Topics tagged with 'Energy'
Australia gives e-cars a three-month workout
30 Oct 2009
A road trial of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, which could one day end up in every Australian driveway, is under way.
Australian provider buys CERs from China
30 Oct 2009
Australian company COzero says it has completed the purchase of more than 1.4 million CERs (certified emission reduction units) from three projects in China.
$209 MILLION A YEAR - that's what we'll pay to protect Rio Tinto, says analyst
23 Oct 2009
Protecting Rio Tinto’s Tiwai Point aluminium smelter from the full impacts of the emissions trading scheme will cost New Zealand $225,000 a year for every job at the smelter, a management consultant says.
Chauvel to energy leaders: ETS changes too generous to last
23 Oct 2009
It’s unfair to business to give large concessions and subsidies that won't last.
Industrial giant Siemens in $418m 'green grab'
23 Oct 2009
By Sam Hopkins, Green Chip Review.- Siemens is moving from country to country and from strength to strength in the renewables sector
Australia readies for key climate debate next week
23 Oct 2009
The Australian Government’s last bid to have a carbon trading scheme in place before the Copenhagen climate talks kicked off yesterday with the reintroduction of carbon reduction legislation into parliament.
Europe: Sign the deal and we’ll cut emissions 95%
23 Oct 2009
Europe tried to reassert its international leadership in the fight against global warming yesterday, offering to slash its greenhouse gas emissions by up to 95 per cent by 2050 and by 30 per cent by 2020 if a climate change pact is sealed in Copenhagen in six weeks.
Interim steps … that’s about it from Copenhagen
23 Oct 2009
With the clock running out and deep differences unresolved, it now appears that there is little chance that international climate change negotiations in Copenhagen in December will produce a comprehensive and binding new treaty on global warming.
China, India forge alternative to UN treaty
23 Oct 2009
China and India’s joint plan to cut greenhouse-gas emissions provides the developing world with an alternative to the global climate treaty that wealthier nations want them to sign in Copenhagen this year, analysts said.
Leaders could feel wrath of people-power protest
23 Oct 2009
Experts are predicting that climate change could spark the first worldwide grassroots movement if the world’s leaders fail to settle the issue.
Fishing carbon quota plan splits industry
16 Oct 2009
Government plans to give some $17 million worth of free carbon credits to quota holders, instead of to the owners of fishing boats as originally planned, has divided the fishing industry.
Business blasts rushed changes to ETS
16 Oct 2009
The Government came under fire from business last night for rushing through changes to the emissions trading scheme.
Taxpayers face hefty bill from ETS subsidies, says business council
16 Oct 2009
Subsidies to heavy emitters could cost taxpayers $3.5 billion, the Business Council for Sustainable Development is warning.
Push to exempt Australian farmers from carbon laws
16 Oct 2009
The Australian government will be asked to exempt farmers from carbon trading in order to pass landmark emissions laws through parliament under changes this week being pushed by opposition lawmakers.
Biodiesel looking better than ever, says study
16 Oct 2009
Biodiesel is better than ever at harnessing the power of the sun and turning it into fuel, new research says.
Soros pledges $1bn to search for clean energy
16 Oct 2009
Billionaire financier and philanthropist George Soros has pledged to invest more than $1 billion of his own money in clean energy technology to tackle climate change.
US ‘deeply committed,’ says energy chief
16 Oct 2009
The US is “deeply committed” to solving the problem of climate change, Energy Secretary Steven Chu says.
EVENT: Sustainable housing symposium, November 19-21
16 Oct 2009
Registrations are now open for the Sustainable Habitat Challenge Symposium, in which the experiences and outcomes of an ambitious nationwide competition will be revealed, organisers say.
Sack Nick Smith from climate portfolio, says Dunleavy
16 Oct 2009
A call to Prime Minister to relieve Nick Smith of the climate change issues portfolio has been made by the New Zealand Climate Science Coalition’s secretary, Terry Dunleavy.
Business lobby group gets a night appointment
15 Oct 2009
Business New Zealand will deliver its oral submission on changes to the emissions trading scheme tonight.
