Topics tagged with 'Agriculture'
Urgent action sought on world food price shock
11 Apr 2008
Warning that soaring food prices could lead to increased poverty and unrest, several senior United Nations officials have called for urgent measures to tackle the global crisis, which threatens to hit the world's poor the hardest.
Kiwi-based Windflow Technology does $12m plus turbine deal with Te Rere Hau
10 Apr 2008
Windflow Technology has received confirmation of an order for a further 16 Windflow 500 turbines.
US expert: No technical barrier to 20% wind power goal in NZ
10 Apr 2008
There are no fundamental technical barriers to the integration of 20% wind energy into the electrical system in New Zealand, according to a visiting US wind energy expert.
New Zealand may attract premium on carbon deals
9 Apr 2008
New Zealand is generally viewed as a low-risk country, which will lead to a pricing premium for carbon deals.
New indicators predict productivity of forestry sites
9 Apr 2008
Forestry scientists at Scion have for the first time developed the key soil and environmental indicators that show the productive capacity of sites in every part of New Zealand where someone may want to plant a forest.
FEATURE: NZ's biggest coprorate dairy venture putting water quality first
9 Apr 2008
A corporate farmer and regional planning authorities take a practical approach to large-scale forestry replacement.
Dell announces 100% green power for 10,000-staff HQ
9 Apr 2008
One of The °Climate Group’s newest members, Dell, has announced that its headquarters campus in Round Rock, Texas - home to more than 10,000 Dell employees - will be powered with 100 per cent green power.
CARBON NEWS OPINION: How Goff and our food miles fretters are losing the consumer
8 Apr 2008
Lord Jones the UK Minister of State for Trade was unreservedly pro New Zealand over food miles when he toured New Zealand last week.
UK Trade Minister: tariffs threat could gain momentum if market doesn’t work
7 Apr 2008
Britain’s Trade and Investment Minister, Lord Digby Jones, has told business executives in Auckland that if the market has not got carbon priced right by 2012, the calls to impose border taxes on goods from countries not paying for emissions could gain momentum.
Study confirms 50% CO2 reduction from use of home-grown biodiesel
7 Apr 2008
High-quality biodiesel from oilseed rape, grown and produced in the South Island by Biodiesel New Zealand, is sustainable, emitting around 50% less carbon dioxide over its life cycle than mineral diesel.
Simple standard will deliver net bio-fuel gains - Fitzsimons
4 Apr 2008
A single sustainability standard written into the emissions trading scheme (ETS) legislation would ensure bio-fuels sourced from overseas represented a net benefit to the environment, Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons said.
Mallard foreshadows easier planning path for renewables, attacks polluters
4 Apr 2008
The Government is developing a National Policy Statement on Renewable Electricity Generation.
‘Green’ car conference a sham – expert
4 Apr 2008
New Zealanders shouldn’t be fooled by quick fixes to the current energy crisis, says the car buyers’ Dog & Lemon Guide.
Climate change "motorway" to higher value production
4 Apr 2008
The effects of climate change are one of the greatest threats we face, Agriculture Minister Jim Adnerton has told the Large Herds Association conference at New Plymouth. If we handle it the right way, it will also be our motorway to higher value production.
Mallard speech: Sustainable development at a sustainable price
4 Apr 2008
Here is the full keynote speech of Environment Minister Trevor Mallard, presented yesteray to Planning Institute members conferencing in Greymouth.
A slippery sort of "come out of the closet day" of climate change politics
3 Apr 2008
While the select committee opened up its hearings on the climate change bill at Parliament yesterday, senior Ministers launched a fusillade of statements questioning National’s position on climate change, including trying to get some “slippery” mud to stick to John Key.
Major CO2 storage project launches, brightens future for coal use
3 Apr 2008
The first carbon dioxide storage project in the Southern Hemisphere, in which Solid Energy is a major investor and founding member, was launched yesterday in south west Victoria, Australia.
GHGPC: Emissions Trading - at what cost?
3 Apr 2008
In a presentation to the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee hearing submissions on the Climate Change (Emissions Trading and Renewable Preference) Bill, the Greenhouse Policy coalition, representing the energy intensive sector, had the following to say.
Parker: Full trans-Tasman ETS harmonisation only one option
2 Apr 2008
EXCLUSIVE - New Zealand does not need to integrate its emissions trading scheme (ETS) with Australia’s for it to work efficiently, Climate Change Minister David Parker told Carbon News yesterday.
