Topics tagged with 'Coal'
More in: Coal
China's approvals of coal power plants grow after 2024 decline
11 Jun 2025
China approved 11.29 gigawatts of new coal power plants in the first three months of 2025, already exceeding the 10.34 GW approved in the first half of 2024.
Fight over coal mine heats up
30 May 2025
Forest & Bird is calling on the government to create a new scientific reserve covering the Denniston Plateau on the West Coast, which would stop a fast-tracked coal mine.
Indonesia backtracks on coal phase-out in new 2034 power supply plan
29 May 2025
Indonesia plans to add 69.5 gigawatts (GW) of power capacity by the end of 2034, much of it from renewable sources, but it still expects to add new coal-fired power plants.
South America sets historic benchmark: Zero new coal plants planned
28 May 2025
South America just achieved a remarkable energy milestone, quietly setting a global benchmark: for the first time in history, the entire continent now has zero new coal-fired power plants planned.
NZ moving too slowly to decarbonise – former commission chair
22 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand's energy transition is too slow and too controlled by vested interests, according to former Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr.
Coal India to set up $3 billion worth clean energy projects to boost renewable heft
14 May 2025
The world’s largest government-owned coal producer will set up clean energy projects of around 4.5 gigawatts at a cost of 250 billion rupees (about $3 billion), it said on Thursday, as it aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions from its operations.
COP30 must heed the elephant in the room: fossil fuels
12 May 2025
OPINION: Oil, gas and coal cause three-quarters of global emissions. Why are they nowhere to be seen on the Belém climate summit’s agenda?
New carbon credit scheme targets 60 plants by 2030 for coal phaseout
8 May 2025
The Rockefeller Foundation aims to sign up 60 projects by 2030 to a new carbon finance scheme for phasing out coal-fired power in developing countries, it said on Wednesday, after its rulebook was given the go-ahead.
Green Party plans to bring back industry decarbonisation fund
6 May 2025
The Greens want to bring back the Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry (GIDI) Fund and use it to kickstart sustainable forestry for building and fuel.
Cost of emissions from five major Australian resource companies more than $900bn, study finds
6 May 2025
US researchers link BHP, Rio Tinto, Santos, Whitehaven Coal and Woodside Energy to specific climate harms over three decades.
Genesis reports rising coal, declining gas
2 May 2025
Talks about the future of the third Rankine unit at Huntly continue as Genesis reported a third quarter result that showed the rise of coal and the decline of gas.
Police arrest activists over Bathurst coal mine protests
23 Apr 2025
Activists ramped up protests against coal over the past week, with occupations at several Bathurst Resources sites.
Winter’s tale of electricity market woes
17 Apr 2025
A study of last winter’s events in the electricity market has confirmed that the major players suffered from high prices, and there was little or no indication of them gaming the market with their wholesale pricing.
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.
State aid set to energise France’s shift away from coal-fired power
16 Apr 2025
Coal-fired power plants converted to cleaner fuels to qualify for state assistance in meeting peak demand.
Trump signs orders to allow coal-fired power plants to remain open
14 Apr 2025
Donald Trump signed four executive orders on Tuesday aimed at reviving coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel that has long been in decline, and which substantially contributes to planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions and pollution.
Green's anti-mining bill drawn from ballot
11 Apr 2025
The Green Party's Crown Minerals (Prohibition of Mining) Amendment Bill has been drawn from the ballot and will be debated in Parliament.
Global EV adoption fails to cut CO2
11 Apr 2025
There's little point in buying an electric vehicle if you're charging it with electricity generated by fossil fuels. In fact, when it comes to carbon dioxide emissions, your EV may be doing more harm than good.
Emissions down but reductions have slowed
10 Apr 2025
While New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions dropped 11% in the past five years, reductions have slowed down, with only a 1% drop from 2023 to 2024.
Africa must shun Trump’s push to resurrect coal
9 Apr 2025
Clean energy can be Africa’s greatest success story, which is why its leaders must not fall for the pro-coal lobbying of the Trump administration.
ETS stockpile up nearly 7 million
8 Apr 2025
The stockpile of privately held Emissions Trading Scheme pollution permits increased 6.7 million to 157.1 million units in the three months to March 31, according to figures released by the Environmental Protection Authority yesterday.
Avoiding a repeat of winter 2025
8 Apr 2025
An analysis predicts that there is a strong probability the electricity sector will get through this winter without any generation shortfalls and avoid the wholesale price excesses of last year - if all goes to plan and diesel is not required for extended periods.
