Topics tagged with 'Carbon prices'
NZUs rally but volume still light
23 Aug 2013
Over the past two weeks the New Zealand Unit (NZU) price has traded from mid NZD2s to over NZD5, Westpac reports.
Australia draws the battle lines
16 Aug 2013
There’s a carbon battle going on over the Tasman in the lead-up to that country’s general election.
California shuns linking emissions schemes
9 Aug 2013
The head of the Californian emissions trading scheme – which will ultimately become the world’s third largest – says the US state has no plans to link with Australia’s carbon price.
Aussie emitters await election outcome
9 Aug 2013
Australia's Federal election has been September 7 and the outcome will determine the fate of the Carbon Price Mechanism, but in the meantime, the business of compliance goes on. Westpac reports:
EUAs hit three-week high
26 Jul 2013
European carbon prices are firmer across the board this week, with Dec13 EUAs, ERUs and CERs all stronger, Westpac reports.
Australia makes early move to carbon trading
19 Jul 2013
Australian households will benefit from an average $380 reduction in the cost of living next financial year after the country moves to a floating price on carbon emissions, the Rudd Government says.
Business backs shift to emissions scheme
19 Jul 2013
A significant section of business prefers an emissions trading scheme to a fixed carbon tax to cut Australia's greenhouse gases, a survey has found.
Fruit growers eye big energy savings
12 Jul 2013
Australian fruit growers are set to make significant savings with the launch of an energy efficiency project for the country’s temperate fruit sector.
Rudd aims to redraw carbon reduction plans
28 Jun 2013
Recycled Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is rumoured to be revisiting Australia’s carbon reduction scheme.
Obama shows up NZ, say young greens
28 Jun 2013
President Obama's announcement of a United States climate plan will test whether the National Government is still at all serious about its claimed "fast follower" approach to climate change, say some of the country’s youth leaders.
Bull trend in NZUs?
28 Jun 2013
NZUs hit a six month high yesterday of $2.50 – and now there is debate about whether this is just a speculative led low volume rally with no substance or the start of a bull trend. OMFinancial reports:
Prices force rethink of forestry carbon rules
21 Jun 2013
Forest owners exploiting low carbon prices to convert forest land to dairy farms have forced government officials to rethink this country’s net forestry carbon position.
Is there something we haven't been told?
14 Jun 2013
Carbon Market Solutions asks as to consider a situation now confronting many forest owners who opted into the Emissions Trading Scheme:
Carbon price cancels out CCS potential
7 Jun 2013
A potentially lucrative industry in the underground storage of carbon dioxide is being stymied by almost negligible carbon prices.
Scrap carbon price cap, OECD tells NZ
7 Jun 2013
The carbon price cap and free carbon credits for trade-exposed emitters should be scrapped, the OECD is telling New Zealand.
House hears ETS 'far left' debate
7 Jun 2013
This week’s OECD Economic Report on New Zealand sparked an exchange in Parliament over whether the Emissions Trading Scheme is a “far left” policy.
Trading groups make carbon market pact
31 May 2013
Global emissions trading organisation, the International Emissions Trading Association and Australia’s industry body for carbon market professionals, the Carbon Market Institute, have announced a strategic alliance.
Govt vow ‘huge news’ for foresters
24 May 2013
The Government says it is committed to the Permanent Forest Sinks Initiative.
Govt banks on low, low carbon price
24 May 2013
The Government is budgeting on a carbon price of just 24 cents a tonne for the foreseeable future.
EU set to turn climate agenda upside down
24 May 2013
Europe’s plan to decarbonise its economy by 2050 could be turned on its head at a high-level meeting today.
Emissions windfall drops … by millions
17 May 2013
New Zealand’s emissions “windfall” has fallen to just $3 million because forests are being converted to dairy farms.
Korea eyes ambitious carbon scheme
17 May 2013
South Korea is preparing to introduce the world's most ambitious emissions trading scheme, potentially paving the way for carbon costs as high as $90 a tonne for many of the country's key industries.
