Topics tagged with 'Airlines'
Airlines' offsetting doesn't add up, says Consumer NZ
23 Aug 2017
Carbon offsetting by the two major domestic airlines operating in New Zealand doesn’t fully reflect carbon emissions caused by air travel, says Consumer New Zealand.
Climate change promises rough ride for airlines
19 Apr 2017
By TIM RADFORD | Keep that seat belt buckled − it could be a bumpy flight. New research predicts that severe clear air turbulence in the stratosphere could increase by 149 per cent because of climate change.
Companies queue to supply Air NZ with biofuels
17 Mar 2017
Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia say they now have a shortlist of companies to supply them with biofuels.
Biofuels mix could see end of chemtrails in the sky
16 Mar 2017
Mixing biofuels into aviation gas cuts chemtrails, new research shows.
Aviation industry acts to reduce aircraft emissions
7 Mar 2017
The aviation industry is the first sector to introduce a global design standard on emissions.
Flight to greener aviation fuel has hit turbulence
1 Mar 2017
When it comes to reducing carbon emissions, one of the biggest hurdles is the world’s addiction to flying.
Liquid hydrogen could fuel future air travel
1 Mar 2017
Liquid hydrogen might be the solution to the thorny problem of sustainable air travel.
Europe takes tough line on shipping emissions
27 Feb 2017
The European Parliament has lost patience with shipping industry inaction over climate change and has outlined plans to include vessels in its Emissions Trading System.
Tourism can make the world cleaner and greener
7 Feb 2017
OPINION | Tourism can be a force for good – depending how you do it, say World Tourism Organisation director-general TALEB RIFAI, United Nations Environment executive-director ERIK SOLHEIM and UNFCCC head PATRICIA ESPINOSA.
Electric vehicles drive to overtake biofuels
25 Jan 2017
By 2040, the number of electric cars in the world could have reached 715 million, says the International Energy Agency.
How NZ could become biofutures powerhouse
5 Dec 2016
New Zealand could easily become a Queensland-style biofutures superpower, local industry leaders say.
NZ signs up with global carbon pricing group
2 Dec 2016
New Zealand has joined a World Bank group promoting carbon pricing.
Engineers turn old tyres into quality oil and fuel
1 Dec 2016
Old tyres can be completely recycled into low-emission diesel engine oil, says a team of engineers.
Public wants to know green business credentials
28 Nov 2016
Strutting environmental credentials is paying off for businesses, as climate change rises rapidly as an issue in the minds of the public.
Air NZ flies high at sustainable business awards
18 Nov 2016
Air New Zealand is the supreme winner in this year’s Sustainable Business Network Awards, announced in Auckland last night.
World needs major emissions cuts by 2020, says report
17 Nov 2016
All key sectors– including commercial agriculture – must have major emissions cuts under way by 2020 if the world is to keep global warming within the Paris Agreement’s 1.5deg limit, a new report says.
Australia left behind 12 months after Paris
4 Nov 2016
Australia has been left behind as countries and businesses accelerate action on climate change after the historic global agreement one year ago, a new Climate Council report has revealed.
Global aviation emissions deal gets wings
7 Oct 2016
A global carbon market for aviation that could see New Zealand offsetting three million tonnes of emissions a year is going ahead.
Climate treaty races toward hazy future
7 Oct 2016
With a speed almost unknown in the annals of diplomacy, the Paris Agreement on climate change is ready to come into force a bare 11 months after it was reached on December 12 last year.
Airline emissions deal could boost offset bills
3 Oct 2016
A new global market-based measure for aviation emissions could see New Zealand having to offset 3 million tonnes of greenhouse gases a year.
Are we finally about to get an aviation emissions deal?
27 Sep 2016
Delegates from more than 190 nations today will begin an 11-day meeting in Montreal to determine the final form of a scheme to reduce greenhouse emissions from the aviation industry.
NZ will join aviation emissions agreement
23 Sep 2016
New Zealand will join an international market-based system to reduce aviation emissions, the Government has just announced.
NZ mulls over stand on aviation emissions
22 Sep 2016
New Zealand is considering its position on international plans to reduce the aviation industry’s impact on the climate.
Emissions targets need all-electric cars
22 Sep 2016
A new study says that achieving limits on temperature rise agreed at last year’s Paris climate conference will require a massive switch to zero emissions electric-powered vehicles, coupled with the development of a completely decarbonised power sector.
NZ airs views at aviation emissions talks
27 Jul 2016
New Zealand is looking to join an international plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft.
Can Nauru bounce back from mining boom and bust?
18 Jul 2016
When most of us hear of Nauru we tend to think of immigration detention, or perhaps of the environmentally ruinous legacy of the island nation’s ill-fated phosphate mining boom.
