Topics tagged with 'Aviation'
France bans short-haul flights in effort to fight climate change
25 May 2023
France has formally banned domestic flights on short routes that can be covered by train in less than two-and-a-half hours in a move aimed at reducing airline emissions.
Solar-powered airships could help climate-friendly air travel get off the ground
10 May 2023
In a new study, researchers calculate airship travel would have a mere 1/20th the climate impact of conventional aviation.
Climate change is making the skies less friendly - prepare for a future where you always have your seatbelt on
11 Apr 2023
In his early days in the business, aviation expert John Nance used to make “Tornado Alley runs,” as he and other pilots with Braniff Airlines called them.
Hydrogen aircraft: Fool me once?
14 Mar 2023
By Robert McLachan- Planet Ecology | NEW YORK TIMES – Virtually unnoticed abroad except by aviation experts, a recent broadcast by Russian television showed an ordinary-looking airliner roaring aloft from a Moscow-area airport, trailing a stream of condensing steam instead of the usual kerosene smoke.
Bill Gates on why he’ll carry on using private jets and campaigning on climate change
8 Feb 2023
Bill Gates does not agree that using a private jet and campaigning on the issue of climate change represents a contradiction open to allegations of hypocrisy.
Report proposes tax on the ultra-rich to finance a global climate fund
1 Feb 2023
Climate change is also a story of inequality. Inequality between the culprits and the victims of a crisis that not only causes global heating but also triggers extreme weather events that further impoverish those who are already living in poverty.
Air travel emissions in Norway are double the global average
14 Dec 2022
Emerging research suggests that greenhouse gas emissions from Norwegian air travel are twice as high as the worldwide average.
MFAT building “digital-diplomacy suite” to cut air travel
2 Dec 2022
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has cut its air travel by more than half since 2018-19 and is launching a “custom-built digital-diplomacy suite” with high quality video conference facilities to lock in air travel emissions reductions.
Climate change front and centre in government tourism innovation fund
11 Nov 2022
Cutting carbon emissions, improving sustainability, and climate change mitigation and adaptation are all in the mix in a $54 million dollar tourism innovation fund, announced by the government yesterday.
Can charging frequent flyers for their carbon solve aviation’s climate problem?
25 Oct 2022
If you were to design a scheme to deliberately accelerate climate change, you couldn’t do much better than an airline loyalty program. The more you fly, the cheaper and easier your flights become. Now what if that was switched around, and each flight you took in a year was instead more expensive than the last?
How do you decide which candidates are truly climate friendly?
30 Sep 2022
By Jeremy Rose | Last month, Dunedin mayoral candidate Pamela Taylor declared herself in favour of increasing carbon emissions on the grounds it would stimulate plant growth.
Nations seek aviation climate pact despite global tensions
28 Sep 2022
A United Nations body has begun global talks to hammer out a consensus on reducing airline emissions in the face of lingering discord over climate change and the impact of war in Ukraine.
Air NZ’s sustainable fuel anything but: experts
19 Sep 2022
Climate change experts are questioning the sustainability of 1.2 million litres of biofuel Air New Zealand is importing this week.
Best by the rest...
26 Aug 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media: two academics ask whether electric planes are really all they're cracked up to be; an inventor who claims steam engines have a green future; and, three academics on what the Nelson floods mean for our future.
Google 'airbrushes' out emissions from flying: BBC
26 Aug 2022
The way Google calculates the climate impact of your flights has changed, the BBC has discovered.
Here’s what you get if you ask airlines what they can do about the climate crisis
23 Aug 2022
Last year, the UK government’s own climate change advisers, the Climate Change Committee, said that demand for flying must fall if the UK is to meet its climate commitments.
Meet the pilot who quit flying because of the climate crisis
9 Aug 2022
Not many pilots climbing steadily up the ranks retire their wings in the name of environmental activism. But Todd Smith did just that at great expense. He spoke with DW about this life transition.
The madness of cutting down forests to grow food crops for supersonic aircraft biofuels
15 Jul 2022
In June 2021, United Airlines announced that it intends to purchase 15 “Overture” aircraft from Boom Supersonic, with an option to purchase 35 more. In June 2022, United CEO Scott Kirby reaffirmed that United’s purchase remains “on track”.