Carbon trading tax cut put on hold
10 May 2013
A 2015 tax cut in Australia associated with the carbon trading scheme will not go ahead because of the drop in the carbon price in Europe.
No surprise as industrial CERs hit 1c
26 Apr 2013
Carbon prices have found a new international low – 1 cent a tonne.
No word yet on tree-planting plans
26 Apr 2013
Details of new Government plans to encourage forestry planting are unlikely to be unveiled for several weeks.
IT’S OFFICIAL: Forests make way for dairying
19 Apr 2013
Government figures have confirmed what the carbon market has known for months – forests are being cleared and converted to dairy farms on the back of rock-bottom carbon prices.
Europe rejects ETS reform proposal
19 Apr 2013
The European Union’s flagship scheme for cutting carbon emissions suffered one of the most serious setbacks in its chequered history this week when members (MEPs) voted against a proposal to shore up the price of carbon in the Emissions Trading System.
Australia cuts emissions … slightly
19 Apr 2013
The Australian Government is facing calls to strengthen its carbon tax, as new figures show the country’s emissions fell only slightly last year.
Australia's weather bad and getting worse
5 Apr 2013
The heatwaves, flooding and bush fires striking Australia have already been intensified by climate change and are set to get worse, says a new report.
Renewable energy can be a reality in Pacific
5 Apr 2013
Just over a week ago the Pacific Energy Summit was held in Auckland attended by a large number of energy stakeholders including Pacific Islands government delegations headed by leaders, as well as participants from development partners such as the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, the US, Japan and other countries.
China outlines carbon trading road map
28 Mar 2013
China has laid out an ambitious road map to reduce emissions by 40-45 per cent by 2020, including the world’s largest national carbon trading scheme.
Combet becomes minister of everything
28 Mar 2013
It’s one of the great political job titles … Minister of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education.
Europe vote edges closer
22 Mar 2013
Europe edges closer to the magic 245-vote backloading number, with Slovenia and Ireland indicating support bringing the number to 214, OMFinancial reports.
Don't blame biofuels, says minister
15 Mar 2013
The Government is denying its decision to scrap the biofuels obligation contributed to Solid Energy’s financial meltdown.
Price steady after overnight spike
15 Mar 2013
After a lack of support throughout the week, the December 2013 EUA - touching lows of €3.45 overnight - spiked up to €4.23 before settling at €3.70.
NZU supply tight
15 Mar 2013
NZU trading remains sporadic, as switching flow dictates price action, says Westpac.
Europe eyes ambitious restructure
8 Mar 2013
Five weeks after voting down the ‘backloading’ (or withholding) of allowances to raise carbon prices, the European Parliament’s industry committee is proposing two far-more ambitious structural measures.
European market firms slightly
8 Mar 2013
The European market is left to hang as it waits for further back-loading news, OMFinancial reports.
Carbon prices languish in the doldrums
1 Mar 2013
Carbon prices continued to languish this week, prompting questions about just how long the Government can let New Zealand operate without an effective price on carbon.
Brussels abuzz as carbon vote falters
1 Mar 2013
A planned European Parliament vote on fast-tracking negotiations with EU states over carbon market reform was inexplicably cancelled as rumours and counter-rumours swirled around Brussels
Sell ... and put your money in the bank
1 Mar 2013
The recommendation for EITEs & Emitters holding NZUs now is to bank them and buy Green ERUs as replacement, says OMFinancial.
European Parliament votes for backloading
22 Feb 2013
Lawmakers on the European Parliament’s environment committee voted by 38-25 in favour of an amendment in support of the EU’s ‘backloading’ plans for the Emissions Trading System, throwing a lifeline to the crisis-hit carbon market.
Can't get NZUs 'for love nor money'
22 Feb 2013
As it sits right now, you can surrender CP1 UN offsets for the next three emission years counting 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Carbon thumped overnight
15 Feb 2013
The local carbon market got smacked on the smell of an oily rag yesterday - thumped over 30 cents on 10,000 tonnes, to close at $2, OMFinancial reports.
