Topics tagged with 'Carbon Credits'
Surging prices see carbon up 47% in a year
4 Dec 2020
Carbon prices continued their upward charge yesterday, gaining 25 cents to contribute to a phenomenal 47 per cent rise over a year.
Record price for NZ carbon
3 Dec 2020
New Zealand carbon prices have broken through a new price barrier, with spot NZUs now trading more than $1 above the fixed-price option.
Norway hikes cash for rainforests, seeking corporate help to slow losses
26 Nov 2020
Norway is doubling the price it guarantees developing nations to keep their tropical forests standing, in a step to slow catastrophic losses and encourage big companies to invest far more in nature to combat climate change.
Carbon-pricing rises as world's weapon of choice in climate fight
25 Nov 2020
Can you put a price on pollution? Some of the world's biggest economies are doing just that as they wrestle with how to make good on grand pledges to tame planet-warming emissions.
Carbon farming makes space for native forests
23 Nov 2020
One of New Zealand biggest carbon farmers say New Zealand can have its carbon cake and eat it too.
Reluctant sellers push carbon to a new high
18 Nov 2020
Carbon prices are hitting new highs, with spot NZUs trading at $35.70 on CommTrade this morning.
EU urged to strengthen ETS
16 Nov 2020
A strengthened emissions trading scheme will be vital to drive further carbon dioxide reductions in the European Union as the bloc discusses an increase of its 2030 climate target, policymakers say.
Carney calls for credible voluntary carbon market
12 Nov 2020
United Nations special envoy and former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney wants stronger quality control on voluntary carbon markets to meet growing business demand.
TEN YEARS AGO...
10 Nov 2020
Ten years ago, United States businesses were calling time on that country’s only national carbon market, the Chicago Climate Exchange, blaming the failure of Congress to pass emissions-trading legislation.
New threat to prices from Govt auction
28 Oct 2020
The Government’s decision to auction large amounts of carbon credits without a technical reserve price in place poses a new downside risk to prices, warns the founder of one of New Zealand’s carbon-trading platforms.
FRIDAY POLITICS: A potentially costly hole in the Government's carbon-auctioning plan
23 Oct 2020
Green Party co-leader James Shaw is still in the running to retain his role as the country’s climate minister – but that might mean clearing up a bit of a mess of his own making.
NZX wants 'efficient' links to secondary market
22 Oct 2020
The Government’s new carbon-auctioning site could be connected to platforms in the secondary market.
First deal done under Paris Agreement to offset emissions
22 Oct 2020
Switzerland has struck a carbon offsetting agreement with Peru, in what the two nations say is the first deal of its kind under Article 6 of the Paris agreement.
Election has little impact on carbon markets
20 Oct 2020
Carbon markets have barely reacted to the general election, which returned Labour to power with an absolutely majority and arguably an endorsement of its actions on climate change.
Delivering credit for carbon storage
19 Oct 2020
In 1915, Mike Gibbs’ ancestors made their way from the flat, agricultural plains of Southland to the wild, steep, forested edge of Eastern Fiordland.
National releases its climate policy - at last
15 Oct 2020
Forestry's role under the Emissions Trading Scheme would be reviewed under a National Government and agricultural emissions would not face a carbon price until other countries do the same.
Ministry mum on who will run carbon auction
7 Oct 2020
New Zealand’s first auction of carbon credits will take place on March 17, but there is no word yet on who will be running it.
Refinery closure could boost global emissions
5 Oct 2020
Refining New Zealand has confirmed cost-cutting measures for next year, but says a decision on whether to stop refining operations altogether is still a while away.
Socialist Cuba wants to go carbon trading
5 Oct 2020
Cuba has suggested it wants to get paid to reduce emissions if a controversial global carbon credit scheme is set up.
National promises carbon credits from CCS
21 Sep 2020
A National Government would amend the Emissions Trading Scheme to recognise carbon capture and storage, clearing the way for technology to generate tradable carbon credits.
High carbon prices threaten NZ's low-carbon drive, say miners
17 Sep 2020
Record-high carbon prices risk driving away the very companies New Zealand needs in its push to decarbonise the economy, the minerals sector says.
MARKEST LATEST: NZUs $35
17 Sep 2020
Spot NZUs opened at $34.90 bid and $35.20 offered on CommTrade this morning after last fixing at $35.
Carbon hits a new high and looks set to go higher
16 Sep 2020
New Zealand carbon prices have broken through the $35 expected to act as a price cap and are being tipped to go higher.