Finland's last active coal-fired power and heat plant shuts down
7 Apr 2025
Finland's last coal-fired power and heat plant in active production will shut down permanently on Tuesday, enabling Helsinki energy group Helen to cut its emissions and put an end to rising energy costs for its customers, its chief executive said.
Meridian set to build its first solar farm as Genesis stockpiles coal
2 Apr 2025
Meridian Energy is set to start construction on its 130MW Ruakākā Solar Farm south of Whangārei in August 2025, with the project receiving a final investment decision and construction approval from the Meridian Board.
Is NZ heading towards another energy crunch?
28 Mar 2025
The major gentailers all put forward positive cases at last week’s Downstream conference that they had done all they could to avert a potential energy shortage this winter.
If NZ wants to decarbonise energy, we need to know which renewables deliver the best payback
21 Mar 2025
By Alan Brent and Isabella Pimentel Pincelli | A national energy strategy for Aotearoa New Zealand was meant to be ready at the end of last year. As it stands, we're still waiting for a cohesive, all-encompassing plan to meet the country's energy demand today and in the future.
Trump vows to immediately ramp up US production of 'beautiful, clean coal'
20 Mar 2025
President Trump this week continued to make his environmental priorities clear by vowing to open up hundreds of coal power plants in the United States in an effort to advance competition against China.
Nelson adopts ambitious target to slash emissions
Today 11:15am
By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | After some of the most passionate debate seen in the chamber this triennium, Nelson City Council has adopted the more ambitious of two community greenhouse gas targets.
Extreme heatwaves may cause global decline in dairy production, scientists warn
Today 11:15am
Israel-based study finds that by 2050 average daily milk production could be reduced by 4% as a result of worsening heat stress.
NZ Post drops science-based climate target
Today 11:15am
By Liz Kivi | NZ Post has dropped its science-based emissions reduction target of 42% by 2030 with no plans to replace it.
Nations agree to tax premium flyers, private jets
Wed 2 Jul 2025
A group of countries, including France, Kenya, Spain and Barbados, pledged on June 30 to tax premium-class flying and private jets in a bid to raise funds for climate action and sustainable development.
In Latin America, the energy transition stirs a rise in human rights lawsuits
Today 11:15am
A new report shows that more than half of the 95 energy transition-related lawsuits recorded globally since 2009 took place in Latin America and the Caribbean.
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.
Carbon price grinds higher - where to from now?
30 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | The carbon price has continued to grind slowly higher since this month’s failed auction, with prices at their highest since March, although still languishing well below this year’s auction floor price.
Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ blows US emissions goal by 7bn tonnes
Today 11:15am
President Donald Trump’s dismantling of climate policy means the US will add an extra 7bn tonnes of emissions to the atmosphere from now until 2030, compared to meeting its former climate pledge under the Paris Agreement.
Carbon auction fails again
18 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | As predicted, today’s carbon auction failed to attract any bidders, with the secondary market languishing at nearly 20% below the minimum auction price.
A credible UN carbon market needs rules that count – we’ve just set them
11 Jun 2025
COMMENT: The broad standards for a more ambitious market are now in place. But without a steady flow of investment, this progress will remain largely on paper.
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.
Could an unexplained carbon forest sink solve govt’s billion-dollar climate woes?
23 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | A groundbreaking study shows that New Zealand’s native forests are absorbing far more carbon dioxide than previously thought.
Kiwi ‘smart panel’ startup aiming to reduce energy bills and emissions
Fri 4 Jul 2025
NZ start-up Basis this week launched an ‘intelligent’ panel to replace traditional electrical switchboards in homes, which it says can save the average home $1,200 NZD annually on bills and lead to lower emissions.
Govt budgets $200m for would-be gas investors
23 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | Energy Resources Aotearoa has welcomed the government's plan to co-invest $200 million in fossil gas expansion, while environmental and climate groups have reacted with horror.
'Exactly what we would expect': climate scientists weigh in on deadly Texas flooding
Today 11:15am
As the death toll from catastrophic flooding in Texas continued to rise, climate scientists this weekend underscored the link between more frequent and severe extreme weather events and the worsening climate emergency caused primarily by humans burning fossil fuels.
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.
Policymakers often ignore forest regeneration in fight against climate change
30 Jun 2025
Naturally-regenerating forests are often ignored by policymakers working to curb climate change even though they hold an untapped potential to rapidly absorb planet-warming carbon from the atmosphere.
NZ quits Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance
25 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | The New Zealand government has quietly withdrawn from an ambitious coalition to phase out fossil fuels, with a $200 million publicly-funded subsidy for new gas fields the latest policy in conflict with that goal.
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.
