Topics tagged with 'Aviation'
Travellers bothered by their flight’s pollution can pay to reduce it elsewhere. Do offsets work?
Thu 2 Oct 2025
So you’re booking your flight, and just when you’re about to check out, the airline asks if you’d like to pay a little something to offset your share of the flight’s pollution. Or, maybe you’re an environmentally minded person, and you’ve heard you can buy these things called carbon offsets.
Aviation industry pressures govt over SAF
22 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | A heavy-hitting new group representing global aeroplane manufacturers, airlines, airports and the domestic energy supply chain has been formed to pressure the government over New Zealand’s lack of policy on sustainable aviation fuel.
'Non-negotiable' – EU carbon pricing to hit Kiwi exporters, expert warns
11 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | High carbon exports will inevitably face a high carbon tax at the EU border, possibly in the next five years, and high methane agricultural products might not be exempt, an international expert told a local audience yesterday.
NZ needs to be part of a regional SAF strategy: Z, Air NZ
9 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand needs to be part of a regional strategic approach to sourcing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with domestic production less the aim than ensuring access to the fuel from one of a number of strategically positioned bio-refineries around the world.
Air NZ declares surprisingly low SAF prices
3 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Air New Zealand is able to source sustainable aviation fuel at between 1.5 and 2.5 times the price of conventional fossil fuels used for flying, all sourced from the US.
Flying still cheaper than trains on most EU routes, study finds
25 Aug 2025
If you thought European cross-border train journeys might finally be easier on the wallet than flights, think again.
Why plane turbulence is becoming more frequent - and more severe
6 Aug 2025
As climate change shifts atmospheric conditions, experts warn that air travel could become bumpier: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are expected to increase the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.
Airlines risk legal challenges by advertising jet fuel as “sustainable”, NGO warns
18 Jul 2025
Amid suspected fraud in the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a new report says the airline industry should stop calling all alternatives to kerosene “sustainable”.
NZ Post drops science-based climate target
8 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | NZ Post has dropped its science-based emissions reduction target of 42% by 2030 with no plans to replace it.
Nations agree to tax premium flyers, private jets
2 Jul 2025
A group of countries, including France, Kenya, Spain and Barbados, pledged on June 30 to tax premium-class flying and private jets in a bid to raise funds for climate action and sustainable development.
This company could change the shape of air travel
19 Jun 2025
Inside JetZero's cavernous 275,000-square-foot hangar at Long Beach Airport in L.A. County, the future of flight takes an unexpected shape.
Aviation sector’s climate claims unsupported by credible transition plans
18 Jun 2025
Media Release | New analysis finds over-reliance on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and lack of investment in zero-emission tech, risking long-term decarbonisation failure.
How flying can be a climate solution
16 Jun 2025
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?
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.
As Brazilian president visits China, $1 billion sustainable fuel deal announced
16 May 2025
Brazil announced two Chinese partnerships on Monday, including a $1 billion investment by China's Envision Energy to produce sustainable aviation fuel, as the country's president visits China.
Aviation industry is ‘failing dramatically’ on climate, insiders say
7 May 2025
Professionals call for a fundamental transition including controlling flight numbers.
Green Party plans to bring back industry decarbonisation fund
6 May 2025
The Greens want to bring back the Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry (GIDI) Fund and use it to kickstart sustainable forestry for building and fuel.
Air New Zealand announces less ambitious emissions ‘guidance’
2 May 2025
Air New Zealand has published its first “emissions guidance,” saying it expects to reduce net “well-to-wake” greenhouse gas emissions from jet fuel by 20-25% by 2030, from a 2019 baseline.
Media round-up
2 May 2025
In our weekly round-up of climate coverage in local media: Ministers rejected advice advice to take a hard look at hundreds of millions of dollars in 'climate grants' to big polluters; more sea snakes could show up on New Zealand beaches thanks to climate change; and shifting more freight from trucks to trains has numerous benefits including cuts emissions, so why aren't we doing it?
NZ's emissions fell 2% in 2023 - latest GHG inventory
15 Apr 2025
Aotearoa New Zealand’s gross greenhouse gas emissions reduced by 2% in 2023, according to the latest greenhouse gas inventory.
