Topics tagged with 'Carbon Credits'
PLEASE EXPLAIN: NZ faces grilling at Madrid meet
9 Dec 2019
New Zealand faces up to the world in Madrid today to explain how it is meeting its emissions reduction targets despite a 23 per cent rise in gross emissions and 65 per cent rise in net emissions since 1990.
Why the rulebook matters for us at Madrid talks
3 Dec 2019
New Zealand’s plan to use carbon credits to meet part of its emissions reduction target means the country has a big stake in international climate negotiations now under way in Madrid.
Foresters want pre-1990 trees recognised
26 Nov 2019
Extra carbon stored in pre-1990 forests should be recognised with carbon credits, forest owners say.
Carbon footprints not on Government agenda
22 Nov 2019
The Government is not considering the carbon footprint of imported goods.
WANTED: Someone to run carbon-credit auctions
21 Nov 2019
The Government is looking for someone to build and run its new carbon-credit-auctioning platform.
That's the act done ... now on with the changes
8 Nov 2019
The zero carbon act is law; bring on reform of the Emissions Trading Scheme.
MPs rubbish call on overseas emissions
7 Nov 2019
Parliament has roundly rejected an attempt to get overseas emission reductions given the same weight as New Zealand projects under new climate legislation.
Foresters query claims over dairy land sales
4 Nov 2019
Forest owners are challenging claims that vast areas of productive farmland are being turned into carbon forests by foreign investors.
Forest credits' future unclear as new laws loom
25 Oct 2019
The use of forestry carbon credits to offset agricultural emissions remains unclear as law changes go before Parliament.
Select Committe backs methane status quo
21 Oct 2019
The Environment Select Committee has taken a bob each way on methane targets – recommending the Government’s target stay in place but that the Climate Change Commission should be able to change it.
You don't have the guts, campaigner tells MPs
2 Sep 2019
A young woman who has dedicated her life so far to the zero-carbon bill says she has so little faith in the country’s leaders to act on climate change that she is afraid to have children.
Pressure builds for farming carbon-storage break
26 Aug 2019
Parliament is under increasing pressure to let farmers claim credit for carbon stored in trees and soils on their land.
Pioneer pushes farming for soil-carbon credits
21 Aug 2019
Farming for soil-carbon credits offers landowners in New Zealand and other OECD agricultural countries a vast potential to make money, says a global carbon markets pioneer.
Big Business wants equality for carbon credits
20 Aug 2019
A think-tank representing some of the biggest companies operating in New Zealand wants international carbon credits to be treated the same as domestic emissions reductions.
Big Four's free credits top $1 billion mark
13 Aug 2019
Four companies have been given a total of more than $1 billion worth of free carbon credits in the latest round of subsidies under the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Cash for credits could cause taxpayer headache
12 Aug 2019
Money instead of carbon credits was used to offset half the greenhouse gas emissions liable under the Emissions Trading Scheme last year - creating a potential financial liability for taxpayers.
Government rules out carbon market agency
5 Aug 2019
The Government says it will not set up a new agency to set the volume of carbon credits in the market.
Free credits, existing forests suffer in ETS changes
31 Jul 2019
Free carbon credits to trade-exposed heavy emitters are being phased out and forests registered in the Emissions Trading Scheme before 2019 will be barred from the new averaging accounting system, the Government has just announced.
Stand over Kyoto units could cost us $500 million
29 Jul 2019
Refusing to use Kyoto units to meet New Zealand’s Paris climate promise could cost taxpayers half a billion dollars.
Officials examine future of dodgy Russian credits
19 Jul 2019
Officials are calculating the number of dodgy carbon credits New Zealand used in meeting its emissions reduction target, raising the prospect that the country might yet make good on its actions.
Pay the farmers now, says bioenergy lobby
17 Jul 2019
The Bioenergy Association wants farmers who cut greenhouse gas emissions to be eligible for carbon credits now.
Government moving to auction system - and soon
10 Jul 2019
The Government is gearing up to auction carbon units from the end of next year at the latest.
Shaw optimistic gas emissions will peak early
21 Jun 2019
New Zealand’s domestic demand for carbon credits is expected to exceed 43 million units in 2023 - up more than two million units on this year, new figures show.
Nats vow to fight farm emissions moves
17 Jun 2019
The National Party says it will continue to oppose bringing agricultural emissions into the Emissions Trading Scheme.
UK likes our way with international credits
13 Jun 2019
Britain is following New Zealand's lead in saying it will probably use international carbon markets in its drive to carbon neutrality - despite the advice of its own experts.
