Topics tagged with 'Energy'
Hands off carbon price this year, says Contact
30 Jan 2019
Contact Energy is one of the companies which opposed the Government lifting the $25 carbon price cap this year.
ETS proposals won't cut it, says carbon forester
24 Jan 2019
Proposed changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme alone will not trigger the forestry planting levels New Zealand needs to cut emissions – agriculture must be brought into the scheme, says one of the country’s largest forest companies.
OPINION: Climate action counts, not rhetoric
24 Jan 2019
By TODD MULLER | It was disappointing to see yesterday’s Carbon News claim that figures I had used in my recent article were “wide of the mark”.
Muller keeps Nats' climate job
23 Jan 2019
The National Party’s climate portfolio remains in the hands of Todd Muller, who kicked off the year with a row over whether his party is ambitious or a climate laggard.
Tiwai could lead way in new-deal aluminium
22 Jan 2019
The owner of New Zealand’s only aluminium smelter says the country could have a bright future producing low-emissions aluminium for a carbon-constrained world.
Govt gives Foodstuffs $1m for green vehicles
22 Jan 2019
Food giant Foodstuffs is to get more than a million dollars of public money as part of a drive towards low-emissions vehicles.
Govt explains why $25 cap should stay for now
21 Dec 2018
The Government says the current cap on the price of carbon needs to stay in place while the Emissions Trading Scheme is reviewed.
All farming gases must be cut, scientists say
19 Dec 2018
Cutting methane and nitrous oxide emissions from farming are critical to keeping the world to no more than 1.5deg of warming, scientists say in new research.
NZ and Europe to strengthen market cooperation
18 Dec 2018
New Zealand is to strengthen its carbon market ties with Europe.
2020 target set to start HFCs phase-out
17 Dec 2018
New Zealand will start phasing out the use of climate-damaging hydrofluorocarbons from 2020.
Fewer animals is real answer, says forest group
14 Dec 2018
A group set up to advise the Government on the role of forestry in cutting greenhouse gas emissions says the real answer is reducing livestock numbers.
Government stalls as carbon price hits high
13 Dec 2018
Record carbon prices have failed to convince the Government that the price cap should be lifted immediately.
Permanent forests become permanent fixture
13 Dec 2018
Permanent forests are to come into the Emissions Trading Scheme, but there’s no decision yet on recognising the carbon stored in timber products and whether landowners will be able to average out carbon stored in their forests.
Government announces wide ETS changes
12 Dec 2018
A cap on emissions, a system to manage carbon credits supply and prices, the inclusion of permanent forests, and the possibility of a price a price floor are the major changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme just announced by the Government.
ETS changes could see price cap lifted
12 Dec 2018
The next round of changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme to be announced later today could see the $25 price cap lifted.
Government eyes using ETS money to help farmers
12 Dec 2018
Using revenue from the Emissions Trading Scheme to fund carbon sequestration by farmers is one of the options the Government is considering as it opens discussion with other countries on ways of dealing with agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.
Our climate efforts 'highly insufficient'
12 Dec 2018
New Zealand’s efforts on climate change remain “highly insufficient” and consistent with twice the level of warming that scientists say we should not go beyond.
JAMES SHAW: A year of living hopefully
10 Dec 2018
Climate minister James Shaw arrives in Poland today for international climate negotiations. This time last year he was a brand-new minister, just three weeks into the job and announcing on the world stage that New Zealand would be carbon-neutral by 2050.
We must cut animal numbers, says new report
7 Dec 2018
Another report has confirmed that New Zealand cannot meet its Paris Agreement commitments without reducing the number of farm animals – and says that carbon prices up to $80 a tonne are needed to do it.
We're not ready for droughts and rising seas
6 Dec 2018
New reports on drought and sea-level rise highlight New Zealand’s lack of preparation for the impacts of climate change.
Tarrant to head Green Investment Fund
5 Dec 2018
Angel investor and independent director Cecilia Tarrant is to head the Government’s $100 million Green Investment Fund.