Who Foss wants to hear on the ETS today
15 Oct 2009
Carbon News has obtained the list of organisations the ETS select committee chair wants to hear from in a single day for oral submissions.
Cabinet buys a piece of string on cost of new ETS subsidies
9 Oct 2009
A cabinet paper released today confirms no work has been done to budget for the cost of extending subsidies to large emitters after 2012.
Was National pretending to deal with Labour?
9 Oct 2009
Had National already decided what ETS changes it wanted while still outwardly wanting a deal with Labour?
Smelter might suffer under Aussie rules
9 Oct 2009
New Zealand operations powered by renewable energy - like the Rio Tinto aluminium smelter at Bluff - could be disadvantaged by plans to calculate average emissions levels with Australia under a new intensity-based scheme.
How trees can give us fuel freedom ... and 'plastic' bonanza
9 Oct 2009
Trees could give New Zealand total energy independence and a burgeoning bio-plastics industry to boot, says Scion.
ASX green move means good news for NZ
9 Oct 2009
A move by ASX into the green economy will be good for New Zealanders and New Zealand emitters, says local carbon trader Nigel Brunel.
Halve our GHG emissions, say doctors
9 Oct 2009
New Zealand doctors are calling for a rapid halving of this country’s greenhouse gas emissions – for the sake of our health.
Rich countries’ pledges not enough, says report
9 Oct 2009
Rich countries' pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions are up to 15 per cent short of what scientists warn is needed to avoid a two-degree temperature rise.
Obama orders agencies to slash emissions
9 Oct 2009
US President Barack Obama ordered federal agencies to tackle their greenhouse gas emissions.
Apple latest to jump ship from US Chamber
9 Oct 2009
The US Chamber of Commerce has been hemorrhaging members in recent weeks after opposing legislation curtailing greenhouse gas emissions.
Humans undermine nature’s help in climate war
9 Oct 2009
Humankind is undermining a crucial natural ally in the battle against climate change through its activities in the world’s oceans and marine ecosystems, a UN agency warns.
Domestic NZUs price likely to settle at $23 a tonne, says trader
2 Oct 2009
The domestic market for New Zealand Units is likely to settle around $23 a tonne if the Government’s cap on prices goes ahead, says a leading trader.
BMW to Government: get your vehicle policies right
2 Oct 2009
BMW’s New Zealand leader has called on the Government to deliver consistent policies on motor vehicle standards.
OPINION: The ETS and your business
2 Oct 2009
Kensington Swan energy and resources team leader Bryan Gundersen looks at the implications of proposed amendments to the ETS:
US Senate bill toughens emissions target
2 Oct 2009
The first draft of a US Senate climate bill, released yesterday by senators Barbara Boxer and John Kerry, includes a tougher 2020 target than its companion bill passed by the House of Representatives.
Forget ‘cap and trade,’ it's now all about PRI
2 Oct 2009
US Senate Democrats tried out a new catch phrase yesterday to sell their global warming bill: pollution reduction and investment, or PRI.
Back me or sack me, says troubled Turnbull
2 Oct 2009
Australia's conservative opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull has threatened to quit unless opposition lawmakers end divisions over climate policy and avert a possible snap election on carbon-trade laws.
G20 countries to phase out fossil fuel subsidies
2 Oct 2009
G20 government leaders have agreed to phase out fossil fuel subsidies over the medium term while providing targeted support for the poorest households.
Bank issues dire warning to Asia-Pacific countries
2 Oct 2009
Asia-Pacific countries face food and energy shortages, worsening poverty and declining crop yields if they ignore climate change, according to studies released yesterday.
Climate catastrophe 50 years away, say experts
2 Oct 2009
Catastrophic climate change could happen with 50 years, five decades earlier than previously predicted, according to a UK Met Office report.
Blue-Greens must be 'pink' with embarrasment, says Chauvel
2 Oct 2009
Labour’s Climate Change Issues spokesperson Charles Chauvel says ministers will privately be hoping that the doors are locked at the National Party’s Blue Greens conference in Wellington this weekend.
