Topics tagged with 'Energy'
Troubled Tasmania: Where do we sit in carbon trading scheme?
8 Jul 2008
Tasmanians blessed with large forest reserves and a significant renewable energy base are questioning how their state would fit into the Australian carbon-trading picture.
India shapes up as second-biggest emitter, says report
8 Jul 2008
India, with a rising demand for crude oil and coal, is likely to overtake the US as the second-largest emitter of carbon from energy use by 2050 after China, a new study says.
Seoul aims for voluntary compliance with greenhouse gas protocols
8 Jul 2008
South Korea plans to seek flexible and voluntary compliance with the international effort to cut back on greenhouse gases, the country's climate change ambassador said yesterday.
Will we see the chequered flag for Ferrari hybrid?
8 Jul 2008
The days of a battery-powered or hybrid Ferrari winning a grand prix might not be too far away if the plans of the famous Italian marque come to fruition.
Employers using ETS scare tactics on workers, says union
4 Jul 2008
Employers are playing on workers’ fear for their jobs as part of a campaign to undermine plans for an emissions trading scheme, says the country’s largest trade union, which will today announce its position on climate change and emissions trading.
Dissenters will support ETS if it's law, minutes show
4 Jul 2008
Heavy emitters have revealed privately they will "fall in behind" the emissions trading scheme if it is passed into law.
Wind-generated electricity blows past 2007 figures
4 Jul 2008
The contribution of wind energy to New Zealand’s electricity supply has increased significantly, figures released yesterday by the Ministry of Economic Development show.
ANALYSIS: The Labour-National negotiation that should be under way
4 Jul 2008
National and Labour are not far apart on the adjustments needed to make the emissions trading bill acceptable to both and restore multi-party support for the measure.
No horse trading on other issues in Govt - NZ First ETS negotiations
4 Jul 2008
Winston Peters has revealed his negotiating position over the emissions trading bill does not involve any other issue.
Kiwi scientists eye commercial breakthrough with methane-muncher
4 Jul 2008
Government scientists intend to take to market a methane-consuming micro-organism that they have identified in Rotorua’s geothermal areas and which can flourish in extremely acidic conditions.
Energy summit chance for power players to let off steam
4 Jul 2008
The timing of the Energy Summit to be held at Te Papa in Wellington on the September 15 and 16 will turn up the heat on the energy sector as an election issue.
Australian managers not ready for ETS
4 Jul 2008
Australia’s emissions trading scheme will be unveiled today – and a new study shows two thirds of business people think it’s justified
China 1: Asian giant must do its bit to solve world problems, says UN chief
4 Jul 2008
The United Nations expects China to be at the forefront of efforts to tackle the world’s biggest challenges, such as the global food crisis, climate change and the quest to slash poverty, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said this week.
China 3: Foreign governments help to map plans for climate change
4 Jul 2008
A joint initiative by foreign governments and international agencies has been launched in Beijing to assist China's ecologically fragile provinces to map out plans to cope with the climate change.
India unveils eight-part action plan on climate change
4 Jul 2008
Climate change is a challenge that can be overcome only through global, collaborative and cooperative efforts, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says.
British Columbians pay more for petrol as carbon tax kicks in
4 Jul 2008
British Columbians are paying more at the gas pump as the provincial government's carbon tax on all fossil fuels takes effect.
Windflow attracts Mighty River Power
4 Jul 2008
A leading New Zealand electricity generator, Mighty River Power Ltd has signed agreements to purchase a 19.95% cornerstone shareholding in the rapidly developing Christchurch listed technology company Windflow Technology Ltd.
Beca green building contributes to major award win
4 Jul 2008
Meridian Energy's new 5-star rated green building on Wellington's Queen's Wharf, with eco-friendly features, has won the Kensington Swan Green Building category at the 2008 Property Council New Zealand Awards.
Questions over SOE-funding of ETS reports
1 Jul 2008
Three State-owned enterprises are in the political spotlight for funding reports being used on either side of the lobby campaign on the Government’s emissions trading scheme.
OPINION: CTU economist Peter Conway on the ETS
1 Jul 2008
Some business lobby groups are in full scale attack mode on the Climate Change (Emissions Trading and Renewable Preference) Bill since the National Party withdrew its support for the Bill.