There isn't enough 'sustainable' aviation fuel to make a dent in our emissions - and there won't be for years
13 Feb 2025
Burning SAF actually emits a similar amount of CO2 to fossil jet fuel. Most emissions 'savings' come from how we account for the waste and renewable energy that is used to produce it.
Airbus delay signals turbulence for hydrogen-powered aviation
11 Feb 2025
A plan to decarbonise aviation in New Zealand is up in the air after airplane manufacturer Airbus announced significant delays for its development of hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft.
Why (and how) I’m taking the two tonne challenge
15 Nov 2024
OPINION: By Emily Mabin Sutton | To meet our “fair share” of international climate targets, every person on Earth needs to emit less than 2.5 tonnes of carbon each year by 2030. But what does this look like in reality in New Zealand?
The world’s best hope to beat climate change is vanishing
13 Nov 2024
To have a chance against global warming, key economies and industries need to hit crucial emissions targets by 2030. They’re far off track.
Are Air New Zealand's biofuel hopes just pie in the sky?
1 Nov 2024
By Liz Kivi | Air New Zealand and LanzaJet say a study shows promising results for turning wood waste into jet fuel. However, experts say that making jet fuel from wood at an industrial scale is challenging and extremely unlikely to result in near-term emissions reductions.
Air New Zealand: A climate leader no more
15 Aug 2024
Sir Jonathon Porritt takes aim at Prime Minister Christopher Luxon over the airline's decision to axe its climate target.
Modern fuel-efficient jets can cause more warming than older planes
14 Aug 2024
Passenger planes and private jets that fly higher can create longer-lasting contrails, meaning their contribution to global warming has been underestimated.
Cooking oil won’t be enough to make aviation sustainable
8 Aug 2024
Pressure is growing to boost the production of sustainable aviation fuels, but each solution has big drawbacks.
Is Air NZ leading the way in dropping its climate target?
2 Aug 2024
News that Air New Zealand is dropping its 2030 emissions target made international headlines this week, and experts are asking whether more businesses will follow suit.
Air NZ to drop science-based carbon reduction target
30 Jul 2024
Air New Zealand today announced it is dropping its 2030 science based carbon intensity reduction target and will withdraw from the Science Based Targets initiative - meaning the national carrier is not on track to help limit global heating to under 1.5C.
Capital receives first delivery of sustainable aviation fuel
26 Jun 2024
Air New Zealand has shipped 500,000 litres of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) into Wellington, in what the airline says is “another small step” towards its target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Wealthy Kiwis driving up transport emissions
13 Jun 2024
Cashed-up Kiwis are pumping out more than their fair share of transport emissions, driving more frequently and over longer distances, according to new research.
Scion report on short rotation forestry met with scepticism
27 May 2024
A new report from Scion that says short rotation forestry holds the key to lowering fossil fuel use has been criticised by sustainable land use campaigners as well as an oil industry expert.
NZ agrees to cooperate on carbon markets with Singapore and Thailand
18 Apr 2024
New Zealand has signed separate partnership agreements with Singapore and Thailand, saying the countries will work together on carbon markets as one of several green economy measures.
Unions Wellington launches campaign to stop airport sale
15 Apr 2024
The Wellington branch of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions is opposing Wellington City Council’s proposal to sell its 34% share in Wellington Airport.
Net zero emissions target may need strengthening: Climate Change Commission
9 Apr 2024
By Jeremy Rose | New Zealand’s current Net Zero 2050 emissions reduction target may need to be strengthened, the Climate Change Commission says in a discussion document released yesterday.
City should include cruise ship emissions in targets - campaigners
22 Mar 2024
Climate activists are urging Christchurch City Council to include cruise ship emissions in the city’s emissions reduction plan.
Dutch court finds KLM ads were misleading in 'greenwashing' case
22 Mar 2024
A Dutch court ruled that KLM had misled customers with an advertising campaign aimed at improving the company's environmental image, in a case of so-called "greenwashing"
Plan for new Tarras airport on hold
29 Feb 2024
Christchurch Airport has put controversial plans for a new airport in Central Otago on hold, with opponents of the plan welcoming the pause.
Best by the rest...
16 Feb 2024
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Christchurch Airport stops saying it is 'climate positive'; the real carbon footprint of starting a family; and why the Waitangi Tribunal is prioritising a hearing on climate change.
