Topics tagged with 'Emissions trading'
EU offers first analysis of carbon leakage risk
23 Sep 2008
Parts of Europe's aluminium, steel and cement industries are likely to qualify for free carbon allowances to compensate them for lost international competitiveness under plans to revise the EU's emission trading scheme, the European Commission suggests in a new analysis.
UK names date to run first emissions trading auction
23 Sep 2008
The first auction of carbon trading allowances in the United Kingdom will take place on November 18, the British Government has confirmed.
Canadians will pay Rwandans to plant trees
23 Sep 2008
A Canadian carbon offset development company plans to invest $US17m on reforestation projects in Rwanda over the next 20 years.
Online calculator gives emissions measure
23 Sep 2008
A new online guide and calculator have been launched to help businesses to measure and cut their emissions - and boost profits.
Our ETS action outstrips nuclear stand, says international expert
19 Sep 2008
New Zealand’s “brave” emissions trading scheme is as significant on the world stage as our 1980s stand against nuclear energy, and could lead to the formation of an Asia/Pacific carbon-trading bloc, says an international climate-change consultant.
National's fisheries policy hooks seafood industry
19 Sep 2008
National’s fisheries policy would leave the industry more than $130 million better off over the first eight years of New Zealand’s emissions trading scheme, the industry says.
Promises, promises ... but what are the costs, asks forester
19 Sep 2008
The “Cassandra of carbon trading” says that the ETS-era is characterised with promises of rewards, yet riddled with unknown costs to achieve them.
Key happy to back TZ1 trading legislation
19 Sep 2008
The National Party, if it becomes the government, will pick up the legislation to allow TZ1 to trade in futures.
Be careful of giving heavy emitters more, Australia told
19 Sep 2008
Australia’s government has been told heavy emitters’ claims for assistance to cushion the impact of that country’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme are “highly contestable".
UK scheme unlikely to reduce carbon on target, says new study
19 Sep 2008
The UK’s Carbon Reduction Commitment, slated for launch in April 2010, is unlikely to cut carbon emissions before 2013, according to a new report from an independent business research firm.
FORUM: Is the door open for a carbon tax?
19 Sep 2008
Kensington Swan energy specialist Bryan Gunderson looks at the impacts of Australia adopting a carbon tax.
Carbon platform eyes start early next year
16 Sep 2008
New Zealand’s carbon platform, TZ1, should be trading by the first quarter of next year.
ETS picture becoming clearer for forest owners
16 Sep 2008
The forestry sector will know precisely how to participate in the emissions trading scheme when the forestry stakeholder reference group meets with MAF at the end of the month.
Failed Lehman Brothers closes carbon desk
16 Sep 2008
The collapse of United States investment bank Lehman Brothers has led to the closure of its carbon desk.
Don't wait for Nats' ETS, businesses told
12 Sep 2008
Businesses should not sit around waiting for the National Party to change the emissions trading scheme, warns one of their key lobbyists.
ETS befuddles business community, poll shows
12 Sep 2008
The emissions trading scheme might be law, but most business people don’t know much about it.
Disappointed farmers vow to fight on ... but how?
12 Sep 2008
Federated Farmers will keep fighting the emissions trading scheme – but isn’t sure what move to take next.
Carbon courses aim to help small businesses
12 Sep 2008
A trial programme to help small and medium-sized businesses to cut their energy consumption is under way in Auckland.
Forest owners: Problems have not gone away
12 Sep 2008
The treatment of pre-1990 forests under the emissions trading scheme will emerge again as a major issue, warns the New Zealand Forest Owners’ Association.
Garrett: Don't tinker with your new ETS law
12 Sep 2008
Australian Environment Minister Peter Garrett has warned New Zealand not to “go tinkering” with its new emissions trading law.
Industry group tries to scrap EU emissions scheme
12 Sep 2008
The European Parliament’s industry committee is trying to ditch the EU emissions trading scheme and to boycott 2020 climate targets, environmental groups said following a vote overnight on how the carbon market should operate after 2012.
Greenhouse gas emissions: What others are doing
12 Sep 2008
Companies and governments, including New Zealand, are turning to emissions trading as a weapon to fight climate change, in a carbon market worth $64 billion last year.
REACTION: Greenhouse Policy Coalition - Emissions trading scheme is flawed
12 Sep 2008
The passage of the most ambitious emissions trading scheme in the world will come at a high cost to the New Zealand economy, according to the Greenhouse Policy Coalition, representing the energy-intensive sector.
REACTION: Greens: ETS a first step, time for some big strides now
12 Sep 2008
The passing of the Emissions Trading Scheme is the first small step towards getting New Zealand’s carbon emissions under control – there is still much work to be done, the Green Party says.
