Topics tagged with 'Aviation'
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.
Luxon touts his climate action at Air NZ
25 Mar 2021
Just one of the three MPs giving maiden speeches given in Parliament yesterday mentioned climate change: Christopher Luxon.
Sweden to increase airport fees for high-polluting planes
24 Mar 2021
Sweden plans to charge airlines more at takeoff and landing if their aircrafts are more polluting, the government has said.
TRANSPORT 1: High carbon prices and behaviour change
16 Mar 2021
New Zealand is failing to get transport emissions under control, as latest data shows. Energy expert and IPCC lead author Emeritus Professor Ralph Sims says there is lots we can do, including pushing carbon prices higher.
Our transport emissions hit new high
12 Mar 2021
New Zealand’s transport emissions are at an all-time high.
How heavy bombers hurt the climate
12 Mar 2021
The United States Airforce B-52 bomber that flew over Wairarapa during last month’s air show emitted as much carbon dioxide as 130 average mid-size cars emit per year in New Zealand.
Businesses join hands to find 'right recipe' for zero-carbon industries
26 Feb 2021
Despite the pandemic slamming the brakes on flying, UK-based engineering firm Rolls-Royce - whose main clients include the aviation industry - has not backed away from its work to slash planet-heating emissions, according to its technology director.
Aviation charts path to carbon neutrality by 2050
16 Feb 2021
The European airline industry has launched a sustainability plan to achieve carbon neutrality in the aviation sector by 2050.
Will planes be flying on air?
5 Feb 2021
Scientists are working on recovering atmospheric carbon to conjure aviation jet fuel from thin air.
Study puts Dunedin on most-at-risk airports list
4 Feb 2021
Dunedin airport is on a new international list of airports most vulnerable to climate change.
EU urged to address aviation’s full climate impact, including non-CO2 emissions
27 Nov 2020
The aviation sector’s climate impact is three times bigger than the effect of its carbon dioxide emissions alone, a new study shows, prompting calls for action.
Western Europe cools on plans for nuclear power
27 Nov 2020
News that two more reactors in the United Kingdom are to shut down on safety grounds earlier than planned has capped a depressing month for nuclear power in Europe.
'Jet-zero' green flight goal dismissed as a gimmick
26 Nov 2020
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s “jet-zero” goal of a commercial transatlantic flight producing no carbon emissions by 2025 is a gimmick, according to experts, who say technology alone cannot solve the impact of global aviation on the climate crisis.
'Super emitters' polluting climate at expense of those who don't fly
23 Nov 2020
Just one per cent of the population is responsible for half of global emissions from aviation, a study shows.
Cutting carbon will cost tourism and export industries
19 Nov 2020
The tourism and export sectors need to prepare for growing transport costs, Climate Change Commission chair Dr Rod Carr is warning.
Air travel’s date with sustainability draws nearer
9 Nov 2020
Aviation is gearing up for big changes in how the industry is regulated, as climate targets bite. The options available to decarbonise planes are plentiful and the challenge now is to invest enough resources in tech upgrades and regulatory tweaks to get the job done.
Why it's hard to cut aviation emissions
4 Nov 2020
A 1940s tax-exemption treaty designed to protect the fledgling aviation industry set airlines on a path to high emissions and low regulation.
Aviation joins the electric age
30 Oct 2020
New Zealand’s first electric plane will take to the skies today.
Business makes bid for $7.23 billion
22 Oct 2020
Businesses want the new Government to back $7.23 billion worth of projects they say will cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by 5.5 per cent over the next decade.
Electric trucks and green hydrogen 'ripe' for investment
15 Oct 2020
Green hydrogen, low-carbon aviation fuel and electric trucks are among 55 clean technologies that can help the European Union to reach its goal of climate neutrality by mid-century, new research shows.
The campaign that made Swedes give up flying for good
29 Jul 2020
Europe’s major airlines are likely to see their turnover drop by 50 per cent this year as a result of the covid-19 pandemic, while European airports expect to welcome 700 million fewer passengers.
WORTH NOTING ...
28 Jul 2020
Today is the last day to enter the Sustainable Business Awards – get yours in by 5pm.
Big Hydro not the only way, says energy expert
27 Jul 2020
Paying industry not to use electricity during peak demand should be considered as an alternative to a multi-billion-dollar new hydro scheme, an energy expert says.
Big emitters marshall carbon forces in Australia
27 Jul 2020
Companies responsible for 14 per cent of Australia’s industrial emissions are coming together to figure out how to decarbonise the sector.
Australian flying car wins $1m grant
20 Jul 2020
The New South Wales government has awarded almost $1m from a regional grants fund to a company developing what deputy premier John Barilaro describes as an electric flying car.
Airlines granted huge emissions reprieve by UN compromise
3 Jul 2020
The United Nations' aviation emissions offsetting scheme will not take 2020 into account when calculating how much airlines have to pay to neutralise their carbon dioxide output - a move environmental groups say makes a mockery of climate policy.
