Topics tagged with 'Emissions trading'
Post-89 emissions returns trickle in
21 Mar 2014
Only a quarter of post-1989 forest owners registered in the Emissions Trading Scheme have submitted their 2013 emissions returns.
Key talks environment in China
21 Mar 2014
The Prime Minister has been talking about the environment with his Chinese counterpart.
Foreign airlines should pay, say Europe lawmakers
21 Mar 2014
Flights to and from Europe should not be exempted from Europe’s emissions trading scheme, the Environment and Public Health Committee of the European Parliament says.
Carbon sector wants Europe to act
21 Mar 2014
Carbon traders and investors are calling on Europe to reach a clear and early political agreement on the 2030 climate and energy framework.
Why business needs to know climate change laws
21 Mar 2014
The number of climate change laws on the statue books of the world’s leading economies grew from less than 40 in 1997 to almost 500 at the end of 2013 SAM FRANKHAUSER, co-director of the Grantham Research Institute at the London School of Economics, reports:
NZUS bounce of $2.90
17 Mar 2014
Spot NZUs closed at $3.00 Friday after starting the day lower. OMFianncial reports:
Farmers remain free of emissions obligations
14 Mar 2014
The Government is all but ruling out making agriculture responsible for its greenhouse gas emissions next year.
Reluctant PM fends off $600m iwi ultimatum
7 Mar 2014
The Prime Minister says he accepts that 50,000 new jobs would be created by Maori following through on a promise to plant one million hectares of new forest if the Government lifts carbon prices.
Government says no to national forest policy
7 Mar 2014
The Government is refusing to adopt a national forestry policy, despite relying on tree planting to meet international greenhouse gas emissions reductions obligations.
Beehive stays silent on NZUs auctions
7 Mar 2014
The Government still won’t confirm that it will not auction NZUs.
Carbon credit trading close to 12 million
7 Mar 2014
Nearly 12 million carbon credits were traded on the domestic carbon market last month.
EU agrees on draft plan for aviation emissions
7 Mar 2014
The European Union has reached a preliminary deal on a law that will exempt long-haul flights from paying for carbon emissions until 2016.
NZUs down to $3, but European carbon about to soar
5 Mar 2014
NZUs touched $3.05 yesterday on decent volume, and closed at $3.05/$3.10 on CommTrade. OMFinancial reports:
Government knows how we can be carbon-neutral
28 Feb 2014
Planting just over half of New Zealand’s marginal land in forest would make the country carbon-neutral – and the Government knows it.
New ETS move aims to make clear origin of NZUs
28 Feb 2014
From April buyers will know whether the NZUs they are buying come from carbon sequestration or are free units given to emitters by taxpayers.
Credibility key selling point for green economy
28 Feb 2014
The idea of the “green economy goes in and out of fashion, not least because it is rarely defined and frequently misunderstood, writes PAUL EKINS, Professor of Resource and Environmental Policy, University College, London.
Big emitters cash in on free carbon credits
21 Feb 2014
A loophole allowing heavy industrial emitters to coin it at the expense of taxpayers by selling free carbon credits is likely to be closed under a Labour-Greens government.
Iwi ultimatum earns support of political parties
21 Feb 2014
Iwi threatening to take a claim to the Waitangi Tribunal over carbon prices have the support of at least two major political parties.
Turmoil across the Tasman will be felt here
21 Feb 2014
By WAYNE KING. Australia’s media is drip-feeding news and commentary on the economic downturn in Australia - particularly in energy developments, the political turmoil revolving around the current Renewable Energy Target and the current policies related to a price on carbon, through the Carbon Price Mechanism and other initiatives.
Iwi forest plan key to processing boom
14 Feb 2014
A proposal by iwi to plant a million hectares of new forest over 10 years could provide the economies of scale needed to kick the New Zealand industry into large-scale processing.
Pine nurseries got it wrong, says Groser
14 Feb 2014
The destruction of hundreds of thousands of tree seedlings is part of a “market correction” and not due to a dysfunctional Emissions Trading Scheme, the Government says.
Land-use change still attractive
14 Feb 2014
We saw another small rise in NZUs yesterday, up to $3.30. OMFinancial reports:
Angry Maori table $600,000 carbon ultimatum
7 Feb 2014
Maori say they will lodge a $600 million Treaty of Waitangi claim if the Government doesn’t move fast to shore up carbon prices.
Number of surrendered NZUs plummets
7 Feb 2014
The number of NZUs used for surrender plummeted last year to fewer than a million.