Big hike in airfares needed to achieve aviation emission reductions: experts
12 Feb 2024
By Jeremy Rose | A return airfare to Europe would jump by around $900 if GST and greenhouse gas levies were applied to international air travel, one of the proposals in a recent paper by four climate researchers.
Former Air NZ Sustainability Panel chair proposes frequent flyer penalty levy
5 Feb 2024
By Jeremy Rose | Here’s a prediction: in the coming year you’ll see dozens of articles about sustainable aviation fuel, and battery and hydrogen powered planes but not one about flygskam.
Ministry for the Environment emissions up by 70%
17 Nov 2023
The Ministry for the Environments emitted 752.33 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in the 2022/23 financial year - a 69.84% increase on the previous year.
How much biofuel would we need to decarbonise aviation?
2 Oct 2023
The world could need four to five times as much land for biofuels as it uses today.
Channel Infrastructure’s profit increases, looks to a future in jet fuel
8 Sep 2023
Channel Infrastructure reported increased profit and forecast higher dividends as it released its results for the six months ended 30 June 2023.
Hydrogen summit coming to Wellington
15 Aug 2023
New Zealand’s second international hydrogen summit, in Wellington next month, will feature international speakers representing global shipping and aviation.
Business travel recovery stalls as companies seek to cut costs and emissions
14 Aug 2023
The recovery in business travel has stalled this year amid record price rises for premium flights and growing pressure on big companies to cut their carbon emissions.
Sustainable aviation fuel funding is govt “greenwash”: fuel expert
10 Jul 2023
By Liz Kivi | A former senior oil executive says that the government and Air New Zealand investing more than $2 million in research into sustainable aviation fuel is a blatant greenwashing tactic.
Turbulence has increased with climate change since 1979 - study
10 Jul 2023
Fasten your seat belts and get ready for yet another potential impact of climate change: bumpier airplane rides.
Should climate scientists fly?
3 Jul 2023
By Robert McLachlan | COMMENT: Have you ever thought a climate scientist hypocritical for flying to a climate change conference?
Aotearoa must 'stay the course’ on credible climate reporting – experts
Thu 2 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The External Reporting Board’s proposal to push Scope 3 emissions and related financial-impact disclosure back by two years has been branded "a big disappointment", prompting calls for New Zealand to stick with robust, credible climate-risk reporting.
Media round-up
Today 11:00am
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Leaving the Paris Agreement won’t fix NZ’s farming frustrations, what Pacific Island leaders told the UN General Assembly about climate, and Hawke's Bay Regional Council faces class action legal challenge over flooding.
NZ needs to be part of a regional SAF strategy: Z, Air NZ
9 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand needs to be part of a regional strategic approach to sourcing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with domestic production less the aim than ensuring access to the fuel from one of a number of strategically positioned bio-refineries around the world.
Still no clarity on Govt SNA policy for Coast councils
Today 11:00am
By Lois Williams, Local Democracy Reporter | West Coast councils worried they will have to spend millions creating new SNAs will have to wait till late next year to find out if they must still do the job.
Researchers say sealing old oil wells with bio-oil from crop waste is a dual carbon-removal solution
19 Sep 2025
A new analysis shows that oil made from corn husks, wood chips, and other waste could plug greenhouse gas-belching abandoned oil wells while sequestering carbon for about $152 per ton.
Will govt’s light touch approach lead to higher carbon prices?
Today 11:00am
By Liz Kivi | Carbon market watchers are hoping the government’s plan for the electricity sector will eventually lead to higher carbon prices, with the secondary market still trading sideways for the longest time in its history.
Pope Leo condemns climate change critics
Today 11:00am
Pope Leo XIV has hit out at those who minimise the "increasingly evident" impact of rising temperatures in his first major statement on climate change.
Climate credibility gap widening for Aussie firms
Wed 1 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Australian public companies’ climate change commitments are in retreat, reflecting difficulty in achieving stated targets and increased fossil use, but not because of any pressure to make less effort, according to a study of major companies’ ESG reporting.
Electricity to remain in ETS
Wed 1 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The Government has rejected Frontier Economics' recommendation that electricity should be removed from the Emissions Trading Scheme.
The merchants of doubt are back
3 Sep 2025
OPINION: If you don’t follow climate policy closely, you might not know that the Trump administration is launching an effort to overturn one of the most fundamental pillars of American climate policy.