Ex KPMG parnters launch certification company in New Zealand Market
1 Apr 2008
An alleged inability of many of New Zealand's primary industries to provide independent information about their business practices is behind the London-based GoodCorporation's anno8uncement yesterday that it will launch in this market.
NZ Windfarms increases stake in WindPower Maungatua
1 Apr 2008
Dunedin – WindPower Maungatua Ltd announced today that NZ Windfarms Limited has increased its 16.7 per cent shareholding in WindPower Maungatua to 50 per cent.
Mighty River Power committed to new geothermal development
1 Apr 2008
Mighty River Power Chair Carole Durbin has announced her board's commitment to support a new $450 million geothermal development proposed at Rotokawa, north of Taupo, with the final decision subject to completion of procurement contracts.
Conserving biodiversity is a business opportunity, say IUCN and Shell
1 Apr 2008
Gland, Switzerland (IUCN)– The business case for conserving nature is strong and getting stronger, according to a new report published today by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and Shell International Limited.
Skids under government’s bio-fuels mandate
31 Mar 2008
It looks increasingly likely that the Labour-led Government’s mandate for petrol and diesel to contain 3.4% of bio-ingredients from July 1 will be shelved – possibly for as long as it takes to develop second-generation bio-fuels.
Bio-fuels threaten food catastrophe
31 Mar 2008
The world is now just two years away from a food catastrophe caused in part by diversion of land-use to feed cars rather than people, according to a leading Indian academic.
International biofuels and electric vehicles experts speaking at Wellington
31 Mar 2008
Six international speakers will join local experts to discuss the future of biofuels and electric vehicles in New Zealand at a conference in Wellington on Wednesday (April 2).
Wind farmers tilt at gas power for pushing up prices
31 Mar 2008
To say the 90% renewable energy target will be directly responsible for increased electricity prices ignores current electricity price trends, say Fraser Clark, CEO of the New Zealand Wind Energy Association.
Roger Kerr: Saving the Planet Must Not Cost the Earth
31 Mar 2008
By Roger Kerr, Business Roundtable Shortly a select committee of parliament will begin hearings on the bill to implement an emissions trading scheme (ETS).
Posnett defends bio-fuels' New Zealand role
28 Mar 2008
“A piece of legislation” is all that’s required to give bio-fuels a sustainable role in the New Zealand transport fuel mix, according to Dickon Posnett, the chairman of the newly-formed New Zealand Bio-fuels Manufacturers’ Association (BMA).
Air NZ: Do you want carbon credits with that?
28 Mar 2008
Air New Zealand customers now have the option to fund the purchase of carbon credits to offset their travel.
Ballance: Nitrification inhibitor use tracked by software
28 Mar 2008
Ballance Agri-Nutrient’s nitrification inhibitor science is now recognised by the wider agricultural industry.
Unreliable renewable generation contributes to high spot prices
28 Mar 2008
“The flaws in the policy to ban new thermal power stations are being graphically illustrated by current high electricity spot prices,” said Ralph Matthes, Executive Director of the Major Electricity Users’ Group (MEUG).
Greenpeace turns spotlight on farmers
27 Mar 2008
Greenpeace is demanding New Zealand farmers be brought into the pending New Zealand emissions trading scheme earlier than the scheduled 2013.
Environment Bay of Plenty welcomes major lake restoration move
27 Mar 2008
Environment Bay of Plenty has welcomed today’s announcement by the Prime Minister that the Government will be contributing $72.1 million to restore the Rotorua Lakes.
NZ emissions trading regulations - what's in store
27 Mar 2008
Officials are working on a range of regulations to implement New Zealand's emissions trading system.
Government needs to define clean coal future
26 Mar 2008
The Greenpeace action at Lyttelton last night will put further pressure on the Government to define the role of coal within the ETS and the wider battle against climate change. By far New Zealand’s biggest known energy resource is the 11 billion tonnes of low-grade lignite coal scattered through a dozen easily-accessible fields in Otago and Southland.
Three pillars to Wong’s emissions policy
26 Mar 2008
The three pillars of reducing emissions, adapting to unavoidable climate change and helping shape a global solution are at the heart of Australia’s greenhouse gas (GHG) policies, Australian Federal Climate Change Minister Penny Wong has told Carbon News.