Electrification challenge for politicians, regulators
27 May 2025
Rewiring Aotearoa is calling for stronger political leadership to bring its vision of a cheaper, cleaner and stronger energy system to life, with the launch of its policy manifesto today.
Clear-sighted view to trade-offs crucial to reimagining our relationship with the land
Mon 7 Jul 2025
By Nick Swallow | COMMENT: New Zealand could see a 70% drop in the value of dairy land if we pursue our emissions targets for agriculture, according to a new report.
Biodiversity market needs govt regulation to avoid fraud risk
17 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | Participants have applauded the government’s pilot programme for New Zealand’s voluntary biodiversity market, but an expert says the emerging market needs better regulation to avoid reputational risk and fraud.
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.
Electric firebricks: decarbonising high-temperature industrial heat
13 Jun 2025
By Ian Mason | A new technology could offer a more cost-effective solution than hydrogen to decarbonise one ‘hard-to-abate’ sector of New Zealand’s economy, as well as having ample potential for demand response as the electricity grid becomes more renewable.
90% of NZers expect more extreme weather disasters because of climate change
23 Jun 2025
A new climate change poll from AMI, State, and NZI shows New Zealanders are expecting more extreme weather events as a result of climate change.
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.
High Court agrees with Environmental Defence Society - law must be followed as it stands now
Mon 7 Jul 2025
Media release – Environmental Defence Society | The Environmental Defence Society (EDS) welcomes the High Court’s finding in Box Property Investments Ltd v The Expert Consenting Panel that decisions must be made based on the law as it currently stands, not on potential future legislative changes.
Media round-up
Fri 4 Jul 2025
In our weekly round-up of climate coverage in local media: Proposed changes to forestry rules won’t solve the ‘slash’ problem; New Plymouth District Council officially opposes seabed mining; and is local media coverage of climate change lacking when reporting extreme weather events?
Carbon credits stockpile down: latest figures
Mon 7 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The number of NZUs held in private accounts, often called "the stockpile", dropped 11 million tonnes in the past year, according to the latest figures.
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.
Change in Southern Ocean structure could have climate implications
Mon 7 Jul 2025
Media release – Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (ICM-CSIC) | Satellite data processing algorithms developed by ICM-CSIC have played a crucial role in detecting this significant shift in the Southern Hemisphere, which could accelerate the effects of climate change.
Fight over coal mine heats up
30 May 2025
Forest & Bird is calling on the government to create a new scientific reserve covering the Denniston Plateau on the West Coast, which would stop a fast-tracked coal mine.
Microplastics found in sand on dozens of NZ beaches
4 Jun 2025
Scientists have extracted microplastics from the sand of 22 beaches from the Far North to Banks Peninsula.
Offshore renewable energy bill reported back
Thu 3 Jul 2025
The Offshore Renewable Energy Bill has been reported back from select committee with a few changes and the prospect of further amendment on some issues.
Open letter warns against Seymour's Regulatory Standards Bill
Fri 4 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A group of prominent New Zealanders are speaking out against the Regulatory Standards Bill, with top climate scientist Jim Salinger warning it will have a chilling effect on future climate change and adaptation policy.
Activists protest at London headquarters of global ad giant promoting fossil fuels
Thu 3 Jul 2025
The agency’s work for the fossil fuel industry has made it “complicit in causing existential harm to people and planet”, say campaigners, who are calling on WPP to drop those clients.
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.
China solar and wind installations break more world records
Mon 7 Jul 2025
China is leading the world in new solar and wind installations and doing so at a record-shattering pace.
MethaneSAT loss ‘a tragedy’
Thu 3 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The disappearance of a methane-tracking satellite, which was backed by $29 million of government funding, is a tragic loss according to one astrophysicist, who is calling for a review to understand how New Zealand blew past multiple red flags about its operation.
Green budget 'ludicrous la-la land' – govt
15 May 2025
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the budget was "clown show economics" and an "absolute circus".
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.
Trump just revoked California’s EV rules. How much is California to blame?
19 Jun 2025
Before Trump overturned the state’s electric vehicle rules, California had been pushing automakers too hard, according to one of the state’s leading experts.
Brussels to stand its ground on 90% emissions cut by 2040
Wed 2 Jul 2025
The European Commission is set to propose a target to slash greenhouse gas emissions to a mere tenth of the levels seen back in 1990 – but a leaked summary confirms it will offer significant leeway as a sweetener for reluctant EU members.
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.
NZ urgently needs to change approach to flood management - experts
Wed 2 Jul 2025
Experts say climate change is squarely to blame for flooding in Nelson - but isn’t getting the media attention it deserves - and the country urgently needs to change its approach to flood management in the face of climate change.
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.
