Topics tagged with 'Energy'
Coal-rich southern mine heads for closure
17 Apr 2009
Solid Energy’s Ohai open-cast mine in Southland is still scheduled for closure in spite of holding vast reserves of coal.
Carbon credits sale funds heat-loss spy in the sky
17 Apr 2009
Christchurch’s sale of several million dollars of carbon credits to British Gas three years ago is providing the funds for a scheme to target heat waste miscreants by thermal imaging them.
Emissions cuts will work, say climate experts
17 Apr 2009
The worst of the global warming effects can still be reversed, if proper steps are taken fairly quickly to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to an analysis by the US National Center for Atmospheric Research.
China gears up for green cars push
17 Apr 2009
Chinese auto makers have accelerated efforts to develop electric cars and take a leadership role in the next generation of vehicle technology.
Welcome to the brave new world of disputes
17 Apr 2009
Changes to the global landscape during the next two decades are expected to drive a new generation of disputes.
UN chief urges world to look on the bright side
17 Apr 2009
The twin financial and climate catastrophes have been cause for nervousness worldwide, but Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has stressed that the challenges also open the door for new economic opportunities.
Why companies develop green products
17 Apr 2009
A new report from research firm Forrester shows why a large number of companies are developing greener products, looking at outside factors as well as who within companies are pushing for product changes.
NZ joins international climate change initiative
17 Apr 2009
New Zealand is becoming a founding member of the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute, Energy Minister Gerry Brownlie announced yesterday.
Waikato Univeristy to host free climate change lecture
17 Apr 2009
An Australian professor who argues climate change is a natural phenomenon will give a free public lecture at the University of Waikato on April 30.
How New Zealand can learn from “Towards a Global Green recovery”
17 Apr 2009
The Council for Socially Responsible Investment endorses a recently released report prepared on behalf of the German Foreign Office for discussion at the G20 London Summit which highlights key measures in seven strategic areas that G20 members need to take to tackle the economic crisis and re-orient development towards sustainable, low-carbon growth.
Most Kiwis want climate deal at Copenhagen
14 Apr 2009
New Zealanders support signing up to a new international agreement requiring countries to limit greenhouse gas emissions beyond 2013, a new survey shows.
Drilling crews busy in hunt for Southland gas
14 Apr 2009
Accommodation is booked out in the Ohai and Nightcaps coal mining districts in Southland as L&M’s drilling crews step up prospecting for coal-seam gas in the Mt Linton area.
Europe’s steelmakers reap $1b carbon windfall
14 Apr 2009
European steelmakers received over $1 billion worth of unneeded carbon permits last year under the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme, EU data shows.
French power plant first to run carbon capture
14 Apr 2009
The world's first retrofit of a power plant with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology will begin operating this month in the south of France.
State governor calls for carbon tax to fight warming
14 Apr 2009
The Governor of the Australian state of Victoria, David de Kretser, has called for consideration of a carbon tax, to increase the price of goods produced using energy from high-pollution power stations.
A $6 solar cooker to save the world
14 Apr 2009
The Kyoto Box, a $6 solar cooker made from cardboard, has won the Financial Times-sponsored Climate Change Challenge contest for innovative ways to decrease the human impact on the environment.
ETS uncertainty points to serious energy problems, says Labour
14 Apr 2009
The confusion and uncertainty created by National’s climate change policy is putting New Zealand’s energy security at risk, Labour’s Energy spokesman Charles Chauvel says.
Energy leaders have big day out at ETS hearings
9 Apr 2009
The energy sector gets its chance to be heard by the ETS review committee this morning.
Greens and Nats do deal over home insulation
9 Apr 2009
Subsidised home insulation is back on the agenda, with National agreeing to work on a project with the Greens.
HFCs clampdown could backfire, company warns
9 Apr 2009
Clamping down on the so-called “bad boys” of human-induced climate change -hydroflourocarbons (HFCs) - in the emissions trading scheme could backfire and actually lead to increased emissions, warns an air conditioning company.
