Topics tagged with 'Energy'
Russia’s no adds to UN climate treaty troubles
2 May 2008
Russia's opposition to new cuts in greenhouse gases means all of the world's top four emitters are against making quick reductions, complicating plans for a new UN climate treaty by the end of 2009.
State gives $120m to find way to cut coal gas emissions
2 May 2008
The Victorian Government will give more than $120 million to Australia’s coal-fired power industry for measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Rockefeller offspring demand Exxon takes action on climate change
2 May 2008
Descendants of legendary oil tycoon John D Rockefeller have accused ExxonMobil of adopting a myopic approach towards alternative sources of energy and of refusing to engage in any meaningful discussion about the future of the planet.
Industry continues to contingency-plan for winter power supply
2 May 2008
Transpower, as the independent system operator, said today that despite the recent rain, hydro storage levels remain a significant concern to the industry. The industry is continuing with its contingency planning efforts to ensure a secure supply of electricity this winter.
Cheaper for government to pick up greenhouse-gas tab
1 May 2008
A private research company says that it would be cheaper to have the Government paying for greenhouse-gas emissions than using an emissions trading scheme.
NZIER refuses to disclose who is paying for its ETS report
1 May 2008
The NZIER will not say who is funding its latest report on the possible impacts of the emissions trading scheme.
ANALYSIS: What you are not hearing from the NZIER and heavy emitters
1 May 2008
The NZIER appears to expect a New Zealand Government to carry on regardless with an all-sectors, all-gases emissions trading scheme for 17 years – if the rest of the country’s competitors do not.
Political realities mean emissions scheme phase in slower than desirable
1 May 2008
The political reality of having all sectors included in an emissions trading scheme means some major emitters will start paying for their greenhouse gas emissions later than is desirable in a perfect world.
Now a home which can feed the national grid
1 May 2008
A Wellington family is expected to enjoy a 75% fall on its annual power use because of energy efficient design and installation of a solar system which also has the potential to feed into the national grid.
UN 1: Ban Ki-moon to lead task force to tackle global food crisis
1 May 2008
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today that he will lead a high-powered task force to coordinate the efforts of the United Nations system in addressing the global crisis arising from the surge in food prices.
Government's plan to reduce emissions will hurt economy - NZIER
1 May 2008
The Government’s proposed Emissions Trading Scheme, intended to ensure New Zealand plays its part in helping reduce global emissions of greenhouse gases, is likely to hurt the economy more than necessary, says a report issued today by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (Inc).
Tesco launches carbon footprint labels
30 Apr 2008
Major UK supermarket chain Tesco overnight launched carbon food labels, in a move which could have long-term implications for New Zealand suppliers.
Hutt hi-tech could ground overhead pylons fears
30 Apr 2008
Super-conducting technologies developed in the Hutt Valley could sidestep popular fears about overhead pylon transmission.
ETS will lead to more forests and cleaner air and water
30 Apr 2008
New Zealand’s emissions-trading and other climate-change laws will lead to more forests, better air and water quality and a slowing of damaging farming and fishing practices, but could also lead to increased pressure on the environment and some initial impacts on human health, according to new advice to the Government.
Poor households’ carbon bill: It’s all about location
30 Apr 2008
The location of poor households in Australia will be an important factor in how much a price on carbon emissions eats into their household budgets with the introduction of an emissions trading scheme, says research released by the Brotherhood of St Laurence.
Everybody join the fight, says United States
30 Apr 2008
A national campaign to help Americans to join in the fight against climate change has been launched by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Club Tower development reaches for five-star rating
30 Apr 2008
Latitude Group’s Club Tower in Worcester Boulevard is aiming to be the first building in the South Island to be awarded the much-coveted five-star Green Star NZ building rating.
UN chief raps Asia-Pacific for dragging the chain
30 Apr 2008
The Asia-Pacific region is lagging behind in providing access to energy services, says UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Fine-tuning of emissions trading policies recommended
30 Apr 2008
The Government is being advised to strengthen measures to enhance energy efficiency and provide clear national guidelines to protect natural resources from potential degradation as it moves to address the country's greenhouse gas emissions.
Green Party wants commonsense emissions trading policies
30 Apr 2008
Green Party Co-Leader Jeanette Fitzsimons welcomes the release of the Cawthron Institute's environmental assessement of the emissions trading policy.
