Topics tagged with 'Energy'
UK must take radical action, warns watchdog
2 Jul 2010
Britain needs to build twice as many wind farms every year, put more than a million electric cars on the road and insulate every home in the country in order to meet ambitious legally binding climate change targets, Government advisers have warned.
Bank puts its money where its lightbulbs are
2 Jul 2010
Deutsche Bank and Ecuador have entered into a pioneering transaction to finance household energy efficiency through the carbon market.
We're doing our fair share, says Smith
2 Jul 2010
The entry of transport fuels, electricity and industry into the emissions trading scheme this week marks an important step in New Zealand doing its fair share on climate change, Climate Change Minister Nick Smith says.
F1 racers give green light to carbon reduction scheme
2 Jul 2010
The Formula One racing industry has approved an ambitious programme to reduce its carbon footprint by 15 per cent over the next three years.
Japanese told to go to bed early to cut emissions
2 Jul 2010
The Japanese government has launched a campaign encouraging people to go to bed and get up extra early in order to reduce household carbon dioxide emissions.
Event: Energy Roundtable
2 Jul 2010
An event which promises to bring people from the energy sector together to share ideas on smart new technologies will take place in Wellington in September.
Govt fails to provide climate-friendly choices, say Greens
2 Jul 2010
The John Key Government has failed to provide climate-friendly choices to help households avoid the higher costs that could result from their Emissions Trading Scheme, says the Green Party.
Climate change key issue for new Australian leader
25 Jun 2010
Climate change will be the defining issue of the Australian election and could lead to a change of leadership in the Liberals as well, predicts New Zealand Labour's climate change spokesman.
China deal opens huge market to NZ company
25 Jun 2010
A New Zealand company has signed a deal with China which it says opens the door to the world’s biggest steel manufacturing market.
Carbon trading heads off oil in Europe
25 Jun 2010
Carbon emissions early this year overtook Brent crude oil to become the largest commodity type traded in Europe.
All Australia's power could be renewable, says report
25 Jun 2010
Renewable sources could provide all of Australia's energy by 2020, says a new report.
Canada promises to show coal the door
25 Jun 2010
Canada’s Conservative government has vowed to scrub Canada clean of dirty coal-powered electricity generation.
APEC ministers set out energy targets
25 Jun 2010
APEC energy ministers have set down directions to advance energy security, improve energy efficiency and increase the clean energy supply in the Asia-Pacific region.
De Boer departs … delighted, determined
25 Jun 2010
The UN’s outgoing chief climate negotiator, Yvo de Boer, is confident that the world is making progress on global warming.
Summer time clocks could cut carbon emissions
25 Jun 2010
Putting the clocks forward one hour would prevent about 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere each year, UK green campaigners claim.
NZ forest credits sell to Danish Government
18 Jun 2010
The sale of a bundle of New Zealand forestry credits to the Danish Government proves there is a premium market for PFSI credits, says the man who brokered the deal.
Compost makers put case for carbon credits
18 Jun 2010
Compost operators want credits for the greenhouse gases they prevent entering the atmosphere.
Seven days that will forever change the energy game (and your portfolio)
18 Jun 2010
By Nick Hodge. - The fossil fuel industry has shown us its even uglier side this year.
UK minister vows to ease path for nuclear power
18 Jun 2010
Britain’s new coalition government will remove regulatory barriers and encourage nuclear power by establishing a minimum price for carbon.
New PM aims to slash Govt emissions
18 Jun 2010
Carbon emissions from the UK central government will be cut by 10 per cent in the next 12 months, new Prime Minister David Cameron says.
UK farmers show how to cut carbon
18 Jun 2010
While many New Zealand farmers protest against cutting carbon emissions, or paying the price, UK farmers are showing how it can be done.
Entries open in EECA Awards
18 Jun 2010
Organisations with successful energy efficiency or renewable energy projects are being invited to enter the 2010 EECA Awards.
Renewable generation remains high
18 Jun 2010
Renewable electricity generation remained high at 73 per cent of total electricity generation in the March 2010 quarter, Minister of Energy and Resources Gerry Brownlee says.
Green business tool transferred to business community
18 Jun 2010
Commerce Minister Simon Power has transferred the Government’s Envirostep scheme to the environmental certification company Telarc SAI Ltd.