NZ will take agriculture lead role at Katowice
4 Dec 2018
New Zealand will lead discussions at international climate talks in Poland on upping emissions reductions from farming.
We're on the move but dragging the doughnut
3 Dec 2018
New Zealand is one of three countries leading the charge to the new economy – but it’s got no right to call itself a developed country, says Doughnut Economics founder Kate Raworth.
Climate watchdog calls on NZ to show the way
3 Dec 2018
New Zealand is on a list of countries being called on to cut emissions as an example to the world.
ClimCom could make methane call, says Treasury
30 Nov 2018
Treasury has suggested the Government delay setting a 2050 emissions reduction target, saying giving the decision to the yet-to-be-established climate commission would allow more time to decide by how much methane emissions should be reduced.
We must farm fewer animals, say scientists
29 Nov 2018
A new science paper spelling out why animal agriculture will have to be severely curtailed if the Paris Agreement targets are to be met could have huge implications for New Zealand.
New round opens for Taranaki permits
29 Nov 2018
The process to issue new exploration permits in the last part of the country in which they are allowed is under way.
EDITORIAL: New UN report drops a bomb
28 Nov 2018
A report out today saying that global emissions are rising again because of economic growth should be the bomb needed to blast us out of our self-congratulatory complacency.
Hydrogen confuses Government, says National
28 Nov 2018
The National Party says the Government is “confused” over hydrogen technology and the use of natural gas.
Put food first and buy credits, says fertiliser firm
27 Nov 2018
New Zealand should keep producing food and buy international carbon credits to cover its greenhouse gas emissions, says fertiliser co-operative Ravensdown.
Campaigners take aim at NZ-owned banks
22 Nov 2018
Three New Zealand-owned banks are the new targets of anti-fossil-fuel campaigners.
Why the new economy needs a financing plan
21 Nov 2018
New Zealand needs an impact investment plan to push financing of the new economy, says a report out today.
Academics call for emergency action
20 Nov 2018
One hundred and fifty New Zealand academics calling for “emergency” action on climate change say economic growth has to stop.
Scientists see new energy value in our forests
19 Nov 2018
Forestry’s value to New Zealand’s climate change effort is not in carbon storage but in powering the low-carbon economy, says our leading forest research institute.
NZ scientists work on safer batteries
16 Nov 2018
New Zealand researchers have created a new plant-based electrolyte that could be the key to making safer and more environmentally friendly batteries.
Blockchain takes politics out of carbon play
15 Nov 2018
Businesses will soon be able to price and trade carbon without the help of governments by using blockchain technology, says a social enterprise about to launch a new carbon platform.
EECA wants feedback on $14m energy fund
14 Nov 2018
The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority is seeking feedback on its proposed $14 million energy levy-funded activities for next year.
How we'll pay for National's mismanagement
12 Nov 2018
Climate mismanagement under the National government means New Zealand will have to use international carbon credits to meet its emissions reduction targets, says a leading carbon forestry executive.
New RMA will cover effects of climate change
9 Nov 2018
The Government’s overhaul of the Resource Management Act will include the way it deals with climate change.
Air NZ paves way for electric aircraft
9 Nov 2018
Air New Zealand is preparing the way to operate hybrid planes on its domestic regional routes.
Shipowners could face tougher emissions rules
8 Nov 2018
Ships operating in New Zealand might soon be liable to tough new rules on air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Oil and gas exploration ban becomes law
8 Nov 2018
New oil and gas exploration is now banned from New Zealand’s waters and from most of its land.
Nitrogen inhibitors could return to the farm
5 Nov 2018
Nitrogen inhibitors could be in use on New Zealand farms again by 2020, farmers say.
Exploration ban close to becoming law
5 Nov 2018
The Government’s partial ban on new oil and gas exploration could become law this week.
Waste Management boosts sustainability
5 Nov 2018
Waste Management is to make sustainable procurement a priority.
