Topics tagged with 'Emissions trading'
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.
Abbott wants ideas for emissions scheme
25 Oct 2013
Australia’s new Government is calling for submissions on how to design a scheme to replace the carbon tax and emissions trading scheme.
Greens quiz minister on emissions reduction
25 Oct 2013
News that New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions are expected to grow by more than a third by 2040 prompted questions in Parliament this week, as Green Party climate change spokesman Dr Kennedy Graham sought to pin the Government down on just how it planned to reach its emissions reduction targets.
Nonchalant buyers and disinterested sellers
23 Oct 2013
History doesn’t repeat, it rhymes - and that probably sums up the NZU market at present, OMFinancial reports.
NZ turns away Australian carbon units
18 Oct 2013
More than two million Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) issued under that country’s Carbon Farming Initiative will not be eligible for surrender in New Zealand.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
18 Oct 2013
Polluters eye $4b, airlines emissions charges, China carbon pricing, climate all at sea, worms are heroes, bye-bye Oracle, Quakers talk tough.
Large sellers absent from market
14 Oct 2013
NZUs finished closed at $4.25 on CommTrade on Friday, OMFinancial reports.
Labour again trying for foreign units limit
11 Oct 2013
Labour is having another go at limiting the number of foreign carbon units emitters can surrender under the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme.
Obama's coal power call tougher than ours
11 Oct 2013
Emissions controls on new thermal power plants in the United States would not be met by most New Zealand plants.
WEB WIRE ... news from the world of carbon
11 Oct 2013
IPCC and business, EU and airlines, US judges on spot, city climate design, Alaska learning sugar land grabs.
International update
11 Oct 2013
Westpac's carbon analysts cast their eyes across the international carbon markets.
Govt still silent on auctioning credits
4 Oct 2013
The Government says it has made no decisions yet on the auctioning of carbon credits.
WEB WIRE ... news from the world of carbon
4 Oct 2013
IPCC report, fraud charges, farming key, Kiribati worried, European ETS, climate-think, water bills ...
100% Pure? We're ranked at a lowly 36
27 Sep 2013
“100% Pure” New Zealand ranks at just 36th in the world when it comes to environmental sustainability, according to a new international energy report.
WEB WIRE ... news from the world of carbon
27 Sep 2013
Angela Merkel, Tony Abbott, airlines talk, IPCC leak, US trading, beating disease.
Emitters make canny use of cheap ERUs
20 Sep 2013
Canny emitters used the international glut of cheap ERUs to cut carbon liabilities last year to a fraction of previous levels.
Crunching the numbers
20 Sep 2013
Westpac takes a look at the Ministry for the Environment's 2012 Facts and Figures report on the Emissions Trading Scheme, and analyses the potential impact on prices.
We're talking ETS with Australia and Korea
6 Sep 2013
New Zealand has had discussions with Australia and Korea on the theoretical requirements involved in linking emissions trading schemes.
Labour thermal power bid fails
6 Sep 2013
A bid by Labour MP Moana Mackey to bring back the ban on new thermal electricity generation has fallen at the first hurdle.
ANALYSIS: Australians' vote will affect carbon market
30 Aug 2013
The 2013 Federal Election in Australia will have a significant impact on Australian carbon markets, regardless of who wins, Westpac says.
China’s power sector set for cleaner future
30 Aug 2013
China’s power sector is expected to go through significant changes through to 2030, according to a new report.
Experts slam 5% emissions target
23 Aug 2013
Leading climate policy and science experts say the Government’s emissions reduction target is “markedly inadequate and disappointing”.
Emissions target under fire from MPs
23 Aug 2013
The Government's 2020 emissions reduction target came under fire in Parliament this week.
Foresters in the know eye big profits
16 Aug 2013
Savvy forest owners are banking millions of NZUs in the expectation of big profits in the future.
Forest figures meaningless, say growers
16 Aug 2013
One hundred and seventy owners of post-1989 forests left the Emissions Trading Scheme last year.
Foresters opting out of ETS, says Labour
16 Aug 2013
A new report shows the gutted Emissions Trading Scheme is damaging the forestry sector, Labour’s Climate Change spokesperson Moana Mackey says.
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.
New Zealanders losing ambition on climate change: Ipsos
Wed 20 May 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealanders’ belief that their government has a plan to combat climate change has taken another serious hit in the latest poll of 31 countries by global research firm Ipsos.
Six NZ climate solutions up for 2026 Earthshot prize
Today 11:30am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Six New Zealand climate and sustainability initiatives have been nominated for the 2026 Earthshot Prize, with the shortlist showcasing Kiwi-led solutions tackling emissions, plastic waste and ocean restoration.
$30m airline fund risks ‘burning public money’ without lasting benefit – expert
20 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A $30 million government package to support regional air routes risks delivering poor value for money while increasing emissions, according to transport strategist Tim Adriaansen.
Europe has 'maybe six weeks of jet fuel left', energy boss warns
20 Apr 2026
Stocks would reach a tipping point in June if Europe was unable to replace at least half of its imports from the Middle East, the organisation said in a report this week.
