Topics tagged with 'Biofuels'
Treasury maps out our path to a low-carbon enconomy
27 Jul 2015
A strong carbon price, better urban planning, a climate commission and systematic assessment of how government policies affect climate change would help New Zealand’s transition to a low-carbon economy, Treasury says.
Australia can halve emissions by 2030, says new analysis
29 Jun 2015
Australia can reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, according to analysis by ClimateWorks.
Waste to wealth: the hidden potential of waste from fruit
22 Jun 2015
South Africa produces millions of tonnes of fruit each year that are exported, consumed locally, or processed into value-added products such as juice, canned fruit or wine.
Desert farms could power flight with sunshine and seawater
15 Jun 2015
The aviation industry is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. In 2011 aviation contributed around 3% of Australia’s emissions. Despite improvements in efficiency, global aviation emissions are expected to grow 70% by 2020 from 2005.
Climate targets not a cost, says bioenergy bloc
8 Jun 2015
The Government should see its climate change targets as an opportunity for New Zealand business and the economy, not a cost, the BioEnergy Association says.
Inter-island ferry tests cleaner fuels
25 May 2015
KiwiRail is testing the viability of using cleaner fuels for its ferries.
We've got the chance to turn green into gold
11 May 2015
New Zealand could turn “green into gold” by capitalising on emerging clean technologies and showing leadership on climate change.
Rather than divest, advocate for carbon balancing
4 May 2015
At many universities and other institutions, heartfelt campaigns are under way to divest from fossil fuel companies as a way to address climate change.
Unburnable carbon: why we need to leave fossil fuels in the ground
28 Apr 2015
Ninety per cent of Australia’s current coal reserves will need to be left in the ground for Australia to play its role in limiting warming to no more than 2C.
Investors chip in as renewables rise toward record level
13 Apr 2015
Carbon dioxide levels might be soaring, and governments might be slow to reduce fossil fuel emissions and contain climate change, but the smart money could nevertheless be going into renewable sources such as wind and solar power.
Finland declares itself a bio-economy superpower
16 Mar 2015
Finland has launched a research centre for the refining of biomass into biochemicals as part of the country’s drive to double its bio-economy.
Biobattery breakthrough boosts waste-to-energy revolution
9 Mar 2015
Competition to make biofuels out of waste products that would otherwise have to be dumped is creating a fast-growing, worldwide industry.
Four ways to boost Australia’s economy and help the climate
9 Mar 2015
Australia likely has several decades of coal left in it.
Carbon could be key to better water, says researcher
9 Mar 2015
Adding carbon dioxide to waste water could improve water quality, says a NIWA scientist undertaking doctoral biological research at the University of Canterbury.
Rice serves up double measure of biofuel and fodder
16 Feb 2015
Japanese scientists have found a potential answer to the biofuel dilemma that if you grow crops for energy, you have to sacrifice crops for food.
Kiwi savers want investments to do clean work
20 Oct 2014
A survey of New Zealanders has revealed that Kiwis care deeply about how their KiwiSaver funds are being invested and that they want more sustainable KiwiSaver options.
Problem seaweed could provide biofuel solution
20 Oct 2014
It has often been used as a farmland fertiliser, and in some communities it is eaten as a vegetable, but now researchers believe that seaweed could power our cars and heat our homes.
Clear skies for aviation industry, says Boeing report
29 Sep 2014
The business outlook for civil aviation is bright thanks mainly to rising Asian demand for aircraft. But airlines are expected to have a harder time, with tougher competition in Europe leading to a consolidation of the sector, according to the latest industry forecast.
Australia seems to be overlooking bioenergy
29 Sep 2014
When we think of renewable energy, it’s easy to picture spinning wind turbines or rooftop solar panels. But what about bioenergy?
It's simple ... either you believe, or you don't
16 Sep 2014
By editor ADELIA HALLETT.- Voters in this weekend’s general election face a simple choice when it comes to climate change – you either believe it is a real and massive problem requiring transformation of the economy, or you don’t.
NZ First backs iwi $600m carbon claim
1 Sep 2014
New Zealand First supports an iwi leaders’ bid to raise carbon prices.
Policy wobbles could slow renewable energy growth
1 Sep 2014
Power generation from renewable sources such as wind, solar and hydro grew strongly last year, reaching almost 22 per cent of global generation, says the International Energy Agency.
Aviation a microcosm of the emissions problem
1 Sep 2014
No matter what the aviation industry does to reduce emissions, it will be outweighed by growth in air travel, according to a new analysis.
Cathay Pacific plugs into biofuel producer
18 Aug 2014
Cathay Pacific Airways is investing in American sustainable biofuel company Fulcrum Bioenergy as part of a drive to achieve carbon-neutral growth from 2020.
Scientists warn of biofuel plant dangers
11 Aug 2014
Researchers in the United States have warned those anxious to cut greenhouse emissions to make quite sure that the cure they choose will not turn out worse than the disease.