Major powerco sets pace for fall in emissions
31 Jan 2014
New Zealand's greenhouse-gas emissions from energy have fallen on the back of a massive cut from our single largest emitter.
This year's post-89 units about to come to market
29 Jan 2014
Yesterday we saw some selling in spot NZUs; prices traded between $3.40 and $3.45. OMFinancial reports:
More forest owners decide to leave ETS
24 Jan 2014
The number of post-1989 forest owners quitting the Emissions Trading Scheme quadrupled last year on the back of cheap carbon prices.
Change ahead, so business needs to get smart
24 Jan 2014
Smart companies will have clear strategic objectives and flexible tactical responses to deal with on-going disruptive change likely to be caused by carbon policy this year, Westpac’s international carbon desk says.
EU wants to see cut of 40% in gas emissions
24 Jan 2014
A reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 40 per cent below the 1990 level, an EU-wide binding target for renewable energy of at least 27 per cent, renewed ambitions for energy efficiency policies, a new governance system and a set of new indicators to ensure a competitive and secure energy system.
So, if the carbon tax isn't working, what is?
24 Jan 2014
Melbourne Energy Institute director MIKE SANDIFORD asks the Abbott Government to explain:
ETS dysfunctional, says forestry academic
20 Dec 2013
Deforesation and a lack of new planting means New Zealand is unlikely to meet its 2030 emissions reduction target, a forestry expert is warning.
Govt sitting on millions worth of Kyoto units
13 Dec 2013
The Government is sitting on millions of Kyoto units which could reduce the cost of the country's carbon liability.
Errors in forest returns could be costly, says expert
13 Dec 2013
Many forest owners could run into costly penalties for innocent mistakes in their carbon returns, a consultant is warning.
Move on carbon units worries foresters
13 Dec 2013
Last week's Government announcement on the future of carbon units after 2015 does nothing to stimulate action to reduce the nation’s net greenhouse gas emissions, says the Forest Owners’ Association.
Restrictions on CERs and ERUs
6 Dec 2013
The use of international Kyoto credits in the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme is to be restricted.
NZ keeps eye on Chinese carbon market muscle
6 Dec 2013
The launch this week of the world’s second-largest carbon market, in the Chinese industrial powerhouse province of Guangdong, will have little direct impact on the New Zealand market, a leading trader says.
Melbourne expo might give us some answers
22 Nov 2013
Businesses looking for a steer on how Australia’s Emissions Reduction Fund scheme will work could find it at the Carbon Expo Australasia next month.
What's going on in world carbon markets
22 Nov 2013
The Carbon Reduction Fund in Australia, backloading in Europe, markets linking in North America and the first carbon auction in China ... Westpac's carbon desk reviews the international carbon markets:
How Australia deals with carbon and electricity
22 Nov 2013
Westpac's head of electricity trading, CONNELL BURKE, explains the links between carbon and electricity in the Australian market:
Government plays loose with ETS facts
15 Nov 2013
The Government is claiming credit for climate change policies – including the Emissions Trading Scheme - introduced by its predecessor.
Buyers get interested
15 Nov 2013
The local market was sold down yesterday starting off at $3.25 and hitting $3.10 before closing $3.15 bid. OMFinacial reports:
Buy, bank, and hold....
13 Nov 2013
Despite the market having peeled off from the high $4s to the low $3s, we are not bearish. OMFinancial reports:
Hope from Europe
11 Nov 2013
The NZU market finished the week on a subdued note, as selling interest dries up for now. OMFinancial reports:
Dunedin takes serious look at carbon footprint
8 Nov 2013
Dunedin City Council is one of the first local authorities in the country to measure its carbon footprint against the global greenhouse gas standard, ISO 14064-1:2006.
Choppy market in Europe
5 Nov 2013
The market was very quiet yesterday, with very little interest from both the buy side and the sell side of the market to cross the spread. OMFinancial reports:
Papers reveal Treasury push for zero GHG target
25 Oct 2013
Treasury wanted New Zealand to adopt a greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of zero per cent below 1990 levels.
Our GHG emissions on the way up ... not down
25 Oct 2013
New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions are on track to rise by 2020, not fall as the Government has pledged.
Parties stay quiet on 2015 carbon auctions
25 Oct 2013
A new government might not auction carbon units in 2015.
NZ urged to grab a slice of burgeoning $35 billion market for nature credits
Fri 13 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand could unlock strong domestic and international demand for high-integrity nature-based credits, if government, investors and restoration groups work together to scale supply, a new report says.
Rod Carr is ‘over’ climate change defeatism
Fri 13 Mar 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | If there’s one thing former Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr is “over”, it’s people saying there’s nothing they can personally do to address climate change.