Carbon forests 'buying our way out of sin', says Simpson
14 Sep 2020
Using carbon credits to meet New Zealand’s emissions reduction target is like trying to buy your way out of sin, says National’s climate spokesperson Scott Simpson.
If business must disclose carbon debt, then so should we, says Shaw
8 Sep 2020
The Government is trying to find a way to calculate the cost of the country’s likely carbon debt – and is considering using revenue from the Emissions Trading Scheme to buy international carbon credits to help deal with it.
FOOTPRINT FANTASY: is it time to forget about carbon footprints?
28 Aug 2020
A new app tracks your carbon footprint in real-time. It’s funded by BP.
EDITORIAL: Nature, enter us...
25 Aug 2020
By ADELIA HALLETT | At last we’re waking up to the fact that nature is our best defence against climate change.
TEN YEARS AGO ...
20 Aug 2020
Ten years ago, the holders of fishing quota were proving tardy at getting into emissions trading.
Helping Chile cut emissions could help us
18 Aug 2020
New Zealand and Switzerland are helping Chile develop an emissions reduction programme that could pay dividends for this country.
Where the Redd went wrong
18 Aug 2020
International conservation is known for its pursuit of global, ‘win-win’ solutions that seek to simultaneously address multiple environmental and social issues. But few proposed solutions have offered as much hope, and been so energetically embraced, as REDD+.
Synethic gases net taxpayers $12 million
17 Aug 2020
The Government has collected nearly $12 million in levies for synthetic greenhouse gases imported into the country over the past year.
Has our 2030 carbon debt just got bigger?
14 Aug 2020
More than a fifth of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions last year were covered by the fixed-price option, potentially increasing the size of the country’s 2030 carbon liability.
Carbon tax back before US lawmakers
12 Aug 2020
For years, the idea of putting a price on carbon emissions seemed like a no-brainer — economists claimed that it would cut fossil fuel pollution quickly and efficiently, and at the same time, could even give money back to the American public. Over the past few months, as Democrats have rolled out multiple comprehensive plans to slow down climate change and turbocharge renewable energy, the idea of a “carbon tax” has been notably absent.
EU and Swiss carbon markets to link
11 Aug 2020
A planned link-up of the European Union and Swiss carbon markets will be operational from September, the European Commission says, giving companies a broader pool of potential partners with which to trade emissions permits.
Nitrous oxide from 11 Chinese plants a potential climate catastrophe
10 Aug 2020
Emissions controls worked perfectly at Chinese plants, until the Clean Development Mechanism dried up.
EMISSIONS DOWNER: We must make them lower
5 Aug 2020
New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions could be about a fifth lower this year than last year because of covid-19, an international science consortium says.
John Kerry backs new carbon-price ETF
4 Aug 2020
John Kerry is betting that Wall Street will succeed where governments failed in the fight against climate change.
RGGI cuts carbon and helps kids to breath
4 Aug 2020
With Virginia and Pennsylvania clamoring to join, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, affectionately known as RGGI (pronounced “Reggie”), is becoming the coolest climate club on the United States East Coast.
Carbon sets yet another price record
31 Jul 2020
Spot NZUs are through $34 as they continue to smash records.
Country's climate change costs are climbing
30 Jul 2020
Climate change is now swallowing the lion’s share of the Government’s environmental spending, prompting suggestions we should have a dedicated Climate Change Ministry.
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.
Domestic carbon prices continue to climb
23 Jul 2020
Domestic carbon prices hit another record yesterday, with spot NZUs trading at $33.55.
Carbon prices climb to new high
22 Jul 2020
New Zealand carbon prices continue their record run and are set to go higher, if Europe is anything to go by.
Landfill costs will soar as dumping hits home
15 Jul 2020
The cost of dumping waste in landfills will rise as the Government tries to tackle the country’s mounting rubbish problem.
Carbon falls on smelter news
10 Jul 2020
Carbon prices have reacted to yesterday’s news that one of the country’s biggest electricity users and emitters of greenhouses gases is shutting up shop.
CARBON CUTS: Smelter signals end of aluminium emissions
9 Jul 2020
One of New Zealand’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters is closing operations in New Zealand, potentially cutting the country’s missions by more than 1.5 million tonnes a year.
Carbon climbs to another new high
9 Jul 2020
New Zealand carbon prices are at a new high – but sellers are still not coming to the party.
Carbon prices heading for a new record
1 Jul 2020
Carbon prices are back in record-price territory, with spot NZUs trading above $32 on CommTrade and Carbon Match.
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.
