Topics tagged with 'Energy'
Labour promises $5 million a year more for just transition
29 Sep 2020
Labour is promising to spend more money on getting the country’s workforce ready for the low-carbon economy.
Resources spokesman threatens to quit ALP over climate target
29 Sep 2020
Veteran New South Wales Labor right-winger Joel Fitzgibbon has threatened to quit the shadow cabinet if the opposition adopts a medium-term emissions reduction target he cannot live with.
Poland to phase out coal-mining by mid-century
29 Sep 2020
Poland is moving closer to ending its heavy reliance on coal as the Government and miners’ unions agree a landmark plan to phase out mines by 2049.
Fonterra should be ashamed of causing coal mine expansion, says Cana
29 Sep 2020
MEDIA RELEASE - Bathurst Resource¡¯s planned extension of its Canterbury coal mine, shut down by protesters this morning, is proof that dairy companies like Fonterra are not moving out of coal fast enough, says Coal Action Network Aotearoa.
Exxon uses carbon capture to keep oil flowing
29 Sep 2020
Sprawled across the arid expanse of southwestern Wyoming is one of the world's largest carbon capture plants, a hulking jumble of pipes, compressors and exhaust flues operated by ExxonMobil.
Coal activists' target misplaced - Straterra
29 Sep 2020
MEDIA RELEASE - Activists blocking a Canterbury coal mine over a proposed expansion need a reality check, says Straterra, New Zealand’s minerals sector industry organisation.
TRIBUTE: Environmental journalist Sandy Macdonald
21 Sep 2020
By ADELIA HALLETT | Today, Carbon News marks the passing of someone who has been at the heart of the publication since it started in 2008.
ScoMo refuses to commit to net-zero emissions by 2050
21 Sep 2020
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has declined to sign up to a net-zero target by 2050 because he is “more interested in the doing”.
Union Square clock counts the time we're wasting
21 Sep 2020
New York’s Union Square Metronome clock is being turned into a giant climate clock tracking the time left to transform the world’s economy and energy systems to avoid catastrophic levels of climate change.
CARBON FORESTS: First, prove there's a problem, says Parker
18 Sep 2020
Details of the Government’s response to concerns about farmland being converted to carbon forests are starting to emerge.
Toyota reveals plan to turn trucks into emissions-free 'power plants'
18 Sep 2020
Portable emissions-free “power plants” could soon hit the road under plans by Toyota to fit some of the company’s light-duty trucks with hydrogen fuel cells that can generate electricity.
China considers going ‘carbon neutral’, peaking emissions
18 Sep 2020
China is considering carbon neutrality as part of its long term climate plan, the country’s foreign ministry announced following a summit with EU leaders.
TEN YEARS AGO ...
18 Sep 2020
Ten years ago, former mining engineer Greg Combet had just become Australia’s climate minister – and was assuring the coal industry of its place in Australia’s future.
Australia can hit net-zero by 2050 by investing in gas, says oil exec
17 Sep 2020
Corporate heavyweight Andrew Liveris, the Morrison government’s special adviser on manufacturing, has declared Australia and the world can hit net zero emissions by 2050 by significantly expanding the supply and domestic use of gas – despite gas being a fossil fuel with “roughly 60 per cent of the emissions of coal”.
Energy companies keep right to sue states in private courts
17 Sep 2020
Negotiators have ruled out an overhaul of private courts that allow energy companies to sue national governments when climate change policies hurt their profits.
Carbon hits a new high and looks set to go higher
16 Sep 2020
New Zealand carbon prices have broken through the $35 expected to act as a price cap and are being tipped to go higher.
Facebook and Google say they will go carbon-neutral
16 Sep 2020
Facebook and Google are becoming carbon neutral businesses, joining competitors Apple and Microsoft in committing to put no excess carbon into the atmosphere, both companies have independently announced.
OPINION: Now is the time for businesses to step up
15 Sep 2020
While covid-19 wreaks havoc on economies, industries and businesses around the world, some challenges are equally as urgent and potentially as devastating.
Global oil demand may have passed peak, says BP
15 Sep 2020
BP has called time on the world’s rising demand for fossil fuels after finding that demand for oil may have already reached its peak and faces an unprecedented decades-long decline.
