Topics tagged with 'Carbon Credits'
Govt mulls status quo for ETS auction settings
Thu 29 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has released its consultation on the Climate Change Commission’s latest advice on Emissions Trading Scheme auction settings and volumes, putting forward the option to ignore the commission’s advice to boost auction volumes from 2028-2030.
EU countries agree to exempt most firms from carbon border tariff
Wed 28 May 2025
European Union countries backed plans on Tuesday to scale back the bloc's carbon border levy to cover just 10% of the companies currently covered by the scheme, on the grounds that these firms account for nearly all of the emissions involved.
Greenwashing is rife in Australia, but could its days be numbered?
Wed 28 May 2025
COMMENT: Have you ever ticked the box to “fly carbon neutral”, had something delivered via “carbon-neutral shipping” or chosen to pay a bit extra to buy “carbon-neutral gas” from your energy retailer?
Govt announces changes to ETS market governance
27 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government is making changes to strengthen market governance of the Emissions Trading Scheme, climate change minister Simon Watts announced this morning.
Cuts to climate finance put exports in jeopardy: Lawyers
23 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has halved international climate finance, a move aid organisations describe as “devastating,” and which lawyers say could put our Paris Agreement commitments and export market access at risk.
Media round-up
23 May 2025
In our weekly round-up of climate coverage in local media: What is behind delays to a taxpayer-funded methane satellite? Is carbon capture a fossil fuel industry scam? and David Hall argues that efficient forms of energy are not "lesser evils."
Govt puts off reviewing carbon subsidies
22 May 2025
By Shannon Williams | The government is no longer considering changes to phase-out rates for millions of dollars worth of carbon subsidies to industrial polluters under the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Forecast points to a significant drop in NZU stockpile in 2026
21 May 2025
By Clive Bradbury | ANALYSIS: The Crown’s latest forecasts of supply and demand suggest we could see a significant drop in the NZU stockpile in 2026, with uncertainty around forestry playing a large part in the equation.
Carbon price too low to fund carbon capture
20 May 2025
The government’s climate target to 2030 is at risk, after revelations that a carbon capture project which the government was relying on to deliver one third of its carbon reductions, might not go ahead.
Transpower will keep gas and carbon trading platform
19 May 2025
Transpower will continue to own and operate its gas and carbon trading platform emsTradepoint for the foreseeable future, it announced this morning.
Key rules agreed for credible climate project crediting under UN carbon market
19 May 2025
Media release | A UN Body responsible for setting up a carbon market under the Paris Agreement adopted important new standards to guide how emission-reducing projects measure their impact.
Carbon price up but June auction still tipped to fail
15 May 2025
The carbon price has recovered somewhat as forestry selling eases, however NZUs are still changing hands on the secondary market at well below the $68 auction floor.
Greens promise to rapidly reduce emissions in new Green Budget
14 May 2025
By Shannon Williams | The Green Party has unveiled its alternative Green Budget, promising bold investments to tackle the climate crisis and deliver cleaner air, water, and soil.
Govt needs to get moving to deliver international climate target says commission
12 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Climate Change Commission is warning that “time is running short” for the government to deliver on its international climate target.
Farming lobby attacks ‘loopholes’ in carbon forestry limits
7 May 2025
Beef + Lamb New Zealand is urging the government to close what it says are loopholes in new guidance around limits on carbon forestry.
Cookstove carbon credits: Recipe for cooking the climate books
6 May 2025
Media release | A new report reveals that cookstove carbon projects eligible for the Korean Emissions Trading Scheme are at risk of issuing 18 times more credits than they should, echoing past EU carbon market mistakes.
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.
Govt on track to ban farm-to-forest conversions - McClay
2 May 2025
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has confirmed that restrictions on full farm-to-forest conversions on LUC 1-6 farmland will be in place this year.
Experts question Climate Commission’s advice
30 Apr 2025
The Climate Change Commission’s latest advice on Emissions Trading Scheme auction settings is lacking important information, and fails to take into account the commission’s own advice to update the country’s climate targets, says an expert.
Carbon price slumps for fourth week in a row
29 Apr 2025
Carbon prices on the secondary market dropped for the fourth consecutive week last week, with NZUs changing hands at $20 below this year’s auction floor price of $68.