Now it’s petrol giving the Aussies cold feet
26 Mar 2008
Never mind that the participation of agriculture and forestry in the Australian emissions trading scheme (ETS) looks like being left to the respective industries to decide, land transport may be allowed off the hook too.
Meridian half-year profit $94 million - $175 million special dividend
26 Mar 2008
Meridian has reported a half-year after-tax result of $93.7 million for the six months ended 31 December 2007, compared with a restated profit of $116.6 million for the same period a year earlier.
Garnaut bucks Wong’s exclusion of agriculture: wants all permits auctioned
25 Mar 2008
Agriculture and forestry should be included in the Australian emissions trading scheme (ETS) despite Climate Change Minister Penny Wong’s preference for their exclusion, the Australian Federal Government’s principal climate change advisor, Professor Ross Garnaut says.
Millions pour into ag emission reduction research projects
25 Mar 2008
Research into the mitigation of agricultural emissions is the biggest beneficiary of the first $5m allocated by the Government under its Plan of Action for Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change.
Self-assessment the Kiwi ETS maxim
20 Mar 2008
A CARBON NEWS INQUIRY SERIES - By Hugh de Lacy: Don’t wait around for the Government to impose overseas standards on carbon assessment and verification: self-assessment is the core theme in the New Zealand emissions trading scheme (ETS), according to Dave Brash, general manager of the Treasury’s Emissions Trading Group.
BNZ’s Alexander on NZ ETS: “We’ve got to pull finger”
20 Mar 2008
New Zealand needs to “pull its finger out” on an emissions trading scheme (ETS) before it’s overtaken by Australia, or the Europeans start using theirs as a trade barrier.
Now we're 'enhancing' nitrogen take-up to lower farm emissions
20 Mar 2008
Rural supply company Donaghys has launched an innovative breakthrough biotechnology product, which in trials has resulted in nearly equivalent pasture growth with half the level of urea application.
Official timetable for introducing Australia's ETS
20 Mar 2008
Here is the official timetable for developing and introducing Australia's greenhouse gas cap and trade scheme.
Could Clark deliver a personal climate change tax credit?
19 Mar 2008
Could the Clark Government come up with a one-off cash Climate Action Dividend in this year’s Budget, to offset higher costs people will face to pay for its climate change measures?
Smith: Chainsaw massacre continues unabated
19 Mar 2008
Figures released on deforestation are nothing short of an environmental disaster, says National's Climate Change spokesman, Dr Nick Smith.
Nitrification inhibitors critical to clean dairying
19 Mar 2008
If every one of the country’s 5000-odd dairy farmers were to spray their pastures with Ravensdown’s Eco-N, nitrous oxide emissions from all of New Zealand’s pastoral farming would be cut to below 1990 levels, the company says.
CARBON NEWS FORUM: BP Chief Executive - Action needed now to smooth transition to low carbon economy
19 Mar 2008
"Across the world we're at an inflection point as far as the future energy mix is concerned. If we act now to develop sustainable regulatory and fiscal structures, we will be able to smooth the transition to a lower carbon economy of the future. If we wait, then that transition could be very difficult indeed" said BP chief executive Tony Hayward at the Third International Renewables Energy Conference.
Forestry, agriculture may not be in Aussie ETS
18 Mar 2008
Agriculture and forestry may be dumped in the too-hard basket by new Labor Government Climate Change Minister Penny Wong, who yesterday announced a timetable for Australia to launch an emissions trading scheme (ETS).
More Aucklanders than ever taking climate action
Mon 8 Dec 2025
Media release: Auckland Council | Aucklanders are embracing climate action in record numbers, with more people getting involved each year and the momentum is building.
NZ’s government wants tourism to drive economic growth – but how will it deal with aviation emissions?
22 Oct 2025
By Robert McLachlan, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University | Following a brief dip during the COVID pandemic, aviation is back in a growth phase.
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.
NSW government, energy company under fire after native bird habitat cleared for renewables project
Fri 5 Dec 2025
A New South Wales government-backed renewable energy project has been accused of environmental vandalism after dozens of threatened birds were found in native trees it had cleared.
Govt launches strategy backing wood-based heat sector
23 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Forestry biomass could replace as much as 40% of fossil fuel-generated process heat by 2050, but access to supply, regulatory settings and business cases for converting to wood-based heat sources are required, the Government says in a series of documents released yesterday.
Carbon market conduct pioneer passes on the baton
Mon 8 Dec 2025
Media release | The International Carbon Reduction and Offsetting Alliance (ICROA), a pioneer in early voluntary carbon market conduct, has announced that it will wind down operations by late 2026.