Milestone for NZ Steel electrification
10 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | NZ Steel has passed an installation milestone for its new electric arc furnace, which will reduce emissions from the Glenbrook steel mill site by as much as one megatonne (1Mt) a year.
UN limits staff at COP30 climate summit over accommodation concerns
19 Sep 2025
High hotel prices for Brazil's COP30 climate summit in November have prompted the United Nations to urge its staff to limit attendance, while government delegations are still scrambling to find rooms within their budgets.
NZ quiet on climate target at UN meeting
Thu 2 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand didn't mention its recently minted – but widely criticised – climate target for 2035 at a major multilateral climate meeting in New York last week, at an event which was ostensibly billed as a platform for leaders to present their new targets.
‘Damp squib’ – Govt energy plan slammed for locking in fossil fuels
Thu 2 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Critics across business, climate groups and the opposition say the Government’s electricity reforms duck structural change, double down on LNG and gas, and offer little relief for soaring power prices – warning of an “expensive white elephant", deeper energy poverty and a missed chance to scale renewables.
From nuisance to crisis: New report on pest wasps In Aotearoa
24 Sep 2025
Media release: Moths and Butterflies NZ Trust | Just published is the Final Report of the Pest Wasps Survey carried out by the Moths and Butterflies of NZ Trust (MBNZT) offering a comprehensive look at New Zealanders’ awareness, experiences, and attitudes toward wasps and the growing ecological, health, and social issues associated with them.
Warming oceans prompt major overhaul of how scientists monitor El Niño and La Niña
Wed 1 Oct 2025
Global warming is interfering with how Earth Sciences New Zealand monitors one of the world’s biggest climate drivers.
Declining sea-ice is altering Antarctic food webs
11 Sep 2025
A new study shows a significant change in Antarctic phytoplankton over time that could cascade through the marine food web and affect the ocean’s capacity as a carbon sink.
Consultation open on second draft of Sustainable Finance Taxonomy
Mon 29 Sep 2025
Public consultation has opened on the second draft of the Aotearoa New Zealand Sustainable Finance Taxonomy.
Govt opens all of NZ for new oil and gas exploration
26 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | Fossil fuel companies can once again apply for new prospecting and exploration permits beyond onshore Taranaki for the first time since the previous government’s 2018 ban, in a move welcomed by the sector but slammed by environmental groups.
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.”
NGOs urge no green label for fossil fuel investments
Thu 2 Oct 2025
Fossil fuel developers should be excluded from financial investments labelled sustainable, NGOs and associations urged on Tuesday, as part of any reform of the European Union's green finance transparency rules.
NZ's worst droughts of today could become average conditions this century - research
Tue 30 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Continuing global heating, plus a 10% drop in summer rain, could turn current drought extremes into average conditions, new research shows.
FMA consults on clearer ethical investment claims to curb greenwashing
Mon 29 Sep 2025
The Financial Markets Authority – Te Mana Tātai Hokohoko – has released updated draft guidance for financial products marketed with ethical or sustainability features.
Coal imports up 650%
12 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams and Liz Kivi | Coal imports are up 650% as generators stockpile the most polluting fossil fuel ahead of next winter.
Hiringa eyes green methanol plant near Whanganui
29 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Green hydrogen pioneer Hiringa Energy is deep in planning to develop an “eight-to-nine figure” methanol plant near Whanganui, using a combination of biomass and hydrogen produced using renewable energy.
Study warns climate leadership falling short in NZ
Wed 1 Oct 2025
Media release - Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland | Research suggests New Zealand’s climate leadership is falling short, with current adaptation efforts focused on property and cost-cutting rather than protecting communities.
Will NZ walk away from the Paris Agreement?
20 Dec 2024
By Geoff Bertram | COMMENT: Unless the government can find very cheap offshore mitigation, the temptation to walk away from its Paris Agreement obligations may well be too strong to resist for a coalition government focused on fiscal austerity.
Can the courtroom save the climate?
Thu 2 Oct 2025
It was in early 2017 when it seemed like nearly every person I knew from home was asking me the same question: Should they be worried about what was about to happen in Washington, D.C.?