Doubts grow over greening of national library
9 Apr 2009
Uncertainty is growing about whether the enhanced, environmentally friendly National Library of New Zealand makeover will proceed
Wairarapa wind farms win consent
9 Apr 2009
Logging’s loss in the northern Wairarapa is wind farming’s gain, with the granting of resource consent for the first of several mobile wind masts to be built east of Eketahuna.
Rainbow Warrior chief here to talk wind power
9 Apr 2009
The man who was leading the Rainbow Warrior anti-nuclear expedition when the ship was bombed in Auckland is returning to New Zealand to promote wind energy.
Climate change could cost California billions
9 Apr 2009
Climate change may cost California tens of billions of dollars annually in coming years as sea levels rise and hot days cause people to turn up the air conditioning, a draft report from the state said.
Old buildings take the green lead
9 Apr 2009
Improving the energy efficiency of Australia’s existing commercial buildings is one of the fastest, most effective ways to reduce the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, reports the latest edition of ECOS magazine.
Government uncertainty over ETS must end, say Greens
9 Apr 2009
Business leaders and the public favour prompt Emissions Trading Scheme action to doing nothing by a margin of 2:1, according to a survey by the Business Council for Sustainable Development, says the Green Party.
Labour: We're ready to start work on joint ETS
7 Apr 2009
Work on a joint National/Labour emissions trading scheme could start as early as this week, says Labour climate change spokesman Charles Chauvel.
Commissioners knock back wind farms
7 Apr 2009
Contact Energy says it might appeal over the rejection of its plans for a 65-turbine wind farm southeast of Dannevirke.
'Polar bear' ministry cuts expected today
7 Apr 2009
The Green Party expects the Government's 'polar bear hunt' to close in for the kill at the Ministry for the Environment today, culling initiatives that have saved the taxpayer money.
Europe, US vow to cooperate in fighting climate change
7 Apr 2009
The European Union and the United States pledged at the Bonn summit to cooperate more in fighting climate change.
Happiness is not a Hummer
7 Apr 2009
Royal Dutch Shell chief Jeroen van der Veer remembers his happy student days driving a famously fuel-miserly Citroen 2CV and believes today’s drivers should fight climate change by using more efficient vehicles.
Aussies snap up solar hot water rebate
7 Apr 2009
Sales of solar hot water systems have soared since the Australian Government boosted its solar hot water rebate to $1600 in February.
Reining in energy use in Christchurch
7 Apr 2009
Christchurch City's energy use is around 11 per cent of its $15 billion GDP, 29 per cent of its $5.5 billion total household income and increases at a rate of two percent per annum, the city council says.
Dunne: With Labour, we'll reach ETS agreement
3 Apr 2009
The chairman of the emissions trading scheme review committee is predicting that Labour and National will reach agreement over a scheme which will have some degree of harmonisation with Australia.
US cap-and-trade bill may pose problems for NZ large emitters
3 Apr 2009
The latest cap-and-trade bill introduced in Congress offers the United States’ large emitters less transitional assistance than their New Zealand counterparts.
Blame transport, not animals, says energy expert
3 Apr 2009
World Bank and World Watch Institute renewables expert Dr Eric Martinot says that inefficient transport, not animals, is New Zealand’s major emissions problem.
Togetherness key to our bioenergy success
3 Apr 2009
Unity is a key point of difference for New Zealand’s bioenergy industry
Carbon emissions trading core of US clean energy bill
3 Apr 2009
Congressional Democrats this week released clean energy legislation that establishes a market-based cap-and-trade programme for reducing global warming pollution from electric utilities, oil companies, and factories that together are responsible for 85 per cent of US greenhouse gas emissions.
Europe’s carbon trading scheme is working … just
3 Apr 2009
Europe’s controversial trading system to cut carbon emissions is showing faint signs of working, according to analysis of preliminary figures released by the European Commission.
Underground water can store CO2, study shows
3 Apr 2009
Water deep below ground has safely trapped carbon dioxide for millions of years and may one day help to absorb emissions of the greenhouse gas to slow climate change, researchers believe.
Ministerial review of electricity market
3 Apr 2009
The Energy and Resources Minister, Gerry Brownlee, says a Ministerial review of the electricity sector will start work immediately.