Greenwashing lawsuit against Dutch airline is the first of its kind
11 Jul 2022
As concerns over climate change rise, so too does greenwashing as a marketing tactic. And it’s often the most environmentally-destructive companies that trumpet the most outrageous claims—just take a look at some of the advertisements fossil fuel companies have put out in recent years.
Dutch government issues world-first cap on flights from European hub
8 Jul 2022
Schiphol airport in the Netherlands is set to permanently cut the number of flights in a bid to reduce noise and air pollution. Campaigners described the decision as a “historic breakthrough” that could help curb emissions from the aviation industry.
UK aviation industry misses all but one climate target: study
16 May 2022
The United Kingdom’s bid to decarbonize its aviation industry—a plan that depends largely on self-regulation—is being described as “implausible and credulous,” after a new report showed how little the industry has done to meet emission reduction targets set since 2000.
Best by the rest...
13 May 2022
In our Weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media: Congestion charges coming to major cities; climate politics, both here and across the ditch; and how the climate crisis is disproportionately impacting Maori.
On a wing and a prayer: efforts to cut aviation’s carbon footprint
21 Apr 2022
If you jump on your bike and ride out to Christchurch airport for a coffee you can rest easy in the knowledge that your caffeine hit comes with little or no carbon footprint – if on the other hand you arrive or depart on a plane it’s a different, carbon intensive, story.
Government to set up advisory group on decarbonising aviation
1 Apr 2022
The New Zealand government is set to follow the UK’s example and set up a public – private advisory body focussed on decarbonising aviation.
CarbonClick partners with Lima Airport
24 Mar 2022
Media Release - New Zealand enviro tech company CarbonClick welcomes Lima Airport as a partner in the global mission to enable more climate-friendly travel.
Aircraft CO2 emissions hit all time low
23 Feb 2022
New figures from UK aviation consultancy IBA show that CO2 emissions in the commercial sector averaged 143.7 grams per seat mile last month.
Flyers not willing to pay extra for green travel: study
14 Feb 2022
A new scientific study has slammed the effectiveness of airline carbon offsetting schemes in combatting climate change.
Plant-based jet fuel could reduce emissions by 68%
15 Oct 2021
Replacing petroleum-based aviation fuel with sustainable aviation fuel derived from a type of mustard plant can reduce carbon emissions by up to 68%, according to new research from University of Georgia scientist Puneet Dwivedi.
Snowball’s chance in hell of enticing Greta here
7 Oct 2021
Hell’s Pizza’s publicity-driven stunt of inviting Greta Thunberg to visit one of its restaurants has a snowball’s chance in hell of enticing the climate activist to Aotearoa.
Could low-carbon trains cure Europe’s flying addiction?
7 Oct 2021
A new generation of sleeper cars and short-haul routes are helping railways compete against discount airlines.
Shuttering NZUs 'wouldn't hurt': Shaw
5 Jul 2021
Minister for Climate Change James Shaw says buying NZUs with the intention of lowering New Zealand's total emissions 'wouldn't hurt,' in part two of his interview with Carbon News.
Voluntary NZ carbon credit drought
2 Jul 2021
Local businesses wanting to claim zero-carbon status are finding it difficult to obtain verified, voluntary New Zealand carbon credits, the Environment Select Committee heard yesterday.
UK aviation emissions up, up and away till mid-2030s
23 Jun 2021
The UK aviation industry has announced carbon targets that allow emissions from planes to increase into the mid-2030s.
10 YEARS AGO...
4 Jun 2021
Ten years ago, scientists an airlines were saying an aviation biofuels industry was a viable proposition.
Air Tahiti Nui offers CarbonClick offsets
3 Jun 2021
New Zealand tech company CarbonClick has signed up a second international airline to its offsetting programme.
Airships could cut short hop flying’s CO2 emissions by 90 per cent
27 May 2021
Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), which has developed a new environmentally friendly airship and hopes to be flying between European cities by 2025.
Acting now pays dividends in the future
26 May 2021
Transforming the economy now rather than protecting key wealth generating sectors from the full effect of international carbon prices will see the economy grow more in the long run, updated economic modelling shows.
Victoria University's emissions plummet thanks to Covid
14 May 2021
A dramatic drop in air travel due to Covid-19 contributed to a 32 per cent drop in Victoria University’s carbon emissions in 2020 compared to 2019.