High-powered leadership group endorses emissions trading scheme
29 Apr 2008
A high-powered group of business and community leaders has endorsed the concept of an emissions-trading scheme in New Zealand as a way of managing and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, saying the impact on the economy will be minimal.
CarboNZero for small enterprises a hit
29 Apr 2008
Small businesses are as keen - if not keener – than large companies to go carbon neutral, if response to New Zealand’s first internationally-accredited scheme for small businesses is anything to go by.
KPMG: Six sectors have "heads in sand" over climate change risks
29 Apr 2008
Aviation, healthcare, oil and gas, tourism, transport, and the financial services sectors have been accused of putting their head in the sand over climate change risks by a major new report from consultancy KPMG.
Wholesale electricity prices fall on last month
29 Apr 2008
Wholesale electricity prices were last week down compared with a month ago.
Climate Change Leadership Forum backs emissions trading scheme
29 Apr 2008
The Climate Change Leadership Forum, including 34 business and other sector leaders, has issued 10 key points of policy advice made so far to the Government and Finance and Expenditure Select Committee on the proposed emissions trading scheme (ETS).
If you send more e-mail do you produce less carbon?
29 Apr 2008
Research currently underway at Sun Microsystems is trying to measure the carbon footprint of individual e-mails, BusinessGreen reports.
New report: Power utilities could make efficiency impovements of up to 11%
29 Apr 2008
Energy efficiency improvements in the U.S. electric power sector could reduce electricity consumption by 7 to 11 percent more than currently projected over the next two decades.
Tougher energy efficiency rules for hot water systems
29 Apr 2008
Home owners are set to save money through strengthened energy efficiency rules for new hot water systems, according to Building and Construction Minister Shane Jones.
OptiSolar applies to build world's biggest (16 sq km) solar farm
29 Apr 2008
Solar energy specialist OptiSolar (http://www.optisolar.com/) has revealed plans to build the world's largest solar farm at a site in California stretching over nearly ten square miles (16 sq km).
Vector sells Wellington network to CKI
29 Apr 2008
Vector Limited (VCT) yestoday announced the sale of its Wellington electricity network to Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings Limited (CKI) for $785 million.
Greens oppose proposed lines company sale
29 Apr 2008
The Green Party has criticsed the propsed sale of Wellington's lines company to overseas interests.
NZ First: Keep energy companies
29 Apr 2008
The sale of Vector’s Wellington electricity network to Cheung Kong Infrastructure for $785 million represents the serious loss of yet another local asset, says New Zealand First economic development spokesman Doug Woolerton.
$200 million boost for poor farmers to help face food crisis
29 Apr 2008
The United Nations rural development arm announced today that it is providing up to $200 million for poor farmers during the upcoming cropping season as it tries to alleviate the suffering of hundreds of millions of people facing hunger and malnutrition due to soaring food prices.
Woodhouse ready for commercialised carbon trade-off
28 Apr 2008
Low-key investor Seeby Woodhouse indicated at several closed-door discussions in Wellington and Auckland last week that he would step into carbon trading as a kind of one-man carbon exchange and clearing house.
CO2 breakthrough ‘turns waste into gold’
28 Apr 2008
British scientists have pioneered a technique of recycling CO2 to reduce greenhouse gases – a process experts are saying is akin to “turning waste into gold”.
The name’s Bond … battery Bond
28 Apr 2008
If James Bond were to go green and ditch his Aston Martin, probably he would get behind the wheel of a Tesla Roadster, the hottest ride in battery-powered sportscars.
The big business question: How do we do it?
28 Apr 2008
New Zealand businesses might know that they need to do something about their environmental performance but most are struggling to know what, says a leading management consultant.
We're five times greener than the Aussies
28 Apr 2008
New Zealand businesses are almost five times "greener" than their Australian counterparts, with a new white paper finding more than half of Australian businesses have no policy to reduce energy use.
Travelling greens have a new place to stay
28 Apr 2008
Travellers with a green bent will be able to sleep with a clear conscience at an Auckland hotel which opens its doors today.
Greens cool down on coal, but still hot on emissions
24 Apr 2008
The Green Party says that closing down the coal industry will not be a bottom-line issue in post-election coalition talks - but genuine measures to cut greenhouse gas emissions will be.
Power struggle as top energy companies go to war
24 Apr 2008
Two of our biggest power companies are at war for the wallets of the rapidly growing green consumer market.