Renewable jet fuel could be growing on gum trees
11 Jul 2016
Australia’s economy might have ridden on the sheep’s back, but the colonies’ first export was actually eucalyptus oil.
Paris targets aren’t enough, but we can close the gap
1 Jul 2016
The Paris climate agreement saw countries pledge to limit global warming to well below 2degC, and to aim to keep it within 1.5deg. The problem is that countries' current emissions targets are not enough to meet these goals.
Price floor or perish, experts tell European market
28 Jun 2016
Europe’s carbon market faces ruin without a price floor, an international think-tank says.
Big names line up for Green Ribbon Awards
11 May 2016
The national airline, both major supermarket companies, one of the world’s largest technology companies, and a company that makes flexible pipes are among the finalists in the Government’s Green Ribbon Awards.
Here’s a way to make carbon markets work better
11 Apr 2016
Carbon markets could play a crucial role in delivering promises made at the Paris climate conference.
The case for a carbon tax on airline flight tickets
6 Apr 2016
After years of delay, the international aviation industry is inching its way toward bringing its greenhouse emissions under some form of regulation.
Air NZ emissions move wins global support
5 Apr 2016
Air New Zealand’s move to offset greenhouse gas emissions from its aircraft by supporting the restoration of native forests is picking up international momentum.
Welcome aboard, iwi adviser tells Air New Zealand
18 Mar 2016
Air New Zealand should not be the only company looking to work with iwi to generate carbon offsets, a consultant says.
Air NZ's looking at biofuels again ... but will they work?
15 Mar 2016
Air New Zealand is investigating biofuels again – but an international expert says it is unlikely to do much to cut the greenhouse gas emissions.
Aviation losing emissions battle, say academics
8 Mar 2016
Climate-damaging emissions from aviation will continue to rise despite the best efforts of the airline industry to make air travel sustainable, a new study co-authored by a University of Otago researcher suggests.
New aviation rules will just delay the heavy lifting
15 Feb 2016
There appeared to be some rare good news this week for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft.
A rubbish deal goes down ... inside Russia’s mafia-dominated waste industry
9 Feb 2016
Most Europeans take pride in recycling. A good citizen separates glass from plastics, biowaste from metal cans and brags about it to their friends. Recycling helps to soothe some of the anxiety driven by endless consumption.
Could a levy on air and shipping fuel sink emissions?
2 Feb 2016
Global agreements to aim for “well below” 2deg warming are nice enough, but now it’s time to develop some detailed policies to help us to get there.
Are electric vehicles really the best option?
18 Jan 2016
Jaguar Land Rover has become the latest car manufacturer to announce its entry into the world’s first fully electric racing series – the FIA Formula E World Championship.
Meet the fossil fuel firms paying for Paris
15 Dec 2015
In their recent book Climate Change, Capitalism, and Corporations: Processes of Creative Self-Destruction, Christopher Wright and Daniel Nyberg argue that “the reputation risk that flows from an association with greenhouse gas pollution has become increasingly relevant for corporations amid growing public awareness of climate change”.
Travel industry slashes carbon emissions
16 Nov 2015
Many of the world’s biggest travel and tourism companies have improved their carbon efficiency by 20 per cent in the past decade and are on course to halve carbon dioxide emissions by 2035, according to a new report.
Why we need a world agreement on agri emissions
2 Nov 2015
Pushing for a global agreement on agricultural emissions could benefit the climate and trade, says one of our leading climate scientists.
Quality emissions key to airline offsets
27 Oct 2015
International aviation could meet climate commitments using only high-quality emission reductions, a new report shows.
Air NZ backs global carbon market call
12 Oct 2015
Air New Zealand appears to support a global carbon market for the aviation industry.
UN offers Kyoto credits direct to public
28 Sep 2015
The United Nations is offering Kyoto-compliant carbon credits directly to the public.
India in disarray over strategy on global warming
21 Sep 2015
Researchers in India say its action on climate change is suffering because, unlike China, it has not developed the institutions needed to co-ordinate policy.
Climate change efforts are hurting Africa’s rural poor
21 Sep 2015
In recent years there has been significant movement toward land acquisition in developing countries to establish forestry plantations for offsetting carbon pollution elsewhere in the. This is often referred to as land grabbing.
Are electric aircraft the future or just wishful thinking?
31 Aug 2015
The future of aviation is dependent on finding an alternative power source. Is electricity the answer?
A carbon tax for South Africa: why a pragmatic approach makes sense
10 Aug 2015
The furore over the carbon tax in South Africa that is playing itself out both in public and behind closed doors is leading to an impasse.
