Topics tagged with 'Energy'
Get smart on climate change, urges UN chief
9 Jun 2009
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for multilateralism and “smart solutions” to confront economic and climate challenges that could result in insecurity and upheaval.
Change of focus on fresh water management
9 Jun 2009
A new process to improve fresh water management was yesterday announced by Environment Minister Nick Smith and Agriculture Minister David Carter.
Mainzeal nails elusive Green Ribbon for environmental excellence
9 Jun 2009
Mainzeal says it has broken ground in the construction industry by receiving an award for the Businesses Making a Difference at the Green Ribbon Awards in Wellington.
Coal mining takes on touch of the golden days
5 Jun 2009
Sluice mining is to be reintroduced to the West Coast for the first time since the technique was used in the gold rush era - but this time the target is coal.
$155 billion spent on clean energy, says UN
5 Jun 2009
More than half the $US250 billion invested in new power generating capacity worldwide in 2008 was spent on renewable energy sources, according to a new United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report launched yesterday.
Wood the new coal in a low-carbon world
5 Jun 2009
Power companies are burning more trees because the renewable fuel can be cheaper than coal and ignited without needing permits to release carbon dioxide.
High-earning green sector workers feel safe in jobs
5 Jun 2009
Most workers in the thriving climate change sector feel just as safe in their jobs, if not more so, than they did a year ago, a new Reuters survey shows.
Companies not disclosing climate risks, say studies
5 Jun 2009
Most global industrial companies that emit a lot of greenhouse gases are not adequately detailing their climate strategies in US financial filings, two studies by environmental and investment groups have shown.
Diesel-pusher VW signs with China hybrid builder
5 Jun 2009
Volkswagen, which usually spins its diesels as alternatives to green cars, is looking to partner China's BYD, maker of the world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid.
NSW to build Australia's largest wind farm
5 Jun 2009
Australia’s biggest wind farm, with almost 600 turbines, is to be built in far western New South Wales.
Kiwi organisations unite to tackle climate change
5 Jun 2009
To encourage appropriate action in response to climate change in the lead-up to the crucial UN climate change conference in Copenhagen this December, organisations nationwide are uniting through the New Zealand Climate Action Partnership, they say in a media
Cleaning company calls for better practices on World Environment Day
5 Jun 2009
New Zealand businesses are being urged to do their bit for their employees and the environment on World Environment Day today by switching to green cleaning products.
New centre to study agriculture gas emissions
2 Jun 2009
New Zealand is to get a government-funded specialist agricultural and horticultural greenhouse gas research centre.
Organics campaigner sends key message to farmers
2 Jun 2009
Organics will play a key role in dealing with climate change, says Organics Aotearoa New Zealand chief executive officer Dr Jon Tanner.
Dumped computers major headache, says lobby group
2 Jun 2009
Clean-up lobby Computer Access New Zealand has identified e-waste as overwhelmingly the “fastest growing” component of public waste.
Climate crisis like nuclear threat, say Nobel laureates
2 Jun 2009
Twenty Nobel prizewinners, including US energy secretary Steven Chu, have compared the threat of climate change to that posed to civilisation by nuclear weapons.
Traders: Leave carbon price and speculators alone
2 Jun 2009
Carbon prices and the speculators who trade the underlying emissions permits should remain unregulated, despite wild volatility in the nascent market, a panel of emissions traders says.
US says rich nations likely to miss carbon targets
2 Jun 2009
Rich nations as a group are unlikely to reach the deep 2020 cuts in greenhouse gas emissions urged by developing nations as part of a new UN climate treaty, the top US climate envoy has said.
Big banks gear up for US carbon trading
2 Jun 2009
While United States policymakers continue to squabble over a federal plan to cap greenhouse gas emissions and sell the rights to emit them, big banks are gearing up for what they see as a new profit centre.
Australia points to $200b natural gas-powered recovery
2 Jun 2009
Australia has more than $200 billion worth of energy projects on the drawing board, enough to drive the nation's economic recovery with the right emissions trading scheme, the industry says.
African ministers reach climate change accord
2 Jun 2009
The United Nations Environment Programme has announced a landmark agreement reached by more than 30 African ministers to mainstream climate change adaptation measures into national and regional development plans.
Release details of home insulation deal, says Labour
2 Jun 2009
The National Government must urgently release practical details of how and when its home insulation package will be available for the people who need it most, Dunedin South Labour MP Clare Curran says.
Community group welcomes insulation package
2 Jun 2009
Community Energy Action Charitable Trust applauds the budget announcement that increases funding for subsidies of insulation and heating.
New loans key to home insulation success
29 May 2009
The key to hundreds of thousands of home owners taking up $1800 Government grants to insulate and efficiently heat homes will be the extra new loans to help to cover the whole cost of the work, says the New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development.
Contact keen to support insulation initiative
29 May 2009
Contact Energy says the Government and Green Party’s $323 million home insulation Budget announcement would make a real difference to New Zealand families, and Contact would look to actively support it.