NZUs continue to be well bid
18 Jun 2010
With less than two weeks until July 1, when emitters start coming into the Emissions Trading Scheme, interest in the New Zealand market continues to grow, says broker OMFinancial.
LanzaTech eyes oil and coal waste gases
11 Jun 2010
Emissions-to-ethanol pioneer LanzaTech is turning its sights on the oil and coal industries.
Zero carbon low on green goals for Asian firms
11 Jun 2010
Zero carbon footprint targets are "unusual" and have their challenges, according to a consultant who points out that green goals are for now still secondary to attaining growth in Asia, particularly China.
Wal-Mart went green for the money, says former boss
11 Jun 2010
Wal-Mart Stores‘rationale for going green was purely economic, according to former CEO Lee Scott.
Americans begin to worry again
11 Jun 2010
Public concern about global warming is again on the rise in the United States, according to a survey just released by researchers at Yale and George Mason universities.
Changes needed to air quality standard, says Smith
11 Jun 2010
Hundreds of businesses and thousands of jobs will be put at risk if changes are not made to the unrealistic and unfair air quality standard adopted by the previous Government, Environment Minister Nick Smith says.
'Sensible' Norway halts new oil drilling, say Greens
11 Jun 2010
The Greens are calling on the Governent to follow Norway's lead and put a moratorium on new oil exploration drilling until such time as the Deepwater Horizon incident has been fully investigated.
Vital ETS rules for agriculture emissions being prepared
4 Jun 2010
All-important fine detail determining how emissions are measured for agriculture are now being developed.
Inventor claims he's beaten energy storage problems
4 Jun 2010
A New Zealand inventor says he has come up with a cheap and practical way of storing solar energy for heating buildings.
Obama vows to fight for climate bill
4 Jun 2010
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill should inspire the US to cut its reliance on fossil fuels, President Obama said this week, issuing his strongest promise yet to fight for Senate passage of a climate bill.
We must move from meat diet, says UN
4 Jun 2010
A global shift toward a vegan diet is vital to save the world from hunger, fuel poverty and the worst impacts of climate change, a UN report says.
China to start carbon market by 2014
4 Jun 2010
China will set up a domestic market for trading carbon emissions by 2014 and hand companies “half-mandatory” targets for limiting their greenhouse gases, said a government official.
NZ owners sitting pretty, says forest chief
4 Jun 2010
A “perfect storm” may be brewing for the forest sector, says Forest Owners' chief executive David Rhodes.
Power companies look at hedge market
4 Jun 2010
Major electricity users are welcoming news that New Zealand's five largest power companies are looking to develop a futures and options market with ASX.
Kiwis 'throwing away millions' in electricity savings
4 Jun 2010
New Zealand households are collectively paying at least $129 million a year more than they need to in electricity charges by using inefficient light bulbs, according to new statistics released this week.
Power companies explain ETS price rises
28 May 2010
At least one of the power companies implementing price rises on the back of the Emissions Trading Scheme is basing its calculations on the maximum carbon price.
Gull likes look of Kiwi biofuel company
28 May 2010
Australian independent fuel supplier Gull Petroleum is considering investing in New Zealand algae-based biofuel company Aquaflow.
Global carbon market up in 2009, says World Bank
28 May 2010
The global carbon market grew six per cent last year, despite facing tough trading conditions, according to a report by the World Bank.
Remote-access meters cut energy costs
28 May 2010
A new web-based smart metering system has been developed by Australia’s CSIRO to enable householders, small businesses and electricity retailers to remotely control energy use over a broadband Internet connection.
Pacific climate change could drive droughts
28 May 2010
Climate scientists are concerned a rise in temperature in the Pacific region due to climate change, could increase droughts in New Zealand and Australia.
BUDGET 2010: Billion set aside to kickstart ETS
21 May 2010
The Government is putting its money where its mouth is with the emissions trading scheme, setting aside nearly a billion dollars for the cost of implementing it this year.
Ministry pushes to meet allocations deadline
21 May 2010
The Ministry for the Environment says it is making “all reasonable endeavours” to provide businesses with some certainty over who will get free carbon credits before emitters start entering the scheme on July 1.