No hurry on methane emissions, says Groser
31 Mar 2009
Trade and Associate Climate Change Minister Tim Groser says that with no technology available to counter agricultural methane emissions, New Zealand will not push the case just for a 'first' on emissions trading.
Meridian tests Kaipara potential for wind power
31 Mar 2009
Meridian Energy is assessing the wind generation potential of a site at Pouto in the Kaipara Harbour.
Wellington eyes hydro plant at Wainuiomata
31 Mar 2009
The Greater Wellington Regional Council is evaluating a scheme to install a hydro-generator plant at its Wainuiomata water treatment plant.
UN climate plan talks of new world order
31 Mar 2009
A United Nations document on climate change that will be distributed to a major environmental meeting next week envisions a huge reordering of the world economy.
We’re glad to be back, US tells Bonn summit
31 Mar 2009
The United States won sustained applause at the opening of the Bonn summit when President Barack Obama's envoy pledged to "make up for lost time" in reaching a global agreement on climate change.
Obama invites big emitters to Washington forum
31 Mar 2009
The United States will host a meeting of major economies late next month to lay the diplomatic foundation for an international agreement on climate change and energy later in the year, the White House said.
Energy leader backs cross-party action on ETS
27 Mar 2009
The prospect of cross-party support for an emissions trading scheme is being welcomed by energy infrastructure company Vector.
Solid Energy wants action on southern lignite
27 Mar 2009
Solid Energy is keeping close tabs on legislators seeking an excuse to leave Southland’s rich lignite resources untapped.
Blue Mountain finds the BOOT fits
27 Mar 2009
Blue Mountain Lumber is proving that energy investment can be made in isolation from long-term considerations of risk surrounding the original use.
Governments must vote in favour of moratorium on deep sea mining
Tue 29 Jul 2025
Media release - Greenpeace | The 30th session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has ended with Greenpeace saying governments are continuing to fall short in protecting the deep sea.
Does NZ need a national incentive scheme for wetlands?
25 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | An expert is calling for a national incentive programme to restore New Zealand’s wetlands and wants to stop schemes to drain these vital carbon-sequestering ecosystems.
NZ Post drops science-based climate target
8 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | NZ Post has dropped its science-based emissions reduction target of 42% by 2030 with no plans to replace it.
Airlines risk legal challenges by advertising jet fuel as “sustainable”, NGO warns
18 Jul 2025
Amid suspected fraud in the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a new report says the airline industry should stop calling all alternatives to kerosene “sustainable”.
Challenges persist in bid to mine the deep sea, even after boost from Trump
Tue 29 Jul 2025
After years of delay, the deep-sea mining plans of Canadian firm The Metals Company (TMC) now appear to be progressing as it pursues a controversial new path to securing a license to mine in international waters under U.S. jurisdiction.
Sustainability claims questioned as renewable diesel surges
14 May 2025
Critics are sceptical about industry claims of renewable diesel life-cycle greenhouse gas emission cuts and warn renewable diesel carbon releases will surge if sourcing is scaled up, triggering tropical deforestation as producers convert forests to energy crops, such as oil palm and soy.
Carbon prices slide as market awaits ETS decision
Fri 1 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | Volatility has returned to the secondary carbon market, with prices sliding again after plateauing in recent weeks, as the market waits for government decisions on Emissions Trading Scheme settings.
The US is sitting out the most consequential climate summit in a decade. It may offer a victory to China
Fri 1 Aug 2025
The Trump administration fired the last of the US climate negotiators earlier this month, helping cement America’s withdrawal from international climate diplomacy. It may also have handed a huge victory to China.
Bearish sentiment lingers for carbon market
11 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The compliance carbon market could be set for a gradual upward trajectory, however unsold volume from the quarterly Emissions Trading Scheme auctions continues to act as ‘a price ceiling,’ according to an expert.
Coal use drove recent emissions increase
Fri 1 Aug 2025
Increased use of coal for electricity generation was a large driver for an increase in New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions in the last quarter.
Is extending Huntly power station to 2035 in consumers’ best interest?
