Topics tagged with 'Emissions trading'
Government consulting on ETS charges for forestry
23 Oct 2024
The government is proposing setting an annual per hectare charge for forestry in the ETS at $14.90 - about half the price set by the previous government, but still a significant increase on what foresters formerly paid.
Stockpile and forestry set to drive carbon price
23 Oct 2024
Stockpile holders will have the power to set the NZU price in future, as the importance of the government’s carbon auctions wanes, Emissions Trading Scheme participants were told last week.
US charges against carbon-offsetting boss highlight wider industry problems
18 Oct 2024
Kenneth Newcombe, a carbon-offsetting pioneer, is accused of a 100-million-dollar fraud scheme that could see him sentenced to 20 years in jail.
Govt finances still don’t recognise climate liability
17 Oct 2024
Treasury has failed to recognise a liability for New Zealand’s international climate commitments in its latest financial statement, with its position unchanged on the multibillion dollar price tag of purchasing offshore mitigation.
Foresters welcome reference group - but questions remain around ETS charges
17 Oct 2024
Foresters have welcomed the plan for a new Reference Group for the sector, but say the government shouldn’t risk undermining afforestation by overcharging foresters participating in the ETS.
NZ must work with other countries to reach climate goals: new research
14 Oct 2024
By Liz Kivi | Aotearoa’s international climate targets can only be met through funding significant emissions reductions in other countries. But a lack of public support to spend this money overseas is paralysing New Zealand’s progress towards its goal, according to researchers.
Government and sector to improve Forestry ETS Registry
14 Oct 2024
Media release | Forestry Minister Todd McClay today announced the establishment of a Forestry Sector Reference Group to drive better outcomes from the Forestry Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) Registry.
UN carbon trading expert group agrees deal on market framework
14 Oct 2024
A UN expert group has reached a compromise on key elements of a global carbon trading system, in a bid to resolve nearly a decade of talks on what is seen as an important tool for raising climate finance.
Indigenous groups in Brazil: We were not consulted on carbon credits
14 Oct 2024
Indigenous organizations in the Brazilian state of Para said they were not consulted by the government before it signed a deal with multinational companies to sell carbon offset credits to support conservation of the Amazon rainforest in the state.
Minister to co-chair carbon market negotiations at COP29
11 Oct 2024
Climate change minister Simon Watts will chair negotiations on carbon markets at this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), in Azerbaijan next month.
Increased volatility as carbon price inches up towards auction floor
11 Oct 2024
The secondary carbon market saw a slight increase in volatility last week, with carbon trading platform Jarden noting higher volumes above the $62 mark.
Transpower backtracks on selling gas and carbon trading platform
11 Oct 2024
By Liz Kivi | Transpower has decided not to sell its gas and carbon trading platform, emsTradepoint, this year. However, the future of carbon trading on the platform is uncertain.
Can carbon credits help close coal plants?
10 Oct 2024
A few dozen kilometres from the Philippine capital Manila sits a coal plant that some hope could be a model for how developing countries can quit the polluting fossil fuel.
Amazon state that will host COP30 strikes largest carbon credit sale in history
9 Oct 2024
A coalition of developed countries and corporations has agreed to a massive purchase of carbon credits from the Amazon rainforest worth $180 million.
Carbon offset pioneer charged with $100 million fraud scheme
4 Oct 2024
US regulators say Australian national Ken Newcombe faked data for carbon credits investment. The Goldman and World Bank veteran denies the allegations but is facing up to 20 years in jail.
A federal attempt to foster ‘high-integrity voluntary carbon markets’ falls short
4 Oct 2024
New guidance for credit-based derivatives gives “imprimatur to a system that doesn’t have credibility to begin with.”
IRD consulting on tax and forestry ETS
19 Sep 2024
The Inland Revenue Department is consulting on an interpretation statement on tax and the forestry emissions trading scheme.
Climate shouldn't be politicised: Carr
17 Sep 2024
By Shannon Williams | Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr said it "defies belief" that the climate is a political debate.