Commission’s plan to increase ETS auction units could lead to lower prices
24 Apr 2025
Experts are criticising the Climate Change Commission’s proposal to increase the amount of carbon units available at auction, while the market is still plagued by low prices and seems oversupplied.
Govt can auction more carbon credits: Commission’s advice
23 Apr 2025
The Climate Change Commission says that ‘surplus’ pollution permits in the market have dropped more quickly than expected, so the government could auction 14 million additional NZUs to 2030.
Moribund carbon price underlines Emissions Trading Scheme’s low integrity
22 Apr 2025
By Liz Kivi | Experts are blaming declining carbon prices on weak policy settings and the government’s unwillingness to tackle continuing problems with the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Carbon price nosedives
16 Apr 2025
The carbon price graph dropped off a cliff yesterday, down 6% overnight to a ten-month low amidst continued selling from forest owners.
ETS surplus volume likely to be reducing too slowly - new analysis
14 Apr 2025
Excess carbon units in the Emissions Trading Scheme - the ‘surplus’ in privately held accounts - look to be reducing more slowly than the Climate Change Commission's targeted annual reductions, according to new analysis.
Govt needs to look at alternatives to free pollution credits for industrial emitters: Commission
11 Apr 2025
The Climate Change Commission says there are “legitimate questions” about hundreds of millions of public money spent on free carbon credits for polluters, and the government should be looking at alternatives.
Commissioner calls for urgent reform of carbon forestry in ETS
10 Apr 2025
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment is calling on the Government to remove forestry from the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme, warning that the country’s flagship climate policy is entrenching risky land use decisions and undermining long-term emissions reductions.
'Don't tinker with the ETS': forestry groups
10 Apr 2025
Foresters have hit back against the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s call to remove forestry from the Emissions Trading Scheme, saying the move would threaten New Zealand’s climate goals.
East Coast advocates join calls to take forestry out of the ETS
10 Apr 2025
Sustainable land-use advocates in Tairāwhiti are demanding immediate government action on the Environment Commissioner's recommendation to phase forestry out of the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Experts back scepticism about carbon forestry
10 Apr 2025
Experts from around the country agree that the Environment Commissioner's 'Alt-F Reset' report is "incredibly timely" as the world faces unprecedented climate change.
German coalition eyes 'limited' foreign carbon credits
10 Apr 2025
The parties likely to form Germany's next government today presented their coalition treaty, which pledges to allow the use of foreign carbon credits to reach the country's 2040 climate target.
Climate implications of quarterly action plan?
9 Apr 2025
While the government's second quarterly action plan for 2025 doesn't make much - if any - mention of climate, several items on the checklist could impact emissions, including plans for legislation to limit farm-to-forestry conversions in the ETS, decisions on scaling up a biodiversity credit market, and moving all vehicles to Road User Charges instead of petrol taxes.
ETS stockpile up nearly 7 million
8 Apr 2025
The stockpile of privately held Emissions Trading Scheme pollution permits increased 6.7 million to 157.1 million units in the three months to March 31, according to figures released by the Environmental Protection Authority yesterday.
Question mark over Government modelling for pine planting on public conservation land
8 Apr 2025
Media release | Forest & Bird is concerned about modelling revealing that meeting the Government’s climate commitments would require planting vast areas of conservation and other Crown land in permanent pine forests, in a desperate attempt to meet Aotearoa New Zealand’s net zero emissions 2050 goal.
Govt plan for forestry on Crown land raises questions for the Emissions Trading Scheme
4 Apr 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government’s latest plan for carbon forestry includes a large chunk of planting on Crown land, with 155,000 hectares of exotic forestry projected to enter the Emissions Trading Scheme by 2042.
Carbon market increasingly volatile
1 Apr 2025
Last week was 2025’s most volatile so far for the carbon market, with units changing hands below $60 all week, and even trading down to the low $50s.
The case against a carbon credit farm in Madagascar
1 Apr 2025
The Italian multinational Tozzi Green has begun planting trees on land that local residents claim was stolen from them.
Govt releases detail on ETS forestry restrictions
28 Mar 2025
The government has released more detail on new restrictions for farm conversions to exotic forestry in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), which foresters say will prevent another planting boom.
Carbon price drops to 6-month low
26 Mar 2025
By Liz Kivi | The New Zealand Unit spot price has fallen dramatically in the wake of last week’s declined auction, with the Carbon News NZU Index closing at $54.67 yesterday, down 10% from prices above $60 at the start of last week.