We’re ready to work with US, says China
29 May 2009
China is ready to strengthen its cooperation with the United States to combat climate change, Premier Wen Jiabao has told US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Report card: How the tech-execs rate
29 May 2009
Being perceived as environmentally friendly is a big issue for tech leaders.
Motor vehicle batteries spark new gold rush
29 May 2009
The Obama administration has set off a gold rush to power new environmentally friendly cars.
EU stands alone as world ponders carbon schemes
29 May 2009
Only the 27-member European Union has a legislated and operating emissions trading scheme to achieve the carbon pollution reduction targets it will sign up to at the United Nations climate change negotiations in Copenhagen in December, the Australian points out.
A toast to sustainable winemaking
29 May 2009
Yealands Estate is celebrating its win at the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Awards, held by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority in Auckland last week.
Forum: Cooler weather heats up debate
29 May 2009
Dr Muriel Newman of the New Zealand Centre for Political Research looks at changes in the way we talk about climate change.
Business leaders vow to set price on carbon
26 May 2009
World business leaders meeting in Copenhagen are vowing to help world governments set a price on carbon, establishing a market that governments can use to cut greenhouse gases.
Business group's climate change voice remains hushed
26 May 2009
The Stephen Tindall–led Climate Change Leadership Forum’s bid to keep working seems to have sunk like a stone.
Our ETS already up and running, says law firm
26 May 2009
A publicly issued backgrounder on the emissions trading scheme by a top-tier law firm is being taken by some to represent a semi-official policy statement to the effect that the ETS is long past the point of no return.
US climate change bill clears key hurdle
26 May 2009
The United States’ first federal climate change legislation has cleared a key hurdle by making it out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on a 33-25 vote.
Obama’s new green guru under fire for climate U-turn
26 May 2009
US Energy Secretary Steven Chu will fly to Europe this week to begin talks that will be crucial in the global battle against climate change.
Get from A2B on the world’s fastest e-bike
26 May 2009
The world's fastest electric bike, already hugely popular in China, is now turning heads in Britain.
Event: June 5-7: Ecoexpo 09
26 May 2009
Christchurch will focus on the future next week as residents and businesses converge on Ecoexpo '09 to discover the diversity of Green Generation options now available.
Government cans electric car think-tank
22 May 2009
A group of leading industry experts promoting the use of renewable energy in transport has been disbanded less than a year after it was set up.
Smith delivers significant pro-ETS policy steer
22 May 2009
National still prefers an emissions trading scheme and has hinted at ways in which the scheme can be ‘harmonised’ with Australia’s.
We'd rather have a tax break, say biofuels producers
22 May 2009
A new government grant to encourage local biofuel production is not as good as the tax exemption bioenthanol producers get, the industry says.
Capital carpool operation hits the road
22 May 2009
Greater Wellington Regional Council’s carpool scheme is open for business
Power companies' earnings 'disturb' minister
22 May 2009
Big energy companies earned $4.3 billion more in earnings between 2001 and 2007 than they would have under "competitive conditions", but the Commerce Commission says there is no evidence that they breached the Commerce Act.
UPDATE: US cap and trade bill clears House committee
22 May 2009
Historic environmental law including a cap and trade scheme has advanced in the US.
US-China climate change deal near, says report
22 May 2009
A US-China deal on climate change could be reached in autumn this year after secret back-channel meetings in the closing months of the Bush administration, according to the Guardian.
House panel set to clear US climate change bill
22 May 2009
The nearly week-long US House of Representatives debate on historic legislation to cap and reduce greenhouse gas emissions has moved into the final stages, with the panel expected to pass the measure today.
Applause greets Obama car emissions plan
22 May 2009
Environmental groups are applauding US President Barack Obama's new nationwide rules for car emissions and mileage standards, announced this week.
European investors call for carbon trading revamp
22 May 2009
As fresh details emerge confirming that US legislators plan to water down proposed cap-and-trade legislation, a group of European investors have called on world leaders to move in the opposite direction and undertake urgent reforms designed to tighten up emerging carbon markets.
Analysts see carbon windfall profits for EU industry
22 May 2009
European Union moves to exempt industries such as steel, refining and cement from the cost of buying carbon permits risk handing them windfall profits and could blunt EU green investment, analysts say.
UN posts Copenhagen talks text online
22 May 2009
Progress towards achieving an ambitious new treaty on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is gathering pace, the top United Nations climate change official said yesterday.
FMA urges sharper focus on climate risk disclosures
Tue 26 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand companies are making steady progress in climate-related financial disclosures, but the Financial Markets Authority says many organisations still need to provide clearer and more robust reporting on physical climate risks and their potential business impacts.
Climate Leaders Coalition on PM meetings: 'it wasn’t us'
Mon 25 May 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The 81-member Climate Leaders Coalition is distancing itself from the actions of members who lobbied the Prime Minister’s Office to intervene and stop a landmark climate change court case.