What Victoria auditor-general's report actually says about so-called 'transition chaos'
Mon 8 Dec 2025
Mainstream media loves a electricity blackout scare, but in the wake of this week’s report from the Victorian auditor-general on the state of the state’s transition to renewables, the headline hysteria hit new heights.
Carbon auction tipped to be a non-event
2 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Tomorrow’s Emissions Trading Scheme auction is all but certain to fail, with participants blaming the government for destroying confidence as NZUs continue to change hands on the secondary market at a 40% discount on the $68 auction floor.
Hello, foreign oligarchs and corporations! Please come and sue the UK for billions
Wed 3 Dec 2025
COMMENT: The case of a planned Cumbrian coalmine shows how governments around the world are being threatened by litigation in shadowy offshore courts.
Investors must support positive climate-tech
28 Nov 2025
OPINION: We need better leadership than the current ‘climate opportunism’ that is rife in the Beehive, and we need to back a marketplace that will make it happen, writes Rob Campbell.
$235 billion worth of NZ buildings exposed to flooding
30 Oct 2025
More than 750,000 New Zealanders live in locations exposed to one-in-100-year floods, according to a nationwide study which shows escalating flood risk.
Al Gore's case for optimism
Mon 8 Dec 2025
This year’s United Nations climate summit in Belém, Brazil had everything: A literal flood, a literal fire, a record-breaking 1,600+ fossil fuel lobbyists, and delegates from oil-producing nations working overtime.
Govt ‘scaremongering’ over co-operation – former climate ambassador
Fri 5 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s former top climate diplomat, Kay Harrison, says the Government’s recent comments ruling out buying climate mitigation offshore amount to scaremongering, and the country is missing a chance to give our businesses a boost.
Trans-Tasman ministers push climate cooperation amid NZ retreat from climate commitments
Mon 8 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Last week's 2+2 Climate and Finance Ministers’ Dialogue in Auckland urged deeper trans-Tasman climate cooperation, despite New Zealand’s recent moves to weaken climate policies.
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.
Southland's waters warming faster
Mon 8 Dec 2025
Matthew Rosenberg, Local Democracy Reporter | Waters are warming in Murihiku Southland at higher rates than elsewhere, with implications for fisheries and habitats.
NZ marine heatwaves could double in intensity under high-emissions pathway
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.
Uncertainty eroding confidence in forestry sector
Fri 5 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Warnings are mounting that tree planting is set to plunge to “very close to zero”, as new Ministry for Primary Industries data shows ETS registration applications falling sharply as confidence in forestry declines.
Media round-up
Fri 5 Dec 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Labour’s chronic evasiveness as the Government reneges on climate change; newly released documents reveal the country's new methane target is associated with 'perilous' 2.7C of warming; and New Zealand's 'pitiful' decision on emissions targets comes with costs.
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.”
Analysis: Why COP30’s ‘tripling adaptation finance’ target is less ambitious than it seems
Fri 5 Dec 2025
One of the headline outcomes to emerge from COP30 was a new target to “at least triple” finance for climate adaptation in developing countries by 2035.
Climate comments ‘outrageous’ – former top climate negotiator
Wed 3 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s former climate ambassador, Kay Harrison, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ recent statements that the Government had ruled out buying offshore climate mitigation are “outrageous”.
TotalEnergies loses in Paris court, marking a turning point for fossil fuel truth-in-advertising
5 Nov 2025
TotalEnergies was found to have misled consumers about its role in the energy transition.
Tribunal warns govt geothermal strategy risks Treaty breach
2 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government's geothermal development strategy risks breaching the Treaty of Waitangi, according to a report from the Waitangi Tribunal released last week.
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.
Insurers welcome govt decision to keep NHC levy unchanged
21 Nov 2025
Media release |The Insurance Council of New Zealand | Te Kāhui Inihua o Aotearoa (ICNZ) has welcomed the Government’s decision to leave the Natural Hazards Commission levy unchanged, amid ongoing concerns around the cost-of-living.
Why I’m not outraged at the Govt’s latest climate backsliding
7 Nov 2025
COMMENT: The Government’s latest climate rollbacks underline New Zealand’s long history of a lack of genuine desire to cut emissions, writes Geoff Bertram.