Carbon credit deal to provide windfall for Maori landowners
21 Mar 2025
By Moana Ellis, Local Democracy Reporting | An isolated Maori Land Trust in the central North Island has sealed a groundbreaking carbon credit deal, securing millions for its 4000 owners and tens of thousands of beneficiaries.
Greens call for agriculture in, forestry out of ETS
20 Mar 2025
Yesterday's failed Emission's Trading Scheme auction is 'another indictment' on the government's climate credibility, says Green Party co-leader and climate change spokesperson Chloe Swarbrick.
First ETS auction of the year fails
19 Mar 2025
The first Emissions Trading Scheme auction of 2025 has failed to sell any 'pollution permits,' with all 1.5 million NZUs rolling over to the June auction.
Kiwi companies bought carbon credits from projects now under scrutiny for fraud
18 Mar 2025
Fonterra and Toitu are among New Zealand organisations caught up in an international carbon credits scandal, whose alleged instigator is facing multi-million dollar fraud charges in the US.
Tomorrow's ETS auction likely 'non-event'
18 Mar 2025
The spot price in the compliance carbon market dropped even further at the end of last week, with market watchers predicting that tomorrow's auction is odds-on to sell nothing.
Govt calls for tenders to improve remote sensing for carbon storage
18 Mar 2025
The government has issued a request for proposals to help it improve how carbon stored in forests can be measured by remote-sensing.
Shifting climate behaviours tops conference agenda
14 Mar 2025
Carbon and Energy Professionals (CEP) has just announced the first Keynote speaker for its conference in Auckland in May as Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh, MBE.
What next for carbon prices?
12 Mar 2025
NZUs are still hovering well below the auction price floor, with collateral due to be lodged by today for participants in the first Emissions Trading Scheme auction of 2025, on March 19.
Carbon auction unlikely to clear as spot price drops
11 Mar 2025
The carbon price on the spot market has dropped to its lowest level since December, with the first ETS auction of the year less than a week away now unlikely to sell any units at all.
EU carbon market on course for highest CO2 price in the world by 2030: report
11 Mar 2025
Media release | LONDON: Europe's new Emissions Trading System is expected to have the world's highest carbon price in 2030 at 149EU, BloombergNEF forecast reveals.
Demand reduction deal as hydro lakes drop
10 Mar 2025
The electricity sector's preparations for a potential energy shortage this winter have continued with Meridian and Tiwai Point aluminium smelter agreeing for it to reduce demand.
Urban rewilding combats global biodiversity decline
Wed 28 May 2025
Media release | A new study led by the University of Sydney reveals how cities around the world are restoring wildlife to their former habitats in the face of ongoing urban sprawl.
Controversy around NZ’s methane target hits international press
Today 12:00pm
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s approach to methane targets has hit international media, with climate scientists from multiple countries penning an open letter warning Prime Minister Christopher Luxon not to weaken methane targets.
Greenwashing is rife in Australia, but could its days be numbered?
Wed 28 May 2025
COMMENT: Have you ever ticked the box to “fly carbon neutral”, had something delivered via “carbon-neutral shipping” or chosen to pay a bit extra to buy “carbon-neutral gas” from your energy retailer?
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.
Govt's RMA overhaul sparks fears for nature and climate
Fri 30 May 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has opened public consultation on the biggest overhaul of environmental planning rules in New Zealand’s history, with critics warning it puts nature and climate at risk in favour of fast-tracked development and industry expansion.
Sustainability claims questioned as renewable diesel surges
14 May 2025
Critics are sceptical about industry claims of renewable diesel life-cycle greenhouse gas emission cuts and warn renewable diesel carbon releases will surge if sourcing is scaled up, triggering tropical deforestation as producers convert forests to energy crops, such as oil palm and soy.
EU climate chief lobbied Germany to back weakened 2040 goal
Today 12:00pm
The European Commission’s climate chief successfully lobbied Germany’s coalition government to endorse a controversial measure that weakens the EU’s next climate target.
Govt mulls status quo for ETS auction settings
Thu 29 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has released its consultation on the Climate Change Commission’s latest advice on Emissions Trading Scheme auction settings and volumes, putting forward the option to ignore the commission’s advice to boost auction volumes from 2028-2030.