Labour grizzles as ETS changes go through House
23 Sep 2009
National’s changes to the emissions trading scheme moved a step closer yesterday amid threats that a Labour Government would throw them out again.
Back our bill, pleads 'proud' climate minister
23 Sep 2009
Climate Change Issues Minister Nick Smith says that National has delivered on its election promise to amend the emissions trading scheme.
Big words, little action from world climate leaders
23 Sep 2009
China has taken a step forward in the delicate diplomatic dance of international climate change talks by committing to an unspecified carbon target.
EU lists industries exempted from carbon trading
23 Sep 2009
The European Union has agreed on a list of industries ranging from plastics manufacturing to iron and food processing that will be largely exempted from CO2 trading after 2013 for fears that their inclusion would move production abroad.
Carbon emissions post biggest drop in 40 years
23 Sep 2009
Global carbon emissions are expected to post their biggest drop in more than four decades this year as the global recession froze economic activity and slashed energy use around the world.
Solid Energy and Ravensdown investigate lignite-to-fertiliser plant
23 Sep 2009
Energy producer Solid Energy, and agricultural fertiliser supplier Ravensdown are jointly investigating the viability of building a US$1 billion-plus coal-to-fertiliser plant in Eastern Southland.
No-deals Nats would have gone for a carbon tax
18 Sep 2009
The Government was apparently prepared to scrap the emissions trading scheme in favour of a carbon tax if it couldn’t get the support it needed to amend the current scheme.
IN THE HOUSE: Deal with Maori under scrutiny
18 Sep 2009
Questions over the deal between the National and Maori parties have dominated environmental debates in Parliament this week.
Climate leaders set to give up on Copenhagen
18 Sep 2009
Top US energy and climate leaders have begun to openly plan for international global warming talks to trickle into 2010.
Fifty years of observations, no reversal of glacier climate damage
31 Mar 2026
Media release: Earth Sciences New Zealand | Fifty years on from the first aerial survey of our Southern Alps glaciers, late snow and variable summer weather delivered a temporary reprieve from rapid ice loss, says Earth Sciences New Zealand.
Climate experts say spring is coming earlier. How will that affect agriculture and ecosystems?
Tue 7 Apr 2026
An earlier spring affects when migratory birds arrive, leaves emerge, and fruit ripens — among plants and animals that determine ecosystem health.
$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.
Signs of jet fuel hoarding emerge in Asia on Iran oil shock
26 Mar 2026
Signs are growing that Asian countries are hoarding jet fuel after the Iran war sent oil prices surging, reflecting growing strain on the aviation industry.
Environmental groups launch legal action over Govt's 'tick-box approach' to conservation land
Wed 8 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Forest & Bird and the Environmental Defence Society are taking the Government to court over decisions about the future of publicly-owned land on Te Tai Poutini/the West Coast.
New alliance wants renewable-led energy – and Govt to press pause on LNG
Thu 9 Apr 2026
A newly formed coalition of business, consumer and energy organisations has unveiled a renewable-led strategy it says will strengthen the country’s energy security, and it’s calling on the Government to pause its plan for an LNG import terminal.
Supply-side pressures and political uncertainty ahead for carbon market
Tue 7 Apr 2026
By Kristen Green | ANALYSIS: With failed auctions, a surge of new forestry registrations, and an election a few months away, the NZ ETS in 2026 will be subject to a mix of supply-side pressures and political uncertainty.
Solar energy, cheap battery storage can meet 90% of India’s power demand at affordable costs: Ember report
Thu 9 Apr 2026
Battery storage is now cheap enough in India that solar power can meet 90% of the country’s power demand at lower lifetime costs than current average purchase rates in most states, a new study has found, a finding that could potentially point to a future buffer against global energy shocks.
Economic contraction will impact carbon market
1 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | While higher fossil fuel prices strengthen the long-run economics of decarbonisation, the current fuel crisis won’t inspire near-term confidence in the carbon market, according to Lizzie Chambers of Carbon Match.
