups call for ETS reform
20 Feb 2026
Several environmental organisations are calling on political parties to make climate and biodiversity central to the 2026 election campaign, with reforming the Emissions Trading Scheme seen as a key priority.
Dairy farmers' lack of climate action 'even bleaker' than water inaction – Upton
Today 11:45am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Government projections for cutting agricultural emissions are being undermined by low farmer uptake, with the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment warning the country is relying on “heroic” assumptions to meet its methane targets.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transport pollution was the biggest contributor to an increase in New Zealand’s consumption-based emissions in 2023, with emissions from household travel up 12%, and consumption-based emissions totalling 58.3 million tonnes – up 1.6% from the previous year.
Lawyers complain to ombudsman over Govt failure to release LNG modelling
Today 11:45am
By Liz Kivi | Lawyers for Climate Action has made a formal complaint to the Ombudsman over the Government’s failure to release information about its controversial decision to build a LNG import terminal.
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.”
FMA to ease conditions for green bond issues
Tue 31 Mar 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Green, social and sustainability-linked bonds will face lower disclosure requirements and regulatory costs under a class exemption newly granted by the Financial Markets Authority.
Tuvalu prioritises climate change in agreement with NZ
Fri 27 Mar 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand has pledged an additional $20 million to climate resilience work in Tuvalu, more than doubling Aotearoa's aid to the tiny island nation in the current financial year.
Five trees can’t offset a car: Lawyers accuse Mazda of greenwashing
9 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Lawyers for Climate Action NZ is taking Mazda to the Advertising Standards Authority over its claims that a tree-planting programme will offset vehicle emissions.
Govt missing opportunity to slash electricity prices, says expert
11 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s fixation on eliminating the "dry-year risk margin" as a lever to reduce costs misses a much bigger opportunity to lower electricity prices, according to Christina Hood, head of Compass Climate.
NZ prepares to join ‘gold rush’ for white hydrogen
25 Mar 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand may be close to commercialising the capture and use of naturally occurring ‘white’ hydrogen, with investment plans for developments in the Wairarapa region picking up pace in response to spiralling oil prices.
Media round-up
20 Mar 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Crown lawyers agree High Court could quash emissions plan if found unlawful; NZ is locked in 'disaster inertia'; and climate change is notably absent from new development laws.
Climate law change spanner in the works for Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry
19 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s controversial changes to New Zealand’s legal framework for climate policy have thrown a spanner in the works for a long-running Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry into climate change.
Govt process to change climate plan ‘fundamentally flawed’, says judge
18 Mar 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The government’s 2024 changes to New Zealand’s first Emissions Reduction Plan was “as fundamentally flawed a process as I think I have ever seen”, the judge presiding in a case challenging climate change decision-making has said.
Cleantech expo coming to Auckland
Thu 26 Mar 2026
New Zealand’s first national cleantech expo is set to bring together 30 innovators, in what organisers say is the country’s fastest growing area in the tech sector.
NZ First targets regional share of mining royalties
Mon 30 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand First has proposed returning 50% of mining royalties to regional communities, saying that too much of the value from resource extraction is currently flowing to Wellington.
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.
Worst in a generation: Environmentalists slam fisheries reform bill
25 Mar 2026
Media release: Greenpeace | The Fisheries Amendment Bill, which will likely have its first reading in parliament this week, is being labelled the worst fisheries policy in a generation by environmental groups who are calling for it to be rejected to protect ocean health.
Kiwis overly optimistic about state of environment
27 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New research suggests many New Zealanders believe the environment is in better shape than it really is, with public perceptions often out of step with scientific evidence.
‘They pushed so many lies about recycling’: the fight to stop big oil pumping billions more into plastics
24 Feb 2026
Plastic production has doubled over the last 20 years – and will likely double again. For author Beth Gardiner, metal water bottles and canvas tote bags are not the solution. So what is?
Activists occupy controversial gold drilling site
25 Mar 2026
By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | Opposition in Golden Bay to a controversial gold mine at Sams Creek has flared up over the weekend after several activists briefly occupied a drilling site.
China has a new competitor? Kazakhstan reveals huge rare Earth deposit that could power the next tech boom
25 Feb 2026
China’s grip on rare earths might finally see some competition, and the world is already taking notice.
World-leading plasma torch takes aim at NZ's most potent greenhouse gases
24 Mar 2026
Media release | A high-tech plasma torch was lit up today as Minister of Conservation, Hon Tama Potaka, officially opened the $10 million National Refrigerant Destruction Facility – signalling a new era in addressing the environmental impact of New Zealand’s most potent greenhouse gases.
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.
Why the Iran war may have just killed the AI boom
Thu 26 Mar 2026
The $1.5 trillion in committed AI infrastructure spending by major tech companies is built on an assumption of a functional global supply chain, which the Iran conflict has fundamentally broken.
Pacific climate response in question as NZ finance remains unclear
19 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With New Zealand's $1.3 billion international climate finance commitment set to end with no clarity on what follows, the Auditor-General says oversight of that funding remains patchy and long-term outcomes are unclear.
Two Australian states offer free public transport as war pushes up fuel prices
Mon 30 Mar 2026
Public transport in two Australian states will be made free to incentivise people not to drive as fuel prices soar due to the war in the Middle East.
Infrastructure plan calls for ‘predictable approach’ to electrifying economy
18 Feb 2026
Aotearoa’s first National Infrastructure Plan, introduced to Parliament yesterday, calls for "a predictable approach to electrifying the economy" as one of ten priorities for the next decade.
‘Stop burning fossil fuels’ pleads scientist as extreme rain causes floods yet again
Fri 27 Mar 2026
Northland and Auckland have again been lashed by heavy rain, with hundreds of people evacuated last night because of extensive flooding in the Far North, and some areas hit by more than a month's average rainfall in just 24 hours.
AI tool predicts wildfire danger faster than current systems
Thu 26 Mar 2026
Media release | A wildfire forecasting system powered by artificial intelligence could help detect dangerous fire conditions earlier and reduce the cost of wildfire response, according to new research from Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury.
Record wind output helps shield the UK from worst of Iran war fallout
Today 11:45am
Record output from wind farms has helped boost total clean power supplies in the United Kingdom to new highs so far in 2026, and allowed power firms to pare use of fossil fuels to multi-year lows.