Govt unveils long-awaited voluntary carbon market guidance
Fri 15 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has released long-awaited guidance for New Zealand’s voluntary carbon and nature markets, as questions continue for the sector despite ministers signalling support for its growth.
Biomass sector asks: where did the love go?
Mon 18 May 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand has sufficient biomass in its plantation forests to replace natural gas for industrial process heat at lower costs than electrification, but is failing to get the attention it deserves, sector leaders say.
Carbon News updates forward curve
13 May 2026
Carbon News has updated its ten-year NZU forward curve, following a recent rise in spot market prices, with NZUs rallying from about $34 in January to nearly $54 in early May.
UN members reinforce nations' climate change obligations
Today 11:30am
The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday adopted a resolution reinforcing states' obligations to combat climate change, a long-awaited move toned down under pressure from major greenhouse gas emitters.
Drop in ETS forestry registrations
5 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | ETS forestry registrations have dropped off this year, with the new mandatory emissions return period, new land-use rules, and carbon price volatility all meaning participants aren’t rushing to register forestry in the emissions trading scheme.
Hipkins pans LNG plan as ‘massive step backwards’
Tue 19 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | Labour leader Chris Hipkins has told a Queenstown audience that a Government he leads would not proceed with a planned LNG import terminal, if elected at November’s election.
Tairāwhiti deserves better than weakened forestry rules
5 May 2026
OPINION: The government's proposed amendments to forestry standards, released yesterday, ignore the hard lessons learned in our region and ignore the voices that have fought hardest to protect it, writes Manu Caddie.
Green building council calls for clean energy policies
Mon 18 May 2026
The New Zealand Green Building Council has released its 2026 election manifesto calling for policies to reduce energy waste in buildings, lower household and business energy costs, and improve New Zealand’s energy security.
What Magyar’s defeat of Orbán in Hungary means for climate and energy
21 Apr 2026
Hungary has played a disproportionate role in EU climate and energy policy in recent years, by repeatedly vetoing climate action and by delaying the phaseout of Russian fossil-fuel imports.
New solar farm to boost West Coast energy security
Today 11:30am
Construction has begun on a new 13.5MW solar farm in Reefton, with developer Lightyears saying the project will help strengthen electricity security on the West Coast and support future regional growth.
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.
Are hailstones getting bigger due to climate change?
Today 11:30am
Scientific studies suggest that a warmer climate does not necessarily lead to more frequent hail, but rather to more severe hailstorms with larger hailstones.
EDS urges MPs to scrap the Fisheries Amendment Bill
5 May 2026
Media release | The Environmental Defence Society today lodged a substantive submission on the Fisheries Amendment Bill.
Govt presses ahead with forestry rule changes despite opposition
14 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government is pushing ahead with changes to commercial forestry rules despite most submitters opposing the proposals, with critics warning the reforms will weaken councils’ ability to manage erosion and forestry slash risks in vulnerable regions such as Tairāwhiti.
Iran war pushes Portugal to halve fossil fuel use over next 10 years
Wed 20 May 2026
Lisbon fast-tracks plans after the Iran war caused oil and gas costs to soar, Energy Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho tells POLITICO.
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.”
New funding for low methane farming uptake
29 Apr 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The government will co-fund projects under an Early Adoption Accelerator scheme announced today to accelerate the uptake of low emissions farming technologies emerging from the AgriZero public-private partnership.
NZ Govt’s move to halt climate litigation under international scrutiny
Tue 19 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | Local and international NGOs have signed an open letter calling on the Government to reconsider its decision to shield major emitters from legal liability for climate-related harm.
Why ‘greenhushing’ signals deeper issues with NZ’s climate risk reporting regime
Fri 15 May 2026
By Hang Pham, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington | Most of us are familiar with the concept of greenwashing: organisations exaggerating or overstating their environmental credentials. But in New Zealand, there are signs the country’s climate disclosure regime may inadvertently be driving a very different trend: not saying much at all.
‘Formidable’ El Niño expected this winter
29 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Meteorologists are anticipating a significant El Niño influence on weather patterns across the country from winter onwards, with predicted lower rainfall for some areas and heavier rain for others likely to impact multiple sectors of the economy as well as the carbon market.
Victorian Hydrogen announces Southland urea fertiliser project using coal
22 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Australian-based Victorian Hydrogen has announced it is developing a new 1.5 million-tonne-a-year urea fertiliser operation in Southland, which it will apply for under fast-track legislation.
Media round-up
24 Apr 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: What is the real cost of storm-hit infrastructure? Urgency is needed over climate adaptation funding; and a community conservation group has won a legal victory against multinational mining company OceanaGold.
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.
Labour condemns Govt plan to stop climate litigation
Fri 15 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Labour Party has slammed the Government’s move to block climate lawsuits against big emitters but won’t say if they would repeal the legislation if elected in November.
GIDI-style help cheaper than LNG: MBIE
11 May 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Officials advised ministers last July that the lowest-cost way to free up gas for use during dry winters was to assist industrial gas users to switch to electricity.