Genesis fires up pellet study with Nature’s Flame
Wed 8 Apr 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Genesis Energy is extending its quest for locally produced torrefied wood pellets to supplement coal and gas to fuel its Huntly power station, announcing it is investigating plant construction with established local solid fuels player Nature’s Flame.
Death toll in Afghanistan flooding increases to 28, authorities say
1 Apr 2026
Afghan authorities said Monday that the death toll from severe weather that has struck swathes of the country over the past four days has increased to 28, with 49 people injured. Dozens of people have died from extreme weather in the country so far this year.
Sustainable retail-office project breaks ground under new Green Star framework
19 Feb 2026
Construction is set to begin on a new retail-office development in central Auckland, which is targeting a 40% reduction in embodied carbon and 25% lower energy.
Opposition attacks Govt over fossil fuel phaseout backdown
2 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | Revelations that Resources Minister Shane Jones ruled out New Zealand signing up to a 'road map' away from fossil fuels at last year’s global climate summit show the National Party’s minor coalition partners’ undue influence over the Government, according to Labour leader Chris Hipkins.
Carbon price: Ups and downs amid geopolitical uncertainty
26 Mar 2026
By Liz Kivi | After ups and downs in recent weeks, the carbon market again broke above the $40 mark this week, with questions around how the Middle East conflict will play out weighing on market confidence.
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.
Severe tropical cyclones Maila And Vaianu threaten communities in Solomon Islands, PNG and Fiji
Wed 8 Apr 2026
Media release: 350.org |Two Category 3 Tropical Cyclones are currently moving through the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Fiji, while experts watch a third system potentially developing in the North Pacific.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transport pollution was the biggest contributor to an increase in New Zealand’s consumption-based emissions in 2023, with emissions from household travel up 12%, and consumption-based emissions totalling 58.3 million tonnes – up 1.6% from the previous year.
Wellington planting nears one million trees
30 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Greater Wellington’s parks restoration programme will hit one million native trees this year, with the first dams to rewet peat wetlands in Queen Elizabeth Park now completed after a years-long effort to bring these ecosystems – and their carbon sequestering superpowers – back to life.
Renewable build-out runs into grid and firming limits
Wed 8 Apr 2026
New Zealand's electricity market entered 2026 with renewable generation at record levels and a substantial build pipeline finally moving from paper to construction. The harder question is whether the wider system can absorb and firm that capacity fast enough.
A matter of strategy
Tue 7 Apr 2026
COMMENT: Even on the brink of a global commodities crisis, the possibilities for climate action aren't hopelessly foreclosed. Strategy can turn our fortunes around, writes David Hall.
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.”
FMA to ease conditions for green bond issues
31 Mar 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Green, social and sustainability-linked bonds will face lower disclosure requirements and regulatory costs under a class exemption newly granted by the Financial Markets Authority.
New protections for NZ migratory species under UN convention
2 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New international protections for migratory species, including several found in New Zealand, are a positive step – but global protections won’t halt the decline of migratory species on their own, experts say.
Fonterra admits ‘100% grass-fed’ claim breached law in greenwashing row
2 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Fonterra has admitted its “100% New Zealand grass-fed” claims on Anchor butter were misleading and breached the law, settling a case brought by Greenpeace Aotearoa over packaging used between December 2023 and April 2025.
Govt missing opportunity to slash electricity prices, says expert
11 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s fixation on eliminating the "dry-year risk margin" as a lever to reduce costs misses a much bigger opportunity to lower electricity prices, according to Christina Hood, head of Compass Climate.
NZ prepares to join ‘gold rush’ for white hydrogen
25 Mar 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand may be close to commercialising the capture and use of naturally occurring ‘white’ hydrogen, with investment plans for developments in the Wairarapa region picking up pace in response to spiralling oil prices.
Media round-up
20 Mar 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Crown lawyers agree High Court could quash emissions plan if found unlawful; NZ is locked in 'disaster inertia'; and climate change is notably absent from new development laws.
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.
Lawyers complain to ombudsman over Govt failure to release LNG modelling
1 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Lawyers for Climate Action has made a formal complaint to the Ombudsman over the Government’s failure to release information about its controversial decision to build a LNG import terminal.
