Topics tagged with 'Energy'
China avoids coal projects in Belt and Road for first time
28 Jul 2021
China didn't finance any coal projects via its Belt and Road Initiative in the first half, the first time that's happened since the plan was launched in 2013, the International Institute of Green Finance said in a report.
Convert Marsden Point to produce bio-crude: Bioenergy Assoc
26 Jul 2021
The government is asleep at the wheel and should be pushing for the Marsden Point Refinery to be repurposed to produce bio-crude, the executive officer of the Bioenergy Association, Brian Cox, says.
Coal imports hit historical high; methane targets require 'scientific Hail Mary': RNZ
26 Jul 2021
Climate change is making a splash on RNZ this morning. The public broadcaster has published an in-depth report on methane, a report on coal imports hitting and all time high, and a story on a new on-line emissions tracking tool.
The future of energy is a symbiotic grid
26 Jul 2021
In a decade-long building boom of renewable energy, we’ve reached a milestone. There are now one billion watts of wind and solar installed across the world. That’s about half the capacity of all coal and three times that of all nuclear.
Firstgas ordered to withdraw misleading advert
23 Jul 2021
Firstgas has been ordered by the Advertising Complaints Authority to withdraw an advert that suggested customers could continue to use gas without contributing carbon to the atmosphere.
Rich nations 'must consign coal to history': COP26 president
23 Jul 2021
Climate change talks this year aimed at keeping global warming in check need to consign coal power to history, the British president of the upcoming United Nations' conference says..
Coal not the way forward for Southland: NGOs
23 Jul 2021
Media Release - Environmental NGOs wrote to Southland District Council yesterday expressing deep concern over the Council’s decision to grant an access arrangement to New Brighton Collieries Limited (NBCL), an overseas owned company, for coal exploration in the Ohai forestry area.
Offshore wind turbines could make Australia an energy superpower
23 Jul 2021
New research confirms Australia’s offshore wind resources offer vast potential both for electricity generation and new jobs
Fully renewable energy feasible for Samoa: Otago study
23 Jul 2021
Media Release - The future of Samoa’s electricity system could go green, a University of Otago study has shown.
Energy companies announce ambitious hydrogen plans
22 Jul 2021
Contact Energy and Meridian Energy have announced plans for what they claim will be the world’s first large-scale producer of green hydrogen.
CO2 emissions set to hit record levels in 2023: IEA
21 Jul 2021
Only a small chunk of governments’ recovery spending in response to the Covid-19 pandemic has been allocated to clean energy measures, according to the International Energy Agency, with the Paris-based organization forecasting that carbon dioxide emissions will hit record levels in 2023.
Hydrogen agreement signed with Singapore
16 Jul 2021
Media Release - The signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation on low-carbon hydrogen with Singapore signals the start of greater collaboration between the two countries as they transition towards low carbon economies, says Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods.
Contact converts NZD$305m to Sustainability Linked Loans
13 Jul 2021
Media Release - Contact Energy (Contact) now has New Zealand’s largest group of Sustainability Linked Loans (SLLs) after converting its remaining NZD$305m of bank facilities to SLLs.
Further onshore gas exploration possible
12 Jul 2021
Iwi Maori will be consulted before a decision is made on whether any new onshore, gas exploration permits are issued, the Minister of Energy and Resources, Megan Woods, told Parliament last week.
Strong case for biogas generation: Professor Ralph Sims
8 Jul 2021
EMERITUS Professor Ralph Sims, who co-wrote an NZ Standard on biogas in the 1980s, responds to the Biogas and Biomethane Report released yesterday.
Rebound in gas demand threatens international climate targets: IEA
6 Jul 2021
A rebound in global gas demand to 2024 following a record fall last year is poised to knock the world off track for a climate goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050, the International Energy Agency (IEA) says.
Call for free public transport in capital to fight climate change
6 Jul 2021
Media Release - The Victoria University Students Association has come together with 36 local community groups and has launched a petition calling on the government to fund a trial of free public transport for Community Service Card holders and students in the Greater Wellington region.