Ministers advance with shovels at the ready
1 Jul 2020
Infrastructure minister Shane Jones says New Zealand should be focusing its climate-change action on preparing for the impacts of a warming climate.
Marsden must be maintained, says bio body
29 Jun 2020
The bioenergy industry is calling on the Government to prevent the closure of New Zealand’s only oil refinery, saying its loss will damage the country’s ability to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Parker whips home third leg of climate trifecta
26 Jun 2020
The third leg of the Government’s climate change legislation trifecta came home this week.
Shipping needs to clean up act - and do it now
26 Jun 2020
The shipping industry is in urgent need of a makeover: while limited attempts are being made to lessen polluting emissions of climate-changing greenhouse gases in the road transport and aviation sectors, shipping lags even further behind in the clean-up stakes.
Lobby group has work for $2b from ETS
22 Jun 2020
A powerful public-private lobby group – including the head of the Ministry for the Environment – wants money generated by the Emissions Trading Scheme put into a $2 billion fund to help companies to cut their energy emissions.
Parliament does major job on ETS
17 Jun 2020
Parliament has passed major changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme, bringing agricultural emissions into the scheme and, for the first time, setting a cap on emissions.
‘Final blow’ as EU agrees to weaken aviation rules
11 Jun 2020
The climate plan for aviation is losing its last shred of credibility, after the European Union confirmed it will back an industry proposal to water down the rules.
Farms shoulder biggest share of gas emissions
10 Jun 2020
Primary industries are responsible for the largest share of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions while making the smallest contribution to the country’s wealth, the latest environmental/economic accounts show.
Capital chops into burgeoning emissions record
9 Jun 2020
The amount of greenhouse gases being released in the Wellington region has fallen over the past two decades, in contrast to the country’s performance as a whole, a new report shows.
NZ partners Singapore on new carbon markets
28 May 2020
New Zealand is to work with Singapore on developing international carbon markets and low-carbon technology such as hydrogen.
Climate change keeps sustainability staff busy
28 May 2020
Climate change is the top priority for sustainability professionals working in New Zealand, new research shows.
POLITICS: It looks like more of the same
22 May 2020
The outcome of National’s leadership stoush today is unlikely to affect the party’s approach to climate policy.
Hydrogen dream driven by greed, says expert
21 May 2020
New Zealand’s dream of a hydrogen-powered economy is being driven by greedy oil industry investors and “enchanted” government officials, an energy analyst says.0
Emissions slashed, but scientists issue warning
20 May 2020
The global economic shutdown caused by the covid-19 pandemic cut the world’s greenhouse gas by nearly 18 million tonnes a day – and the second-highest rate of reduction was in New Zealand.
Everybody hold hands and get on with it, says SBC
18 May 2020
The Sustainable Business Council is calling for aa cross-party consensus over the spending of covid-19 pandemic recovery money on decarbonising the economy.
Industry blames Beehive for plant closure
13 May 2020
New Zealand’s only large biodiesel plant is being mothballed in a move the industry says is a direct result of the Government’s failure to plan for the future of the country’s energy production.
Ammonia no wonder-fuel, says NZ expert
13 May 2020
Ammonia is unlikely to become a wonder-fuel in the near future, a New Zealand energy expert says.
New genetics regime will cut dairy herd emissions
12 May 2020
A new national regime for recording dairy genetics will help to cut greenhouse gas emissions from the nation’s herd, officials say.
Don't force us to disclose, says business lobby
11 May 2020
Businesses should not be forced to disclose their exposure to risks from climate change, Business New Zealand says.
Officials untangle emissions and planning consent
7 May 2020
Officials are working on national guidelines to help councils to deal with greenhouse gas emissions in planning processes and consents.
ETS faces biggest overhaul in 10 years
5 May 2020
The biggest overhaul of the Emissions Trading Scheme since it was gutted in 2010 is back before Parliament.
Farm-level emissions cuts possible, but almost everything stands in the way
18 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Progress to slash farming emissions is being blocked by limited farmer confidence in mitigation tools, inconsistent engagement, misinformation and a lack of clear policy signals, according to a new report.
State-owned farmer drives profit growth with emissions reductions
19 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Government-owned Landcorp, trading as Pāmu, is one-third of the way to meeting its 2031 emissions reduction targets, with five years left to run to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30.3% against 2021 emissions.
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.
‘Cali Fund’ aiming to raise billions for nature receives first donation – of just $1,000
16 Dec 2025
A major biodiversity fund – which could, in theory, generate billions of dollars annually for conservation – received its first donation of just $1,000 in November.
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.
Court rejects challenge to Minister and Commission over climate targets
Wed 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.
‘Abdication’: Trump takes US out of Paris climate agreement for a second time
Wed 28 Jan 2026
Experts are watching for how other countries will react as the ‘real economy’ shifts to cheaper, cleaner energy.