Welcome to the age of ‘black power’
24 Apr 2008
Genesis Energy might have won a round against rival TrustPower for the hearts and minds of green consumers, but it’s in danger of losing the war, warns long-time social trends analyst Jill Caldwell.
Christchurch centre starts probing methane absorbing gas molecules on sea floor
24 Apr 2008
The Centre for Advanced Engineering (CAE) in Christchurch has begun looking at the possibilities of methane-absorbing gas hydrates in New Zealand waters.
India’s eager money men study $6b carbon trading market
24 Apr 2008
Financial houses in India are excited by the news that the local market for carbon credits has been estimated at $6 billion over four years.
UN honours climate change ‘trailblazer’ Clark
24 Apr 2008
Prime Minister Helen Clark has been honoured as a Champion of the Earth by the United Nations for her work on climate change.
Green Party pledges to shut Huntly, hobble coal industry
23 Apr 2008
The Green Party is threatening to end thermal coal exports and close the Huntly coal-fired power stations.
ANALYSIS: Potential political fall out from Green’s shock coal policy
23 Apr 2008
The Greens are viewed by many New Zealanders as “extreme” and offering policies which are too restrictive.
UK expert says NZ policy "a brave experiment", warns world not moving fast enough
23 Apr 2008
One of the UK’s leading climate change commentators calls New Zealand’s decision to include agriculture and forest sinks in its emissions trading regime “a brave experiment”.
International Science Festival - July 5-13, 2008 - Dunedin
23 Apr 2008
The debate over whether New Zealand is better of with large or small wind-turbines will feature in the New Zealand International Science Festival in Dunedin in July.
Farming leadership criticised: industry at enormous risk
22 Apr 2008
New Zealand’s former Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment is calling for a radical rethink of our farming sector in the face of potential famine from climate change and world shortages of food, water and good-quality soils.
Local govt bill 'completely misses the point,' passes first reading
Today 11:00am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government’s bill making changes to the Local Government Act to "refocus" councils on their core functions passed its first reading in Parliament last night, with critics saying it will set back climate resilience.
Expert rejects farmers call to ditch green investment framework
Thu 17 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Scrapping a proposed 'green' finance taxonomy before work on it is even finished would risk New Zealand being left behind in the transition to more sustainable systems, according to an expert.
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
Today 11:00am
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”.
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”.
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.
‘Ideological sludge’: How NZ is quiet quitting climate action
Thu 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.
EU seeks 'fair competition' with China on green energy
Today 11:00am
The European Union is seeking "fair competition" with China and not a race to the bottom in wages and environmental standards, the bloc's vice president for the clean transition told AFP in Beijing on Monday.
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.
EU wants to see China take more ambitious climate action
Tue 15 Jul 2025
The world needs China to show more leadership on climate action, highlighting the importance of cutting planet-heating emissions and reducing the Chinese economy's reliance on coal.
NZ voluntary carbon market’s sad state
Mon 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.
Common low-grade clay strengthens low-carbon concrete
5 Jun 2025
Media release | Engineers at RMIT University have converted low-grade clay into a high-performance cement supplement, opening a potential new market in sustainable construction materials.
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.
Carbon price grinds higher - where to from now?
30 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | The carbon price has continued to grind slowly higher since this month’s failed auction, with prices at their highest since March, although still languishing well below this year’s auction floor price.
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.
Media round-up
Today 11:00am
In our round-up of the latest climate coverage in local media: with parts of the country still reeling from flooding exacerbated by climate change, debate heats up over who will pay for managed retreat from at-risk areas.
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.
Illegal loggers profit from Brazil’s carbon credit projects
Thu 17 Jul 2025
How a system designed to protect the world’s biggest rainforest is funding businesses with a track record of illegal deforestation.
Importing LNG is feasible, but is it plausible?
Today 11:00am
Importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a form of energy supply insurance is technically feasible, but an industry-commissioned report raises questions about whether it is financially plausible.
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.
Farmers slam proposed guidelines for sustainable finance
Wed 16 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | Federated Farmers is calling on the government to scrap its proposed framework for ‘green’ finance, saying it is ideologically driven, unworkable, and risks harming rural communities.
Does Aussie court ruling hold lessons for NZ?
Thu 17 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | A recent Australian court ruling should serve as a warning to New Zealand's decision-makers on how important it is to align climate targets and climate policies with the best available science, according to a climate litigation expert.
Methanex closure comes early this year
14 May 2025
The almost-now-annual closure of Methanex has come earlier this year, giving more confidence that the electricity system will get through the winter without a fuel shortfall.