Feebate could see ETS cap reduce: Shaw
1 Jul 2021
Minister for Climate Change James Shaw says policies like the feebate scheme will allow the government to reduce the ETS cap quicker than would otherwise be the case.
MPI GHG research funding round opens
30 Jun 2021
Media Release - The funding round for the Ministry for Primary Industries’ (MPI’s) 2021 Greenhouse Gas Inventory Research Fund is now open, with $1.1 million available for new projects in the 2021/22 financial year
Renewable energy undercutting fossil fuel
28 Jun 2021
It's now cheaper to build and operate new large-scale wind or solar plants in nearly half the world than it would be to run an existing coal or gas-fired power plant, according to new research by BloombergNEF.
NZ's largest grid-connected solar farm opens in Taranaki
24 Jun 2021
Media Release - New Zealand’s largest grid-connected solar power plant is up and running at Kapuni in South Taranaki
Top Aussie economists support EV subsidies
22 Jun 2021
THE CONVERSATION | Australia’s top economists overwhelmingly back government measures to speed the transition to electric cars in order to meet emission reduction targets.
India, South Africa could pilot $2bn coal transition scheme
22 Jun 2021
A climate fund is looking for two or three coal-dependent emerging economies to pilot a scheme to accelerate a shift to cleaner industries by mobilising private finance.
Solar replaces coal in Florida
22 Jun 2021
The Florida Power and Light Company announced the building of a new solar power plant moments after blowing its last remaining coal-fired power plant.
Earth's energy out of balance
21 Jun 2021
NASA researchers have found that Earth’s energy imbalance approximately doubled during the 14-year period from 2005 to 2019.
UN says blockchain has a role in sustainable future
21 Jun 2021
As the price of Bitcoin tumbles due to environmental concerns, the UN gives the blockchain technology that lies behind it a cautious tick.
New forward carbon product launched
18 Jun 2021
Media Release - emsTradepoint Ltd (a subsidiary of Transpower) has today launched a new quarterly forward product for carbon.
Do sport and climate change mix?
17 Jun 2021
The All Black’s current sponsor, AIG, and the company tipped to replace it, INEOS, are both under fire for their climate change records.
Discounted loans for sustainable farming
17 Jun 2021
ASB has taken advantage of the Reserve Bank’s Funding for Lending scheme to offer discounted lending to farmers adopting sustainable practices.
'No time to waste' warns Japan climate activist
17 Jun 2021
Kimiko Hirata has spent nearly half her life fighting to wean Japan off its dependence on coal, and now isn't the time to slow down, the award-winning activist warns.
EU to compensate vulnerable household for carbon related price hikes
16 Jun 2021
The European Commission is setting up a fund to support vulnerable households whose fuel bills increase as a result of its plan to expand carbon pricing to transport and buildings’ heating systems.
Australia increasingly isolated on coal
15 Jun 2021
Australia has become even more isolated on climate change after the heads of the world's largest economies agreed to end government support for coal-fired power stations by the end of the year.
Greenpeace tackles NZ Rugby
15 Jun 2021
Media Release - Greenpeace is squaring up to tackle NZ Rugby over the sporting body’s reported intention to sign up INEOS, a petroleum giant and "merchant of plastic pollution", as a sponsor for the All Blacks, Black Ferns, Mâori and other national rugby sides.
Getting people out of their cars a top priority
14 Jun 2021
The lead author of a 2016 Royal Society report that recommended a feebate scheme says yesterday’s announcement is welcome news but getting people out of their cars remains a top priority.
G7 to adopt tougher measures on coal
14 Jun 2021
World leaders meeting in Cornwall are to adopt strict measures on coal-fired power stations as part of the battle against climate change.
Coal's share of electricity generation doubles in March quarter
11 Jun 2021
The first three months of this year saw the percentage of carbon spewing, coal-generated electricity double compared to the same period last year.
Responses to ClimCom final advice divides along usual lines
10 Jun 2021
An avalanche of press releases in response to yesterday’s release of the Climate Change Commission’s final advice to the government sees interest groups dividing along familiar lines.