Govt missing tricks to save fuel in crisis
30 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government is being urged to shift its response to the fuel crisis away from short-term relief and towards measures that reduce demand, with public health experts warning it is missing an opportunity to boost energy security and lower household costs.
Climate risks could reshape business finances, new guidance warns
15 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New guidance warns climate change is set to fundamentally reshape financial outcomes for businesses, including difficult-to-model climate “tipping points” – irreversible changes such as ice sheet collapse or ocean circulation shifts – which threaten severe and sudden financial impacts.
Move to block lawsuits could strengthen climate case against Govt
14 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s plan to block climate lawsuits – while potentially fatal for one groundbreaking climate case – could actually bolster claims in another live climate case underway against the Government.
‘Utterly elated’ – controversial Sams Creek gold mine application declined
Today 11:30am
By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | Campaigners are elated after the controversial gold mining application for Sams Creek in Golden Bay was declined.
Conservation land open for voluntary carbon market schemes
12 May 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The government is to open up the Crown-owned conservation estate to private investment in voluntary carbon market projects.
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.
Pacific voice on climate at the UN
Wed 20 May 2026
A New Zealand-based researcher has told a United Nations forum that rising sea levels are already reshaping life across the Pacific and climate change is causing irreversible impacts on water supplies, food security and cultural identity.
Environmental groups sue Trump administration over approval of new ultra deep-water drilling project
23 Apr 2026
Environmental groups sued the Trump administration on Monday over its approval last month of oil company BP’s ultra deep-water drilling project in the Gulf of Mexico.
Opposition slams environment ministry merger
13 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Opposition MPs accused the Government of downgrading climate and environmental protections as legislation to abolish the Ministry for the Environment and merge it into a new mega-ministry passed its second reading in Parliament.
A real ‘intergenerational equity’ budget would address Australia’s unceasing environmental decline
Fri 15 May 2026
Labor has unveiled a budget designed to tackle intergenerational equity in Australia through bold tax reform.
ESG funds include petrochemical companies, report finds
5 May 2026
Global banks have invested US$133bn into US petrochemical expansion, even as the industry is linked to climate change.
NZTA rejects covering $145m of Wellington public transport projects
Wed 20 May 2026
By Justin Wong, Local Democracy Reporter | More than $145 million of Wellington public transport projects - including new bus spines along the harbour quays and the redevelopment of ageing Waterloo station - never made it into the Government’s $32.9 billion national land transport plan.
Thousands protest in Germany urging faster shift to renewable energy, amid Iran war
20 Apr 2026
Thousands of people demonstrated across Germany on April 18, urging a faster shift to renewable energy and accusing conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition of putting the brakes on the transition.
Green Party calls for national electrification plan
20 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party is calling for a national plan to electrify homes, transport and industry using renewable energy, to reduce fossil fuel dependence in response to the Middle East crisis.
China widens its clean energy lead
Mon 18 May 2026
Chinese companies account for more than half of global investments in clean energy manufacturing since 2019, while new U.S. investments declined last year.
‘Landmark’ conservation reform bill – boost or bust for nature?
8 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government has announced an overhaul of the country’s conservation system, which environmental organisation Forest & Bird says will undo the work of many generations of Kiwis to protect public conservation land.
Combined climate extremes may prompt carbon budget rethink
14 May 2026
Media release: Springer Nature | Combined extreme climate events are likely to become more common in the future if carbon emissions continue to rise, a paper in Nature suggests.
Media round-up
Fri 15 May 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: The government's move to change climate law removes a key protection for NZ citizens, farmers should be paid to use methane-busting tools, and it's one step forward, three steps back on environment policy.
Carbon trading schemes cut more emissions than carbon taxes, according to global study
20 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Carbon trading schemes are more effective than carbon taxes at reducing emissions, cutting fossil fuel use, and accelerating the shift to renewable energy, a global study has found.
Why both trees and technology are important in the race to mitigate carbon emissions
4 May 2026
Different carbon‑removal approaches solve different problems, and pitting these technologies against each other could slow progress.
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.
UN members prepare for pivotal vote on landmark ICJ climate justice ruling
Fri 15 May 2026
If the resolution is passed, governments will recognise their legal responsibility to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
NZ First moves to revive container return scheme
4 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | NZ First is aiming to launch a national container return scheme, which could recycle over a billion wasted containers each year, reviving a policy shelved by the previous Labour-led Government in 2023.
Commission urges Govt action on climate risks
7 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | Climate change currently poses major risks to our water infrastructure with “significant gaps” in readiness to manage risks and increasing hazards, according to the Climate Change Commission.
Why is Northern Ireland facing a growing threat from wildfires?
7 May 2026
Figures show that spring drought events are happening more often while there has been a sharp rise in "fire weather" - a mix of warmth, dryness, and wind that allows fires to ignite and spread rapidly. Experts warn this combination, along with climate change, is creating a longer and more volatile wildfire season.
Human health appears unaffected by living near wind turbines
Today 11:30am
Media release: PNAS | High-resolution data collected across the United States show negligible evidence of adverse health outcomes tied to wind turbine exposure, a study finds.
