Topics tagged with 'Carbon Credits'
ETS driving afforestation not emission reductions: Climate Change Commission
27 Apr 2023
The Climate Change Commission is calling for an overhaul of the ETS that separates incentives for gross emission reductions from those applying to forestry.
Europe's ETS sets tougher target
27 Apr 2023
EU countries have given the green light to the biggest overhaul to date of the bloc’s carbon market, raising costs for polluting industries and increasing its emissions reduction target from 43% to 62% by 2030.
Climate emergency lacks urgency: Rod Carr
24 Apr 2023
Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr tells Carbon News New Zealand's climate emergency lacks urgency, and while he loves markets it should be acknowledged they're myopic, reckless, and selfish.
National to ban overseas investment to convert farms into carbon forestry
19 Apr 2023
The National Party will ban foreign investment in farms to convert them to forestry for carbon farming.
Climate Change Commission doubles-down on ETS advice
13 Apr 2023
The Climate Change Commission has doubled-down in its latest advice to government on the need to increase the trigger price for the emission trading scheme’s cost containment reserve.
NZ might face $24 billion pricetag for offshore carbon credits to 2030: Treasury
11 Apr 2023
New Zealand might be facing a $24 billion bill to meet its international obligations for carbon emission reductions to 2030, according to a new report.
Toitū removes offset options from online calculators
11 Apr 2023
Toitū Envirocare - the government-owned carbon zero certification company - has removed the option to offset emissions from its online calculator.
Minister warns Canadians may pay more in carbon tax than they receive in rebate
3 Apr 2023
Canada’s environment and climate change minister acknowledged that the average household may eventually pay more for the carbon price than it gets back in rebate payments, but says the Liberal government has other programs to help Canadians lower their energy costs overall.
Price of NZUs at 18-month low
29 Mar 2023
The price of NZUs has dropped to an 18-month low after a short-lived jump following the failed carbon auction on March 15.
A new report shows huge issues with carbon credits project in Kenya
22 Mar 2023
Expected to generate anywhere between $300 and $500 million and possibly even more, the Northern Kenya Grassland Carbon Project already has huge corporate customers, such as Netflix and Meta.
New report reveals major flaws with flagship carbon credits scheme on Indigenous land in Kenya
17 Mar 2023
A new report released today by Survival International exposes major flaws in a flagship carbon credits scheme whose customers have included Meta and Netflix.
Failed ETS auction sees slight bump in price of NZUs on secondary market
16 Mar 2023
Yesterday’s failed ETS auction saw the price of NZUs jump by a few dollars on the secondary market.
NZ fund buys Aussie carbon generation business
14 Mar 2023
New Zealand-owned Morrison & Co has acquired an Australian carbon generation business, the Financial Review is reporting.
Companies eye ‘carbon insetting’ as winning climate solution; critics wary
14 Mar 2023
Carbon offsetting has a controversial 25-year history, with companies like Microsoft and Apple pledging their plans to go carbon neutral, or negative, by allowing aspects of their operations to continue emitting at a certain level, while removing as much, or more, carbon from the air via reforestation or other projects elsewhere in the world.
Doubts about whether next week’s ETS auction will clear
8 Mar 2023
A week out from the first Emissions Trading Scheme auction of the year, the price of carbon on the secondary market continues its slide, closing at $65.75 yesterday, its lowest level since December 2021.
The price of carbon: it’s up, up and away in Europe and down, down, down in Aotearoa
3 Mar 2023
Last week the price of carbon hit €100 (NZ$170) for the first time. Meanwhile, in New Zealand the price of NZUs has settled at around $70 on the secondary market - down 24% from a peak of $88.50 in November last year.
Planetary reveals world’s first ocean-based carbon removal protocol
3 Mar 2023
Planetary Technologies has published a measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) protocol for ocean-based carbon removals, hoping it provides a major boost to the market of marine carbon removals.
Parliament unites to stop gifting of carbon credits to big emitters
22 Feb 2023
Parliament has unanimously supported the first reading of an amendment bill that puts an end to the over-allocation of carbon credits to trade-exposed industries. The current system of “industrial allocation” has seen some of the country’s biggest emitters receiving a $60 million annual windfall.