You're dreaming, business lobby tells Govt
2 Nov 2018
Business New Zealand doesn’t support any of the Government’s proposed 2050 emissions reduction targets, saying they are based on wishful thinking and magic.
Buying credits last resort, say energy managers
1 Nov 2018
Buying international carbon credits to meet New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction commitments will be expensive and should be a last resort, the Government has been told.
Govt backs electric trains on main trunk line
31 Oct 2018
Electric locomotives are to stay on the main trunk line.
Don't do a Rogernomics, warns enviro chief
30 Oct 2018
Decarbonising the New Zealand economy cannot be a repeat of Rogernomics, says Environment Secretary Vicky Robertson.
Exploration ban sound signal, says forum chair
26 Oct 2018
Changes to the Crown Minerals Act that will see most new oil and gas exploration banned are the type of signals businesses need, says one of the people heading a ground-breaking finance sector project.
'A sneeze in the night': Peters questions NZ's climate culpability
Mon 4 Aug 2025
New Zealand First seems to be vying with ACT and farming lobby group Groundswell to claim credit for being the first to call for New Zealand to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.
Climate change policy growing concern for farming sector
Mon 4 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | While farmer confidence has hit an eight-year high, concerns about climate change policy and the Emissions Trading Scheme are growing in New Zealand’s rural sector, according to Federated Farmers.
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.
Why plane turbulence is becoming more frequent - and more severe
Wed 6 Aug 2025
As climate change shifts atmospheric conditions, experts warn that air travel could become bumpier: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are expected to increase the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.
Taking NZ biodiversity to the world
Wed 6 Aug 2025
Media release | Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari and Ekos are making history by launching New Zealand biodiversity and conservation into the global marketplace.
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.
Carbon prices slide as market awaits ETS decision
Fri 1 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | Volatility has returned to the secondary carbon market, with prices sliding again after plateauing in recent weeks, as the market waits for government decisions on Emissions Trading Scheme settings.
Divided nations start 'final' talks on UN plastics treaty
Wed 6 Aug 2025
The key divide is whether the new treaty includes a target to limit plastic production or just focuses on recycling and waste management.
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.
Gentailers to stockpile coal under new deal
Tue 5 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | An agreement between New Zealand’s four major electricity generators to establish a 10-year fuel reserve is being labelled a 'climate change stockpile', and could undermine momentum for renewable energy investment.
Is extending Huntly power station to 2035 in consumers’ best interest?
22 Jul 2025
By Simon Orme | COMMENT: Genesis Energy is proposing a cartel to keep high-emitting Huntly Power Station in business to 2035. If extending Huntly has economic benefits, is a cartel necessary?
What does 'drier' really mean in 'green' homes?
Fri 1 Aug 2025
Media release - Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland | Researchers say green-rating systems could improve clarity and effectiveness by explicitly defining ‘drier’ and using two measures of humidity.
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.
NZ voluntary carbon market’s sad state
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.
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.
Insurers need to get ready for the next climate-fuelled disaster: FMA
Wed 6 Aug 2025
Insurers need to do more to improve their claims processes and services as climate-driven disasters increase in frequency and severity, according to the Financial Markets Authority.
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.
Can the US timber industry and forest carbon credit programs coexist?
Wed 6 Aug 2025
The climate crisis is forcing society to rethink existing technological and ecological systems. At the nexus of this challenge is how the U.S. values and manages forests.
Labour vows to reinstate oil and gas ban
Wed 6 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Labour Party is promising to reinstate a ban on new oil and gas exploration permits, but won’t say if they will go even further and commit to revoking permits if elected.
A modest geothermal strategy
31 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The Government has unveiled a far more modest geothermal energy strategy than its primary backer, Resources Minister Shane Jones, had sought.
Barclays exits net zero banking alliance
Tue 5 Aug 2025
Barclays will exit the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, marking the second UK-based bank to withdraw from the UN-backed coalition dedicated to advancing global net zero goals through their financing activities, after the departure last month of HSBC.