NZ art focussing on climate on display at Beijing Biennale
Today 11:30am
An artist responding to the consequences of climate disruption is the first New Zealander in six years to feature at the prestigious Beijing Art Biennale.
Hydrogen plant to start construction
Tue 10 Feb 2026
Construction is set to start this month on Hiringa Energy’s long delayed green hydrogen project in South Taranaki, after years of consenting fights that culminated in the Court of Appeal rejecting Greenpeace’s challenge in late 2023.
Why Trump might be onboard with a UN carbon-offset programme for airlines
Today 11:30am
The president’s team has backed the rollout of an initiative that calls for the use of sustainable aviation fuel and carbon credits, even as Trump has pulled back from other international emissions-reduction efforts.
World fight against invasive species comes to Auckland
Tue 10 Feb 2026
Media release: University of Auckland | From countering invasive pink salmon in Norway to controlling feral cats in the Cayman Islands, knowledge on eradicating invasive species will be shared by international experts in New Zealand.
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.
EU weighing options to support industry in carbon market overhaul
Mon 9 Feb 2026
The European Commission is looking at various ways to support industries in an upcoming overhaul of the EU carbon market to prevent them moving to areas with lower pollution standards, the head of the Commission’s climate department said late on Wednesday.
Trump is wiping out all climate regulation. Big Oil may regret it.
Today 11:30am
For decades, oil majors fought climate regulation. Now, they’re afraid Trump’s extreme rollbacks could leave them on the hook to pay for what they’ve done.
Minister’s letters: Mildly positive or just virtue signalling?
5 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The carbon market was buoyed slightly yesterday, after letters between the Government and the Climate Change Commission were proactively released.
LNG plan risks fossil fuel dependency: Environment Commissioner
Wed 11 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Importing liquefied natural gas risks creating a “new path dependency on fossil fuel” unless LNG is ring-fenced for use only in the electricity system and only during extended periods of hydro-electricity water shortages, says the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton.
LNG: a rational choice compared to unpalatable alternatives
Tue 10 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: By deciding to underwrite the private construction of a liquefied natural gas import facility in Taranaki, the Government has made a rational choice in favour of energy security and affordability.
RMA’s successors hinge on two untested bets
17 Dec 2025
Two ideas sit at the heart of the Government’s replacement for the Resource Management Act: regulatory relief and spatial planning.
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.
Govt looks to Commission for ways to shore up carbon price
4 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government has asked the Climate Change Commission to look at lower auction volumes and an increase in the auction floor price as options to revive the Emissions Trading Scheme, as carbon prices remain weak.
Govt missing opportunity to slash electricity prices, says expert
Wed 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.
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.
January floods driven by tropical systems and La Niña conditions
Today 11:30am
Record-breaking rainfall across parts of Aotearoa in January was fuelled by tropical moisture and persistent low-pressure systems, with some regions recording more than five times their normal monthly rainfall, Earth Sciences New Zealand says.
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.
'Damning' report challenges forestry’s role in Tairāwhiti as sector rejects conclusions
4 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New independent analysis commissioned by Mana Taiao Tairāwhiti challenges long-standing claims that industrial forestry underpins the Tairāwhiti economy.
Australian ministers met Japanese gas companies 20 times amid fossil fuel lobbying push
Wed 11 Feb 2026
Australian government ministers met Japanese gas company executives more than 20 times in the last term of parliament as Labor encouraged investment in the fossil fuel industry.
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.”
US is canceling almost $30 billion in Biden-era energy loans
27 Jan 2026
The Trump administration said it’s canceling almost $30 billion of financing from the Energy Department’s green bank after reviewing transactions approved under former President Biden.
Green Member’s Bill aims to give whales legal ‘personhood’
Mon 9 Feb 2026
The Green Party wants to give whales legal rights, including the right to sue.
Kiwi startup takes on global plastic pollution
Today 11:30am
A New Zealand startup is launching what it says is the world’s first plastic-free effervescent drink tablet, with the ambitious aim of eliminating bottled beverages to reduce global plastic pollution.
COP30 microcosm of difficult geopolitics, says Vanuatu's Climate Minister
15 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Despite ‘intransigent’ states blocking multilateralism and a disappointing official outcome, Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister Ralph Regenvanu says he left the COP30 climate summit feeling more positive than after previous UN climate conferences.
Hydrogen emissions are ‘supercharging’ the warming impact of methane
19 Dec 2025
The warming impact of hydrogen has been “overlooked” in projections of climate change, according to authors of the latest “global hydrogen budget”.
Wales council to buy and demolish homes prone to flooding
4 Feb 2026
A row of homes in a village in south Wales is to be bought by a local authority and demolished as they can no longer be protected from flooding caused by the climate crisis.