Simon Upton’s spirited defence of a departure tax
6 May 2021
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton, gave a spirited defence of his proposal for a departure tax at today’s Environment Select Committee, despite the Government having ruled it out in the near term.
Airline offsetting programmes flawed
6 May 2021
The forest protection carbon offsetting market used by major airlines for claims of carbon-neutral flying faces a significant credibility problem, with experts warning the system is not fit for purpose, a Guardian investigation has found
Lest we forget: the carbon footprint of war
27 Apr 2021
With global spending on the military just shy of US$2 trillion in 2020, it’s hardly a surprise that the world’s armies are a major contributor to climate change.
Best by the rest...
22 Apr 2021
In our weekly round up of the best climate coverage in the local media, we include items by Jim Salinger on over fishing's mammoth threat to the climate, former PM Helen Clark on her vision of a green NZ, and talk of a night train between Auckland and Wellington.
Departure tax not on the cards
21 Apr 2021
The Government is not currently considering the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment's proposal for a departure tax.
Minister responds to climate criticism
20 Apr 2021
Climate Change Minister James Shaw says the Government is considering the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment's recommendations - which include a call for a departure tax.
Bursting the climate bubble
19 Apr 2021
The government missed an opportunity to transition to a more sustainable future with the opening of the trans-Tasman bubble today, according to two academics.
Best by the rest...
16 Apr 2021
The New Zealand Herald has published a series of articles in recent days as its contribution to Covering Climate Now's "Living Through the Climate Emergency" week of coverage in the lead up to Earth Day.
Report calls for end of carbon gluttony
14 Apr 2021
The world’s wealthy must radically change their lifestyles to tackle climate change, a report says.
Frequent flyers should pay more
8 Apr 2021
Wealthy frequent flyers who take several holidays a year should pay higher taxes each time they fly, a British charity says.
Call for finance sector regulation
7 Apr 2021
New regulations requiring the financial sector to disclose the greenhouse gas emission of their investment portfolios are needed, the Sustainable Business Network says in its submission to the Climate Change Commission.
Joint venture to build electric passenger-plane
1 Apr 2021
Rolls-Royce, Tecnam and Scandinavia’s largest airline, Widerøe, have entered into a partnership that they say will see the launch of an all-electric aircraft for passengers by 2026.
Govt needs to plan for catastrophes
Thu 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.
Media round-up
Fri 26 Sep 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Winston Peters drops a "truth bomb" about big emitters at UN function; why fixing our ‘broken’ electricity market is such a formidable challenge; and should New Zealand follow Australia’s lead on responding to its climate risk assessment?
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.
From nuisance to crisis: New report on pest wasps In Aotearoa
Wed 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.
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.
Carbon price steady after failed quarterly auction
16 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | The carbon price has continued to trade in its familiar moribund range in the high $50s following last week’s failed quarterly auction, with ample supply still trading on the secondary market at about $10 below this year’s $68 auction floor.
Chris Bowen meets Turkey’s first lady as lobbying to hold Cop31 intensifies
Fri 26 Sep 2025
Climate minister, who is trying to persuade Turkey to allow Australia to host the summit, appears with Emine Erdoğan at New York event.
No bidders front to carbon auction - again
10 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | Today’s quarterly carbon auction was a non-event yet again, making it the third consecutive auction this year with no bidders, with the secondary market price still limping along at nearly 20% below the auction floor.
Genesis inks coal deal for domestic supply at Huntly
Tue 23 Sep 2025
Genesis Energy will increase domestic coal supplies for Huntly Power Station under a new deal with BT Mining.
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.
Watts not considering removing electricity from ETS
16 Sep 2025
Energy and Climate Change Minister, Simon Watts, says he is “not currently considering” removing electricity generation from the Emissions Trading Scheme, as proposed by NZ First Minister Shane Jones.
Govt opens all of NZ for new oil and gas exploration
Fri 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.
New report reveals 'shocking' kelp forest loss
Mon 22 Sep 2025
New Zealand’s underwater kelp forests are vanishing at pace, with a new Fisheries New Zealand report finding more than a third of the north-east coastline has shifted to kina barrens.
Emails show forestry lobby fought Gisborne crackdown as slash clean-up drags on
Fri 26 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Sustainable land use advocates are accusing Eastland Wood Council of stonewalling efforts to tighten forestry rules, after correspondence between the group and the local council was released under the Official Information Act.