NZ’s rejection of emission targets fuels risk of international law breach
Mon 8 Dec 2025
By Karen Scott, Professor in Law, University of Canterbury | The New Zealand government’s decision this week to reject all of the Climate Change Commission’s emission target recommendations was just the latest in a string of policy statements that weaken the country’s action on climate.
NZ fails to back ‘roadmap’ to phase out fossil fuels at COP
24 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | Eighty-six countries including Australia, the UK, Germany, and Ireland backed a proposal at COP30 for national plans on how to quit oil, gas and coal – but New Zealand wasn’t one of them.
Media round-up
28 Nov 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: How the oil and gas industry helped rewrite New Zealand’s drilling rules, confusion reigns as the climate minister appears unaware of his own announcement, and the fierce battle over mining on Denniston Plateau.
Govt's emissions ‘buffer’ an illusion with all NZ's carbon budgets off track
28 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Dr Christina Hood, head of consultancy Compass Climate, says the Government’s claim that New Zealand has a comfortable emissions “buffer” to absorb higher agricultural pollution is misleading, with projections showing emissions budgets are actually set to be missed in real terms.
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.
Storms in the Southern Ocean are producing more rain – and the consequences could be global
Mon 8 Dec 2025
Storms in the Southern Ocean influence weather patterns across Australia, New Zealand and the globe.
Govt rejects advice on international aviation and shipping emissions
Thu 4 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government has rejected all the Climate Change Commission’s recommendations to strengthen emissions targets.
Heatwaves, downpours and droughts – Auckland on track for more extreme weather
1 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show Auckland will face more heatwaves, heavier downpours, worsening droughts and growing coastal threats as climate extremes intensify, according to a new report from Earth Sciences New Zealand.
Govt green lights rural recycling scheme
Thu 4 Dec 2025
The Government has approved new regulations to bring rural waste schemes under one unified framework.
Govt to unveil RMA replacement as summer looms
Mon 8 Dec 2025
The last session of Parliament for the year begins this week, and the Government is expected to introduce the legislation that will replace the Resource Management Act.
Shipping movements disrupted as climate change protesters block coal ships
2 Dec 2025
NSW police have arrested 141 people who attempted to block the shipping channel in Newcastle Harbour during Rising Tide protests, which began on Thursday.
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.
Rare win for renewable energy: Trump administration funds geothermal network expansion
Fri 5 Dec 2025
A first-in-the-nation heating and cooling network in Massachusetts is set to double in size.
NZ's ‘missed opportunity’ on aviation and shipping emissions
Fri 5 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s refusal to include international aviation and shipping in New Zealand’s 2050 climate target has been met with disappointment from climate experts, who say the decision undermines accountability for a transport-reliant nation, and misses a critical opportunity to strengthen New Zealand’s climate leadership.
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.
Pollution from coal plants was dropping. Then came Trump and AI.
1 Dec 2025
Data centres’ hunger for electricity is prompting some states to keep their coal-burning power plants from closing – while DC relaxes air pollution limits.
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.
Spain announces $1.5 billion package to boost electric vehicle market
Fri 5 Dec 2025
Spain's plan includes 400 million euros in direct subsidies in 2026 for consumers to buy EVs.
Treasury to offer first stab at climate liabilities pre-election
Thu 4 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The Treasury will make a first attempt at accounting for Crown liabilities arising from New Zealand’s international climate change commitments in next year’s pre-election economic and fiscal update.
Kaicycle celebrates ten years of collective climate action in Pōneke
14 Nov 2025
Media release: Kaicycle | Since 2015, Kaicycle has grown from a humble pilot project growing kai and collecting compost on bicycles into the thriving urban farm and composting hub that Wellingtonians know and love.
Study provides a step-change in understanding NZ’s groundwater
28 Nov 2025
Media release | Earth Sciences New Zealand has developed a world-first National Groundwater Age Map and a powerful suite of tools to support the sustainable management of our hidden groundwater resources, from national through to local scales.
‘The effects are already here’: Northland communities face the realities of a changed climate
Fri 5 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Te Taitokerau Northland is facing more intense storms, rising temperatures and shifting seasons – pressures that are reshaping communities, ecosystems, infrastructure and livelihoods across the region, according to a new case study from the Climate Change Commission.
NZ’s energy system at a crossroads – report
21 Nov 2025
A new report says New Zealand’s rapid shift toward a 95% renewable electricity system is at a critical turning point, urging faster consenting, stronger firming solutions and better grid planning.