Emissions pricing not working, says World Bank
11 Jun 2019
Just one per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions are at prices likely to drive the emissions cuts needed to preserve life as we know it, the World Bank says.
Emitters choose to pay carbon fee to Govt
31 May 2019
More emitters this year are opting to pay the Government fee instead of surrendering carbon units, leaving the Government with a potential carbon deficit when it comes to meeting the country’s international obligations.
Big emitters get together and make a plan
28 May 2019
New Zealand’s trade-exposed industrial emitters – who between them are given more than five million free carbon credits a year – have produced a plan to help to cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
NZ plays different carbon game home and away
23 May 2019
The gap between New Zealand’s international emissions reduction pledge and what it plans to do at home is big enough to drive an electric bus through.
Disbeliever Brash turns financial backer
6 May 2019
Former National Party leader and one-time Reserve Bank Governor Dr Don Brash might have had doubts in the past about whether humans are changing the climate, but now he’s throwing his money and weight behind technology that could help to solve New Zealand’s methane headache.
HALFWAY HOUSE: PM changes our climate focus
24 Apr 2019
Jacinda Ardern’s nuclear-free-moment speech on the campaign trail during the 2017 general election struck a chord.
MEMO LABOUR: The answers are in your files
17 Apr 2019
Labour could find solutions in its own files to the problem of putting a price on greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.
How forests can be long-term carbon stores
27 Mar 2019
Forests can be a long-term store of carbon if they’re managed correctly – but without them, New Zealand has no hope of reaching carbon neutrality by the middle of the century, a forestry expert says.
Farming in ETS good move, says forestry expert
26 Mar 2019
Agriculture should be brought into the Emissions Trading Scheme as soon as possible – and farmers be given the opportunity to make money from it, the Government has been told.
Treasury sees use for international credits
22 Mar 2019
Treasury wants to retain the ability to use international carbon credits to meet New Zealand’s 2050 emissions reduction target, confidential papers show.
Tiwai and dairying push up emissions from coal
21 Mar 2019
The firing up of an extra pot-line at the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter and a strong dairying season pushed up New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of coal.
Big emitters join hands to buy carbon forests
15 Mar 2019
Four of New Zealand’s largest emitters are joining forces to supply their own carbon credits to meet obligations under the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Fertiliser firm wants balance in carbon credits
5 Mar 2019
A company given millions of dollars’ worth of free carbon credits says the system giving it the units should not be stopped until at least 70 per cent of its competitors also face a carbon price.
Farmers must pay for emissions, say foresters
4 Mar 2019
The Government’s latest attempts to make the Emissions Trading Scheme attractive for forestry won’t work if farmers don’t have to pay for their emissions, say foresters.
Nats make 'measured and reasonable' climate plan
25 Feb 2019
A National government might give fewer free carbon credits to trade-exposed industrial emitters but is unlikely to force a large-scale reduction in biological emissions from agriculture, according to a new paper.
MONEY MYSTERY: How much will this cost us?
19 Feb 2019
Treasury expects most emitters to pay the Government a carbon fee this year instead of surrendering carbon credits – and that will cost the country money.
Mâori want say in planting of marginal land
12 Feb 2019
PLANS TO TURN farms on steep country into forests could see the Government run foul of Mâori economic development plans.
Second iwi wants inclusion of older forests
1 Feb 2019
Another major iwi is pushing for tradable carbon credits for a much wider range of forests – and says dairy farmers should be liable for emissions from their businesses.
Maori landowners back use of older forests
29 Jan 2019
Iwi involved in the Treelords settlement are backing calls for extra carbon stored in old and indigenous forests be recognised.
Don't ignore pre-1990 trees, foresters urge
25 Jan 2019
The Emissions Trading Scheme should be used to encourage more carbon storage in old forests, the forestry industry is telling the Government.
Tiwai could lead way in new-deal aluminium
22 Jan 2019
The owner of New Zealand’s only aluminium smelter says the country could have a bright future producing low-emissions aluminium for a carbon-constrained world.
Govt explains why $25 cap should stay for now
21 Dec 2018
The Government says the current cap on the price of carbon needs to stay in place while the Emissions Trading Scheme is reviewed.
Government stalls as carbon price hits high
13 Dec 2018
Record carbon prices have failed to convince the Government that the price cap should be lifted immediately.
Carbon trading will mean fair trading
13 Dec 2018
Insider trading is to be banned from New Zealand’s carbon market.
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.