Revised carbon bill advances in Washington; timber group leery
20 Feb 2023
The US House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on Friday endorsed allowing the state to sell carbon offsets, but not at the expense of logging or farming on public lands.
Australian carbon market confusion as offsets take another hit
17 Feb 2023
The Australian Climate Council has called for the federal government to push to pause on new coal and gas projects as debate intensifies over Labor’s proposed safeguard mechanism reforms and as the credibility of carbon offset schemes is once again cast into doubt.
Apple and others ignoring climate pledges
14 Feb 2023
The net-zero emissions plans of 24 multinational companies are not only largely misleading, but also distract from a failure to cut climate-wrecking emissions in line with the Paris climate goals.
Global carbon markets value hit record $909 billion last year
8 Feb 2023
The value of traded global markets for carbon dioxide (CO2) permits reached a record 850 billion euros ($909 billion) last year, analysts at Refinitiv said on Tuesday.
Price of NZUs drifting slowly lower
30 Jan 2023
NZUs closed on the Commtrade platform at the end of trade on Friday at $72.50, down from a high of $88.50 on the secondary market towards the end of last year.
Best by the rest...
27 Jan 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Dame Anne Salmond on New Zealand’s “fatally flawed” climate strategy; a fact check of claims that Kiwi farms are the greenest; and why the country needs an e-bike rebate.
Australian councils told to cut emissions rather than spend millions on overseas carbon offsets
25 Jan 2023
Renewed questions are being asked about Australian councils’ use of international projects to offset local carbon emissions, off the back of a Guardian investigation that found 90% of rainforest credits issued by one leading company were likely worthless.
Africa has a major new carbon market initiative - what you need to know
24 Jan 2023
The Conversation - Climate finance for the African continent got a boost at the 2022 United Nations Climate Conference (COP27), with the launch of the African Carbon Markets Initiative. This aims to make climate finance available for African countries, expand access to clean energy, and drive sustainable economic development.
MfE sees no need to investigate NZU price drop prior to govt announcement
20 Dec 2022
The Ministry for the Environment won’t be investigating a significant drop in the price of NZUs on the secondary market and the first drop in price at an ETS auction since the auctions began.
Cabinet ETS decision a “hospital pass” for incoming government
19 Dec 2022
A former head of the International Energy Agency’s climate change unit has described the Cabinet’s rejection of the Climate Change Commission’s recommended changes to ETS settings as a “hospital pass” for the incoming government.
NZ meets 2020 decarbonisation target with Kyoto credits
19 Dec 2022
New Zealand is meeting its commitment to reducing the country’s 2013-2022 emissions by 5% compared to 1990 levels by using 6.5 million Kyoto protocol credits.
Best by the rest...
16 Dec 2022
Carbon market reforms mean big emitters may be eligible for more free credits; should cruise ships be banned from Milford Sound? and the slow pace of targeting agricultural production to a lucrative overseas market which puts a high value on sustainability.
EV charging facility owners in Hong Kong can soon make money by selling carbon credits
13 Dec 2022
Hong Kong owners of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure will soon be able to earn revenue by selling carbon credits generated by their facilities through the city’s bourse, according to a local provider of charging equipment and software.
International biodiversity conference must lead to law reform in NZ: expert
8 Dec 2022
New Zealand must do more than simply participate at Montreal’s UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) taking place this week - any agreements must translate to law and policy reform here, according to a local expert.
ETS auction clears at $79.00
7 Dec 2022
The final ETS auction of the year cleared at $79.00 this morning.
London exchange lists its first carbon fund
7 Dec 2022
The London Stock Exchange is launching its first fund on its Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM), which aims to channel funding to climate mitigation projects that generate carbon credits, it said in a statement Monday.
Forestry ETS changes pass
5 Dec 2022
Among the bills to pass into law in Parliament’s recent Urgency session was the extension of the penalty transition regime for small forestry owners who remove trees.