Auckland Airport switches on giant heat pump system to cut gas use
6 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | While Auckland Airport’s switch from gas to heat pumps is welcome, the emissions savings are dwarfed by ongoing aircraft emissions, which are set to rise, according to a sustainable transport expert.
Air NZ joins Marsden Point SAF project
3 Mar 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Air New Zealand has quietly added its name to a consortium exploring the viability of green hydrogen production for sustainable aviation fuel at Channel Infrastructure’s Marsden Point energy hub.
Carbon markets risk penalising Indigenous stewardship, researchers warn
5 Mar 2026
Carbon markets designed to reward environmental restoration may be unintentionally disadvantaging Indigenous communities who have long protected intact ecosystems, according to new research.
Govt’s own modelling shows LNG leads to higher electricity prices than other solutions
19 Feb 2026
By Christina Hood | COMMENT: According to modelling conducted by Concept Consulting for MBIE, either developing the Tariki gas storage facility or managing electricity demand would deliver lower wholesale electricity prices than the Government’s preferred solution of an LNG import terminal.
Kenya’s latest carbon credit crackdown reveals questionable practices
Wed 11 Mar 2026
Some players use sophisticated tactics to inflate the value of credits that may not represent genuine, permanent emissions reductions.
Countries agree to record release of emergency oil reserves as prices surge
Fri 13 Mar 2026
Dozens of countries have agreed to release a record amount of oil from their emergency reserves to try to tackle supply shortages and soaring prices.
Bidders no-show at carbon auction – again
3 Mar 2026
By Liz Kivi | As predicted, today’s carbon auction yet again failed to attract any bidders, with NZUs currently trading hands on the secondary market at a 35% discount on this year’s auction floor price.
3,600 times faster: China is shaking up the steel industry
25 Feb 2026
For over a century, making steel meant coal, heat, and hours of waiting. A Chinese research team now reports collapsing that process into just three to six seconds; no coal, near zero emissions, and a vortex lance already moving toward commercial production. The technology is called flash ironmaking, and in February 2026, its implications are still unfolding.
Hormuz crisis critical to New Zealand
Tue 10 Mar 2026
By Nathan Surendran | COMMENT: Why the Hormuz crisis is a symptom, not the disease – and what it means for New Zealand.
Sustainable retail-office project breaks ground under new Green Star framework
19 Feb 2026
Construction is set to begin on a new retail-office development in central Auckland, which is targeting a 40% reduction in embodied carbon and 25% lower energy.
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.
Renewables surge cuts power emissions, but oil dominates fossil fuel use
Fri 13 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand’s fossil fuel emissions fell in 2025 as strong renewable electricity generation reduced the need for gas-fired power, but oil consumption is rising and now accounts for a record share of fossil emissions.
Environmental groups call for ETS reform
20 Feb 2026
Several environmental organisations are calling on political parties to make climate and biodiversity central to the 2026 election campaign, with reforming the Emissions Trading Scheme seen as a key priority.
Climate Commission called to Waitangi inquiry over alleged breaches
Tue 10 Mar 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Climate Change Commission is being called to front up to the Waitangi Tribunal and give evidence over alleged legal breaches of its obligations to Māori.
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.
From forest to flatpack, IKEA faces timber traceability test
Wed 11 Mar 2026
As the EU’s Deforestation Regulation nears implementation this year, furniture giant IKEA may need stronger traceability systems to prove its timber isn’t linked to post-2020 deforestation.
Greenpeace slams Govt climate policies amid rising petrol prices
Thu 12 Mar 2026
As petrol prices climb to $3 a litre, Greenpeace is blaming Government decisions for leaving Kiwis harder hit by the oil price spike.
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.”
Gaps in adaptation taxonomies hinder climate finance in Asia: report
5 Mar 2026
Without clearer criteria and metrics in adaptation taxonomies, Asia risks widening its climate financing gap, warns a new report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).
Russia gets export boost from Iran war as price of oil to India surges
Tue 10 Mar 2026
The war in Iran has fuelled a significant bump in demand for Russian oil and gas, the Kremlin said on Friday, boosting exports which have been battered by sanctions linked to Russia's war in Ukraine.
Five trees can’t offset a car: Lawyers accuse Mazda of greenwashing
Mon 9 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Lawyers for Climate Action NZ is taking Mazda to the Advertising Standards Authority over its claims that a tree-planting programme will offset vehicle emissions.
Govt missing opportunity to slash electricity prices, says expert
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.