REACTION: National: We will amend flawed ETS
12 Sep 2008
The rushed passage of the Emissions Trading Bill will be a hospital pass for the incoming government, says National’s climate change spokesman, Nick Smith.
LETTER: Bad news for Ngai Tahu
12 Sep 2008
In Carbon News (5 Sept 2008) Willie Te Aho was quoted as saying that the deforestation liability for Ngai Tahu would be around $15,000 per hectare for changing the use of its 80,000 hectare pre-1990 forest estate.
Businesses, wake up and smell the carbon
11 Sep 2008
New Zealand business woke up to a new reality today – it’s time to start counting carbon.
Forest owners first to feel effects of ETS
11 Sep 2008
Forest owners will be the first New Zealanders into the emissions trading scheme - with the first entering within 10 weeks.
New world of emissions - what happens and when
11 Sep 2008
The mandatory reporting period for pre-1990 forests starts this year, with ETS obligations and entitlements accruing all year, and a surrender date of December 31 next year.
GOVERNMENT STATEMENT: Historic climate change legislation passes
11 Sep 2008
A cornerstone economic tool will now proceed to help New Zealand reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tackle climate change, Climate Change Minister David Parker says.
REACTION: Good work on ETS, now get on with it, says business council
11 Sep 2008
Business leaders are welcoming the passage of emissions trading law as an essential step for New Zealand to preserve its exporting and tourism future.
REACTION: Thank god that's over, now back to the climate, says Greenpeace
11 Sep 2008
Greenpeace is calling on political parties to outline their future plans for tackling climate change, now the emissions trading scheme has been passed into law.
Parker hails party leaders for 'great victory' on climate change bill
9 Sep 2008
Prime Minister Helen Clark, Finance Minister Michael Cullen and Agriculture Minister Jim Anderton have played pivotal parts in getting New Zealand’s emissions trading scheme passed, Climate Change Minister David Parker says.
National promises ETS by 2010 - but fails to answer question on cap
9 Sep 2008
National is promising to have an emissions trading scheme in force by 2010.
Japan eyes home greenhouse gas savings in emission trading system
9 Sep 2008
The Japanese government is considering including greenhouse gas emissions from homes, farms and public facilities in the carbon emission trading system scheduled to launch on a trial basis next month.
ValueAdd model promotes 'carbon farming'
9 Sep 2008
The ValueAdd Company has just completed an Emission Trading Scheme analytical model relating to so-called “carbon farming”, one of the “business opportunities” promoted extensively by the supporters of the bill, the company says in a statement.
Garnaut sets top target of 80% emissions cut by 2050
5 Sep 2008
Australia should have an emissions reduction target of 10 per cent by 2010 and 80 per cent by 2050, the latest Garnaut report is recommending.
How the Australian ETS will work
5 Sep 2008
Earlier, the Australian Government’s green paper set out its thinking how its cap and trade scheme will work.
Iwi leaders doubt ETS forest land dispute will spread
5 Sep 2008
The Iwi Leadership Group is playing down concerns that the Government’s emissions trading scheme will lead to a raft of other iwi revisting their treaty settlements.
Govt: ETS forestry compo benefits large number of iwi
5 Sep 2008
The Government claims a large number of iwi believe the compensation package under the emissions trading scheme gives them a net benefit rather than a net cost.
Tribal group challenges Parker's ETS support claim
5 Sep 2008
A major iwi is challenging Climate Change Minister David Parker’s claim that most tribes support the emissions trading bill.
National’s ETS changes: devilish cost in the detail
5 Sep 2008
ANALYSIS - The further glimpses of National Party emissions trading policy “detail” in the past few days show it might take some risks with the taxpayers’ purse.
Rare glimpse of National's post-election ETS policy detail
5 Sep 2008
National may have pointed to its possible course on emissions trading law if it forms the government after this year’s election.
Dunne's eggs crack
5 Sep 2008
United Future leader Peter Dunne has called for household assistance to cover emissions charges.
Cynical politics around emissions trading scheme
5 Sep 2008
Politics has triumphed over sensible policy development around emissions trading, says Business NZ.
Last-minute Ngai Tahu treaty claim unlikely to stall ETS
2 Sep 2008
A late Treaty of Waitangi claim by Ngai Tahu, which says the emissions trading scheme could cost it tens of millions of dollars, is unlikely to stop the scheme becoming law.
We've done the hard yards, say frustrated farmers
2 Sep 2008
A new non-binding emissions reduction target for agriculture shows there is little official understanding of hard work farmers have already done to reduce their emissions, says Federated Farmers.
Fishing industry questions new ETS free-units allocation
2 Sep 2008
The fishing sector is relieved that amendments to the Government’s climate change legislation include a major concession to the industry.
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.
