Topics tagged with 'Energy'
EPA proposes reporting on gas emissions
13 Mar 2009
The US Environmental Protection Agency has proposed the first comprehensive national system for reporting emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases produced by major sources in the United States.
Biofuels bad news for third world, ecologists warn
10 Mar 2009
Having large numbers of motorists switch to biofuels would be “bad news for the planet and for many millions of third world people suffering through the expansion of agrofuels to feed the rich world's cars", warns the Pacific Institute of Resource Management.
Time right for mass home insulation, says economist
10 Mar 2009
The time is right for a recession-busting programme of infrastructure development such as mass home insulation, says a leading economist.
Australian researchers claim algae breakthrough
10 Mar 2009
Australian researchers say they have scored a world first by being able to quantify algae’s ability to sequester greenhouse gas.
Rising tides seen as threat to our wetlands
10 Mar 2009
Salt intrusion into coastal wetlands due to rising seas through global warming is a pending problem for New Zealand, according Len Everett, the British Columbia director of Ducks Unlimited.
Low-carbon economy only way out, says Brown
10 Mar 2009
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for a national effort to create a low-carbon economy, stressing that green a recovery is the very option for the economy to beat the current recession.
Carbon trade wrong, says former BP chief
10 Mar 2009
Lord Browne, the former chief executive of BP and one of the earliest proponents of carbon trading to tackle climate change, has conceded his enthusiasm was misplaced.
We’ll have to wait and see carbon-effect of recession
10 Mar 2009
The financial crisis has slashed industrial output and trade but it will be months before there is an accurate picture of how much the downturn has curbed greenhouse gas emissions, according to two leading scientists.
Food fears prompt China to spend on agriculture
10 Mar 2009
China will increase spending on agricultural production by 20 per cent this year amid warnings that climate change could spark a future food crisis.
Indian firms drop carbon trading for renewable projects
10 Mar 2009
Indian companies are turning towards renewable energy projects for a better return on their investments.
Gas hotspot Nigeria on frontline for climate change
10 Mar 2009
Nigeria, tipped to be the world's next natural gas powerhouse, is on the frontline for climate change as it is ranked Africa's largest producer of greenhouse gases.
Smith calls for new report on cost of ETS
6 Mar 2009
Two teams of economists with different opinions about the cost of the emissions trading scheme have been told to come up with a joint report for the ETS review.
Electricity Commission review puts M-co at risk
6 Mar 2009
The anticipated review of the Electricity Commission is being viewed as an opportunity to overhaul the wholesale marketing of electricity in New Zealand.
Clean Energy Corps rides to the rescue of US homes
6 Mar 2009
More than 80 labour, environmental, civic, and policy organisations have endorsed a proposal to help America's economic recovery and environmental health by applying energy-efficient measures to more than 15 million existing buildings.
UN drives roadmap for halving car emissions
6 Mar 2009
With the world's car fleet expected to triple by 2050, a roadmap to halve greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles by that date was laid out by United Nations at the Geneva Motor Show.
Key Business NZ manager now minister's ETS kingpin
3 Mar 2009
Business New Zealand's energy, environment and infrastructure manager has a new job advising the government on climate change and emissions trading.
Don't count on Kaukapakapa thermal plant to solve electricity woes, Genesis tells commission
3 Mar 2009
The Electricity Commission and the Rodney District Council seem to be playing cat-and-mouse over plans to increase electricity supply to Northland and Auckland.
CTU pushes for environment and social projects
3 Mar 2009
The Council of Trade Unions is calling on the Government to set up a major programme of environmental and social projects as part of its package to kick start the economy.
Obama raises hopes for Copenhagen climate pact
3 Mar 2009
Until recently, the idea that the world’s most powerful nations might come together to tackle global warming seemed an environmentalist’s pipedream.
'Alive and well' AAUs surviving money crisis
3 Mar 2009
The market for government-level emissions rights under the Kyoto Protocol is alive and well, mostly unfazed by the global economic downturn, according to Reuters.
Planted forests critical to wood supplies, says UN
3 Mar 2009
Planted forests which provided wood that is renewable, energy efficient and environmentally friendly have become increasingly critical to future supplies, according to a new study by the United Nations.
Govt releases draft new rules for Electricity Commission
3 Mar 2009
Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee has released a revised policy direction for the Electricity Commission for public comment.
Don’t trade the environment for short term jobs - Eco
3 Mar 2009
The Government should reject proposals from the Job Summit to trade environmental quality for elusory short-term gains, the Environment and Conservation Organisations says.
Minister's omission worries wood fuel backers
27 Feb 2009
The bioenergy sector says it is aghast that wood fuel seems to be off the Government’s radar.
Business NZ stance may not give Government support it needs on ETS
27 Feb 2009
ANALYSIS: Policies proposed in a draft Business New Zealand submission to the select committee reviewing the ETS, obtained by Carbon News, would aim to “remove the carbon risk for business”.