Biden's climate ambitions hit headwinds
10 Jun 2021
President Joe Biden's National Climate Adviser Gina McCarthy has said some of the administration's more ambitious proposals to fight climate change are likely to be dropped.
Inaia tonu nei – the time is now
9 Jun 2021
Inaia tonu nei – the time is now: a low emissions future for Aotearoa – the Climate Commission’s final advice to the Government, released to the public today, says a revision of the New Zealand’s baseline emissions has made the task ahead “slightly more difficult.”
Carbon tax planned for Indonesia
9 Jun 2021
The Indonesian government is working on amending the country's tax law, which will include a new carbon tax scheme aimed at increasing state revenue from several industries.
Tasmania has reached net-zero emissions
9 Jun 2021
Getting to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and 100% renewable energy might seem the end game for climate action. But what if, like Tasmania, you’ve already ticked both those goals off your list?
Marijuana's carbon problem
8 Jun 2021
Location, location, location: That’s the deciding factor when it comes to the size of marijuana cultivation’s carbon footprint, according to a new study out of Colorado State University.
Oil price predicted to surge as a result of climate activism
4 Jun 2021
The surge in climate activism demanding that Big Oil drastically cut emissions could result in a surge in oil prices in the not-too-distant future, according to Oilprice.com
G7 nations committing billions more to fossil fuel than green energy
3 Jun 2021
The nations that make up the G7 have pumped billions of dollars more into fossil fuels than they have into clean energy since the Covid-19 pandemic, despite their promises of a green recovery.
First nation-led biomass revolution
1 Jun 2021
When Eva Dawn Burk first saw the Calypso Farm and Ecology Center, tucked away in a boreal forest in Ester, Alaska, near Fairbanks, she was enchanted by what looked like a subarctic Eden.
Is this the future of double cab utes?
1 Jun 2021
Accompanied by throbbing electronic music and the requisite fog machines, the electric Ford F-150 Lightning made its debut last week in Dearborn, Michigan, a potential turning point in the growth of the electric vehicle market
Green growth an oxymoron: Mike Joy
31 May 2021
As countries explore ways of decarbonising their economies, the mantra of “green growth” risks trapping us in a spiral of failures, environmental scientist Mike Joy says.
New website helps fleet operators switch to EVs
31 May 2021
Media release - Critchlow Geospatial has launched SwitchMyFleet, a free-to-air website for fleet operators who are considering switching to electric vans and trucks and could be the catalyst to give New Zealand businesses the confidence to switch to EV fleets and reduce New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Inaugural ethical and impact investment awards
31 May 2021
Media release - Ethical Investment is set to become the new normal in New Zealand, but there has been widespread confusion over uneven standards. Mindful Money has launched the inaugural awards for ethical and impact investment awards to celebrate those setting best practice standards.
40% chance of hitting 1.5 °C in next five years
28 May 2021
There is about a 40 per cent chance of the annual average global temperature temporarily reaching 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels in at least one of the next five years – and these odds are increasing with time, according to a new climate update issued by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Govt consulting on Pacific Resilience Facility
Fri 12 Dec 2025
The Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee is calling for submissions on its international treaty examination of the Agreement to Establish the Pacific Resilience Facility.
Govt overhaul leaves the door open for coal mining on conservation land
Fri 12 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s sweeping reclassification of thousands of hectares of publicly-owned conservation land has met with sharp criticism, with environmental groups saying the decision leaves vulnerable ecosystems exposed to mining and development.
NZ’s government wants tourism to drive economic growth – but how will it deal with aviation emissions?
22 Oct 2025
By Robert McLachlan, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University | Following a brief dip during the COVID pandemic, aviation is back in a growth phase.
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.
Second fire tears through Tongariro National Park
Tue 9 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Fire crews have returned to Tongariro National Park this morning as a fast-moving fire that started yesterday threatens unburnt vegetation and nearby communities, just a month after a major blaze scorched 3000 hectares in the same area.
Govt launches strategy backing wood-based heat sector
23 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Forestry biomass could replace as much as 40% of fossil fuel-generated process heat by 2050, but access to supply, regulatory settings and business cases for converting to wood-based heat sources are required, the Government says in a series of documents released yesterday.