EDITORIAL: Into the red
15 Jun 2020
By ADELIA HALLETT | A rapid rise in the price of carbon could leave some of us facing winter without fresh tomatoes. But that’s as it should be.
Governments must vote in favour of moratorium on deep sea mining
Tue 29 Jul 2025
Media release - Greenpeace | The 30th session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has ended with Greenpeace saying governments are continuing to fall short in protecting the deep sea.
Does NZ need a national incentive scheme for wetlands?
Fri 25 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | An expert is calling for a national incentive programme to restore New Zealand’s wetlands and wants to stop schemes to drain these vital carbon-sequestering ecosystems.
NZ Post drops science-based climate target
8 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | NZ Post has dropped its science-based emissions reduction target of 42% by 2030 with no plans to replace it.
Airlines risk legal challenges by advertising jet fuel as “sustainable”, NGO warns
18 Jul 2025
Amid suspected fraud in the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a new report says the airline industry should stop calling all alternatives to kerosene “sustainable”.
Challenges persist in bid to mine the deep sea, even after boost from Trump
Tue 29 Jul 2025
After years of delay, the deep-sea mining plans of Canadian firm The Metals Company (TMC) now appear to be progressing as it pursues a controversial new path to securing a license to mine in international waters under U.S. jurisdiction.
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.
Trump administration moves to repeal scientific declaration on dangers of greenhouse gases
Today 10:45am
In one of its most significant reversals on climate policy to-date, the Trump administration on Tuesday proposed to repeal a 2009 scientific finding that human-caused climate change endangers human health and safety.
Bearish sentiment lingers for carbon market
11 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The compliance carbon market could be set for a gradual upward trajectory, however unsold volume from the quarterly Emissions Trading Scheme auctions continues to act as ‘a price ceiling,’ according to an expert.
Multi-day protest continues at coal mine
Wed 30 Jul 2025
Bathurst Resources has been forced to truck coal from its Stockton mine as climate activists occupy coal buckets at the mine for a third day.
Is extending Huntly power station to 2035 in consumers’ best interest?
22 Jul 2025
By Simon Orme | COMMENT: Genesis Energy is proposing a cartel to keep high-emitting Huntly Power Station in business to 2035. If extending Huntly has economic benefits, is a cartel necessary?
Common low-grade clay strengthens low-carbon concrete
5 Jun 2025
Media release | Engineers at RMIT University have converted low-grade clay into a high-performance cement supplement, opening a potential new market in sustainable construction materials.
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.
NZ voluntary carbon market’s sad state
14 Jul 2025
By John O’Brien | OPINION: A combination of scandals, challenging economic times, and cheaper offshore carbon credits, mean that the domestic voluntary carbon market in New Zealand remains absolutely tiny.
A modest geothermal strategy
Today 10:45am
By Pattrick Smellie | The Government has unveiled a far more modest geothermal energy strategy than its primary backer, Resources Minister Shane Jones, had sought.
Key orange roughy population on verge of collapse, govt considers closure
9 Jul 2025
Media release - Deep Sea Conservation Coalition | New data reveals that New Zealand’s main orange roughy fishery, accounting for half of the country’s total catch, is on the brink of collapse, with one model showing it may have reached that point already, and the government’s considering closing it.
2025 on track to be second or third warmest year on record
Today 10:45am
As it passes its midway point, 2025 is on track to be the second or third warmest year on record. However, it is very unlikely to beat 2024 as the hottest year.
Latest trawl bycatch numbers 'a grim wake-up call'
24 Jun 2025
Media release – Greenpeace | The latest fisheries bycatch data paints a grim picture, with trawlers hauling up thousands of kilograms of coral and killing hundreds of fur seals and seabirds over a 12 month period.
Wilding pines threaten Molesworth Station
Mon 28 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Without increased support, the unchecked spread of wilding pines will continue to creep across Marlborough’s high country – putting iconic landscapes and one of New Zealand’s top five biodiversity hotspots at serious risk, according to an expert.
Last minute change to oil and gas legislation over cleanup costs
Today 10:45am
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.
Watts talks big on energy reform, but barriers persist
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.
European Central Bank to consider 'climate factor' when lending to banks
Today 10:45am
The European Central Bank will add climate change considerations to its lending operations from late 2026, raising pressure on banks to channel financing towards greener sectors as the euro zone seeks to reduce its carbon footprint.
NZ part of hidden global deep-sea network beneath the waves
Fri 25 Jul 2025
Media release - Earth Sciences New Zealand | A world-first study of marine life, including sea creatures found in New Zealand's dark, cold, pressurised ocean depths, has revealed that deep-sea life is surprisingly more connected than previously thought.