22 Jul 2025
By Simon Orme | COMMENT: Genesis Energy is proposing a cartel to keep high-emitting Huntly Power Station in business to 2035. If extending Huntly has economic benefits, is a cartel necessary?
What does 'drier' really mean in 'green' homes?
Fri 1 Aug 2025
Media release - Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland | Researchers say green-rating systems could improve clarity and effectiveness by explicitly defining ‘drier’ and using two measures of humidity.
Cuts to climate finance put exports in jeopardy: Lawyers
23 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has halved international climate finance, a move aid organisations describe as “devastating,” and which lawyers say could put our Paris Agreement commitments and export market access at risk.
NZ voluntary carbon market’s sad state
14 Jul 2025
By John O’Brien | OPINION: A combination of scandals, challenging economic times, and cheaper offshore carbon credits, mean that the domestic voluntary carbon market in New Zealand remains absolutely tiny.
Key orange roughy population on verge of collapse, govt considers closure
9 Jul 2025
Media release - Deep Sea Conservation Coalition | New data reveals that New Zealand’s main orange roughy fishery, accounting for half of the country’s total catch, is on the brink of collapse, with one model showing it may have reached that point already, and the government’s considering closing it.
Warmer than usual weather ahead, wetter in north and east, as La Niña signals strengthen
Fri 1 Aug 2025
Media release – Earth Sciences New Zealand | Seasonal Outlook Climate August to October 2025 suggests warm, damp weather, with La Niña’s possible return.
Latest trawl bycatch numbers 'a grim wake-up call'
24 Jun 2025
Media release – Greenpeace | The latest fisheries bycatch data paints a grim picture, with trawlers hauling up thousands of kilograms of coral and killing hundreds of fur seals and seabirds over a 12 month period.
Wilding pines threaten Molesworth Station
Mon 28 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Without increased support, the unchecked spread of wilding pines will continue to creep across Marlborough’s high country – putting iconic landscapes and one of New Zealand’s top five biodiversity hotspots at serious risk, according to an expert.
Bill to restart oil and gas exploration clears final hurdle
Fri 1 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government’s Crown Minerals Amendment Bill is set to become law after passing its third reading in parliament last night, with critics calling it humiliating for the climate minister and an embarrassment to New Zealand's international reputation.
A modest geothermal strategy
Thu 31 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The Government has unveiled a far more modest geothermal energy strategy than its primary backer, Resources Minister Shane Jones, had sought.
European Central Bank to consider 'climate factor' when lending to banks
Thu 31 Jul 2025
The European Central Bank will add climate change considerations to its lending operations from late 2026, raising pressure on banks to channel financing towards greener sectors as the euro zone seeks to reduce its carbon footprint.
NZ part of hidden global deep-sea network beneath the waves
25 Jul 2025
Media release - Earth Sciences New Zealand | A world-first study of marine life, including sea creatures found in New Zealand's dark, cold, pressurised ocean depths, has revealed that deep-sea life is surprisingly more connected than previously thought.
‘Ideological sludge’: How NZ is quiet quitting climate action
17 Jul 2025
New Zealand once stood out as a world leader on climate change. In June it became the first country in the world to abandon a commitment to phase out oil, gas and coal.
Watts talks big on energy reform, but barriers persist
29 May 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Energy and Climate Change minister Simon Watts says the government is doubling down on efforts to boost renewable energy generation, streamline regulation, and drive private sector investment as New Zealand faces mounting energy security and affordability challenges.
Hiringa eyes green methanol plant near Whanganui
Tue 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.
Climate catastrophes are creating a ‘new market reality’ for insurance carriers
23 Jul 2025
Raging wildfires and severe storms contributed to record-high global insurance losses — totalling an estimated US$84 billion — for the first six months of the year.
Will NZ walk away from the Paris Agreement?
20 Dec 2024
By Geoff Bertram | COMMENT: Unless the government can find very cheap offshore mitigation, the temptation to walk away from its Paris Agreement obligations may well be too strong to resist for a coalition government focused on fiscal austerity.