Fight over coal mine heats up
Fri 30 May 2025
Forest & Bird is calling on the government to create a new scientific reserve covering the Denniston Plateau on the West Coast, which would stop a fast-tracked coal mine.
Trump’s actions are already having consequences for climate, especially for the IPCC - expert
11 Apr 2025
Leading climate scientist, Dr Kevin Trenberth, left the US and came home to New Zealand because of the rise of Donald Trump. In this comment piece, he writes that he is appalled in multiple ways by the so-called “war on science” unfolding through staff cuts and the president’s policy edicts.
Owning a green home could cut mortgage payback time by two years
9 May 2025
A green certified home plus a green mortgage and associated energy bill savings could save Kiwi families up to $98,800 over the course of their mortgage - the equivalent of being mortgage-free several years early, according to new research.
Cuts to climate finance put exports in jeopardy: Lawyers
23 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has halved international climate finance, a move aid organisations describe as “devastating,” and which lawyers say could put our Paris Agreement commitments and export market access at risk.
Watts talks big on energy reform, but barriers persist
Thu 29 May 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Energy and Climate Change minister Simon Watts says the government is doubling down on efforts to boost renewable energy generation, streamline regulation, and drive private sector investment as New Zealand faces mounting energy security and affordability challenges.
“It’s not the car – it’s how we move” – EECA
Today 12:00pm
By Shannon Morris-Williams| New Zealand’s transport emissions conversation has focused heavily on electric vehicles – but Richard Briggs, group manager, delivery and partnerships at the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, says we’re asking the wrong question.
Govt budgets $200m for would-be gas investors
23 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | Energy Resources Aotearoa has welcomed the government's plan to co-invest $200 million in fossil gas expansion, while environmental and climate groups have reacted with horror.
Death toll from Nigeria flash floods rises to 151
Today 12:00pm
At least 151 people in central Nigeria are now known to have died following flash floods that destroyed homes and displaced thousands of residents earlier this week.
Oceans Commission must have teeth – minister
14 May 2025
If an Oceans Commission were to be established under the government it would need genuine powers to make change, says Minister for Oceans and Fisheries Shane Jones.
Environmentalists see forestry changes as dangerous step for Tairāwhiti
Today 12:00pm
By Zita Campbell, Local Democracy Reporter | Tairāwhiti environmentalists have called changes for commercial forestry under proposed Resource Management Act reforms “a slap in the face” and a return to weaker forestry regulations.
Why expensive gas – not net-zero – is keeping UK electricity prices so high
Wed 28 May 2025
The UK’s high electricity prices have become intensely political, with competing claims over the cause of rocketing bills and how best to get them down.
Hotter and deeper: how NZ’s plan to drill for ‘supercritical’ geothermal energy holds promise and risk
2 Apr 2025
By David Dempsey, University of Canterbury | New Zealand’s North Island features a number of geothermal systems, several of which are used to generate some 1,000 MegaWatts of electricity. But deeper down there may be even more potential.
Electrification challenge for politicians, regulators
27 May 2025
Rewiring Aotearoa is calling for stronger political leadership to bring its vision of a cheaper, cleaner and stronger energy system to life, with the launch of its policy manifesto today.
Could ‘orange’ hydrogen be NZ’s key to net-zero?
Fri 30 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand could be sitting on resources for a thriving multi-billion-dollar, low-carbon hydrogen economy, which might even be capable of creating a net reduction of carbon dioxide, according to scientists.
Energy Australia is in court accused of greenwashing. What is the case about and why is it significant?
16 May 2025
Climate group alleges energy giant misled 400,000 customers about ‘Go Neutral’ product, arguing that carbon credits don’t actually remove emissions.
Methanex closure comes early this year
14 May 2025
The almost-now-annual closure of Methanex has come earlier this year, giving more confidence that the electricity system will get through the winter without a fuel shortfall.
What happened to the hydrogen economy?
Today 12:00pm
The hydrogen car that was supposed to carry us into a cleaner future is still not in the driveway. In fact, outside of a few test markets, it’s not in anyone’s driveway.
Climate change could drive surge in foreclosures and lender losses, new study finds
22 May 2025
Extreme weather linked to climate change could spell financial ruin for many American homeowners and lead to billions in losses for lenders, a new study finds.
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.
Energy Australia apologises to 400,000 customers and settles greenwashing legal action
22 May 2025
Energy retailer says carbon offsetting ‘not the most effective way’ to reduce emissions.