Minister not concerned about potential economic impacts of ruling out offshore mitigation
Thu 11 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Climate Change Minister Simon Watts isn’t worried that ruling out using offshore mitigation is effectively reneging from the Paris Agreement with potential to damage New Zealand’s economy and access to export markets.
What are the causes of recent record-high global temperatures?
Fri 12 Dec 2025
The past three years have been exceptionally warm globally.
Is Govt rushing through changes to climate framework to avoid litigation?
Thu 11 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment says the Government’s motivation for proposed changes to the country’s climate framework law are unclear: “The only reason I can think of is one grounded in potential litigation risk.”
KiwiRail pauses coal trains amid rising climate protests
Tue 9 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate activists are ramping up actions this week, with a Christchurch protest leading to KiwiRail pausing some coal train operations on Saturday, and another protest against the Fast-Track Amendment Bill planned for parliament today.
Investors must support positive climate-tech
28 Nov 2025
OPINION: We need better leadership than the current ‘climate opportunism’ that is rife in the Beehive, and we need to back a marketplace that will make it happen, writes Rob Campbell.
$235 billion worth of NZ buildings exposed to flooding
30 Oct 2025
More than 750,000 New Zealanders live in locations exposed to one-in-100-year floods, according to a nationwide study which shows escalating flood risk.
India at COP30: A mismatch between grandstanding and climate action
Thu 11 Dec 2025
Despite India’s attempt to anoint itself as the leader of the developing world, at the COP30 summit, New Delhi’s track record remains contradictory.
Govt warned that scrapping ag emission pricing comes with risks
Thu 11 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s move to halt plans for agricultural emissions pricing without replacing it with any other action will leave New Zealand facing a bigger gap to meet its third emissions budget, Environment ministry officials have warned.
DOC trims costs and winds down jobs for nature
10 Nov 2025
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is entering a new phase of tighter budgets and structural change as it winds down the pandemic-era Jobs for Nature programme and reshapes its operations to absorb long-term cost pressures.
NZ ‘clearly’ breaching international law on climate – Vanuatu Climate Change Minister
Fri 12 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister, Ralph Regenvanu, says New Zealand restarting fossil fuel exploration and subsidies is an obvious breach of international law, exposing the country to international and domestic litigation.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
Wed 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.
Australia has new laws to protect nature. Do they signal an end to native forest logging?
Thu 11 Dec 2025
Reforms to Australia’s nature laws have passed federal parliament. A longstanding exemption that meant federal environment laws did not apply to native logging has finally been removed from the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
Oil and gas majors would create $78bn more value by stopping exploration
Thu 11 Dec 2025
Media release | Ten of the world’s largest oil and gas companies would create significantly more shareholder value by ending exploration and sharply curtailing upstream development, according to new analysis released today by ACCR.
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.”
Analysis: Why COP30’s ‘tripling adaptation finance’ target is less ambitious than it seems
5 Dec 2025
One of the headline outcomes to emerge from COP30 was a new target to “at least triple” finance for climate adaptation in developing countries by 2035.
Ticking time-bomb in Govt’s failure of leadership on climate – Carr
Tue 9 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The coalition Government’s failure to slash emissions is like pulling the pin on a grenade, handing it to a kid, and saying “hold on tight, she’ll be right”, says former Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr.
TotalEnergies loses in Paris court, marking a turning point for fossil fuel truth-in-advertising
5 Nov 2025
TotalEnergies was found to have misled consumers about its role in the energy transition.
Tribunal warns govt geothermal strategy risks Treaty breach
2 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government's geothermal development strategy risks breaching the Treaty of Waitangi, according to a report from the Waitangi Tribunal released last week.
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.
Insurers welcome govt decision to keep NHC levy unchanged
21 Nov 2025
Media release |The Insurance Council of New Zealand | Te Kāhui Inihua o Aotearoa (ICNZ) has welcomed the Government’s decision to leave the Natural Hazards Commission levy unchanged, amid ongoing concerns around the cost-of-living.