Climate change increases the odds of a hungry world
4 Aug 2014
The odds on food production being unable to meet the needs of an expanding population are hard to predict, but a new study shows that the risk increases dramatically when man-made climate change is factored in.
Ambition key to 2015 global climate accord
11 Jul 2014
The word is "ambition," and it's being voiced with extra urgency by those who worry that the world's leaders won't soon commit themselves to measures strong enough to combat climate change.
Climate target needs new money … but not that much more
4 Jul 2014
Climate change will require substantial new investment in low-carbon energy and energy efficiency – but no more than what is currently spent on today’s fossil-dominated energy system, according to new research.
Maori act to mobilise carbon-conscious voters
20 Jun 2014
Maori angry about the Government’s twin failures over carbon prices and sustainable economic development are looking to mobilise the crucial 18-to-34-years-old vote.
Scientists find simple way to produce biofuel
13 Jun 2014
Scientists in the United States claim they have developed a simple, one-step process that turns plant tissue into biofuel.
Climate change? She'll be right, says Shell
30 May 2014
Shell, the world’s largest oil company, believes that governments will not damage its business by taking rapid action on climate change, and says all its oil reserves will be needed and sold at a profit.
Great potential, but Australia needs to get a move on
23 May 2014
There is an instinctive fear that overhauling the parts of our economies that emit greenhouse gases would spell economic doom and gloom.
Southland gets nod for wood-fuel hub
9 May 2014
Southland is to become a supply hub for a wood-fuel industry, it has just been announced.
It's time to put non-edible biomass to work
2 May 2014
Bioenergy and biofuels have an important role to play in lowering the use of carbon-intensive fossil fuels – a point underscored by the IPCC report which confirmed the need for further research to improve such technology. By ADAM LEE, Professor of Sustainable Chemistry, and KAREN WILSON, Professor of Catalysis and Research Director, of Aston University, Birmingham.
By hook or by crook, science is finding new routes to energy
24 Apr 2014
While politicians posture, and climate scientists sigh sadly, researchers in laboratories continue to devise ingenious new ways to save energy, increase efficiency, and make the most of solar power.
Z Energy goes it alone with $21 million biodiesel plant to supply local market
4 Apr 2014
A commercial-scale biodiesel project nearly stymied by the withdrawal of Government support is to go ahead.
Biofuels not a lasting solution, warns report
4 Apr 2014
By DOUGLAS CRAWFORD-BROWN.- Biofuels alone are unsustainable, but can still help to combat climate change.
Z Energy on fuels project sideline
28 Mar 2014
ONE OF THE companies involved in a $13.5 million project investigating the viability of turning wood waste into biofuel says it is not involved in the NXT Fuels project.
Europe must get serious about cutting back oil
7 Mar 2014
By ALEX KIRBY, London.- Europe has the technology and the raw material to make a big cut in the amount of oil its transport uses, researchers say - but it will fail to reap the benefits on offer unless the European Union comes up with more radical policies.
Scientists crack code for duckweed ... and raise hopes for biofuel
28 Feb 2014
Geneticists have cracked the code for one of nature’s fastest-growing plants: Spirodela polyrhiza, or duckweed - and the pay-off could come with higher deliveries of biofuel at lower cost to cropland farmers.
Angry Maori take carbon case to UN
21 Feb 2014
Frustrated Maori will take their carbon price grievances to the United Nations next week.
Iwi forest plan key to processing boom
14 Feb 2014
A proposal by iwi to plant a million hectares of new forest over 10 years could provide the economies of scale needed to kick the New Zealand industry into large-scale processing.
Badlands could cost us a ‘Brazil’, says report
31 Jan 2014
If demand for new land on which to grow food continues at the current rate, by 2050 an area nearly the size of Brazil could be ruined, warns a new report.
Study shows how to double renewable energy
24 Jan 2014
The global renewable energy share can reach and exceed 30 per cent by 2030 at no extra cost, says a new report.
Fuels emissions levels show increase
20 Dec 2013
New Zealand's emissions from liquid fuels rose over the September quarter, latest figures show.
UK proposes double-counting on biofuels
13 Dec 2013
Britain has proposed a way to lower the European Union's 2020 target for renewable energy by counting the contribution from biofuels twice, avoiding the need for billions of euros in investment, a document shows.
Govt has way to aid clean-tech pioneers, says Labour
6 Dec 2013
The Government could use its buying power to support New Zealand’s clean-tech pioneers, the Labour Party says.
NXT biofuels project excites retail chain
6 Dec 2013
The NXT Fuels biofuels refinery project could be a breakthrough for the industry, says fuel retailer Gull New Zealand.
EXCLUSIVE: Biofuels pioneer wants to go into production with refinery in NZ
22 Nov 2013
A New Zealand second generation-biofuels company is in the market for funding to build a refinery.
