Topics tagged with 'Agriculture'
Locally grown school meals can help children, farmers and the climate
30 Nov 2022
According to UNICEF, school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic brought a decade's growth in school feeding programmes to a dramatic halt, leaving about 370 million school children without access to their one reliable meal a day.
Land use change could improve climate, health, and food insecurity: research
29 Nov 2022
Growing more grains and vegetables could decrease greenhouse gas emissions, increase water quality, and solve looming food insecurity and health problems for millions of New Zealanders, according to new research from two National Science Challenges.
Climate change: Could centuries-old wheat help feed the planet?
28 Nov 2022
Could the key to feeding the world with a changing climate be hiding in a 300-year-old museum collection? That's one of the hopes of scientists combing through 12,000 specimens of wheat and its relatives held in the Natural History Museum's archives.
Rural Aussie properties going off-grid with renewables
28 Nov 2022
When Roxanne and Luke Hinton started planning their finger lime farm on the idyllic Capricorn Coast several years ago, they had little idea it would double as a highly successful off-grid wedding venue in just a few years. The entire operation is operated by solar, with self-sufficient watering systems, sewerage and power.
Cannabis plants could help in the fight against climate change
28 Nov 2022
A team of scientists from Hudson Carbon – a research center based in New York which studies carbon storage – cannabis plants could be the missing player in humanity’s fight against climate change, as hemp can absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere more than twice as effectively as trees.
Best by the rest...
25 Nov 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Why NZ can't lecture other countries on being "climate smart"; going fully electric for your car and appliances will be the cheapest option in four years; and concerns around the environmental impact of The Rings of Power.
Yealands turns green grapes into green apples with global sustainability award
23 Nov 2022
Media release - New Zealand premium wine producer, Yealands Wine Group, has won two golds at the 2022 International Green Apple Awards for its ground-breaking Biodiversity Plan, officially launched yesterday.
World’s largest soil carbon removal project enlists Kenyan pastoralists
23 Nov 2022
When Andrew Dokhole, a community leader in Isiolo, northern Kenya, took on the task of explaining a proposed soil carbon removal project a decade ago, he had to convince largely illiterate people about the benefits of a “foreign” concept.
Best by the rest...
18 Nov 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Dairy land is being converted to other uses at a rate of 1% a year; more of our last remaining wetlands are at risk of wildfire due to climate change; and forestry is once again at the heart of discussions surrounding New Zealand's future.
Farmers in India are fighting climate change and desertification using nature
14 Nov 2022
A handful of dirt filled with earthworms might not seem like much, but it's the result of seven years of work.
Best by the rest...
11 Nov 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: The National Party say they will repeal the offshore oil and gas exploration ban if elected next year; concerns raised on environmental impacts of international productions filmed in New Zealand; and should Australia be hosting UN climate talks with Pacific Nations in 2026?
Livestock is a form of climate justice in the Global South
11 Nov 2022
As the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) proceeds in Egypt, few seem to be acknowledging that the elephant in the room is actually a cow.
Scientists look at biogas potential of partly digested grass
4 Nov 2022
Kiwi scientists are converting partly digested grass from the stomachs of slaughtered cattle into biogas, which they hope could be used to heat commercial greenhouses.
Best by the rest...
4 Nov 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Climate Change Minister James Shaw blames court delay for inaction on tougher climate pledge; could fermentation replace conventional farming to reduce NZ's emissions? and journalist Marc Daalder argues we shouldn't give up on limiting global heating to 1.5C.
NZ’s latest GHG figures confirm no sustained reduction in emissions
28 Oct 2022
Latest figures from Stats NZ confirm New Zealand’s gross greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have shown no sustained reductions compared with 2005.
National argues climate change ambitions put NZ at risk
25 Oct 2022
By Ian Llewellyn - Energy & Environment | National MPs are arguing that New Zealand will put its interests at risk if it attempts to move faster than the rest of the world on climate change issues.
Best by the rest...
21 Oct 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best local climate coverage: Where is all the funding for climate change agri-tech? Mount Ruapehu goes into voluntary administration as climate change takes its toll; and pacific activists team up ahead of COP27.
Aussie farmers oppose methane pledge because of NZ’s "dying towns"
19 Oct 2022
New South Wales farmers are citing New Zealand’s proposed farmgate greenhouse gas emissions pricing as a reason to oppose Australia signing the global methane pledge.