$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 ramps up war on wilding pines with $79m boost
Mon 25 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government is ramping up efforts to contain the spread of wilding pines with a $79 million funding boost aimed at protecting farmland, biodiversity hotspots, tourism landscapes and water catchments across New Zealand.
Thumbs up for Govt help for businesses transitioning from gas
Tue 26 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | Businesses and climate advocates alike have welcomed the Government’s pre-budget announcement that it will help secure cheap lending for businesses transitioning from gas, as New Zealand’s domestic supply dwindles.
Govt unveils long-awaited voluntary carbon market guidance
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.
Trump officials, billionaires and the quiet reshaping of America’s public lands
Tue 26 May 2026
A controversial land swap orchestrated by the megarich could be “a harbinger of what’s to come” for public lands under Trump.
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.
New coal plants hit ‘10-year’ global high in 2025 – but power output still fell
Fri 22 May 2026
The number of new coal-fired power plants built around the world hit a “10-year high” in 2025, even as the global coal fleet generated less electricity, amid a “widening disconnect” in the sector.
Mike Smith’s asymmetric victory
Mon 25 May 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: The New Zealand Government’s recent move, undercutting citizens’ rights and the rule of law to cancel the country’s most important climate case is a massive win for Mike Smith, the climate change activist who brought it.
Green building council calls for clean energy policies
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.
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.
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.
How do hurricanes and typhoons form and is climate change making them stronger?
Mon 25 May 2026
Rising temperatures mean that hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones have the potential to bring stronger winds and heavier rain – and scientists warn it only takes one strong storm to bring major impacts.
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.
Biomass sector asks: where did the love go?
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.
Govt’s LNG plan puts trade deals at risk, lawyers warn
Tue 26 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | Lawyers for Climate Action are warning that the government’s plans for an LNG import terminal and to subsidise gas fields are in breach of New Zealand’s free trade agreements with the UK and the EU.
Hipkins pans LNG plan as ‘massive step backwards’
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.
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
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
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.
Climate resolution conundrum for NZ
Tue 26 May 2026
By Vernon Rive | COMMENT: While the United Nations resolution endorsing a landmark climate ruling is significant – politically, diplomatically and legally – its impact on international climate negotiations and domestic action is likely to be indirect and incremental.
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.
Colombia’s climate crossroads: Trumpism casts shadow over presidential battle
Tue 26 May 2026
Colombia is a global leader in climate activism. Could US influence drag country to a future of mining and fracking?
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.
Six NZ climate solutions up for 2026 Earthshot prize
Thu 21 May 2026
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.
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.
Govt had ‘little choice’ in signing key UN climate resolution – expert
Fri 22 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate policy expert Bronwyn Hayward said it was “shameful’ New Zealand didn’t throw more active support behind a pivotal climate resolution ratified by the United Nations this week.
A real ‘intergenerational equity’ budget would address Australia’s unceasing environmental decline
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.
Greens bill to ban mining on conservation land drawn from ballot
Tue 26 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A Greens member’s bill seeking to ban new mining, prospecting and exploration on conservation land has been drawn from Parliament’s ballot, with the party saying the proposed law would close a loophole allowing mining on land set aside for environmental protection.
Media round-up
Fri 22 May 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Shane Jone is urging mining bosses to apply for fast-track before the election, climate risk is changing where investors put their money, and Hiringa gets more hydrogen-fuelled trucks on the road.
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.
NZ at risk of falling behind on EV transition
Fri 22 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | An EV lobby group is warning that New Zealand is at a crossroads on transport electrification, with inconsistent policy settings and lagging charging infrastructure slowing uptake, while global adoption accelerates and fuel price shocks renew interest in electric vehicles.
‘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.
Climate scientists accuse livestock industry of fuzzy math to downplay climate warming emissions
Fri 22 May 2026
A group of the world’s leading climate scientists are warning governments and the livestock industry against adopting an “accounting trick” that will imperil the all-out global effort required to control heat-trapping emissions.
Marae solar project boosts sustainability and mana motuhake
Mon 25 May 2026
By Moana Ellis, Local Democracy Reporter | Five marae from Whanganui to Taumarunui are running on solar power and many more could join a major green energy initiative aimed at cutting electricity costs and strengthening community resilience.
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.
Rotorua extends diesel bus contract after NZTA declines extra funding
Mon 25 May 2026
By Mathew Nash, Local Democracy Reporter | Rotorua is stuck with its diesel-powered public buses after a funding snag played a part in setting back plans for zero-emission buses by years.
NZ votes in favour of key UN climate resolution
Thu 21 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | A pivotal United Nations resolution to recognise a landmark International Court of Justice climate ruling has passed with nations voting overwhelmingly in its favour, with New Zealand voting on the same side as Pacific allies who spearheaded the vote.
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.
Global wind and solar power outpace gas for first time in April, report shows
Fri 22 May 2026
Wind and solar combined generated more electricity than gas globally in April for the first month ever, data analysed by UK-based think tank Ember showed on Thursday.