NZ on right road with ETS, says negotiator
21 May 2010
Political developments in the United States and elsewhere back the New Zealand Government’s decision to press ahead with the Emissions Trading Scheme, says Climate Change Negotiations Minister Tim Groser.
Coal looks good again, says power chief
21 May 2010
The absence of a price on carbon means more coal-fired power stations will be built in Australia, says the head of one of the country’s leading power companies.
Senate climate bill seems stuck in limbo
21 May 2010
The compromise United States climate change proposal unveiled last week in the Senate is in legislative limbo, its fate apparently uncertain until at least next month.
Slump slashes Europe’s carbon emissions
21 May 2010
The recession last year slashed more than 11 per cent off climate-warming emissions from heavy industry, the European Union's executive said.
Govt consulting on Pacific Resilience Facility
Fri 12 Dec 2025
The Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee is calling for submissions on its international treaty examination of the Agreement to Establish the Pacific Resilience Facility.
Govt slammed for weakening methane target
Mon 15 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams The Government has pushed through legislation under urgency to almost halve New Zealand’s 2050 methane target – a move Opposition parties say disregards scientific advice, breaks the country’s hard-won political consensus on climate action, and shifts the burden of higher warming and higher future costs onto the next generation.
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.
Changes to polar bear DNA could help them adapt to global heating, study finds
Mon 15 Dec 2025
Scientists say bears in southern Greenland differ genetically to those in the north, suggesting they could adjust.
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.
Minister not concerned about potential economic impacts of ruling out offshore mitigation
Thu 11 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Climate Change Minister Simon Watts isn’t worried that ruling out using offshore mitigation is effectively reneging from the Paris Agreement with potential to damage New Zealand’s economy and access to export markets.
Australian Government wants EV, PHEV owners to start sending power to the grid
Mon 15 Dec 2025
The newly announced Vehicle-Grid Network is part of a plan to establish Australia as a leader in vehicle-to-grid technology.
Is Govt rushing through changes to climate framework to avoid litigation?
Thu 11 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment says the Government’s motivation for proposed changes to the country’s climate framework law are unclear: “The only reason I can think of is one grounded in potential litigation risk.”
KiwiRail pauses coal trains amid rising climate protests
9 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate activists are ramping up actions this week, with a Christchurch protest leading to KiwiRail pausing some coal train operations on Saturday, and another protest against the Fast-Track Amendment Bill planned for parliament today.
Investors must support positive climate-tech
28 Nov 2025
OPINION: We need better leadership than the current ‘climate opportunism’ that is rife in the Beehive, and we need to back a marketplace that will make it happen, writes Rob Campbell.
$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.
India at COP30: A mismatch between grandstanding and climate action
Thu 11 Dec 2025
Despite India’s attempt to anoint itself as the leader of the developing world, at the COP30 summit, New Delhi’s track record remains contradictory.
Govt warned that scrapping ag emission pricing comes with risks
Thu 11 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s move to halt plans for agricultural emissions pricing without replacing it with any other action will leave New Zealand facing a bigger gap to meet its third emissions budget, Environment ministry officials have warned.
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.
COP30 microcosm of difficult geopolitics, says Vanuatu's Climate Minister
Mon 15 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Despite ‘intransigent’ states blocking multilateralism and a disappointing official outcome, Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister Ralph Regenvanu says he left the COP30 climate summit feeling more positive than after previous UN climate conferences.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
Wed 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.
Are rainforests now a cause of, rather than the answer to, climate change?
Mon 15 Dec 2025
A new study finds that Africa’s forests, responsible for one-fifth of global carbon removal, are beginning to generate carbon as the result of human activity.
Oil and gas majors would create $78bn more value by stopping exploration
Thu 11 Dec 2025
Media release | Ten of the world’s largest oil and gas companies would create significantly more shareholder value by ending exploration and sharply curtailing upstream development, according to new analysis released today by ACCR.
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.”
Analysis: Why COP30’s ‘tripling adaptation finance’ target is less ambitious than it seems
5 Dec 2025
One of the headline outcomes to emerge from COP30 was a new target to “at least triple” finance for climate adaptation in developing countries by 2035.
NZ ‘clearly’ breaching international law on climate – Vanuatu Climate Change Minister
Fri 12 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister, Ralph Regenvanu, says New Zealand restarting fossil fuel exploration and subsidies is an obvious breach of international law, exposing the country to international and domestic litigation.