Why I’m not outraged at the Govt’s latest climate backsliding
7 Nov 2025
COMMENT: The Government’s latest climate rollbacks underline New Zealand’s long history of a lack of genuine desire to cut emissions, writes Geoff Bertram.
Shell facing first UK legal claim over climate impacts of fossil fuels
Fri 12 Dec 2025
Victims of a deadly typhoon in the Philippines have filed a legal claim against oil and gas company Shell in the UK courts, seeking compensation for what they say is the company's role in making the storm more severe.
NZ fails to back ‘roadmap’ to phase out fossil fuels at COP
24 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | Eighty-six countries including Australia, the UK, Germany, and Ireland backed a proposal at COP30 for national plans on how to quit oil, gas and coal – but New Zealand wasn’t one of them.
Media round-up
Fri 12 Dec 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Another offshore wind firm exits New Zealand over a clash with seabed mining; Fonterra falls behind on its climate goals as farm emissions remain flat; and the businesses trapped by the gas 'death spiral'.
Govt rushes to pass climate law changes under urgency
Wed 10 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Legislation to amend the Climate Change Response Act was introduced to Parliament on Monday, and the government intends to rush the changes through under urgency in the next two weeks, avoiding the usual public consultation.
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.
High risk of economic losses from Cook Islands nodule extraction and sales – new study
Fri 12 Dec 2025
Media release: Greenpeace | The economic potential of seabed polymetallic nodules in the Cook Islands has been overstated, according to a new independent study commissioned by Greenpeace International.
Heatwaves, downpours and droughts – Auckland on track for more extreme weather
1 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show Auckland will face more heatwaves, heavier downpours, worsening droughts and growing coastal threats as climate extremes intensify, according to a new report from Earth Sciences New Zealand.
Govt green lights rural recycling scheme
4 Dec 2025
The Government has approved new regulations to bring rural waste schemes under one unified framework.
Shipping movements disrupted as climate change protesters block coal ships
2 Dec 2025
NSW police have arrested 141 people who attempted to block the shipping channel in Newcastle Harbour during Rising Tide protests, which began on Thursday.
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.
Neighbours fume over plans to axe trees for solar farm
Thu 11 Dec 2025
Diane McCarthy, Local Democracy Reporter | Whakatāne District Council has thrown its support behind residents of a country lane distressed about Genesis Energy’s plans to axe their trees.
NZ and US studying "huge unknown" in Antarctic climate science
Thu 11 Dec 2025
Media release: Earth Sciences New Zealand | Scientists are measuring a huge unknown in climate science: how much heat Antarctica emits into space.
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.
More than $2m up for grabs for low-emissions farming innovation
Wed 10 Dec 2025
The Ag Emissions Centre and AgriZeroNZ yesterday opened their 2026 innovation investment round.
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.
Seven EU countries pressure European Commission to rethink 2035 diesel and petrol car ban
Tue 9 Dec 2025
Pressure from EU countries, lawmakers and the automotive industry is likely pushing the European Commission to delay the revision of the bloc's ban on diesel and petrol cars by 2035.
Kaicycle celebrates ten years of collective climate action in Pōneke
14 Nov 2025
Media release: Kaicycle | Since 2015, Kaicycle has grown from a humble pilot project growing kai and collecting compost on bicycles into the thriving urban farm and composting hub that Wellingtonians know and love.
Study provides a step-change in understanding NZ’s groundwater
28 Nov 2025
Media release | Earth Sciences New Zealand has developed a world-first National Groundwater Age Map and a powerful suite of tools to support the sustainable management of our hidden groundwater resources, from national through to local scales.
NZ just had its hottest spring in at least 116 years
Wed 10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | This year New Zealand had its hottest spring since records began, with widespread heat, rainfall extremes and destructive wind driven by sudden stratospheric warming.
Australian market operator slashes wind farm predictions amid falling costs for solar and batteries
Thu 11 Dec 2025
The body that runs Australia's biggest power market has scaled back its plans for high-voltage power lines and wind farms to meet the country's green energy targets.