Using rocket science to green transport
15 Sep 2020
French energy company Engie is teaming up with aerospace firm the ArianeGroup to steal a march on its rivals in the hydrogen production business, by drawing on expertise gained through Europe’s space programme.
Asian multilateral bank to end coal-related financing
15 Sep 2020
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is promising to end all coal financing, but has yet to write this into policy.
Carbon forests 'buying our way out of sin', says Simpson
14 Sep 2020
Using carbon credits to meet New Zealand’s emissions reduction target is like trying to buy your way out of sin, says National’s climate spokesperson Scott Simpson.
How the pandemic lockdown slashed our greenhouse gas emissions
11 Sep 2020
New Zealand’s first covid-19 pandemic lockdown slashed the country’s consumption of oil to the lowest level since 1998, taking emissions of greenhouse gases from fuels to their lowest point in more than two decades.
Australia’s gas plans could use quarter of world’s carbon budget
11 Sep 2020
A push to develop Australia’s gas resources could jeopardise global efforts keep global warming to safe levels, eating up more than a quarter of the world’s remaining carbon budget, a new report suggests.
France seeks German collaboration on hydrogen in EU green recovery
11 Sep 2020
France hopes to collaborate with Germany on clean hydrogen projects as part of Europe’s green recovery from the pandemic, the country’s finance minister has said ahead of a meeting with his German counterpart today.
Adani world’s biggest owner and contractor of solar farms
10 Sep 2020
India’s Adani Group – the owners of the highly controversial coal project in Queensland’s Galilee Basin – is now the world’s leading solar power generation asset owner in terms of operating and off-taker contracted solar projects, new figures show.
‘Obsolete’ treaty must be reformed or ditched, lawmakers say
10 Sep 2020
The 1991 Energy Charter Treaty must be profoundly overhauled in order to remove all “obsolete” provisions protecting fossil fuel investments and hindering climate action, lawmakers from Europe across say.
Biochar golden opportunity for New Zealand, says expert
9 Sep 2020
New Zealand is squandering opportunities to use carbon sequestered under the Emissions Trading Scheme to improve soils, says bioeconomy consultant Dr Michael Lakeman.
Gas exploration won't be rushed, Beach tells EPA
9 Sep 2020
Any gas discovery by Beach Energy off the North Otago coast next year could require a further two years’ work to plan and prepare an appraisal drilling programme to determine how to develop it, the Environmental Protection Authority heard yesterday.
Green hydrogen breakthrough uses sun and water from the air
9 Sep 2020
Researchers have found a way to combine solar PV and water harvested from the air to produce low-cost green hydrogen, and are gearing up to put the zero-emissions fuel to the test in cars on Sydney roads.
If business must disclose carbon debt, then so should we, says Shaw
8 Sep 2020
The Government is trying to find a way to calculate the cost of the country’s likely carbon debt – and is considering using revenue from the Emissions Trading Scheme to buy international carbon credits to help deal with it.
New solar and lighting technologies could trigger an energy revolution
7 Sep 2020
Halide perovskites could revolutionise the energy sector.
BHP chooses solar to power Queensland mines
3 Sep 2020
Global mining giant BHP has signed a five year contract to use wind and solar to deliver up to half of the power needs for its coal mining operations in Queensland.
Govt report sees frontline job in biocrude for Marsden
2 Sep 2020
The Marsden Point oil refinery could be used to catapault New Zealand into the age of making low-carbon crude from forest waste.
Wood fibres report welcomed
2 Sep 2020
MEDIA RELEASE - The Wood Fibre Futures report is a welcome addition to our understanding of New Zealand’s clean fuel futures, said Professor Ian Wright, chair of the National Energy Research Institute.
Construction sector latest focus for emissions cuts
1 Sep 2020
Emissions limits will be imposed as part of resource consents for new buildings under proposals to cut emissions from the construction sector.
Only 10% of power companies putting renewables ahead of fossil-fuels
1 Sep 2020
Only one in 10 of the world’s electric utility companies are prioritising investment in clean renewable energy over growing their capacity of fossil fuel power plants, according to research from the University of Oxford.
National climate pledges must be increased well before COP, Guterres tells nations
31 Aug 2020
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has repeated calls for countries to increase their 2030 emissions reduction targets – and to do it soon.
Australia's chief scientist rejects experts' letter warning him not to back gas
28 Aug 2020
Australia’s chief scientist, Dr Alan Finkel, has rejected a letter from leading scientists who warned his advocacy for increased use of gas-fired electricity was at odds with the Paris climate agreement.