Japan eyes New Zealand as green hydrogen export hub
Thu 12 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A new partnership between major Japanese companies aims to explore exporting green hydrogen from New Zealand – but the economics of producing the energy-hungry fuel remain the biggest hurdle.
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.
EDS puts environmental lawmaking under the spotlight
26 Feb 2026
Media Release |The Environmental Defence Society has launched the first in a series of investigative pieces into how environmental laws are being made in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Climate 'dream team' launches foundation targeting 100 million tonnes in emissions cuts
25 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The New Zealand Climate Foundation, which has the ambitious aim of cutting 100 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, had its official launch on Monday.
Expert Panel invites EDS to comment on Bendigo goldmine
Fri 13 Mar 2026
Media release | The Environmental Defence Society has been invited to provide comment on the Bendigo-Ophir gold mine by the expert Panel tasked with deciding the fast-track project.
If the government is set on an LNG terminal, gas users, not electricity users, should pay
Wed 11 Mar 2026
By Christina Hood | COMMENT: It's increasingly clear that the government's narrative of LNG as ‘dry year electricity insurance’ really doesn't stack up.
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.
Tiny, lost and constipated: what a baby turtle told Australian scientists about warming seas
6 Mar 2026
The arrival of loggerheads in New South Wales shows these ‘sentinels of climate change’ are being forced into unknown territory.
The world’s largest climate finance deal was built to flounder: why funding fails to reach the front‑line
6 Mar 2026
Adopted in December 2015, the Paris Agreement commits countries to keeping global temperature rise below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.
Kiwis overly optimistic about state of environment
27 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New research suggests many New Zealanders believe the environment is in better shape than it really is, with public perceptions often out of step with scientific evidence.
‘They pushed so many lies about recycling’: the fight to stop big oil pumping billions more into plastics
24 Feb 2026
Plastic production has doubled over the last 20 years – and will likely double again. For author Beth Gardiner, metal water bottles and canvas tote bags are not the solution. So what is?
Todd gets nod to drill first super-critical geothermal well
Thu 12 Mar 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Todd Energy is to make its sole oil drilling rig available to drill the first exploration well under the government’s $60 million super-critical geothermal resource exploration programme under a ‘preferred supplier’ agreement announced yesterday.
Media round-up
20 Feb 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: 'Every tonne matters': The climate scientist who wants to give you hope; Minister says managed retreat is an option; and climate change is here – is New Zealand ready?
China has a new competitor? Kazakhstan reveals huge rare Earth deposit that could power the next tech boom
25 Feb 2026
China’s grip on rare earths might finally see some competition, and the world is already taking notice.
How falling battery costs are igniting race for round-the-clock solar power
Fri 13 Mar 2026
By combining the solar array with a massive amount of battery capacity, the aim is to store enough power generated during daylight hours so that a minimum of 1 GW of electricity – enough to power between 500,000 and one million homes – is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Native plant shows promise for tackling `forever chemicals’
Wed 11 Mar 2026
Media release: University of Auckland | One of Aotearoa New Zealand’s taonga plants, harakeke, shows promise as a treatment for removing “forever chemicals” from drinking water.
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.
Claims that AI can help fix climate dismissed as greenwashing
18 Feb 2026
Tech companies are conflating traditional artificial intelligence with generative AI when claiming the energy-hungry technology could help avert climate breakdown, according to a report.
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.
NZ EV owners sticking with electric – survey
Wed 11 Mar 2026
Nearly all New Zealand EV owners say they would buy another electric vehicle, according to new research from Consumer NZ.
Summit aims to revive stalled UN talks on phasing out fossil fuels
Wed 11 Mar 2026
Colombia and the Netherlands have set out three priorities for a conference on phasing out fossil fuels they will co-host in Colombia in April.
Infrastructure plan calls for ‘predictable approach’ to electrifying economy
18 Feb 2026
Aotearoa’s first National Infrastructure Plan, introduced to Parliament yesterday, calls for "a predictable approach to electrifying the economy" as one of ten priorities for the next decade.
Global coastal sea-level risks may be underestimated, say scientists
5 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Coastal communities across the Pacific and Southeast Asia could be facing greater sea-level rise risks than previously estimated, researchers say.
Study finds warming world increases days when weather is prone to fires around the globe
20 Feb 2026
The number of days when the weather gets hot, dry and windy — ideal to spark extreme wildfires — has nearly tripled in the past 45 years across the globe, with the trend increasing even higher in the Americas, a new study shows.
Western Australian communities want mandatory payments from new renewable developments
6 Mar 2026
The West Australian government wants to make new wind and solar farms pay into community funds, but host towns say more work needs to be done to make sure the payments actually happen.