Government’s climate policy “bovine scatology”: Winston Peters
17 Oct 2022
Winston Peters condemned the government’s agriculture emissions policy as “bovine scatology -pure unadulterated bulldust,” at the New Zealand First conference over the weekend.
World needs to eat less meat: no two sides about it
17 Oct 2022
For years, the reality of climate change was presented in newspaper articles as an open debate. Coverage attempted to offer “both sides” a voice, including scientific experts alongside climate deniers (who often had financial interests in fossil fuels). That false balance has largely improved, with most media coverage on the topic acknowledging the role fossil fuels play in climate change.
The 'green' glen embracing hydro powered farming that could solve energy crisis
17 Oct 2022
While it may seem to be one of many traditional uphill farms in the area, Glensaugh in Aberdeenshire is set to become Scotland’s first truly ‘green glen’ with a hydro hamlet powered entirely by self-generated renewable power.
Best by the rest...
14 Oct 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best local climate coverage: Stuff fact checks fossil fuel lobby claims; Newsroom crunches the numbers on the government's agricultural emissions proposal; and three unlikely activists have had their charges dropped in court in the name of climate change.
Australian government to pledge to reduce methane emissions by 30%
14 Oct 2022
Australia is set to pledge its support to reduce global methane emissions by 30% by 2030.
Climate change is testing resilience of UK wheat yields
14 Oct 2022
Wheat yields in the UK have largely been resilient to varying weather over the past 30 years. However, the future security of our most widely grown food crop is uncertain due to increasingly frequent extreme wet and dry conditions as a result of climate change, say scientists.
Farm soil carbon: Is the focus on sequestration right?
13 Oct 2022
Arable farmers must be realistic about the amount of carbon that can be locked up in soils and should be wary of exaggerated claims about sequestration, warns a leading soil scientist.
Beef in the time of net zero: Reducing livestock emissions in Latin America
13 Oct 2022
Beef production accounts for almost 60% of emissions from agriculture and land use change in Latin America, according to a recent study by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). However, its researchers suggest it is possible to reduce these emissions through new production models and changes in diets.
NZ proposed agricultural greenhouse gas cuts a fraction of Ireland’s
12 Oct 2022
The farming lobby is huffing and puffing about the government’s tweaks to the He Eke Waka Noa agriculture emissions proposal but will be relieved that the plan’s aim to cut emissions by 10% on 2017 levels by 2030 are a fraction of the cuts imposed on Irish farmers earlier this year.
Farmers to benefit from sequestration from riparian and native vegetation
11 Oct 2022
Farmers are set to benefit from the CO2 sequestration from riparian and native vegetation, a government discussion document on agricultural emissions released today reveals.
The return of Aztec floating farms
11 Oct 2022
In Mexico City, a 700-year-old Aztec farming technique is giving a sustainable edge to modern agriculture. Chinampas, or "floating gardens", are ancient engineering wonders. These man-made island-farms are the last vestiges of a massive 14th-Century land reclamation project of the Aztec Empire that continues to feed the people of Mexico City even today.
Can’t plant our way to net zero: Upton
7 Oct 2022
Offsetting the emissions from a single dairy cow would require the planting of 0.6 hectares of pine forest, a new report from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has found.
Best by the rest...
7 Oct 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best local climate coverage: The majority of local election candidates have climate action at front of mind; a new research project aims to forecast risks to New Zealand as the world continues to heat; and while there's government assistance for those switching to EVs, e-bikes are yet to catch up.
New research to future-proof New Zealand wine sector
30 Sep 2022
Media Release - A new experimental vineyard in Blenheim will help enhance the supply of quality grapes for New Zealand’s wine sector into the future.
Reducing beef’s carbon footprint is key to achieving net-zero in Latin America and the Caribbean
28 Sep 2022
In Latin America and the Caribbean, one of the biggest drivers of greenhouse gas emissions in the region — and its best hope for achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 — remains the food system.
New report reveals organic dairy farming stores carbon, reduces greenhouse gas emissions
27 Sep 2022
A recent study published in the Journal of Cleaner Productions finds greenhouse gas emissions to be 24% lower on organic dairy farms when compared to conventional dairy farms in the United States.