EA entrenches 10kW export limit for residential solar
Wed 8 Apr 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The Electricity Authority intends to require all electricity networks to offer at least a 10 kilowatt (kW) export capacity for residential rooftop and other small-scale distributed generation.
NZ First targets regional share of mining royalties
30 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand First has proposed returning 50% of mining royalties to regional communities, saying that too much of the value from resource extraction is currently flowing to Wellington.
Tuvalu prioritises climate change in agreement with NZ
27 Mar 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand has pledged an additional $20 million to climate resilience work in Tuvalu, more than doubling Aotearoa's aid to the tiny island nation in the current financial 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.
Worst in a generation: Environmentalists slam fisheries reform bill
25 Mar 2026
Media release: Greenpeace | The Fisheries Amendment Bill, which will likely have its first reading in parliament this week, is being labelled the worst fisheries policy in a generation by environmental groups who are calling for it to be rejected to protect ocean health.
Free fares call as fuel crisis impacts school attendance
Wed 8 Apr 2026
An open letter is urging the Government to make public transport free for all school children and subsidised for students under 25, as rising fuel costs begin to impact attendance and access to education across the country.
Kiwis overly optimistic about state of environment
27 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New research suggests many New Zealanders believe the environment is in better shape than it really is, with public perceptions often out of step with scientific evidence.
‘They pushed so many lies about recycling’: the fight to stop big oil pumping billions more into plastics
24 Feb 2026
Plastic production has doubled over the last 20 years – and will likely double again. For author Beth Gardiner, metal water bottles and canvas tote bags are not the solution. So what is?
Activists occupy controversial gold drilling site
25 Mar 2026
By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | Opposition in Golden Bay to a controversial gold mine at Sams Creek has flared up over the weekend after several activists briefly occupied a drilling site.
China has a new competitor? Kazakhstan reveals huge rare Earth deposit that could power the next tech boom
25 Feb 2026
China’s grip on rare earths might finally see some competition, and the world is already taking notice.
Sci-tech prioritisation report is a joke that could cost NZ dearly, says NZ Association of Scientists
2 Apr 2026
Media release: New Zealand Association of Scientists | The Prioritisation Report released yesterday by the Prime Minister’s Science Innovation and Technology Council makes a poor case for further cuts and changes to our research system.
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.
AI’s arrival complicates Big Tech climate goals, and some worry it’s locking in more fossil fuels
2 Apr 2026
Six years ago, Google was confident that by 2030 it would power all operations with electricity generated from clean sources, including wind and solar power, and remove as much pollution as it produced. Today it calls those goals a “moonshot.” Microsoft says it’s still aiming to remove more carbon than it creates by 2030 but now describes the effort as “a marathon, not a sprint.”
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.
Fuel crisis powers surge in EV interest in Asia-Pacific region
Tue 7 Apr 2026
Motorists across the Asia-Pacific region are switching to electric vehicles at a rapid pace, as rising fuel costs due to the Middle East war force consumers and companies to reconsider their reliance on petrol and diesel vehicles.
Infrastructure plan calls for ‘predictable approach’ to electrifying economy
18 Feb 2026
Aotearoa’s first National Infrastructure Plan, introduced to Parliament yesterday, calls for "a predictable approach to electrifying the economy" as one of ten priorities for the next decade.
Dairy farmers' lack of climate action 'even bleaker' than water inaction – Upton
1 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Government projections for cutting agricultural emissions are being undermined by low farmer uptake, with the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment warning the country is relying on “heroic” assumptions to meet its methane targets.
AI tool predicts wildfire danger faster than current systems
26 Mar 2026
Media release | A wildfire forecasting system powered by artificial intelligence could help detect dangerous fire conditions earlier and reduce the cost of wildfire response, according to new research from Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury.
Fast-track approved project could deliver NZ’s largest wind farm
Tue 7 Apr 2026
Media release: New Zealand Government |Fast-track approval has been granted for New Zealand’s largest wind farm project.