Companies in court over cost of ETS
8 Feb 2013
By PATTRICK SMELLIE. South Island mining company OceanaGold Corp is refusing to pay for diesel it bought from Z Energy, which charged for the fuel based on a higher cost of the Emissions Trading Scheme than the New Zealand-owned company actually pays.
NZ carbon market shows signs of life
1 Feb 2013
Interest in the New Zealand carbon market is picking up – even if prices aren’t.
EU credits could be junk, says power chief
1 Feb 2013
Europe is staring at a ‘lost decade’ that will make decarbonisation impossible and reduce carbon credits to the value of ‘junk bonds’ unless politicians back a carbon market reform package, says the head of Europe’s electricity industry association.
NZ art focussing on climate on display at Beijing Biennale
Today 11:30am
An artist responding to the consequences of climate disruption is the first New Zealander in six years to feature at the prestigious Beijing Art Biennale.
Hydrogen plant to start construction
Tue 10 Feb 2026
Construction is set to start this month on Hiringa Energy’s long delayed green hydrogen project in South Taranaki, after years of consenting fights that culminated in the Court of Appeal rejecting Greenpeace’s challenge in late 2023.
NZ’s government wants tourism to drive economic growth – but how will it deal with aviation emissions?
22 Oct 2025
By Robert McLachlan, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University | Following a brief dip during the COVID pandemic, aviation is back in a growth phase.
Why Trump might be onboard with a UN carbon-offset programme for airlines
Today 11:30am
The president’s team has backed the rollout of an initiative that calls for the use of sustainable aviation fuel and carbon credits, even as Trump has pulled back from other international emissions-reduction efforts.
World fight against invasive species comes to Auckland
Tue 10 Feb 2026
Media release: University of Auckland | From countering invasive pink salmon in Norway to controlling feral cats in the Cayman Islands, knowledge on eradicating invasive species will be shared by international experts in New Zealand.
Govt launches strategy backing wood-based heat sector
23 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Forestry biomass could replace as much as 40% of fossil fuel-generated process heat by 2050, but access to supply, regulatory settings and business cases for converting to wood-based heat sources are required, the Government says in a series of documents released yesterday.
EU weighing options to support industry in carbon market overhaul
Mon 9 Feb 2026
The European Commission is looking at various ways to support industries in an upcoming overhaul of the EU carbon market to prevent them moving to areas with lower pollution standards, the head of the Commission’s climate department said late on Wednesday.
Trump is wiping out all climate regulation. Big Oil may regret it.
Today 11:30am
For decades, oil majors fought climate regulation. Now, they’re afraid Trump’s extreme rollbacks could leave them on the hook to pay for what they’ve done.
LNG plan risks fossil fuel dependency: Environment Commissioner
Wed 11 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Importing liquefied natural gas risks creating a “new path dependency on fossil fuel” unless LNG is ring-fenced for use only in the electricity system and only during extended periods of hydro-electricity water shortages, says the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton.
LNG: a rational choice compared to unpalatable alternatives
Tue 10 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: By deciding to underwrite the private construction of a liquefied natural gas import facility in Taranaki, the Government has made a rational choice in favour of energy security and affordability.
RMA’s successors hinge on two untested bets
17 Dec 2025
Two ideas sit at the heart of the Government’s replacement for the Resource Management Act: regulatory relief and spatial planning.
Opposition attacks Govt over fossil fuel phaseout backdown
2 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | Revelations that Resources Minister Shane Jones ruled out New Zealand signing up to a 'road map' away from fossil fuels at last year’s global climate summit show the National Party’s minor coalition partners’ undue influence over the Government, according to Labour leader Chris Hipkins.
Minister’s letters: Mildly positive or just virtue signalling?
5 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The carbon market was buoyed slightly yesterday, after letters between the Government and the Climate Change Commission were proactively released.
Govt missing opportunity to slash electricity prices, says expert
Wed 11 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s fixation on eliminating the "dry-year risk margin" as a lever to reduce costs misses a much bigger opportunity to lower electricity prices, according to Christina Hood, head of Compass Climate.