Carbon News updates ten-year NZU forward curve
Tue 27 Jan 2026
Carbon News has updated its ten-year NZU forward curve, following a recent fall in carbon spot prices.
Indonesia’s massive captive coal plans are putting climate targets and economy at risk: study
Wed 28 Jan 2026
Operational and planned industrial coal capacity to fuel the nickel boom has tripled since 2023, surpassed Australia’s entire coal fleet and is nearing Germany’s total, raising concerns over emissions and long-term competitiveness.
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.
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.
India at COP30: A mismatch between grandstanding and climate action
11 Dec 2025
Despite India’s attempt to anoint itself as the leader of the developing world, at the COP30 summit, New Delhi’s track record remains contradictory.
Why did NZUs fall a further $5 over the holiday period?
Mon 26 Jan 2026
By Liz Kivi | NZU prices dropped a further $5, or 14%, from an already weak base over the holiday period, with the carbon price falling to its lowest in five years in mid-January.
Govt weighs LNG backstop as gas decline accelerates
Wed 28 Jan 2026
Liquefied natural gas imports are moving from a back-pocket idea to an active procurement process, with ministers expected to make decisions soon on whether – and how – to add LNG as an emergency backstop for New Zealand’s tightening gas and electricity system.
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.
NZ’s sodden January explained: what’s driven this month’s big wet?
Wed 28 Jan 2026
By James Renwick, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington It has been a month of umbrellas rather than sunscreen across much of New Zealand, with persistent rain, low sunshine and deadly storms dominating headlines and daily life.
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.
Govt consulting on further ETS fee cuts for foresters
Tue 27 Jan 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has moved to reduce compliance costs for forest owners, announcing a further cut to ETS registry charges and a new consultation on service fees, a move welcomed by forestry industry groups.
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”.
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
Tue 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.
Financial sector must account for hard realities of climate change
Mon 26 Jan 2026
COMMENT: While the world’s largest asset manager ditching its $2 billion climate tech commitment to New Zealand is part of a greater walkback of climate finance, concerns about climate-related risk continue to shape present-day financial decisions, writes David Hall.
Govt slammed for weakening methane target
15 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams The Government has pushed through legislation under urgency to almost halve New Zealand’s 2050 methane target – a move Opposition parties say disregards scientific advice, breaks the country’s hard-won political consensus on climate action, and shifts the burden of higher warming and higher future costs onto the next generation.
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.
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.
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.
Supreme Court mandates climate consideration in petroleum permitting
Mon 26 Jan 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government must consider climate change when offering petroleum exploration permits, according to a recent ruling from the Supreme Court.
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.
Energy and environment enters an election year pressure cooker
Tue 27 Jan 2026
Parliament resumes this week but the year ahead is already framed by the November 7 election.
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.
Offshore windfarms enhance function of coastal waters and diversity of aquatic life
19 Dec 2025
Media release | A study conducted by researchers from Murdoch University in Australia and Dalian Ocean University in China has found that offshore windfarms can improve marine ecosystems and diversify aquatic food chains.
Govt consulting on Pacific Resilience Facility
12 Dec 2025
The Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee is calling for submissions on its international treaty examination of the Agreement to Establish the Pacific Resilience Facility.
Major health risks linked to plastics emissions set to soar by 2040
Wed 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.
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.
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.
Kiwis back renewables over fossil fuels, polling reveals
Wed 28 Jan 2026
Media release: WWF-New Zealand and Lawyers for Climate Action | New nationwide polling shows strong public support for renewable energy over fossil fuels, growing concern about New Zealand’s climate backsliding, and widespread unease that a return to offshore oil and gas exploration could expose the country to trade and legal risks.
Australia’s worst heatwave since black summer made five times more likely by global heating
Mon 26 Jan 2026
Extreme heat ‘is getting worse and whether we like it or not … there’s ultimately a limit to what we can actually physically cope with’, scientist says.
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 hydrogen regulation to catch up with the world
18 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The government has announced a regulatory reset for New Zealand’s emerging clean tech hydrogen sector.
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.
The surprisingly convincing case against cars
19 Dec 2025
Life After Cars dares to imagine how different, and enriching, a car-free world could be.
How wrong they were: NZU-holder poll
Mon 26 Jan 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Just 6% of NZU-holders who answered a Ministry for the Environment poll last year anticipated a decrease in the price of a tonne of carbon in the NZ Emissions Trading Scheme.
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.
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.
NZ just had its hottest spring in at least 116 years
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | This year New Zealand had its hottest spring since records began, with widespread heat, rainfall extremes and destructive wind driven by sudden stratospheric warming.
UK to join major wind farm project with nine European countries
Tue 27 Jan 2026
The UK is set to back a vast new fleet of offshore wind projects in the North Sea alongside nine other European countries including Norway, Germany and the Netherlands.