Govt must rethink energy assumptions: Rewiring Aotearoa
16 Sep 2024
Electrification presents a significant opportunity to future-proof the economy as well as reduce gross emissions, according to Rewiring Aotearoa.
Minister says buying offshore carbon credits ‘unrealistic’
12 Sep 2024
By Liz Kivi | Climate change minister Simon Watts says buying carbon mitigation offshore to meet the country’s international climate obligations is “unrealistic”.
OPINION: Trees are the answer to more resilient rural landscapes, not the threat
9 Sep 2024
Media release | There are many ways the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association (NZFFA) could respond to Ewan McGregor’s opinion piece about the threat of pines to our rural landscape.
Govt climate plan creates financial risks, business leaders say
6 Sep 2024
The proposed initiatives in the government’s Draft Second Emissions Reduction Plan carry a high risk of failure in policy implementation, according to the Sustainable Business Council and Climate Leaders Coalition.
'The Emissions Trading Scheme is broken': Carr
5 Sep 2024
By Shannon Williams | Aotearoa New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme is broken and not fit for purpose, says Climate Change Commission chair Dr Rod Carr.
Carbon price steady following failed auction
5 Sep 2024
The carbon price on the secondary market stayed steady yesterday following the failed quarterly auction, for which no bidders fronted.
Carbon auction fails again
4 Sep 2024
The September carbon auction has failed, with no bidders fronting at the auction and millions of units now rolling over to the December auction, increasing the likelihood that auction will fail as well.
Market looks to tomorrow’s carbon auction
3 Sep 2024
The carbon price crept up last week, as the market had its second-biggest month of traded volume ahead of tomorrow’s auction, with some commentators saying it’s a done deal that the auction will fail.
‘Blue carbon’ markets needed - new research
3 Sep 2024
Researchers are calling for a national blue carbon strategy, with government regulation needed for voluntary markets to enable large-scale blue carbon projects.
Price shocks still possible for carbon market: experts
30 Aug 2024
While the government’s move to slash carbon auction volumes has stabilised New Zealand’s compliance carbon market somewhat, experts say there is still potential for market volatility due to wider uncertainty around climate policy.
Climate plan risks high future costs
29 Aug 2024
The government’s ‘least cost approach’ to emissions reductions risks passing on significant costs to future generations, according to the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
Reported emissions down, carbon market up
28 Aug 2024
The Environmental Protection Authority published the latest Emissions Trading Scheme data on emissions and removals earlier this month, with reported emissions down overall, while reported removals increased.
Govt still working on land use restrictions for ETS: Watts
23 Aug 2024
Climate change minister Simon Watts says the government is still working on policy to restrict land entering the Emissions Trading Scheme but hopes to deliver it “this side of Christmas.”
Carbon market buoyed by ETS settings announcement
21 Aug 2024
The carbon price shot up yesterday, following the government’s announcement it would reduce auction supply of carbon credits by more than half.
Govt slashes ETS auction volumes
20 Aug 2024
The government has slashed Emissions Trading Scheme auction volumes from next year, following the Climate Change Commission’s advice to reduce the amount of units on offer at auction by more than half.
UN-backed organisation approves Fonterra’s climate targets
19 Aug 2024
By Jon Rawlinson | The world’s top corporate climate-target verifier, the London-based Science Based Targets initiative, has approved Fonterra’s emissions reductions targets.
Govt keeping options open on international climate targets: Watts
15 Aug 2024
By Liz Kivi | The government is looking at multiple ways to meet New Zealand’s 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), according to climate change minister Simon Watts.
Carbon market plays waiting game with ETS announcement to come
9 Aug 2024
The carbon price stayed relatively flat last week, but with a high volume of NZUs changing hands, as the market awaits the government’s upcoming announcement on Emissions Trading Scheme settings.
Carbon capture – climate plan not clear cut
6 Aug 2024
Capturing carbon is capturing imaginations, but can it live up to the government’s expectations?