'Non-negotiable' – EU carbon pricing to hit Kiwi exporters, expert warns
11 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | High carbon exports will inevitably face a high carbon tax at the EU border, possibly in the next five years, and high methane agricultural products might not be exempt, an international expert told a local audience yesterday.
Want to know the grotesque truth about the oil industry? Then look at their tacky paperweights
Thu 2 Oct 2025
Tanoa Sasraku has been collecting – and creating her own – gaudy paperweights with a drop of crude oil encased within.
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.
Ocean acidification threatens planetary health
Tue 30 Sep 2025
The newly published 2025 Planetary Health Check report confirms transgression of the ocean acidification planetary boundary — the seventh Earth system threshold crossed, putting a “safe operating space for humanity” at risk.
China calls EU hypocritical over criticism of climate goal
Wed 1 Oct 2025
The EU climate chief's criticism of China's new climate pledges shows "double standards and selective blindness," China's foreign ministry said on Friday, accusing the bloc of being slow to act on its own climate targets.
Govt needs to plan for catastrophes
25 Sep 2025
Media release - Otago University | Two thirds of New Zealanders support the idea of the Government developing specific plans to deal with catastrophic risks, such as a Northern Hemisphere nuclear war or the release of a bioengineered infectious disease, University of Otago research has found.
Lobby group launches ‘blueprint’ for ocean management reform
18 Sep 2025
The Environmental Defence Society yesterday released its plan to tackle widespread ecological decline in our oceans.
Fast-track changes coming before end of year
Today 11:00am
The Government is already preparing to amend its fast-track approvals law, even as the first projects consented under the regime begin construction.
Students repeat request for Victoria University to divest from fossil fuel investments
24 Sep 2025
Media release | A group of students campaigning for climate action at Victoria University of Wellington have dropped a banner protesting against the university’s lack of action on its 2014 commitment to divest from fossil fuels.
Straterra has a new name: the New Zealand Minerals Council
16 Apr 2025
Media release | Straterra has been renamed as New Zealand Minerals Council, says chief executive Josie Vidal.
With federal support for wind and solar waning, states are trying to push policy through on their own
Thu 2 Oct 2025
A new report from the think tank Clean Tomorrow tracks how states are expanding – or restricting – where renewable energy projects can be built.
Countering the Trump administration’s attack on climate science
Today 11:00am
The Trump Administration is attempting to remove the legal basis for U.S. action on greenhouse gas emissions by attacking the climate science that underpins it.
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.
Auckland Transport and Kinetic charging ahead for sustainability
Tue 30 Sep 2025
Media release | Auckland Transport (AT) and bus operator Kinetic and have taken another step in their decarbonisation journeys with major upgrades completed at Kinetic’s Glenfield bus depot to support a growing zero emissions fleet.
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.
Transport will make or break Australia’s new climate plan – and time is running out to fix it
Wed 1 Oct 2025
Australia has a new climate target: cutting emissions by 62-70% below 2005 levels by 2035. Meeting even the lower end means halving emissions in a decade.
‘Beyond embarrassing’ – Peters’ Paris remarks draw fire for talking down Pacific climate diplomacy
26 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Foreign Minister and NZ first leader Winston Peters says he wants to revisit the Paris Agreement with Pacific leaders because some may be unaware of how it’s structured.
Day of action against incinerators
Mon 29 Sep 2025
Media release | Zero Waste Aotearoa will call on the Ministry for the Environment to embrace real solutions to waste and climate change, not toxic pollution from incineration as part of an international day of action on Tuesday 30 September.
Environment Minister abusing role to put freshwater at risk – Greens
Today 11:00am
Media release – Green Party | Documents obtained under the Official Information Act have revealed the Minister for the Environment is pressuring local councils to allow ‘water take’ consents for a group of farmers that includes her party colleague, in a catchment already showing signs of serious decline.
‘Con,’ ‘scam,’ ‘hoax’: Trump’s UN speech on climate
24 Sep 2025
The president used a large chunk of his hour-long speech to world leaders to condemn climate science and clean energy policies.
Trump administration moves to revoke permit for Massachusetts offshore wind project
24 Sep 2025
The Trump administration has moved to block a Massachusetts offshore wind farm, its latest effort to hobble an industry and technology that President Donald Trump has attacked as “ugly” and unreliable compared to fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas.