Melbourne expo might give us some answers
22 Nov 2013
Businesses looking for a steer on how Australia’s Emissions Reduction Fund scheme will work could find it at the Carbon Expo Australasia next month.
Farm-level emissions cuts possible, but almost everything stands in the way
Thu 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
Fri 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.
Air NZ inks deal for its first internationally verified carbon credits
9 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Air New Zealand has committed to buying 8000 tonnes of carbon removals by 2030, in partnership with local native forest investment platform My Native Forest.
‘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.
Climate law change spanner in the works for Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry
Fri 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.
Seven quiet wins for climate and nature in 2025
Fri 19 Dec 2025
This year's environmental backdrop is familiar: emissions are rising and nature is continuing to decline. But there have nevertheless been bright spots in 2025.
Govt unveils plans for carbon storage regulations – and ETS rewards
Thu 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.
Global coal demand hit record high this year but is set to decline by 2030
Thu 18 Dec 2025
Global coal demand reached a record high in 2025 but is expected to decline by 2030 as renewables, nuclear power and abundant natural gas squeeze its dominance in power generation.
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
Wed 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.
Govt warned that scrapping ag emission pricing comes with risks
11 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s move to halt plans for agricultural emissions pricing without replacing it with any other action will leave New Zealand facing a bigger gap to meet its third emissions budget, Environment ministry officials have warned.
NZ hydrogen regulation to catch up with the world
Thu 18 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The government has announced a regulatory reset for New Zealand’s emerging clean tech hydrogen sector.
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.
Pacific climate response in question as NZ finance remains unclear
Fri 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.
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.
Hydrogen emissions are ‘supercharging’ the warming impact of methane
Fri 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.”
Westpac NZ announces partnership to form Blue Economy hub in Nelson
Wed 17 Dec 2025
Media release | Westpac NZ has announced a new three-year partnership with the Nelson Regional Development Agency and Kernohan Engineering to help accelerate the development of a sustainable marine economy – also known as the blue economy.
NZ ‘clearly’ breaching international law on climate – Vanuatu Climate Change Minister
12 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister, Ralph Regenvanu, says New Zealand restarting fossil fuel exploration and subsidies is an obvious breach of international law, exposing the country to international and domestic litigation.
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.
Why I’m not outraged at the Govt’s latest climate backsliding
7 Nov 2025
COMMENT: The Government’s latest climate rollbacks underline New Zealand’s long history of a lack of genuine desire to cut emissions, writes Geoff Bertram.
Three Greenpeace activists removed by police from Fonterra
Wed 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.
Oil and gas majors would create $78bn more value by stopping exploration
11 Dec 2025
Media release | Ten of the world’s largest oil and gas companies would create significantly more shareholder value by ending exploration and sharply curtailing upstream development, according to new analysis released today by ACCR.
Wetlands and biodiversity at risk as mining rules loosen: Greenpeace
Fri 19 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Greenpeace says Government changes to national direction instruments under the RMA paves the way for mining in wetlands and biodiversity hotspots and will expose some of Aotearoa’s most fragile ecosystems to irreversible damage.
NZ could become ‘dumping ground’ for dirty vehicles: Commissioner
16 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Simon Upton, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, has warned the Government that its changes to the clean car standard could turn the country into a dumping ground for high emitting cars, making future emissions budgets harder to achieve.
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
Fri 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.
‘A shift no country can ignore’: where global emissions stand, 10 years after the Paris climate agreement
16 Dec 2025
The watershed summit in 2015 was far from perfect, but its impact so far has been significant and measurable.
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.
Govt green lights rural recycling scheme
4 Dec 2025
The Government has approved new regulations to bring rural waste schemes under one unified framework.
KiwiRail pauses coal trains amid rising climate protests
9 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate activists are ramping up actions this week, with a Christchurch protest leading to KiwiRail pausing some coal train operations on Saturday, and another protest against the Fast-Track Amendment Bill planned for parliament today.
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.
Could tidal energy one day power NZ?
Thu 18 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New research suggests Aotearoa holds some of the world’s strongest tidal-stream energy potential – enough to generate up to 93% of today’s electricity use – but one expert cautions that extracting energy at such a scale could have significant impacts and remains highly uncertain.
NZ could lose nearly all glaciers this century without stronger climate action
16 Dec 2025
New Zealand could see 97% of its glaciers vanish by 2100, with new international modelling projecting a rapid acceleration in glacier extinction from the 2030s onward – even under lower-warming scenarios.
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.
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.
The surprisingly convincing case against cars
Fri 19 Dec 2025
Life After Cars dares to imagine how different, and enriching, a car-free world could be.
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.
Media round-up
12 Dec 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Another offshore wind firm exits New Zealand over a clash with seabed mining; Fonterra falls behind on its climate goals as farm emissions remain flat; and the businesses trapped by the gas 'death spiral'.