How is the draft Emissions Reduction Plan supposed to work?
5 Aug 2024
COMMENT: In its new climate plan, the coalition government seems to be setting New Zealand up to withdraw from the world carbon market before 2035, argues economist Geoff Bertram.
Carbon futures offer new opportunity for forest owners
1 Aug 2024
By Liz Kivi | The first few days of trade for Australian and New Zealand carbon futures contracts on the Australian Securities Exchange got off to a slow start since launching on Monday.
Singapore Carbon Market Alliance launches
1 Aug 2024
Media release | The Singapore Economic Development Board and IETA have launched the Singapore Carbon Market Alliance, the first platform in Singapore aimed at helping companies obtain access to high-quality Article 6 carbon credits.
Significant risk Aotearoa will not meet climate targets: Climate Commission
31 Jul 2024
There is a significant risk that New Zealand will not meet future emissions reductions targets, according to a new report from the Climate Change Commission.
Govt not ruling out supporting bill to prevent councils considering climate impacts
26 Jul 2024
Climate change minister Simon Watts has not ruled out supporting a controversial private member’s bill to stop regional councils from considering climate change impacts in consenting decisions.
Commtrade makes spot price unavailable
25 Jul 2024
By Liz Kivi | Jarden’s digital carbon trading platform, Commtrade, has locked market watchers and the general public out of viewing its last traded spot price, just as the government said it wanted to improve market transparency.
Carbon market ‘underwhelmed’ by govt climate plan
24 Jul 2024
The carbon market barely blinked last week when the coalition government released its major climate policy, the second emissions reduction plan, which is intended to chart a path to reach climate targets to 2030.
British trading house Marex launches in NZ
19 Jul 2024
UK trading house Marex has officially launched in New Zealand, with an office in Auckland and plans to start its own carbon trading platform.
Media round-up
19 Jul 2024
In our weekly round-up of climate coverage in local media: how the government's climate plan does less with more; experts say the plan puts NZ's reputation at risk; and why getting the ETS right will be critical to investment.
New plan might see climate change minister in court
18 Jul 2024
Lawyers for Climate Action say there are “significant concerns” about whether the government’s new climate plan will achieve its climate targets, and could be in breach of the Climate Change Response Act.
Foresters say govt planting forecasts are wrong
18 Jul 2024
Foresters say the government's planting forecasts in its new climate plan are wrong, with the actual planted areas likely to be about half the government’s projections in 2024, according to the New Zealand Institute of Forestry.
Govt releases emissions reduction plan
17 Jul 2024
Climate change minister Simon Watts has released the second emissions reduction plan for consultation, with proposed changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme including aligning ETS units with emissions budgets and reviewing the free industrial allocation of units.
What does Denmark’s carbon tax mean for NZ?
17 Jul 2024
By Nick Swallow | COMMENT: A few weeks back Denmark announced a proposal to introduce a tax on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
NZ drops in global climate rankings as govt 'propels country backwards'
Wed 19 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand has fallen to 44th place in global climate rankings, with the country’s climate policy rated “very low” amid widespread rollbacks of environmental protections.
Govt rejects CCC’s advice on net-negative 2050 but makes no official announcement
Thu 20 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government has rejected the Climate Change Commission’s advice to strengthen the country’s net zero 2050 target, but appears to have buried the news with its announcement about methane targets last month.
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.
Air NZ inks deal for its first internationally verified carbon credits
9 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Air New Zealand has committed to buying 8000 tonnes of carbon removals by 2030, in partnership with local native forest investment platform My Native Forest.
NZ’s shameful new role as ‘international climate pariah’
13 Nov 2025
OPINION: New Zealand has ratcheted up its climate backsliding in the past month – losing any shred of climate credibility we once had and showing the world we’re giving up on a net zero future, writes Kayla Kingdon-Bebb.
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.
Mounting emissions due to Government decisions
Thu 20 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Coalition Government’s climate policies have added a whopping 26 million tonnes of emissions out to 2030, according to new analysis of Government projections.