EU climate goals at risk as ailing forests absorb less CO2, scientists say
Tue 5 Aug 2025
Damage to European forests from increased logging, wildfires, drought and pests is reducing their ability to absorb carbon dioxide, putting European Union emissions targets at risk, scientists warn.
Airlines risk legal challenges by advertising jet fuel as “sustainable”, NGO warns
18 Jul 2025
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”.
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.
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.
Climate catastrophes are creating a ‘new market reality’ for insurance carriers
23 Jul 2025
Raging wildfires and severe storms contributed to record-high global insurance losses — totalling an estimated US$84 billion — for the first six months of the year.
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.
BlackRock, other fund managers lose bid to dismiss Texas climate collusion lawsuit
Tue 5 Aug 2025
A U.S. judge on Friday largely rejected a request by top asset managers including BlackRock, to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Texas and 12 other Republican-led states that said the companies violated antitrust law through climate activism that reduced coal production and boosted energy prices.
Fund for low emissions transport winds up
31 Jul 2025
New Zealand’s Low Emission Transport Fund has officially wrapped up, ending a nine-year programme that put hundreds of millions of dollars towards accelerating the country’s shift to cleaner transport.
Backlash over govt conservation changes
Mon 4 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government’s proposed changes to the Conservation Act are the most significant roll back in conservation protections in a generation, according to the Green Party.
Urgent action needed to get on track for climate goals - commission
25 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand is making progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but more work is needed – urgently – to set up for future reductions, according to the latest report from the Climate Change Commission.
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.
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.
NZ govt’s fossil fuel plans could break international law
24 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government could be breaching international law with its plans to subsidise and expand fossil fuel extraction, following a ruling overnight from the world’s highest court.
NZ part of hidden global deep-sea network beneath the waves
25 Jul 2025
Media release - Earth Sciences New Zealand | A world-first study of marine life, including sea creatures found in New Zealand's dark, cold, pressurised ocean depths, has revealed that deep-sea life is surprisingly more connected than previously thought.
‘Total infiltration’: How plastics industry swamped vital global treaty talks
28 Jul 2025
Petrostates and well-funded lobbyists at UN-hosted talks are derailing a deal to cut plastic production and protect people and the planet.
Why I’m in a coal bucket
Mon 4 Aug 2025
By Rach Andrews | OPINION: People might wonder why a 53-year-old grandmother would choose to climb into a 80 metre high stinky coal bucket on the rainy West Coast and settle in for the long haul.
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.
Kōwhai Park solar farm reaches ‘golden row’ milestone, marking major step in delivery
Wed 6 Aug 2025
Media release – Christchurch Airport | Construction of one of New Zealand’s largest solar projects has reached a major milestone, with the installation of the first row of solar panels – known in the industry as the ‘Golden Row’ – now complete at Kōwhai Park solar farm.
Warmer end to winter but dry spell expected over southern lakes
Tue 5 Aug 2025
As hydro lake levels hover just below average levels, climate forecasts indicate that warmer than usual weather conditions will reduce demand, but there will likely be less rain over the southern hydro lakes as New Zealand moves towards spring and summer.
Climate groups want UK wealth tax to make super-rich fund sustainable economy
17 Jul 2025
Growing number of campaigners urge government to ensure green investment is not done ‘on backs of the poor’.
Can robot taxis solve NZ's transport woes?
23 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Ministry of Transport has tested the idea of driverless taxis as a futuristic fix. But while new modelling explores how "robotaxis" could ease congestion and reduce car ownership, critics say it misses a crucial point – the country’s worsening transport 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.
EV sales fall, but it’s complicated
29 Jul 2025
Imports of fully electric vehicles fell over 50% in value during the 12 months to June 2025, compared with the year ended June 2024, according to Stats NZ.
'Yet another rate': Franz Josef ratepayers balk at $2.8m stopbank extension
Mon 4 Aug 2025
By Lois Williams, Local Democracy Reporter | Franz Josef ratepayers have given the thumbs down to plans for a $2.8 million stopbank extension to protect the town’s sewerage plant from the Waiho River.
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.