DOC trims costs and winds down jobs for nature
10 Nov 2025
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is entering a new phase of tighter budgets and structural change as it winds down the pandemic-era Jobs for Nature programme and reshapes its operations to absorb long-term cost pressures.
January floods driven by tropical systems and La Niña conditions
Today 11:30am
Record-breaking rainfall across parts of Aotearoa in January was fuelled by tropical moisture and persistent low-pressure systems, with some regions recording more than five times their normal monthly rainfall, Earth Sciences New Zealand says.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transport pollution was the biggest contributor to an increase in New Zealand’s consumption-based emissions in 2023, with emissions from household travel up 12%, and consumption-based emissions totalling 58.3 million tonnes – up 1.6% from the previous year.
'Damning' report challenges forestry’s role in Tairāwhiti as sector rejects conclusions
4 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New independent analysis commissioned by Mana Taiao Tairāwhiti challenges long-standing claims that industrial forestry underpins the Tairāwhiti economy.
Australian ministers met Japanese gas companies 20 times amid fossil fuel lobbying push
Wed 11 Feb 2026
Australian government ministers met Japanese gas company executives more than 20 times in the last term of parliament as Labor encouraged investment in the fossil fuel industry.
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.”
US is canceling almost $30 billion in Biden-era energy loans
27 Jan 2026
The Trump administration said it’s canceling almost $30 billion of financing from the Energy Department’s green bank after reviewing transactions approved under former President Biden.
Green Member’s Bill aims to give whales legal ‘personhood’
Mon 9 Feb 2026
The Green Party wants to give whales legal rights, including the right to sue.
Kiwi startup takes on global plastic pollution
Today 11:30am
A New Zealand startup is launching what it says is the world’s first plastic-free effervescent drink tablet, with the ambitious aim of eliminating bottled beverages to reduce global plastic pollution.
COP30 microcosm of difficult geopolitics, says Vanuatu's Climate Minister
15 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Despite ‘intransigent’ states blocking multilateralism and a disappointing official outcome, Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister Ralph Regenvanu says he left the COP30 climate summit feeling more positive than after previous UN climate conferences.
Hydrogen emissions are ‘supercharging’ the warming impact of methane
19 Dec 2025
The warming impact of hydrogen has been “overlooked” in projections of climate change, according to authors of the latest “global hydrogen budget”.
Wales council to buy and demolish homes prone to flooding
4 Feb 2026
A row of homes in a village in south Wales is to be bought by a local authority and demolished as they can no longer be protected from flooding caused by the climate crisis.
Climate law change spanner in the works for Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry
19 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s controversial changes to New Zealand’s legal framework for climate policy have thrown a spanner in the works for a long-running Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry into climate change.
Greenpeace set to take UK Government to court over deep-sea mining licences
5 Feb 2026
Environmental NGO Greenpeace has kick-started a legal challenge against the UK Government’s decision to approve the transfer of two seabed exploration licences to a newly-formed mining company with US links.
Govt unveils plans for carbon storage regulations – and ETS rewards
18 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government has released plans to regulate carbon capture and storage in natural geological formations, which include Emissions Trading Scheme incentives, with the aim of introducing related legislation in 2026.
Ministers celebrate fast-track milestone amid criticism
Tue 10 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government is marking the first anniversary of its fast-track approvals regime, saying it is helping “build New Zealand’s future”, despite continued criticism from environmental groups, opposition parties, and industry voices following several controversial project decisions.
Govt looks to Commission for ways to shore up carbon price
4 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government has asked the Climate Change Commission to look at lower auction volumes and an increase in the auction floor price as options to revive the Emissions Trading Scheme, as carbon prices remain weak.
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.
Climate change linked to decline in southern right whale
Today 11:30am
Scientists in Australia are warning southern right whales are showing signs of climate-related stress, just days after a Green Party Member’s Bill was introduced in New Zealand proposing legal personhood for whales.