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.
Greenpeace set to take UK Government to court over deep-sea mining licences
5 Feb 2026
Environmental NGO Greenpeace has kick-started a legal challenge against the UK Government’s decision to approve the transfer of two seabed exploration licences to a newly-formed mining company with US links.
Govt unveils plans for carbon storage regulations – and ETS rewards
18 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government has released plans to regulate carbon capture and storage in natural geological formations, which include Emissions Trading Scheme incentives, with the aim of introducing related legislation in 2026.
Ministers celebrate fast-track milestone amid criticism
Tue 10 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government is marking the first anniversary of its fast-track approvals regime, saying it is helping “build New Zealand’s future”, despite continued criticism from environmental groups, opposition parties, and industry voices following several controversial project decisions.
Court rejects challenge to Minister and Commission over climate targets
28 Jan 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Supreme Court has rejected Lawyers for Climate Action’s bid to challenge the Climate Change Commission and former Climate Minister James Shaw over climate targets, ending a long-running case which had been working its way through the courts since 2021.
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.
Climate change linked to decline in southern right whale
Today 11:30am
Scientists in Australia are warning southern right whales are showing signs of climate-related stress, just days after a Green Party Member’s Bill was introduced in New Zealand proposing legal personhood for whales.
Out of Paris, but will the US formally quit the UN climate regime?
30 Jan 2026
The Trump administration has decided to withdraw the US from the broader UN climate convention, raising questions about the legality of the move and what it means in practice.
Commentators slam Govt inaction in aftermath of climate change-fuelled storms
30 Jan 2026
By Liz Kivi | Climate action - or inaction - is shaping up to be an election issue, with multiple commentators drawing a line between the Coalition Government’s backsliding on climate targets and the deadly extreme weather events of the past week.
Major health risks linked to plastics emissions set to soar by 2040
28 Jan 2026
The adverse health consequences stemming from the global plastics system are projected to more than double by 2040, driven by greenhouse gases, air pollutants and toxic chemicals released throughout its lifecycle.
Rushed resource management reform bills unworkable: Environmental Defence Society
Wed 11 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Environmental Defence Society says significant amendments are needed to the government’s Natural Environment and Planning Bills, warning the proposed reforms risk weakening environmental limits, public participation, and regulatory certainty.
Three Greenpeace activists removed by police from Fonterra
17 Dec 2025
Media release | Three Greenpeace activists were removed by police from Fonterra’s downtown Auckland offices, following a protest on Monday at the Shareholders’ Fund meeting over the corporation’s role in the contamination of rural communities’ drinking water.
Critical minerals talks with US questioned in Waitangi Tribunal climate inquiry
Mon 9 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand and the United States' negotiations over critical minerals have raised questions for the Waitangi Tribunal’s long-running inquiry into climate change.
Australia's renewables boom delivers coveted power price payoff
Wed 11 Feb 2026
Australia's wholesale electricity prices fell to the lowest in four years in 2025, bucking the rising price trends seen elsewhere and validating claims that renewables-heavy power system overhauls can help lower consumer power costs.
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.
NZ-UAE partnership boosts advanced tech
Mon 9 Feb 2026
Media release | A new Antarctic science partnership with a leading UAE university will grow New Zealand’s advanced engineering and modelling capability, supporting high-value jobs, encouraging economic growth, and enabling smarter climate risk management, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti says.
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.
China maximises battery recycling to shore up critical mineral supplies
Wed 11 Feb 2026
Beijing is bracing for a tsunami of spent EV batteries by taking steps to boost recycling – a strategy that could also cut its reliance on imports of clean energy minerals.
Vanuatu introduces draft UN resolution on ICJ demanding full climate compensation
Wed 11 Feb 2026
Media release: Vanuatu Government | Vanuatu has introduced the zero draft of a United Nations General Assembly resolution to endorse the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion on the obligations of states in respect of climate change, delivered on 23 July 2025.
EU to ban destruction of unsold clothes and shoes
Today 11:30am
The European Commission has adopted new measures that will require medium and large companies to stop discarding unsold clothing and footwear, in the bloc’s latest move to target textile waste.
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.
Argentina fires ravage pristine Patagonia forests, fueling criticism of Milei’s austerity
4 Feb 2026
The wildfires, among the worst to hit the drought-stricken Patagonia region in decades, have devastated more than 45,000 hectares (174 square miles) of Argentina’s forests in the last month and a half, forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists.
World's first 20 MW offshore wind turbine powers grid in China
Tue 10 Feb 2026
The world's most powerful offshore wind turbine has begun feeding electricity into the grid off the coast of southeast China, marking a major technological leap in the country's wind power industry.