California's dairy farm methane capture scheme may have "unintended consequences"
20 Sep 2022
Scientists and environmentalists say more data is needed on ammonia emissions resulting from California's dairy farm methane capture scheme.
Is government move to protect productive land too little, too late?
19 Sep 2022
The government has released a National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land, aiming to enhance protection for the country’s most productive land and provide security for domestic food supply and primary exports.
Will the food and livestock industry follow fossil fuels over the market cliff?
19 Sep 2022
We are generally pretty relaxed about this. Anyone miss Nokia? Kodak? Blockbuster Video? But when the drivers for change become politicised, or worse – ideological – an intense process unfolds to resist the market process.
Fonterra bill threat to climate change targets: Upton
14 Sep 2022
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton, has written to the government warning an amendment to the Dairy Industry Act, currently before parliament, is likely to result in increased greenhouse gas emissions and more pressure on freshwater resources.
How climate change is tweaking the taste of wine
13 Sep 2022
Warming, wildfires and unpredictable weather threaten to disrupt the delicate processes that underlie treasured wines, putting the fine distinctions between grapes at risk.
Best by the rest...
9 Sep 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media: A proposed 400 megawatt solar power station near Taupō will be pitched for resource consent later this month; experts urge changes in forestry and farming; and wallabies are quickly becoming an invasive species.
The botanic matchmakers that could save our food supply
5 Sep 2022
Undomesticated plants could help their farmed cousins adapt to climate stresses, but that requires tracking them down around the world while also 'decolonizing botany'.
Central Otago grower world’s first to go fossil fuel free
2 Sep 2022
By Liz Kivi | A Central Otago cherry grower believes they are the first in the world to operate a commercial food orchard without burning any fossil fuels.
A crop-by-crop comparison of urban vs conventional farms yields turns up some surprising results
1 Sep 2022
Roof-grown lettuces and warehouse-cultivated tomatoes could be more than just a frivolous foodie trend: a new study finds that crops cultivated in cities can be up to four times more productive per square meter, than those grown in conventional agricultural fields.
Despite conservative outcry, reducing fertiliser emissions won’t lead to famine
31 Aug 2022
The US government’s plan to cut fertilizer emissions by 30% by 2030 has garnered significant attention from farmers, agriculture organizations and other industry stakeholders.
Canadian farmers push back against fertiliser emissions target
24 Aug 2022
As part of Canada’s net-zero target, the country is seeking to significantly cut the emissions from fertilizers, a move that is seeing pushback from the agriculture industry.
Organic dairy farming can store carbon and reduce GHG emissions: study
19 Aug 2022
A new study in the August issue of the Journal of Cleaner Production reveals that it is possible for farms to sequester carbon and reduce their overall greenhouse gas emissions. A University of Wisconsin Madison research group unveiled a dairy lifecycle assessment conducted on Organic Valley farms that shows small organic dairy farms, which focus on grazing and organic production techniques, are low greenhouse gas champions.
How climate change threatens Kashmir's crucial apple industry
19 Aug 2022
As Indian-administered Kashmir continues to witness abnormally high temperatures, apple growers fear that climate change will wipe out the region's orchards — which produce 80% of India's apples.
Organic dairy co-op launches new on-farm standard
18 Aug 2022
A Waikato-based organic dairy co-operative is launching a new standard for organic and regenerative processes for its farmers.
Climate-resilient breadfruit might be the food of the future
18 Aug 2022
In the face of climate change, breadfruit soon might come to a dinner plate near you.
‘Heatflation’ warning as 2022 EU crop harvests affected by climate change
10 Aug 2022
As much of Europe bakes in the latest heatwave, fears are growing about what’s being dubbed ‘heatflation’ – climate change-driven staple crop losses that could see already inflated food prices reach new highs this autumn, deepening the cost-of-living crisis.
How flying can be a climate solution
Today 10:45am
By Paul Callister and Robert McLachlan - Planetary Ecology | How can aviation contribute to tackling climate change when no practicable technology-based solutions are on the horizon?
Greenwashing is rife in Australia, but could its days be numbered?
28 May 2025
COMMENT: Have you ever ticked the box to “fly carbon neutral”, had something delivered via “carbon-neutral shipping” or chosen to pay a bit extra to buy “carbon-neutral gas” from your energy retailer?