COP-and-trade? Tariffs, carbon tax weigh on climate talks
Thu 20 Nov 2025
Trade-restrictive measures loom large over this year's UN climate summit, with China pushing for wider market access for its green technologies and major developing economies challenging Europe over its new carbon border tax.
‘We must keep 1.5 alive’ – Minister’s statement to climate summit
Wed 19 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | Climate Change Minister Simon Watts has delivered New Zealand’s National Statement to this year’s United Nations climate summit, affirming the country’s commitment to international climate targets and saying “we must keep 1.5 alive.”
Act-NZ First split over future of the energy sector
14 Nov 2025
Act leader David Seymour has set out an energy policy platform that diverges sharply from coalition partner NZ First, arguing New Zealand must accept coal-fired backup generation, consider nuclear power, remove political interference from the electricity sector and sell down the government’s majority stakes in the gentailers.
'Little to be hopeful about' – NZ scientists caution ahead of COP30
31 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Record heat, worsening climate impacts and global backsliding on emission reduction commitments have left some New Zealand climate experts with little optimism as COP30 approaches.
$235 billion worth of NZ buildings exposed to flooding
30 Oct 2025
More than 750,000 New Zealanders live in locations exposed to one-in-100-year floods, according to a nationwide study which shows escalating flood risk.
NZ and Iceland collaborate on geothermal energy
Thu 20 Nov 2025
Media release: New Zealand Government | New Zealand and Iceland today signed an agreement to deepen cooperation on geothermal energy development.
Fast-track rewrite triggers procedural clash in Parliament
Wed 19 Nov 2025
The Government has entangled itself in a procedural dispute as it tries to push amendments to its fast-track regime through Parliament before Christmas.
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.
At COP30, focus on wildfire prevention amid record destruction
Thu 20 Nov 2025
With wildfires causing unprecedented damage, countries and organisations at COP30 agree to boost community-based prevention.
NZ marine heatwaves could double in intensity under high-emissions pathway
16 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show marine heatwaves will grow more intense around the North Island and more frequent around the South Island as the climate warms – raising risks for fisheries, aquaculture, coastal ecosystems and tourism.
Foresters warn ETS reforms could fell innovation
Mon 17 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Elizabeth Heeg, chief executive officer for the Forest Owners Association, says forestry must not be stripped from the Emissions Trading Scheme, arguing that carbon income underpins forest management and rural resilience.
The hidden dangers in Canada’s oil and gas ambitions
Tue 18 Nov 2025
Premier of Alberta Danielle Smith thinks global demand for oil will grow to 2050, perhaps beyond, and the Alberta industry will be viable for a hundred years.
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.”
Oxfam urges NZ to renew climate funding as Pacific projects face closure
12 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Oxfam Aotearoa is calling on the Government to urgently renew New Zealand’s climate finance commitments, warning that vital projects supporting Pacific communities’ resilience are running out of funding.
Building resilient cities in a time of climate change
13 Nov 2025
Media release: Otago University | Local and international experts are meeting in Wellington this month to share their knowledge on creating healthier, more resilient cities in the face of the challenges posed by climate change.
TotalEnergies loses in Paris court, marking a turning point for fossil fuel truth-in-advertising
5 Nov 2025
TotalEnergies was found to have misled consumers about its role in the energy transition.
Lake Onslow battery project set for revival?
29 Oct 2025
A newly formed private consortium has emerged with plans to finance and build the massive Lake Onslow pumped-hydro project, despite the coalition government’s decision to abandon the scheme.
Hiringa eyes green methanol plant near Whanganui
29 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Green hydrogen pioneer Hiringa Energy is deep in planning to develop an “eight-to-nine figure” methanol plant near Whanganui, using a combination of biomass and hydrogen produced using renewable energy.