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.
Tribunal warns govt geothermal strategy risks Treaty breach
2 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government's geothermal development strategy risks breaching the Treaty of Waitangi, according to a report from the Waitangi Tribunal released last week.
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.
Insurers welcome govt decision to keep NHC levy unchanged
21 Nov 2025
Media release |The Insurance Council of New Zealand | Te Kāhui Inihua o Aotearoa (ICNZ) has welcomed the Government’s decision to leave the Natural Hazards Commission levy unchanged, amid ongoing concerns around the cost-of-living.
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.
Shell facing first UK legal claim over climate impacts of fossil fuels
Fri 12 Dec 2025
Victims of a deadly typhoon in the Philippines have filed a legal claim against oil and gas company Shell in the UK courts, seeking compensation for what they say is the company's role in making the storm more severe.
NZ fails to back ‘roadmap’ to phase out fossil fuels at COP
24 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | Eighty-six countries including Australia, the UK, Germany, and Ireland backed a proposal at COP30 for national plans on how to quit oil, gas and coal – but New Zealand wasn’t one of them.
Media round-up
Fri 12 Dec 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Another offshore wind firm exits New Zealand over a clash with seabed mining; Fonterra falls behind on its climate goals as farm emissions remain flat; and the businesses trapped by the gas 'death spiral'.
Govt rushes to pass climate law changes under urgency
Wed 10 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Legislation to amend the Climate Change Response Act was introduced to Parliament on Monday, and the government intends to rush the changes through under urgency in the next two weeks, avoiding the usual public consultation.
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.
South Island marine reserves get the go ahead
Mon 15 Dec 2025
Media release: Environmental Defence Society | A new network of marine reserves off the Otago and south-Canterbury coast is being finalised after years of effort.
Heatwaves, downpours and droughts – Auckland on track for more extreme weather
1 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show Auckland will face more heatwaves, heavier downpours, worsening droughts and growing coastal threats as climate extremes intensify, according to a new report from Earth Sciences New Zealand.
Govt green lights rural recycling scheme
4 Dec 2025
The Government has approved new regulations to bring rural waste schemes under one unified framework.
Weak carbon policy misses ‘exponential’ NZ growth opportunity: KiC
Mon 15 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Ambitious climate change policy is a route to a faster-growing New Zealand economy because of the potential for “exponential” growth in decarbonising technologies,” says KiwisinClimate, a global lobby group of New Zealanders working on climate change policy.
Shipping movements disrupted as climate change protesters block coal ships
2 Dec 2025
NSW police have arrested 141 people who attempted to block the shipping channel in Newcastle Harbour during Rising Tide protests, which began on Thursday.
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.
Mission for ancient climate clues beneath 500m of antarctic ice gets underway
Mon 15 Dec 2025
Media release: Antarctica New Zealand | An international team has set up a remote camp on the ice 700 km from the nearest base (New Zealand’s Scott Base) to attempt to drill for mud and rocks holding critical insights about the fate of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet in our warming world.
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.
More than $2m up for grabs for low-emissions farming innovation
Wed 10 Dec 2025
The Ag Emissions Centre and AgriZeroNZ yesterday opened their 2026 innovation investment round.
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.
Seven EU countries pressure European Commission to rethink 2035 diesel and petrol car ban
9 Dec 2025
Pressure from EU countries, lawmakers and the automotive industry is likely pushing the European Commission to delay the revision of the bloc's ban on diesel and petrol cars by 2035.
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.
Study provides a step-change in understanding NZ’s groundwater
28 Nov 2025
Media release | Earth Sciences New Zealand has developed a world-first National Groundwater Age Map and a powerful suite of tools to support the sustainable management of our hidden groundwater resources, from national through to local scales.
NZ just had its hottest spring in at least 116 years
Wed 10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | This year New Zealand had its hottest spring since records began, with widespread heat, rainfall extremes and destructive wind driven by sudden stratospheric warming.
Australian market operator slashes wind farm predictions amid falling costs for solar and batteries
Thu 11 Dec 2025
The body that runs Australia's biggest power market has scaled back its plans for high-voltage power lines and wind farms to meet the country's green energy targets.