Guyana sells $750 mn of carbon credit to US oil firm Hess
5 Dec 2022
U.S.-owned Hess Corporation, a consortium partner in Guyana’s offshore oil sector, has agreed to buy $750 million worth of carbon credits from the South American nation in the next decade as it works to ensure Guyana’s almost intact Amazonian rainforests remain standing for decades to come, officials said Saturday.
Price of carbon down 6.8% over past fortnight
2 Dec 2022
With the final ETS auction of the year set to take place next Wednesday, the price of carbon on the secondary market has dropped by 6.8% since hitting an all-time high of $88.50 on November 14.
Opposition parties welcome on-farm sequestration policy
2 Dec 2022
Opposition parties have welcomed the government’s plan to credit all on-farm carbon sequestration, rather than only riparian planting.
EU climate chief defends plans for 'carbon farming'
2 Dec 2022
The European Union's top climate official on Wednesday dismissed criticism from environmental groups over its proposal to incorporate carbon removal methods into its climate plans, insisting the plan won't undermine the bloc's efforts to tackle global warming.
Govt announces changes to on-farm sequestration strategy
1 Dec 2022
The government has announced it will work with the primary sector to develop an on-farm carbon sequestration strategy.
The interwoven fortunes of carbon markets and indigenous communities
18 Nov 2022
Across the world, private investors, governments, NGOs and businesses are increasingly purchasing carbon credits from REDD+ and other offsets projects to negate their own emissions – but this increased interest from international carbon markets comes with risks.
Climate disaster aid scheme ‘Global Shield’ launched at COP27
15 Nov 2022
A G7-led plan dubbed “Global Shield” to provide funding to countries suffering climate disasters has been launched at the United Nations COP27 summit, although some questioned the effectiveness of the planned scheme.
Rainforests emerge as key sources of carbon credits in emerging markets
15 Nov 2022
In the fight against climate change, forests are vital carbon sinks, absorbing twice as much carbon as they produce each year globally. Tropical rainforests play a particularly vital role, storing an estimated 25% of the world’s terrestrial carbon.
Govt considering setting up its own secondary carbon market
14 Nov 2022
By Ian Llewellyn - Energy & Environment | The government has asked for thoughts on it running a centrally-cleared secondary carbon market as another option to existing markets.
Japan delays carbon tax reform to curb living costs
9 Nov 2022
Japan is delaying plans to revise how it taxes carbon, the Nikkei newspaper reported, potentially slowing efforts to wean itself off fossil fuels.
Why it's so hard to put a price on carbon
27 Oct 2022
In the past decade, the phrase “put a price on carbon” has gathered steam around the globe. And carbon pricing has been hailed by scientists, economists, and business leaders as one of the most cost-effective tools to decarbonize economies.
First Australia carbon budget balances climate risks
25 Oct 2022
For the first time, the Australian government must work within a financial budget and a carbon budget. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has confirmed his first budget, due out on Tuesday, will include a major analysis of the impact of climate on Australia's economy.
Environment Committee calls for submissions on Climate Change Response Amendment Bill
20 Oct 2022
The Environment Committee is calling for submissions on the Climate Change Response (Extension of Penalty Transition for Forestry Activities with Low Volume Emissions Liabilities) Amendment Bill.
India gets ready to launch a national carbon market
20 Oct 2022
The Indian government has green-lighted the creation of a national carbon market that will be key to decarbonising heavy industry and helping shape international carbon trading.
UN limits staff at COP30 climate summit over accommodation concerns
Today 11:45am
High hotel prices for Brazil's COP30 climate summit in November have prompted the United Nations to urge its staff to limit attendance, while government delegations are still scrambling to find rooms within their budgets.
Govt passes law to limit farm-to-forest conversions
Today 11:45am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has passed legislation intended to limit farm-to-forest conversions in the Emissions Trading Scheme, with ministers saying the changes “restore balance,” while opponents call it a band-aid that risks climate targets.
NZ needs to be part of a regional SAF strategy: Z, Air NZ
9 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand needs to be part of a regional strategic approach to sourcing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with domestic production less the aim than ensuring access to the fuel from one of a number of strategically positioned bio-refineries around the world.