Ministers urge decisive methane action as global report shows progress, warns of gaps
Wed 19 Nov 2025
Media release: UN Environment Programme | The Global Methane Status Report, launched on the sidelines of COP30 in Belém, shows that while considerable progress has been made since the launch of the Global Methane Pledge in 2021, more work is required to align with the level of ambition and action needed to meet the Pledge.
Why I’m not outraged at the Govt’s latest climate backsliding
7 Nov 2025
COMMENT: The Government’s latest climate rollbacks underline New Zealand’s long history of a lack of genuine desire to cut emissions, writes Geoff Bertram.
A landmark court ruling looms over US absence at COP30
Thu 20 Nov 2025
The historic climate change advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice suggests the United States is violating international law on climate, legal experts say.
Nelson commuters urged to ditch car once a week
22 Oct 2025
By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | Nelson has a bold carbon emission reduction target and residents are being encouraged to leave the car at home one day a week to help meet it.
Greens put miners ‘on notice’, pledge to revoke fast-track approvals
Tue 18 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Greens have pledged to revoke fast-track consents for coal, hard-rock gold, and seabed mining projects if elected to government next year.
NZ's latest climate target 'weak' – Climate Action Tracker
24 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand's new international climate target to 2035 is weak, and could even allow for higher emissions than the 2030 target, according to a global scientific project that tracks government climate action.
A crucial system of ocean currents may be on course to collapse. This country just declared it a national security threat
Mon 17 Nov 2025
As evidence mounts these currents could be on course for collapse, Iceland’s government has made the unusual move of designating the risk a national security threat.
Carbon Finance Program upscales efforts to close climate investment gap in climate vulnerable nations
22 Oct 2025
Media release | The Climate Vulnerable Forum and its V20 Finance Ministers (CVF-V20) will work with the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) to upscale the Carbon Finance Program in reach and impact, supporting more climate-vulnerable countries to host high-integrity carbon projects that yield tangible climate, nature, and sustainable development benefits.
Lobby group launches ‘blueprint’ for ocean management reform
18 Sep 2025
The Environmental Defence Society yesterday released its plan to tackle widespread ecological decline in our oceans.
Thousands march outside COP30 summit in call for action
Tue 18 Nov 2025
Marching to the beat of pounding sound systems, thousands of climate protesters have been bringing their message to the gates of the COP30 climate talks in Brazil.
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.
New national dataset to unlock blue carbon potential in NZ’s coastal wetlands
12 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Ministry for the Environment and the Nature Conservancy have collaborated on a dataset to inform a framework to potentially include coastal wetlands into compliance and voluntary carbon credit schemes.
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.
Artificial intelligence sparks debate at COP30 climate talks in Brazil
Thu 20 Nov 2025
At the U.N. climate talks in Brazil, artificial intelligence is being cast as both a hero worthy of praise and a villain that needs policing.
Last minute change to oil and gas legislation over cleanup costs
31 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government is expected to repeal the oil and gas ban today, with a last-minute amendment handing discretionary power to two ministers over the controversial issue of decommissioning.
Coastal roads in the climate spotlight
14 Nov 2025
By Sue Teodoro, Local Democracy Reporter | Vulnerable coastal roads across New Zealand, including in Masterton district, are coming under the spotlight as the Government works on a plan to address the cost of climate-related damage.
Kaicycle celebrates ten years of collective climate action in Pōneke
14 Nov 2025
Media release: Kaicycle | Since 2015, Kaicycle has grown from a humble pilot project growing kai and collecting compost on bicycles into the thriving urban farm and composting hub that Wellingtonians know and love.
Climate impacts hit NZ with increasing wild weather
23 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand is facing a triple whammy of climate impacts today, with severe winds and rainfall predicted for much of the country while some areas are still dealing with wildfires ignited earlier in the week.
Southland windfarm plan moves through Fast Track process
Wed 19 Nov 2025
By Matthew Rosenberg, Local Democracy Reporter | A $1.1 billion Southland windfarm proposal has reared its head at a regional council after facing rejection earlier this year.