Help sustainable aviation fuels take off or delay targets, airlines warn EU
20 May 2025
Earmarked funding, risk-reduction tools, and simplified imports top Airlines for Europe’s wish list for the EU’s upcoming Sustainable Transport Investment Plan.
Forestry consents and relaxed rules in erosion zones sow seeds of future disaster
Fri 13 Jun 2025
OPINION: The government’s move to restrict exotic forestry on our best food-growing soils will push even more forestry investment onto high erosion risk land on the East Coast, with the worst land becoming the only land left for the most intensive and destructive land use, writes Manu Caddie
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.
Carbon auction odds-on to fail
Fri 13 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | The carbon price has rallied slightly in recent weeks, however with secondary market prices still hovering around the $57 mark, well below this year’s $68 auction floor price, next week’s Emissions Trading Scheme auction looks set to fail.
World leaders’ failure to act is pushing Earth past 1.5°C
Today 10:45am
Based on mounting evidence, some scientists now fear we’ve entered a new era of the climate emergency, characterized by accelerated warming and amplified disasters.
Govt mulls status quo for ETS auction settings
29 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has released its consultation on the Climate Change Commission’s latest advice on Emissions Trading Scheme auction settings and volumes, putting forward the option to ignore the commission’s advice to boost auction volumes from 2028-2030.
China's approvals of coal power plants grow after 2024 decline
Wed 11 Jun 2025
China approved 11.29 gigawatts of new coal power plants in the first three months of 2025, already exceeding the 10.34 GW approved in the first half of 2024.
A credible UN carbon market needs rules that count – we’ve just set them
Wed 11 Jun 2025
COMMENT: The broad standards for a more ambitious market are now in place. But without a steady flow of investment, this progress will remain largely on paper.
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.
Legal experts sue Climate minister over ‘glaring holes’ in climate plan
Wed 11 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | Legal experts are taking the government to court over its Emissions Reduction Plan, alleging it fails to fulfil basic requirements of the law – with one of the arguments focussing on an over-reliance on tree-planting.
Electric firebricks: decarbonising high-temperature industrial heat
Fri 13 Jun 2025
By Ian Mason | A new technology could offer a more cost-effective solution than hydrogen to decarbonise one ‘hard-to-abate’ sector of New Zealand’s economy, as well as having ample potential for demand response as the electricity grid becomes more renewable.
Govt budgets $200m for would-be gas investors
23 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | Energy Resources Aotearoa has welcomed the government's plan to co-invest $200 million in fossil gas expansion, while environmental and climate groups have reacted with horror.
Extreme ocean warming engulfed South-West Pacific in 2024
6 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Unprecedented ocean warming engulfed the South-West Pacific in 2024, with extreme heat and rainfall causing deadly and devastating impacts and sea level rise threatening entire islands.
Government undermines regional powers to protect coastal biodiversity
Today 10:45am
Media Release | The Environmental Defence Society opposes the Government’s decision to press ahead with amendments to the Resource Management Act that severely curtail the ability of regional councils to manage the impacts of fishing on coastal marine biodiversity.
UN University report warns against carbon credits from REDD, tree planting, and improved forest management
Fri 13 Jun 2025
But the report stops short of recommending banning the trade in carbon temporarily stored in trees.
Labor accused of ‘gaslighting’ Australians on climate crisis as fossil fuel projects keep getting approved
9 Jun 2025
‘They offer sympathy and then just go and approve massive fossil fuel projects anyway,’ one advocate says.
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.
Electrification challenge for politicians, regulators
27 May 2025
Rewiring Aotearoa is calling for stronger political leadership to bring its vision of a cheaper, cleaner and stronger energy system to life, with the launch of its policy manifesto today.
As methane climate impacts soar, NGOs, scientists, and advocates launch campaign to 'pull the methane emergency brake'
Fri 13 Jun 2025
Media release | International NGOs, scientists, and climate advocates are launching a global campaign calling for deep, rapid, mandatory cuts in methane emissions as the best way to lower near-term global temperature rise.
Govt uses climate change as ‘Trojan horse’ for other objectives
Tue 10 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Waitangi Tribunal has heard that the New Zealand Government’s international trade and investment agreements are failing to meet Tiriti o Waitangi obligations in the context of climate change – prioritising commercial interests while sidelining Māori rights and worldviews.