New chief for ETS' administration ministry
1 Jul 2008
The lead ministry in managing the proposed emissions trading system has a new chief executive.
Australia embarks on greenhouse gas reporting system
1 Jul 2008
Australian businesses emitting large amounts of greenhouse gases from today will be required to monitor and measure the emissions ahead of reporting them to the government by October 2009.
UN chief uses Kyoto to call for new climate change agreement by end of 2009
1 Jul 2008
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said yesterday that the world must galvanise its will and reach a new agreement on measures to fight climate change by the end of 2009.
Stern claims cost of curbing climate change has doubled
1 Jul 2008
Lord Stern has warned that the cost of avoiding dangerous levels of global warming has doubled since he published his influential report on the economics of climate change in late 2006.
India’s climate change policy unlikely to deliver much
1 Jul 2008
The much-awaited climate change policy, set to be announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today may fall short of expectations.
Australia’s west votes $6m to fight greenhouse gases
1 Jul 2008
The Western Australia State Government will inject $6 million to develop more innovative energy technologies to help to reduce greenhouse gas emission.
National: Power users may face extra bill of $165 million
1 Jul 2008
Labour is being forced to consider a plan that will load an extra bill of $165 million onto power bills, even before the Emissions Trading Scheme kicks in, says National Party Energy spokesman Gerry Brownlee.
Send ETS back to select committee, says Roy
1 Jul 2008
ACT New Zealand Deputy Leader Heather Roy today put her support behind those businesses and individuals pressuring the Government to put the brakes on the Emissions Trading Scheme - a major piece of legislation with wide-ranging effects that should not be rammed through before the election.
Lake Hawea level cause for real worry - Brownlie
1 Jul 2008
The state of Lake Hawea reported in weekend media shows the country is still facing a serious hydro-power shortage this winter, says National Party Energy spokesman Gerry Brownlee.
Fonterra hits 15-per-cent energy reduction target
1 Jul 2008
Fonterra has achieved its second major energy efficiency milestone in five years, cutting the amount of energy used to manufacture its products by 15 percent since the 2002/03 season, it says.
Contact Energy drops Environment Court appeal against Meridian wind farm
27 Jun 2008
Contact Energy has dropped its Environment Court appeal against Meridian’s Project Hayes wind farm, saying that the issues that prompted its appeal have already been well canvassed during the Trustpower Mahinerangi consent hearings.
US dairy industry commits to reducing greenhouse gas emissions
27 Jun 2008
United States dairy leaders yesterday announced an industry-wide commitment and action plan to reduce fluid milk's carbon footprint while increasing business value from farm to consumer.
Tokyo bourse carbon-permit trade hinges on Japan plan
27 Jun 2008
The introduction of carbon permits trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange will hinge on a government plan for compulsory emission curbs, Atsushi Saito, the president of the world's second-largest bourse, said yesterday.
Organic cow manure set to power Welsh village
27 Jun 2008
A village in Wales could soon be powered by cow's manure with the commencement of work at a local farm.
Freight rail seen as way to reduce greenhouse gases
27 Jun 2008
The United States would save billions of gallons of fuel and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by millions of tonnes if freight was shifted from highways to rail, a Senate panel has been told.
ETS bonus: $12b and 10,000 jobs, says report by big business
24 Jun 2008
Passing the emissions trading scheme into law will generate $12.3 billion in investment and nearly 10,000 jobs in the next 10 years, but delaying it could cost 20,000 jobs – mainly in tourism and agriculture, says a report out this afternoon.
New investment, new jobs, new wages, new income
24 Jun 2008
The NZBCSB report into the economic ramifications of passing the ETS before the election says that it will:
Who did the work and who paid?
24 Jun 2008
Two of our major State-owned electricity generators paid for the Business Council for the just-released Sustainable Development report on the ETS.
NZ biodiesel market big enough for everyone, says Solid Energy
24 Jun 2008
Biodiesel produced from a variety of sources has every opportunity to find a market in New Zealand, says Andy Matheson, Solid Energy’s general manager for renewable energy.
Palmerston North sells landfill credits to Toyota
24 Jun 2008
The Palmerston North City Council’s sale of 4500 carbon credits from its Awapuni landfill to Toyota New Zealand follows an earlier and pioneering sale of carbon credits to the Austrian Government two years ago.