Kiwi cleantech companies on the world stage
27 May 2025
Six New Zealand 'cleantech' companies were in Singapore earlier this month, along with a venture capital firm and the MacDiarmid Institute, to meet investors and multinational partners.
Carbon News launches price index
24 Jun 2024
Today’s issue is the first to feature Carbon News’ own carbon price index for secondary market spot prices for NZUs on New Zealand’s compliance market.
New research reveals NZ’s natural resource footprint
Thu 29 May 2025
Media release | New research from the office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment reveals that about 107 million tonnes of natural resources were required to produce the goods and services consumed by New Zealanders in 2019 – approximately 21 tonnes per person on average.
World’s nations to gather in France to tackle what UN says is a global emergency in the oceans
Fri 30 May 2025
The world’s nations are gathering in France next month to tackle what the United Nations calls a global emergency facing the world’s oceans as they confront rising temperatures, plastic pollution choking marine life, and relentless overexploitation of fish and other resources.
Europe’s next climate target may already have been agreed in Berlin
Wed 28 May 2025
Germany’s new coalition has adopted a climate stance shaped by talks with the EU’s top climate official, signalling where the bloc may land on a likely upcoming 2040 emissions target.
Warm water affecting Antarctica’s largest ice shelf - new research
22 Apr 2025
While Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf is currently stable, new research shows warm water is reaching up to 170 kilometres under the front of the ice shelf.
NZ's first chance in 20 years to catch up on waste
Fri 30 May 2025
Media release | The government has announced proposals for updating the Waste Minimisation Act and the Litter Act. For the first time in nearly 20 years, Kiwis have a chance to catch up with other countries to reduce our waste and litter.
Dismissals 'massive win' for climate movement
13 May 2025
The outstanding charges against 25 climate activists who disrupted traffic in Wellington have been dropped, a move the group calls a win for the climate movement.
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.
For the first time, China invests more in wind and solar than coal overseas
Thu 29 May 2025
China’s Belt and Road Initiative, long derided for its heavy carbon footprint, was dominated by wind and solar power projects for the first time from 2022 to 2023, according to a new analysis. But coal plants financed in earlier years are still coming online.
A fungus that can ‘eat you from the inside out’ could spread as the world heats up
27 May 2025
Infection-causing fungi responsible for millions of deaths a year will spread significantly to new regions as the planet heats up, new research predicts — and the world is not prepared.
Green budget 'ludicrous la-la land' – govt
15 May 2025
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the budget was "clown show economics" and an "absolute circus".
While govt ‘refreshes’ fund for low carbon trucks, are transport emissions set to accelerate?
Wed 28 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has announced it is updating the Low Emissions Heavy Vehicle Fund, however cuts to funds to decarbonise transport in last week’s budget, and potential changes to road user charges, could stall transport emissions reductions.
United Nations carbon market rules agreed but concerns remain
25 Nov 2024
New carbon market rules agreed at the fractious UN climate summit will be a relief to New Zealand and Singapore, who were leading the negotiations, but concerns about greenwashing and disadvantaging nature-based solutions remain.
More than 1 in 4 cars sold globally in 2025 expected to be EV: IEA report
26 May 2025
According to the Global EV Outlook 2025 report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), 2025 is set to be big for EV sales. The report predicts that about one in four cars sold worldwide this year will be electric, despite overall market uncertainties.
Brazil seeks early deals on two stalled issues at Bonn climate talks
26 May 2025
Moving forward work on just transition and implementing recommendations from the Global Stocktake of climate progress are key priorities for upcoming UN negotiations.
Water crisis on the horizon?
26 May 2025
Media release | Sewage contaminating Auckland oyster farms highlights the “dire state” of water infrastructure in Aotearoa, says University of Auckland Associate Professor Daniel Hikuroa.
Global sea levels rise spelling catastrophe for coastal towns and cities
14 May 2025
For around 2,000 years, global sea levels varied little. That changed in the 20th century. They started rising and have not stopped since — and the pace is accelerating.
Tropical forest loss hit new heights in 2024; fire a major driver in Latin America
23 May 2025
Tropical forest loss skyrocketed in 2024, with vast swaths of primary forest consumed by fire, according to new satellite data.
NZ moving too slowly to decarbonise – former commission chair
22 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand's energy transition is too slow and too controlled by vested interests, according to former Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr.