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.
EU proposes delaying anti-deforestation law, again
Thu 25 Sep 2025
The European Commission has proposed pushing back the European Union Deforestation Regulation for another year, to December 2026, citing concerns that its IT system is not yet ready to handle the demands that the regulation would place on it.
Gas makes a comeback at Climate Week
Thu 25 Sep 2025
At a number of events on Tuesday, senior officials made a case for gas as essential for energy security and a buttress to renewables
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.”
More Kiwi households turn to solar as energy costs mount
Wed 24 Sep 2025
Rising power prices are driving more households to consider switching to solar, with nearly half of New Zealanders considering installing solar panels or already having them installed, according to new research.
KiwiRail unveils carbon reduction plan
Thu 25 Sep 2025
KiwiRail has released its first carbon reduction plan with a target of reducing emissions by 40% in the next decade and to reach net-zero carbon by 2050.
Media round-up
5 Sep 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: The great methane debate; law change scuppers legal challenge to irrigation scheme consent; and what are the energy and climate implications of the $7.5 billion Amazon Web Services data centre deal?
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.
Media round-up
29 Aug 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Changes to road user charges will increase New Zealand's emissions; Climate Change Minister Simon Watts promises better access to hazard data for homeowners; and Kiwis borrow over $1 billion in ‘green loans’ for heat pumps and electric cars.
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.
Exxon and Shell sue the Netherlands in secret tribunals for closing Europe’s biggest gas field
19 Sep 2025
Following billions in profits and over a thousand gas extraction-related earthquakes, the oil and gas giants filed claims against the Dutch state in four separate investor-state disputes concerning compensation for home damages and the permanent closure of the Groningen gas field.
'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.
‘Con,’ ‘scam,’ ‘hoax’: Trump’s UN speech on climate
Wed 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.
Govt considers cutting Climate Commission’s role
Mon 22 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government is weighing up cutting the Climate Change Commission’s role of advising on emissions reduction plans, a move that legal experts say could increase the risk of litigation.
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.
Bay of Islands treasures under threat – New EDS case study points towards practical solutions
Tue 23 Sep 2025
Media release | The Environmental Defence Society has released its latest oceans reform case study: Caring for Te Pēwhairangi – Bay of Islands, highlighting the extraordinary natural and cultural values of the Bay of Islands and the urgent need to address the serious environmental degradation occurring there.
‘Beyond embarrassing’ – Peters’ Paris remarks draw fire for talking down Pacific climate diplomacy
Fri 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.
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.
Alarm over new West Coast hazard zones
Wed 24 Sep 2025
By Lois Williams, Local Democracy Reporter | Council and iwi leaders agonising over the West Coast ‘One Plan’ have tackled what planners describe as its most complicated and emotive chapter -- the one on Natural Hazards.
Students repeat request for Victoria University to divest from fossil fuel investments
Wed 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.
China's new target unlikely to drive down emissions
Fri 26 Sep 2025
Media release - Climate Action Tracker | China’s new 2035 climate target, announced at the UN, marks a shift from emission and energy intensity targets to setting absolute emission reduction targets for the first time.
Solar households to get little-noticed tax break
Tue 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.
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.
EV batteries could power NZ's grid – study
Thu 25 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | EV batteries could ease peak demand by exporting power back to homes and the grid, with large potential cost savings for EV owners and electricity consumers, according to a new study.
Echo Tech secures growth investment to tackle NZ's e-waste crisis
15 Sep 2025
Media release | Echo Tech Limited, New Zealand’s leading provider of e-waste recycling and IT asset recovery services, is proud to announce a strategic investment from growth equity firm Altered Capital.
La Niña set to prolong NZ hydro shortfall
9 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With La Niña favouring a drier-than-normal spring across much of the South Island, hydro lakes are unlikely to recover without substantial rain and late snowmelt – keeping national storage levels below average.
Record UK wildfires have burned an area twice the size of Glasgow in 2025
12 Aug 2025
Wildfires have scorched more than 40,000 hectares of land so far this year across the UK – an area more than twice the size of the Scottish city of Glasgow.
Trump administration moves to revoke permit for Massachusetts offshore wind project
Wed 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.