Business bosses deliver climate change plan to G8 leaders
24 Jun 2008
Detailed climate change recommendations to the Group of Eight leaders, backed by an influential group of CEOs from many of the world's largest companies, have been delivered to Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, who will host the G8's annual summit next month in Hokkaido.
Poll shock: Most Britons doubt cause of climate change
24 Jun 2008
Climate change campaigners are shocked by the results of a poll which shows that the majority of the British public is still not convinced that climate change is caused by humans.
Electric cars to play big part in UK renewable energy plans
24 Jun 2008
Electric cars could play a major role in the shift to environmentally friendly transport in Britain, the government will reveal this week
Sustainable biofuels likely to reduce fuel prices - Minister
24 Jun 2008
The introduction of a biofuels sales obligation will help New Zealand move away from our dependence on imported oil and is most likely to lessen, not increase, the cost of transport fuel, Energy Minister David Parker says.
Bright sparks dream up light bulb ban
24 Jun 2008
"The Government's big stick plan to ban conventional light bulbs is something that only the bright sparks in Labour would dream up at this time," says National Party Energy spokesman Gerry Brownlee, in a statement.
Genesis starts $100 million entry into carbon market
20 Jun 2008
Electricity giant Genesis Energy will need to surrender $100 million in carbon credits to the Government in 2011 - and executives leave for Europe today on a mission to start buying them.
Little hope for RMA amendment as it returns to House
20 Jun 2008
A draft law requiring local authorities to consider the greenhouse-gas emissions of new developments as part of Resource Management Act consents is back before Parliament, but seems unlikely to have the numbers.
Solid energy assessing coal-to-transport fuel scheme
20 Jun 2008
Solid Energy is in the assessment phase of a scheme to convert lignite into premium transport fuels.
Unions: Time for business to be constructive on ETS
20 Jun 2008
The unions say the emissions trading debate now needs to focus on the impact of those on low incomes.
Major new climate change package adopted in Germany
20 Jun 2008
The German government has passed the second part of an ambitious package aiming at cutting the country's CO2 emissions by 40 per cent relative to 1990 levels by 2020.
Govt unveils National Adaptation Framework
Thu 16 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Minister of Climate Change Simon Watts has revealed the first actions under New Zealand’s National Adaptation Framework, which sets out the Government's approach to the rising risks from natural hazards such as floods and storms.
All carrot, no stick for farmers on methane
Fri 17 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: The abandonment of methane emissions pricing and the adoption of a weaker target is effectively the last nail in the coffin of the historic cross-parliamentary consensus embedded in the Zero Carbon Act 2019.
NZ needs to be part of a regional SAF strategy: Z, Air NZ
9 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand needs to be part of a regional strategic approach to sourcing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with domestic production less the aim than ensuring access to the fuel from one of a number of strategically positioned bio-refineries around the world.
Air NZ inks deal for its first internationally verified carbon credits
9 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Air New Zealand has committed to buying 8000 tonnes of carbon removals by 2030, in partnership with local native forest investment platform My Native Forest.
NZ not 'holding the line' on wilding pine management – experts
Wed 15 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand is no longer “holding the line” against invasive threats, with the country’s scale, remoteness and rugged terrain making control costly and complex, one expert has said ahead of this week's Wilding Pines Conference.
Researchers say sealing old oil wells with bio-oil from crop waste is a dual carbon-removal solution
19 Sep 2025
A new analysis shows that oil made from corn husks, wood chips, and other waste could plug greenhouse gas-belching abandoned oil wells while sequestering carbon for about $152 per ton.
Broker predicts all this year’s carbon auctions will fail
10 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Marex New Zealand is forecasting that the government will sell no ‘pollution permits’ at the NZU auctions this year, with a significant gap continuing between secondary market prices and this year’s $68 auction floor price.
UN agency says CO2 levels hit record high last year, causing more extreme weather
Fri 17 Oct 2025
Heat-trapping carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere jumped by the highest amount on record last year, soaring to a level not seen in human civilisation and “turbo-charging” the Earth’s climate and causing more extreme weather.
Will govt’s light touch approach lead to higher carbon prices?