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.
What happened to the hydrogen economy?
3 Jun 2025
The hydrogen car that was supposed to carry us into a cleaner future is still not in the driveway. In fact, outside of a few test markets, it’s not in anyone’s driveway.
Climate change could drive surge in foreclosures and lender losses, new study finds
22 May 2025
Extreme weather linked to climate change could spell financial ruin for many American homeowners and lead to billions in losses for lenders, a new study finds.
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.
Energy Australia apologises to 400,000 customers and settles greenwashing legal action
22 May 2025
Energy retailer says carbon offsetting ‘not the most effective way’ to reduce emissions.
Could ‘orange’ hydrogen be NZ’s key to net-zero?
30 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand could be sitting on resources for a thriving multi-billion-dollar, low-carbon hydrogen economy, which might even be capable of creating a net reduction of carbon dioxide, according to scientists.
Carbon News launches price index
24 Jun 2024
Today’s issue is the first to feature Carbon News’ own carbon price index for secondary market spot prices for NZUs on New Zealand’s compliance market.
Tribunal asked to halt seabed mine fast-track
Today 10:45am
By Craig Ashworth, Local Democracy Reporter | South Taranaki hapū want the Waitangi Tribunal to halt a fast-track bid to mine the seabed off Pātea.
Foresters baulk at restrictions, land ballots
Wed 11 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | Forestry groups say that new legislation will introduce further uncertainty for planting plans and poses a threat to climate targets.
Ocean current ‘collapse’ could trigger ‘profound cooling’ in northern Europe – even with global warming
Fri 13 Jun 2025
A “collapse” of key Atlantic ocean currents would cause winter temperatures to plunge across northern Europe, overriding the warming driven by human activity.
Fight over coal mine heats up
30 May 2025
Forest & Bird is calling on the government to create a new scientific reserve covering the Denniston Plateau on the West Coast, which would stop a fast-tracked coal mine.
Microplastics found in sand on dozens of NZ beaches
4 Jun 2025
Scientists have extracted microplastics from the sand of 22 beaches from the Far North to Banks Peninsula.
Legislation introduced to restrict farm-to-forest conversions
Tue 10 Jun 2025
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has today introduced a bill to Parliament that he says will put a stop to large-scale farm-to-forestry conversions.
Israel deports activist Greta Thunberg after military seized Gaza Freedom Flotilla ship
Thu 12 Jun 2025
Israel deported activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday, the country's Foreign Ministry said, a day after the Gaza-bound ship she was on with 11 other people was seized by the Israeli military.
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.
Could Queenstown become the world’s most electric city?
Wed 11 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Queenstown is set to become the focus of an ambitious initiative aiming to transform it into the world’s most electrified destination.
Climate progress slowing, says Auckland councillor
5 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The devastating cyclone that tore through Tāmaki Makaurau in 2023 left behind more than just broken infrastructure, sparking calls to focus on facts over ideology in the fight against climate change.
Green budget 'ludicrous la-la land' – govt
15 May 2025
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the budget was "clown show economics" and an "absolute circus".
Biochar's negative emissions tech coming to Fieldays
6 Jun 2025
Biochar Network New Zealand will showcase its negative emissions technology biochar at this year's Forestry Hub at Fieldays 2025.
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.
“It’s not the car – it’s how we move” – EECA
3 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams| New Zealand’s transport emissions conversation has focused heavily on electric vehicles – but Richard Briggs, group manager, delivery and partnerships at the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, says we’re asking the wrong question.
Rapid action vital following UN Ocean Conference – experts
Thu 12 Jun 2025
New Zealand-based experts are calling for rapid and transformative action to restore nature - and our relationship with it - at the third UN Ocean Conference in France this week.
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.
Govt's RMA overhaul sparks fears for nature and climate
30 May 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has opened public consultation on the biggest overhaul of environmental planning rules in New Zealand’s history, with critics warning it puts nature and climate at risk in favour of fast-tracked development and industry expansion.
Tropical forest loss hit new heights in 2024; fire a major driver in Latin America
23 May 2025
Tropical forest loss skyrocketed in 2024, with vast swaths of primary forest consumed by fire, according to new satellite data.
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.