'Non-negotiable' – EU carbon pricing to hit Kiwi exporters, expert warns
11 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | High carbon exports will inevitably face a high carbon tax at the EU border, possibly in the next five years, and high methane agricultural products might not be exempt, an international expert told a local audience yesterday.
UK foreign aid for nature hits £800m record due to cash for carbon credits
Tue 16 Sep 2025
The UK’s climate-aid spending on “nature protection and restoration” reached record levels of nearly £800m last year, according to government figures obtained by Carbon Brief.
Researchers say sealing old oil wells with bio-oil from crop waste is a dual carbon-removal solution
Today 11:45am
A new analysis shows that oil made from corn husks, wood chips, and other waste could plug greenhouse gas-belching abandoned oil wells while sequestering carbon for about $152 per ton.
EU set to miss UN deadline for new target under Paris climate accord
Today 11:45am
The delay is intended to allow countries more time to agree to an ambitious goal.
Carbon price steady after failed quarterly auction
Tue 16 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | The carbon price has continued to trade in its familiar moribund range in the high $50s following last week’s failed quarterly auction, with ample supply still trading on the secondary market at about $10 below this year’s $68 auction floor.
Industry struggles with double-digit power price hikes
Mon 15 Sep 2025
As power prices surge by double-digit amounts for the second year in a row, industrial users can’t keep absorbing cost increases, the Major Electricity Users’ Group says.
The merchants of doubt are back
3 Sep 2025
OPINION: If you don’t follow climate policy closely, you might not know that the Trump administration is launching an effort to overturn one of the most fundamental pillars of American climate policy.
Milestone for NZ Steel electrification
10 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | NZ Steel has passed an installation milestone for its new electric arc furnace, which will reduce emissions from the Glenbrook steel mill site by as much as one megatonne (1Mt) a year.
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.”
Watts not considering removing electricity from ETS
Tue 16 Sep 2025
Energy and Climate Change Minister, Simon Watts, says he is “not currently considering” removing electricity generation from the Emissions Trading Scheme, as proposed by NZ First Minister Shane Jones.
Gentailers told to behave as ministers weigh Frontier review
Wed 17 Sep 2025
The chief executives of Contact, Meridian, Mercury and Genesis met Energy and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts on Thursday for their regular monthly session.
Declining sea-ice is altering Antarctic food webs
11 Sep 2025
A new study shows a significant change in Antarctic phytoplankton over time that could cascade through the marine food web and affect the ocean’s capacity as a carbon sink.
Lobby group launches ‘blueprint’ for ocean management reform
Thu 18 Sep 2025
The Environmental Defence Society yesterday released its plan to tackle widespread ecological decline in our oceans.
Marginal drop in last year's regional emissions
27 Aug 2025
Regional greenhouse gas emissions were down slightly last year, with a fall in gas supply leading to a big drop in Taranaki, but more coal burnt leading to higher emissions in Waikato, according to new figures from Stats NZ
Australia leapfrogs NZ on climate ambition
Today 11:45am
By Liz Kivi | Lawyers for Climate Action say Australia’s new 2035 climate target should be a wake-up call for ‘clean, green’ New Zealand.
Exxon and Shell sue the Netherlands in secret tribunals for closing Europe’s biggest gas field
Today 11:45am
Following billions in profits and over a thousand gas extraction-related earthquakes, the oil and gas giants filed claims against the Dutch state in four separate investor-state disputes concerning compensation for home damages and the permanent closure of the Groningen gas field.
A modest geothermal strategy
31 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The Government has unveiled a far more modest geothermal energy strategy than its primary backer, Resources Minister Shane Jones, had sought.
Why mega-polluters have little to fear from the European Central Bank and its new climate policy
12 Sep 2025
The European Central Bank plans to raise borrowing costs for climate offenders – but a new FTM analysis shows that big polluters such as Shell will barely feel it.
Science cuts will hold back climate research
Wed 17 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | A crisis in government-backed science funding is worsening, with dire implications for climate research in New Zealand, according to experts from the scientific community.