3 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Carbon market watchers are hoping the government’s plan for the electricity sector will eventually lead to higher carbon prices, with the secondary market still trading sideways for the longest time in its history.
Electricity to remain in ETS
1 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The Government has rejected Frontier Economics' recommendation that electricity should be removed from the Emissions Trading Scheme.
The merchants of doubt are back
3 Sep 2025
OPINION: If you don’t follow climate policy closely, you might not know that the Trump administration is launching an effort to overturn one of the most fundamental pillars of American climate policy.
Milestone for NZ Steel electrification
10 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | NZ Steel has passed an installation milestone for its new electric arc furnace, which will reduce emissions from the Glenbrook steel mill site by as much as one megatonne (1Mt) a year.
UN limits staff at COP30 climate summit over accommodation concerns
19 Sep 2025
High hotel prices for Brazil's COP30 climate summit in November have prompted the United Nations to urge its staff to limit attendance, while government delegations are still scrambling to find rooms within their budgets.
From nuisance to crisis: New report on pest wasps In Aotearoa
24 Sep 2025
Media release: Moths and Butterflies NZ Trust | Just published is the Final Report of the Pest Wasps Survey carried out by the Moths and Butterflies of NZ Trust (MBNZT) offering a comprehensive look at New Zealanders’ awareness, experiences, and attitudes toward wasps and the growing ecological, health, and social issues associated with them.
Difficult trade-offs ahead for climate adaptation
Fri 17 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | While climate impacts are already here, bringing the urgent need to accelerate effective adaptation now, the Government's newly minted adaptation framework still leaves important questions unanswered about who will pay.
NZ marine heatwaves could double in intensity under high-emissions pathway
Thu 16 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show marine heatwaves will grow more intense around the North Island and more frequent around the South Island as the climate warms – raising risks for fisheries, aquaculture, coastal ecosystems and tourism.
World falling far behind deforestation goals with farms and fires driving loss, report says
Wed 15 Oct 2025
The report said the world permanently lost 8.1 million hectares (20 million acres) of forest, an area about the size of England, in 2024 alone.
‘Damp squib’ – Govt energy plan slammed for locking in fossil fuels
2 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Critics across business, climate groups and the opposition say the Government’s electricity reforms duck structural change, double down on LNG and gas, and offer little relief for soaring power prices – warning of an “expensive white elephant", deeper energy poverty and a missed chance to scale renewables.
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.”
Climate investment is only growth opportunity of 21st century, says leading economist
Wed 15 Oct 2025
Investment in climate action is the economic growth story of the 21st century, while growth fuelled by fossil fuels is futile because the damage it causes ends in self-destruction, the economist Nicholas Stern has said.
Where’s Watts? Climate Minister no-show at climate conference
Thu 16 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Opposition parties have slammed the Climate Change Minister’s failure to front up to a major international conference in Christchurch, saying it shows that climate adaptation is a low priority for the National Party.
Climate credibility gap widening for Aussie firms
1 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Australian public companies’ climate change commitments are in retreat, reflecting difficulty in achieving stated targets and increased fossil use, but not because of any pressure to make less effort, according to a study of major companies’ ESG reporting.
Coal imports up 650%
12 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams and Liz Kivi | Coal imports are up 650% as generators stockpile the most polluting fossil fuel ahead of next winter.
Hiringa eyes green methanol plant near Whanganui
29 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Green hydrogen pioneer Hiringa Energy is deep in planning to develop an “eight-to-nine figure” methanol plant near Whanganui, using a combination of biomass and hydrogen produced using renewable energy.
Study warns climate leadership falling short in NZ
1 Oct 2025
Media release - Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland | Research suggests New Zealand’s climate leadership is falling short, with current adaptation efforts focused on property and cost-cutting rather than protecting communities.
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.
Judge dismisses suit by young climate activists against Trump’s pro-fossil fuel policies
Fri 17 Oct 2025
Plaintiffs had ‘overwhelming evidence’ of climate crisis but a court injunction would be ‘unworkable’, ruling says.
'Non-negotiable' – EU carbon pricing to hit Kiwi exporters, expert warns
11 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | High carbon exports will inevitably face a high carbon tax at the EU border, possibly in the next five years, and high methane agricultural products might not be exempt, an international expert told a local audience yesterday.