Roundtable lines up Lomborg for second tour
27 Feb 2009
The New Zealand Business Roundtable appears to be planning a reprise tour of New Zealand by influential climate change academic Bjorn Lomborg.
Manapouri power problems worry Government
27 Feb 2009
The inflexibility of power from the Manapouri hydro station is causing headaches for the new government.
Carbon price floor not the way to go, say experts
27 Feb 2009
Falling carbon prices should not be supported through artificial price floors or direct government intervention, as this may deter new players and stunt the still-nascent market's growth, carbon market experts believe.
Green activists change minds over nuclear power
27 Feb 2009
Britain’s green lobby for the first time has come out in support of nuclear power technology after years of opposition.
There’s money to be made in climate change
27 Feb 2009
The number of lobbyists seeking to influence United States federal policy on climate change has grown more than 300 per cent in five years, according to a new Center for Public Integrity report.
Consumers keen for energy answers, says report
27 Feb 2009
Consumers around the globe are willing to become more involved with managing their energy use, says a new report by US-based Global Business Services.
Rocket carrying space carbon-spy crashes into sea
27 Feb 2009
A rocket carrying a satellite to track the chief culprit in global warming crashed into the ocean near Antarctica after launch, dealing a major setback to NASA's network for monitoring Earth and its environment from above.
Watch the carbon dioxide flow on Google Earth
27 Feb 2009
New interactive Google Earth maps, created by NASA, Purdue University and the Department of Energy, show the amount of carbon dioxide being dumped into the US atmosphere every hour.
Obama's commitment to ETS a signal to NZ
27 Feb 2009
A renewed strong commitment to introduce emissions trading by US President Barrack Obama sends New Zealand a signal to get on with implementing its own ETS scheme and securing the country’s trade and tourism, says the New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development.
NZ firms chase slice of Obama's clean-energy billions
24 Feb 2009
New Zealand companies are in the United States in a bid to win a share of the $300 billion the US government is pouring into renewable energies.
Invasive jatropha might have dodged NZ security net
24 Feb 2009
The potentially invasive biofuel crop Jatropha curcas may have slipped through New Zealand’s biosecurity defences.
Costs slow action on fixing Cook Strait cables
24 Feb 2009
Increased borrowing is being blamed for political reticence for what many believe is the nation’s top infrastructure priority – replacing the Cook Strait power cables.
Electric car on trial, but price still a mystery
24 Feb 2009
New Zealanders won’t know how much they’ll have to pay for Mitsubishi’s iMiEV electric vehicle until at least June.
Stern warns of ‘extended world war' over climate
24 Feb 2009
If countries don't deal with climate change decisively, "we're talking about extended world war," eminent British economist Lord Nicholas Stern has warned.
Green billions fertilise Obama’s economic package
24 Feb 2009
The $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed into law by President Barack Obama will create green jobs, new Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson says.
Big US gold miner wins ‘prize of shame’
24 Feb 2009
Activists have awarded US gold miner Newmont anti-prizes for environmental and social violations.
Britons beat the petrol price thanks to fish and chips
24 Feb 2009
As he has done frequently over the past 18 months, a man drives his blue diesel Peugeot 205 on to a farm near Nuneaton, England, where signs pointed one way for “eggs” and another for “oil.”
China about to roll out new electric buses
24 Feb 2009
Battery-powered buses that can cover 188 miles on one charge and recharge in 20 minutes will hit the road in China in June.
Green light for New Zealand’s first Solar City Pilot
24 Feb 2009
Developers of Nelson Solar City have announced the next stage of their project with the launch of a pilot scheme involving 25 homes and businesses.
Smith: DOC needs to be more transparent
24 Feb 2009
The Department of Conservation needs to ensure a greater degree of transparency in agreements reached over resource consents, Acting Conservation Minister Nick Smith says.
Crest gathers support for Kaipara tidal project
20 Feb 2009
Crest Energy has until next Friday to submit expert witness evidence to the Environment Court in support of its plan to build a tidal power project on the Kaipara Harbour.
GNS sees big benefits in geothermal link with Japan
20 Feb 2009
New Zealand's GNS appears to be in the wings in a strategy by Japan to massively boost its geothermal generating capacity.
Mission sparks high-level interest in marine energy
20 Feb 2009
A recent UK mission on renewable energy has prompted the government take another look at New Zealand’s marine energy potential.
Rudd ditches inquiry and sticks with emissions plans
20 Feb 2009
Mounting criticism of Australia’s proposed carbon trading policy forced Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to end the confusion late yesterday by abandoning plans for a new inquiry and declaring the scheme would start as planned in mid-2010.
UK windmills flap helplessly as coal remains king
20 Feb 2009
If you flick a switch in Britain today, the light goes on because of coal.
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
Today 11:00am
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
Today 11:00am
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.