Media round-up
5 Sep 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: The great methane debate; law change scuppers legal challenge to irrigation scheme consent; and what are the energy and climate implications of the $7.5 billion Amazon Web Services data centre deal?
Coal imports up 650%
12 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams and Liz Kivi | Coal imports are up 650% as generators stockpile the most polluting fossil fuel ahead of next winter.
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.
Media round-up
29 Aug 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Changes to road user charges will increase New Zealand's emissions; Climate Change Minister Simon Watts promises better access to hazard data for homeowners; and Kiwis borrow over $1 billion in ‘green loans’ for heat pumps and electric cars.
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.
Young activists won a landmark state climate trial. Now they’re challenging Trump’s orders
Thu 18 Sep 2025
Young climate activists and their attorneys who won a landmark global warming trial against the state of Montana are trying to convince a federal judge to block President Donald Trump’s executive orders promoting fossil fuels.
Forest carbon stores massive blind spot - study
4 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Aotearoa New Zealand’s planted forests hold significant deep soil organic carbon — with over half of it stored below 30 cm, and much of it over 1,000 years old.
Govt tweaks offshore energy bill with 'declared areas' model
Wed 17 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government is making changes to the Offshore Renewable Energy Bill to address offshore wind developers' concerns about competing for space with other industries.
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.
A steady ocean pattern just failed for the first time ever observed
Wed 17 Sep 2025
The failure of the Gulf of Panama’s seasonal upwelling system has left scientists wondering what happens next.
Australia's 2035 climate targets on path to net zero judged by the experts
Today 11:45am
After much anticipation, Australia has set its new climate targets: a reduction of 62 to 70 per cent within the next 10 years.
‘Plastic Cup’ competitions are cleaning up rivers in Hungary
1 Sep 2025
Afloat on DIY boats, teams of volunteers have removed over 450 tons of plastic waste from the Danube and its tributaries.
Can certificates solve NZ's heavy vehicle emissions problem?
Thu 18 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Sustainable Business Council has launched a new framework for a national system to cut freight emissions.
Climate change collaboration and competition law
Thu 18 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The revamped competition law regime needs to be able to take into account the benefits of companies that collaborate for action on climate change, says the panel that reviewed both the Commerce Commission and the Commerce Act.
Underestimating support for climate action limits political decision making, study says
8 Sep 2025
Research reveals huge disparity between perceived and actual willingness of public to contribute to fixing climate.
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.
One city’s race to ‘solarise everything we possibly can’
Thu 18 Sep 2025
Bordeaux is quickly transforming itself into France’s top solar-powered city, banking on innovations like transparent panels that preserve its historic architecture.
Turning squashed bugs into climate change data
Today 11:45am
Media release: University of Auckland | What if the insects you hit with your car could contribute to research on climate change?
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’.
Ara Ake backs 13 projects to unlock NZ’s energy flexibility
11 Sep 2025
Media release | Ara Ake has approved over $600,000 in funding from the National Flex Discovery Fund for 13 flexibility service providers (FSPs).
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.
Most EU carmakers on track to meet emission targets: study
10 Sep 2025
Almost all European carmakers are on track to meet EU emission targets after winning a reprieve this year as electric vehicles (EV) sales pick up, a study showed.
Echo Tech secures growth investment to tackle NZ's e-waste crisis
Mon 15 Sep 2025
Media release | Echo Tech Limited, New Zealand’s leading provider of e-waste recycling and IT asset recovery services, is proud to announce a strategic investment from growth equity firm Altered Capital.
La Niña set to prolong NZ hydro shortfall
9 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With La Niña favouring a drier-than-normal spring across much of the South Island, hydro lakes are unlikely to recover without substantial rain and late snowmelt – keeping national storage levels below average.
Record UK wildfires have burned an area twice the size of Glasgow in 2025
12 Aug 2025
Wildfires have scorched more than 40,000 hectares of land so far this year across the UK – an area more than twice the size of the Scottish city of Glasgow.
Which countries are scaling solar and wind the fastest?
12 Sep 2025
The leaderboard is quite different depending on what metric you look at.