Chemical recycling promising for circular economy - EU
28 Aug 2020
So-called “chemical recycling” holds the promise of isolating toxic substances contained in plastics, which are now banned in Europe, making it possible to retrieve feedstocks that can be used to manufacture products which are as good as new.
FOOTPRINT FANTASY: is it time to forget about carbon footprints?
28 Aug 2020
A new app tracks your carbon footprint in real-time. It’s funded by BP.
Household consumption driving our emissions
27 Aug 2020
Our attempts to cut greenhouse gas emissions are being undermined by New Zealand's growing consumerism.
China will have more than 25% of global offshore wind power capacity by 2030
27 Aug 2020
MEDIA RELEASE - GLOBAL DATA: The global offshore wind segment is likely to grow seven-fold by 2030 mainly driven by capacity additions from three major markets - China, the United Kingdom and the United States.
SBC votes in new board members
27 Aug 2020
The Sustainable Business Council has five new advisory-board members.
Batteries boost Californian hopes of cooler future
26 Aug 2020
Recent reports of record-breaking heat in the Golden State may be only part of the story: Californian hopes of cooler future days are strengthening with the entry into service of new technology that should promise a less torrid future for millions of people.
Major investment firm dumps Exxon, Chevron and Rio Tinto
25 Aug 2020
A Nordic hedge fund worth more than $US90 billion (£68.6 billion) has dumped its stocks in some of the world’s biggest oil companies and miners responsible for lobbying against climate action.
More people will want air-con as the climate warms
24 Aug 2020
Demand in the United States or air conditioning is expected to increase 59 per cent by 2050.
Clemenger Group New Zealand awarded for commitment to climate action
24 Aug 2020
MEDIA RELEASE - Clemenger Group New Zealand - the country’s leading group of advertising, marketing communications agencies - has been awarded a Toitû carbonreduce certification.
Energy-and-transport plan key to emissions cuts
21 Aug 2020
Business is calling for integrated transport and energy planning to speed the country’s decarbonisation, saying increasing carbon prices can't do the job alone.
It's time to Think Big again on energy
21 Aug 2020
Paul Goodeve, chief executive of gas network operator First Gas, puts the case for hydrogen over pumped hydro, and says the likely closure of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter is a golden opportunity.
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.
From war to weather: A ‘super El Niño’ event poses fresh risks to global food costs
Fri 10 Apr 2026
An unusually powerful El Niño later this year could exacerbate food security fears as disruption caused by the Iran war strains supply for crucial fertilier products.
$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.
Media round-up
Fri 10 Apr 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Past fuel price spikes failed to shift Kiwis out of their cars with signs suggesting it’s happening again, a 'she’ll be right' attitude is not enough in a climate crisis, and should forestry be listed as critical in the government's national fuel plan?
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
Thu 9 Apr 2026
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.
Carbon ‘stockpile’ up 9 million in March quarter
Fri 10 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | The ‘stockpile’ of pollution permits (NZUs) in private accounts has increased by just over 9 million to almost 145 million since the end of 2025, according to the latest figures from the Environmental Protection Authority.
India pulls out of bid to host UN climate summit
Fri 10 Apr 2026
Climate experts term the decision as a setback and surprise as India had been using the proposed summit to position itself as climate leader of the Global South.
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.
Activist ends five-day tree-top protest at West Coast coal mine
Fri 10 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A climate activist has ended a five-day tree-top occupation that blocked access to Bathurst Resources’ Cypress Mine on the West Coast, in a protest against plans to expand what could become New Zealand’s largest coal mine.
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.
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.
Climate change means a 2004-level flood would likely be worse today
Fri 10 Apr 2026
By Rebecca Hogan, Local Democracy Reporter | If floods equivalent to the devastating 2004 event hit Manawatū today, it is predicted the outcome would be more extreme “as a result of climate change”.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
Govt tweaks consenting rules for EV chargers
Fri 10 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has announced a national reset of planning rules for EV chargers, which it says aim to address infrastructure shortages which have put the brakes on electric vehicle uptake in New Zealand.
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.
Solar energy, cheap battery storage can meet 90% of India’s power demand at affordable costs: Ember report
Thu 9 Apr 2026
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.
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.
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.
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.