Deep sea mining threatens sharks, rays and ghost sharks
6 Oct 2025
Mining the world’s deep seas for metals will likely threaten many species of sharks, rays and chimaeras (ghost sharks), according to researchers.
Govt promises ‘earlier action’ in response to Commission’s warning climate targets at risk
Fri 17 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government says it will “explore opportunities for earlier action” ahead of the third Emissions Reduction Plan, and has committed to looking at ways to stop the system of free carbon credits for industrial polluters from disincentivising industrial decarbonisation.
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.
‘Weird and sad’ – Tuvalu Climate Minister condemns NZ halving methane target
Wed 15 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Dr Maina Talia, Tuvalu’s Minister for Home Affairs, Climate Change, and Environment, says he’s surprised at New Zealand’s decision to weaken its target for reducing methane emissions – and is planning to take up the issue with his counterpart Climate Minister Simon Watts this week.
NZ’s biggest ever climate meeting kicks off
Tue 14 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The world's largest climate adaptation conference kicked off in Christchurch yesterday, with nearly 2000 attendees expected, making it potentially the biggest international climate meeting Aotearoa New Zealand will ever host.
Bottom trawling a triple threat to marine environments - new report
9 Oct 2025
Media release | Greenpeace is calling for urgent action to restrict bottom trawling after a new government report highlights the compounding effects this destructive fishing method has on climate change, habitat degradation and biodiversity loss.
Lobby group launches ‘blueprint’ for ocean management reform
18 Sep 2025
The Environmental Defence Society yesterday released its plan to tackle widespread ecological decline in our oceans.
Councils need funding tools to address climate challenges – LGNZ
Fri 17 Oct 2025
Media release | Local Government New Zealand is welcoming the Government’s new National Adaptation Framework, while cautioning that councils will struggle to meet its new expectations without additional funding tools.
Students repeat request for Victoria University to divest from fossil fuel investments
24 Sep 2025
Media release | A group of students campaigning for climate action at Victoria University of Wellington have dropped a banner protesting against the university’s lack of action on its 2014 commitment to divest from fossil fuels.
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.
Record global renewable energy growth remains short of climate target, report says
Thu 16 Oct 2025
A new report finds that a record amount of global renewable energy capacity was added last year, but that still leaves countries “short of targets towards meeting a UN climate goal to triple capacity by 2030”.
Solar households to get little-noticed tax break
23 Sep 2025
A provision in the government’s latest tax bill would exempt households from paying tax on income they earn by selling excess electricity back to the grid.
Climate scientists and republican lawyers are taking aim at Big Tech’s emissions
Fri 17 Oct 2025
Technology companies have long been one of the biggest investors in clean energy, but new accounting rules could upend that.
Last minute change to oil and gas legislation over cleanup costs
31 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government is expected to repeal the oil and gas ban today, with a last-minute amendment handing discretionary power to two ministers over the controversial issue of decommissioning.
For Australia to get moving on electric vehicles, we must ban petrol and diesel cars by 2035
Fri 17 Oct 2025
COMMENT: If nothing is done, transport is projected to be Australia’s largest emissions source by 2030.
Fix it, don't ditch it: University of Auckland hosts first Repair Cafe
9 Oct 2025
Media release - Auckland University | The University's first-ever Repair Cafe is bringing students and staff together to give broken items a new lease on life, while promoting a culture of repair and reuse.
Farmers face heightened solvency risks as climate changes: research
10 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Increasingly volatile weather patterns, higher insurance costs driven by climate change risk and global financial volatility represent risks to New Zealand farmers’ capacity to service debt and remain solvent, according to new research by Christchurch-based research firm Kōmanawa Solutions.
‘Con,’ ‘scam,’ ‘hoax’: Trump’s UN speech on climate
24 Sep 2025
The president used a large chunk of his hour-long speech to world leaders to condemn climate science and clean energy policies.
Trump administration moves to revoke permit for Massachusetts offshore wind project
24 Sep 2025
The Trump administration has moved to block a Massachusetts offshore wind farm, its latest effort to hobble an industry and technology that President Donald Trump has attacked as “ugly” and unreliable compared to fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas.