Electric firebricks: decarbonising high-temperature industrial heat
13 Jun 2025
By Ian Mason | A new technology could offer a more cost-effective solution than hydrogen to decarbonise one ‘hard-to-abate’ sector of New Zealand’s economy, as well as having ample potential for demand response as the electricity grid becomes more renewable.
‘Significant gaps’ in proposed approach to climate adaptation
10 Jul 2025
A new report into climate adaptation doesn’t suggest how development in high-risk areas should be avoided - an issue that needs urgent action with thousands of homes still being built in hazardous areas, according to the Environmental Defence Society.
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.
Activists sue US development bank over $4.6bn loan to massive Mozambique gas project
Today 11:00am
Environmental groups claim loan is ‘unlawful’ in legal filing.
Clear-sighted view to trade-offs crucial to reimagining our relationship with the land
7 Jul 2025
By Nick Swallow | COMMENT: New Zealand could see a 70% drop in the value of dairy land if we pursue our emissions targets for agriculture, according to a new report.
Rio Tinto urges Albanese govt to reimpose carbon tax, boost green energy subsidies
Thu 17 Jul 2025
The mining giant has used it’s submission to the Productivity Commission ahead of the Albanese government’s economic roundtable to lobby for the re-imposition of a carbon pricing scheme and bolstered green energy subsidies.
Foresters seek time; end to using ETS as a land use tool
Wed 16 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Production and carbon forestry owners have begged the environment select committee to at least give the sector more time to come up with workable rules for legislation intended to cap forest planting on farmland.
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.
Millions of tons of tiny plastic particles are polluting the ocean, study finds
Tue 15 Jul 2025
At least 27 million tonnes of nanoplastics are estimated to be floating in the North Atlantic Ocean, weighing more than all wild land mammals combined.
'Back-to-basics' approach for councils ignores climate risk
11 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | While ACT is standing local government candidates to oppose councils' attempts to manage emissions and ministers are calling for local authorities to 'get back to basics' - or even suggesting scrapping regional councils altogether - one expert says this narrative is putting communities at risk in the face of climate change.
Markets aren't going to save us – Carr
9 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Consumerism is reaching its ecological and economic limits, and only systemic change - not market tweaks - can steer us away from climate catastrophe, according to former Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr.
Microplastics found in sand on dozens of NZ beaches
4 Jun 2025
Scientists have extracted microplastics from the sand of 22 beaches from the Far North to Banks Peninsula.
Feedback sought on national fuel security plan
Wed 16 Jul 2025
Media release - Beehive: The Coalition Government is seeking feedback on a draft Fuel Security Plan that provides a long-term strategy to ensure New Zealanders have reliable access to fuel in times of domestic and global disruption, Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones says.
UK: Thousands lobby MPs to demand climate action
10 Jul 2025
More than 5,000 people from across the UK arrived in Westminster on Wednesday to meet their MPs and demand urgent climate action to protect their communities.
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.
Germany's wind power expansion picks up, but targets still missed, says lobby
Today 11:00am
Germany's onshore wind power sector recorded its strongest half-year since 2017, but the expansion still falls short of the legally mandated targets, the BWE wind power lobby said on Tuesday.
Antarctica Scholarships 2025: Ocean detectives
Thu 17 Jul 2025
Media release – Antarctica New Zealand | Antarctica’s Southern Ocean is full of unanswered questions, and this year’s Antarctica New Zealand scholarship recipients are on a mission to help solve them.
Climate groups want UK wealth tax to make super-rich fund sustainable economy
Thu 17 Jul 2025
Growing number of campaigners urge government to ensure green investment is not done ‘on backs of the poor’.
Kiwi ‘smart panel’ startup aiming to reduce energy bills and emissions
4 Jul 2025
NZ start-up Basis this week launched an ‘intelligent’ panel to replace traditional electrical switchboards in homes, which it says can save the average home $1,200 NZD annually on bills and lead to lower 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.
Fast, sustained phase-out of fossil fuels: best-performing countries in coal and transport sectors
10 Jul 2025
By Robert McLachlan | It’s true that climate change is getting worse – it will continue to get worse until emissions fall to near zero. But is action on phasing out fossil fuels really stalling?
Can you trust climate information? How and why powerful players are misleading the public
11 Jul 2025
The climate crisis is more urgent than ever, so why is there a disconnect between stated policies and actual practices?
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.