Multi-day protest continues at coal mine
Wed 30 Jul 2025
Bathurst Resources has been forced to truck coal from its Stockton mine as climate activists occupy coal buckets at the mine for a third day.
Fund for low emissions transport winds up
Thu 31 Jul 2025
New Zealand’s Low Emission Transport Fund has officially wrapped up, ending a nine-year programme that put hundreds of millions of dollars towards accelerating the country’s shift to cleaner transport.
Last minute change to oil and gas legislation over cleanup costs
Thu 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.
Urgent action needed to get on track for climate goals - commission
25 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand is making progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but more work is needed – urgently – to set up for future reductions, according to the latest report from the Climate Change Commission.
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.
Toxic algae are turning South Australia’s coral reefs into underwater graveyards
Tue 29 Jul 2025
Since March, a harmful algal bloom, fueled by a marine heat wave, has been choking South Australia’s coastline.
NZ govt’s fossil fuel plans could break international law
24 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government could be breaching international law with its plans to subsidise and expand fossil fuel extraction, following a ruling overnight from the world’s highest court.
Tipping points: Window to avoid irreversible climate impacts is ‘rapidly closing’
11 Jul 2025
In the midst of a record-breaking heatwave in Europe, the UK city of Exeter recently played host to the second international conference on “tipping points”.
‘Total infiltration’: How plastics industry swamped vital global treaty talks
Mon 28 Jul 2025
Petrostates and well-funded lobbyists at UN-hosted talks are derailing a deal to cut plastic production and protect people and the planet.
Activists sue US development bank over $4.6bn loan to massive Mozambique gas project
18 Jul 2025
Environmental groups claim loan is ‘unlawful’ in legal filing.
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.
Tilting at windmills? Trump’s claims about turbines fact-checked
Thu 31 Jul 2025
The US president has taken a swipe at wind power as the blades visible from his Turnberry golf course turn.
Ocean heatwaves may signal climate tipping point
25 Jul 2025
A recent study that tapped into satellite data has revealed that 2023 marked an unprecedented year for marine heatwaves, with record-breaking levels of duration, reach and intensity across the world's oceans.
Climate groups want UK wealth tax to make super-rich fund sustainable economy
17 Jul 2025
Growing number of campaigners urge government to ensure green investment is not done ‘on backs of the poor’.
Can robot taxis solve NZ's transport woes?
23 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Ministry of Transport has tested the idea of driverless taxis as a futuristic fix. But while new modelling explores how "robotaxis" could ease congestion and reduce car ownership, critics say it misses a crucial point – the country’s worsening transport emissions.
United Nations carbon market rules agreed but concerns remain
25 Nov 2024
New carbon market rules agreed at the fractious UN climate summit will be a relief to New Zealand and Singapore, who were leading the negotiations, but concerns about greenwashing and disadvantaging nature-based solutions remain.
EV sales fall, but it’s complicated
Tue 29 Jul 2025
Imports of fully electric vehicles fell over 50% in value during the 12 months to June 2025, compared with the year ended June 2024, according to Stats NZ.
The ICJ’s ruling means Australia and other major polluters face a new era of climate reparations
25 Jul 2025
By Harj Narulla | OPINION: Australia has found itself on the wrong side of history.
Waste Levy risks becoming ‘slush fund’ under proposed changes – Commissioner
5 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Proposed changes to New Zealand's waste legislation risk undermining public trust in the waste levy scheme, according to Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton.
The struggle for control of the Arctic is accelerating - and it's riskier than ever
11 Jul 2025
As the battle for one of the world’s coldest places heats up, an increasingly fragile security balance may be breaking down, leading to an escalating arms race.
UN University report warns against carbon credits from REDD, tree planting, and improved forest management
13 Jun 2025
But the report stops short of recommending banning the trade in carbon temporarily stored in trees.
For the first time, China invests more in wind and solar than coal overseas
29 May 2025
China’s Belt and Road Initiative, long derided for its heavy carbon footprint, was dominated by wind and solar power projects for the first time from 2022 to 2023, according to a new analysis. But coal plants financed in earlier years are still coming online.