‘Ideological sludge’: How NZ is quiet quitting climate action
17 Jul 2025
New Zealand once stood out as a world leader on climate change. In June it became the first country in the world to abandon a commitment to phase out oil, gas and coal.
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.
Hiringa eyes green methanol plant near Whanganui
Tue 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.
Climate catastrophes are creating a ‘new market reality’ for insurance carriers
23 Jul 2025
Raging wildfires and severe storms contributed to record-high global insurance losses — totalling an estimated US$84 billion — for the first six months of the year.
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.
The ICJ’s ruling means Australia and other major polluters face a new era of climate reparations
Fri 25 Jul 2025
By Harj Narulla | OPINION: Australia has found itself on the wrong side of history.
Fund for low emissions transport winds up
Today 10:45am
New Zealand’s Low Emission Transport Fund has officially wrapped up, ending a nine-year programme that put hundreds of millions of dollars towards accelerating the country’s shift to cleaner transport.
Urgent action needed to get on track for climate goals - commission
Fri 25 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand is making progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but more work is needed – urgently – to set up for future reductions, according to the latest report from the Climate Change Commission.
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.
Toxic algae are turning South Australia’s coral reefs into underwater graveyards
Tue 29 Jul 2025
Since March, a harmful algal bloom, fueled by a marine heat wave, has been choking South Australia’s coastline.
NZ govt’s fossil fuel plans could break international law
24 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government could be breaching international law with its plans to subsidise and expand fossil fuel extraction, following a ruling overnight from the world’s highest court.
Tipping points: Window to avoid irreversible climate impacts is ‘rapidly closing’
11 Jul 2025
In the midst of a record-breaking heatwave in Europe, the UK city of Exeter recently played host to the second international conference on “tipping points”.
‘Total infiltration’: How plastics industry swamped vital global treaty talks
Mon 28 Jul 2025
Petrostates and well-funded lobbyists at UN-hosted talks are derailing a deal to cut plastic production and protect people and the planet.
Media round-up
Fri 25 Jul 2025
In our round-up of the climate coverage in local media: Dairy conversions surge; Gore is hit with a drinking water crisis; meanwhile farming lobby groups Groundswell and Federated Farmers are up in arms about a plan to classify environmental impacts in the agriculture and forestry sector.
The EU’s ‘fantasy’ $750B energy promise to Trump
Today 10:45am
The EU has narrowly avoided a full-blown trade war with Donald Trump by pledging to buy $750 billion of U.S. oil and gas by the end of his term. But achieving that will be almost impossible.
Activists sue US development bank over $4.6bn loan to massive Mozambique gas project
18 Jul 2025
Environmental groups claim loan is ‘unlawful’ in legal filing.
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.
Tilting at windmills? Trump’s claims about turbines fact-checked
Today 10:45am
The US president has taken a swipe at wind power as the blades visible from his Turnberry golf course turn.
Ocean heatwaves may signal climate tipping point
Fri 25 Jul 2025
A recent study that tapped into satellite data has revealed that 2023 marked an unprecedented year for marine heatwaves, with record-breaking levels of duration, reach and intensity across the world's oceans.
Climate groups want UK wealth tax to make super-rich fund sustainable economy
17 Jul 2025
Growing number of campaigners urge government to ensure green investment is not done ‘on backs of the poor’.
Can robot taxis solve NZ's transport woes?
23 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Ministry of Transport has tested the idea of driverless taxis as a futuristic fix. But while new modelling explores how "robotaxis" could ease congestion and reduce car ownership, critics say it misses a crucial point – the country’s worsening transport emissions.
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.
EV sales fall, but it’s complicated
Tue 29 Jul 2025
Imports of fully electric vehicles fell over 50% in value during the 12 months to June 2025, compared with the year ended June 2024, according to Stats NZ.
Waste Levy risks becoming ‘slush fund’ under proposed changes – Commissioner
5 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Proposed changes to New Zealand's waste legislation risk undermining public trust in the waste levy scheme, according to Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton.
The struggle for control of the Arctic is accelerating - and it's riskier than ever
11 Jul 2025
As the battle for one of the world’s coldest places heats up, an increasingly fragile security balance may be breaking down, leading to an escalating arms race.
UN University report warns against carbon credits from REDD, tree planting, and improved forest management
13 Jun 2025
But the report stops short of recommending banning the trade in carbon temporarily stored in trees.
For the first time, China invests more in wind and solar than coal overseas
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.