Out of Paris, but will the US formally quit the UN climate regime?
30 Jan 2026
The Trump administration has decided to withdraw the US from the broader UN climate convention, raising questions about the legality of the move and what it means in practice.
Commentators slam Govt inaction in aftermath of climate change-fuelled storms
30 Jan 2026
By Liz Kivi | Climate action - or inaction - is shaping up to be an election issue, with multiple commentators drawing a line between the Coalition Government’s backsliding on climate targets and the deadly extreme weather events of the past week.
Major health risks linked to plastics emissions set to soar by 2040
28 Jan 2026
The adverse health consequences stemming from the global plastics system are projected to more than double by 2040, driven by greenhouse gases, air pollutants and toxic chemicals released throughout its lifecycle.
Rushed resource management reform bills unworkable: Environmental Defence Society
Wed 11 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Environmental Defence Society says significant amendments are needed to the government’s Natural Environment and Planning Bills, warning the proposed reforms risk weakening environmental limits, public participation, and regulatory certainty.
Three Greenpeace activists removed by police from Fonterra
17 Dec 2025
Media release | Three Greenpeace activists were removed by police from Fonterra’s downtown Auckland offices, following a protest on Monday at the Shareholders’ Fund meeting over the corporation’s role in the contamination of rural communities’ drinking water.
Critical minerals talks with US questioned in Waitangi Tribunal climate inquiry
Mon 9 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand and the United States' negotiations over critical minerals have raised questions for the Waitangi Tribunal’s long-running inquiry into climate change.
Australia's renewables boom delivers coveted power price payoff
Wed 11 Feb 2026
Australia's wholesale electricity prices fell to the lowest in four years in 2025, bucking the rising price trends seen elsewhere and validating claims that renewables-heavy power system overhauls can help lower consumer power costs.
Solar households to get little-noticed tax break
23 Sep 2025
A provision in the government’s latest tax bill would exempt households from paying tax on income they earn by selling excess electricity back to the grid.
NZ-UAE partnership boosts advanced tech
Mon 9 Feb 2026
Media release | A new Antarctic science partnership with a leading UAE university will grow New Zealand’s advanced engineering and modelling capability, supporting high-value jobs, encouraging economic growth, and enabling smarter climate risk management, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti says.
Pacific climate response in question as NZ finance remains unclear
19 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With New Zealand's $1.3 billion international climate finance commitment set to end with no clarity on what follows, the Auditor-General says oversight of that funding remains patchy and long-term outcomes are unclear.
China maximises battery recycling to shore up critical mineral supplies
Wed 11 Feb 2026
Beijing is bracing for a tsunami of spent EV batteries by taking steps to boost recycling – a strategy that could also cut its reliance on imports of clean energy minerals.
Vanuatu introduces draft UN resolution on ICJ demanding full climate compensation
Wed 11 Feb 2026
Media release: Vanuatu Government | Vanuatu has introduced the zero draft of a United Nations General Assembly resolution to endorse the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion on the obligations of states in respect of climate change, delivered on 23 July 2025.
EU to ban destruction of unsold clothes and shoes
Today 11:30am
The European Commission has adopted new measures that will require medium and large companies to stop discarding unsold clothing and footwear, in the bloc’s latest move to target textile waste.
Heatwaves, downpours and droughts – Auckland on track for more extreme weather
1 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show Auckland will face more heatwaves, heavier downpours, worsening droughts and growing coastal threats as climate extremes intensify, according to a new report from Earth Sciences New Zealand.
Argentina fires ravage pristine Patagonia forests, fueling criticism of Milei’s austerity
4 Feb 2026
The wildfires, among the worst to hit the drought-stricken Patagonia region in decades, have devastated more than 45,000 hectares (174 square miles) of Argentina’s forests in the last month and a half, forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists.
World's first 20 MW offshore wind turbine powers grid in China
Tue 10 Feb 2026
The world's most powerful offshore wind turbine has begun feeding electricity into the grid off the coast of southeast China, marking a major technological leap in the country's wind power industry.
