Topics tagged with 'Energy'
US energy firm boosts Christchurch plant
23 Mar 2016
United States energy technology company Enphase Energy has expanded its Christchurch research plant.
Are vegetables really the most low-carbon diet?
23 Mar 2016
It is often claimed that a vegetarian diet is better for the environment, because grazing animals such as cattle and sheep produce a lot of methane, a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
Electric cars the answer for NZ, says report
22 Mar 2016
Switching to electric vehicles will do more to prevent climate change than installing solar panels will – even if the electricity to power the cars comes from burning fossil fuels, says a new report.
Beehive blind to one big fact, says energy expert
22 Mar 2016
The Government’s argument that New Zealand should search for natural gas because it’s cleaner than coal ignores the fact that the world already has more fossil fuels than it can safely burn, says a world expert on energy and climate change.
European politicians push nuclear ‘poison pill’
22 Mar 2016
The economics of nuclear power in Europe are in meltdown, leaving taxpayers facing a heavy burden as the industry clings to pledges of huge public cash injections.
Energy efficiency in itself can become a market
21 Mar 2016
New research by the European Commission suggests that energy efficiency can become a “niche” market that will attract investors away from fossil fuels.
New energy cuts our greenhouse gas emissions
18 Mar 2016
New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation are falling on the back of rising renewable generation.
Climate change lines up big hit for hydro plants
18 Mar 2016
Water shortages caused by climate change will affect two-thirds of the world’s hydro-electricity generation plants by 2069, a new report shows.
Carbon creeps up as minister talks ETS changes
17 Mar 2016
Carbon has gone to $11 on the back of Climate Change Minister Paula Bennett’s latest comments on carbon prices.
Stretching the laws of physics will make a world of difference
17 Mar 2016
Carbon-negative cars, cost-effective organic solar cells and electricity from waste treatment are possible clean energy options as scientists stretch the laws of physics.
Meltdown Earth: Is there anyone out there listening?
17 Mar 2016
And another one bites the dust ... The year 2014 was the warmest recorded by humans. Then 2015 was warmer still. January 2016 broke the record for the largest monthly temperature anomaly. Then came last month.
NZ needs standard e-car charging, says Volvo
16 Mar 2016
Volvo says calls for standardisation of charging infrastructure might help to grow the number of electric vehicles on New Zealand roads.
Clean energy is a win-win for the US
16 Mar 2016
Simply implementing its Paris climate conference commitments on reducing greenhouse gas emissions could save the US billions of dollars – and save hundreds of thousands of lives.
Air NZ's looking at biofuels again ... but will they work?
15 Mar 2016
Air New Zealand is investigating biofuels again – but an international expert says it is unlikely to do much to cut the greenhouse gas emissions.
Minister goes back to school on sustainability
15 Mar 2016
New Plymouth MP Jonathan Young is representing New Zealand at an international conference on sustainability.
OPINION: It's nuts to open more coal mines
15 Mar 2016
Work on the Denniston Plateau has now stopped. CINDY BAXTER, of Coal Action Network Aotearoa, argues that it’s a sign the coal industry is in its death throes.
China's electricity sector soars
15 Mar 2016
China’s electricity sector transformation accelerated in the first two months of this year, new data shows.
Processors in ETS could pose problem, says industry
14 Mar 2016
Bringing wood processors into the Emissions Trading Scheme could damage other carbon-reducing initiatives, such as biofuel development, the industry says.
Food production threatens to overwhelm climate efforts
14 Mar 2016
Each year our terrestrial biosphere absorbs about a quarter of all the carbon dioxide emissions that humans produce.
Plastic-munching bacteria could fuel recycling revolution
14 Mar 2016
More than 300m tonnes of plastics are manufactured each year for use in everything from packaging to clothing.
ETS needs a price floor, says environment watchdog
11 Mar 2016
The Emissions Trading Scheme price cap should stay – but it should be balanced by a price floor, says Environment Commissioner Jan Wright.
Sorry, but throwing seawater at Antarctica won't fix the problem
11 Mar 2016
Pumping seawater on to the Antarctic landmass to form ice and stop sea levels rising stands little chance of success, scientists say.
How climate denial gained a foothold in the Liberal Party
11 Mar 2016
It seems the Liberal Party is still having trouble letting go of climate denial, judging by the New South Wales branch’s demand that the Turnbull government arrange a series of public debates on climate science.
Customers want clean transport, says KiwiRail
10 Mar 2016
The Emissions Trading Scheme should be strengthened to help to shift freight on to more climate-friendly forms of transport, KiwiRail says.
Electric car sales worldwide are powering ahead
10 Mar 2016
Improved technology and falling costs are moving electric car sales into the fast lane as manufacturers are now able to achieve significant economies of scale.
Clean, green report card shows we're woeful
9 Mar 2016
Clean, green New Zealand has one of the worst records in the world when it comes to the impact of agriculture on the environment, a new report shows.
Dairy dive has message, says eco economist
8 Mar 2016
Collapsing dairy prices are a warning of what can happen when businesses live beyond their ecological means, says an expert in ecological economics.
Aviation losing emissions battle, say academics
8 Mar 2016
Climate-damaging emissions from aviation will continue to rise despite the best efforts of the airline industry to make air travel sustainable, a new study co-authored by a University of Otago researcher suggests.
Scrap carbon subsidies, says our worst emitter
7 Mar 2016
The country’s single largest generator of greenhouse gas emissions says carbon subsidies should be scrapped so the market can to do its work.
Genesis explains wholesale price increases
7 Mar 2016
Increasing the price of carbon to $25 a tonne would push wholesale electricity rates up by $4.50 a megawatt hour, says Genesis Energy.
What the White House hopefuls think of new energy
7 Mar 2016
The long-term global transition away from fossil fuels will deliver many benefits, including jobs, reduced air pollution, lower greenhouse gas emissions and less exposure to the volatility and risks of extracting, storing and transporting fossil fuels.
Warming means unfair share for poor
7 Mar 2016
Climate change could seriously redistribute resources and reallocate wealth – but not in a fair way.
Greens want probe into future of Huntly
4 Mar 2016
The Green Party is calling for an independent investigation into the best options for replacing coal-burning electricity generation at Huntly with cleaner alternatives.
Government on verge of e-car action
3 Mar 2016
The Government is about to announce a policy on electric cars - and it might include support for setting up a national system for charging the cars.
It's time to look at energy goals, says minister
3 Mar 2016
The Government says it is looking at setting national energy targets to “send a strong signal to businesses about what New Zealand’s energy future should look like”.
Yes to solar, but we're light years behind
3 Mar 2016
New Zealand electricity company leaders say solar power has become part of the energy mix for consumers, but less so than in Australia.
Here's how we can make power plants green and beautiful
3 Mar 2016
Energy suppliers often refer to their industry as being caught in a 'trilemma', as people demand electricity that is both secure and cheap, while also being clean. But maybe it’s time to add a forth consideration to the list – beauty.
How Africa could leapfrog fossil fuels to clean energy
3 Mar 2016
Revolutions are, as a rule, rare and momentous processes. But across the African continent the potential is ripe for a clean energy revolution that upsets and leapfrogs the old fossil-fuel order.
Clean energy reaches record heights in China
1 Mar 2016
China has formally confirmed two new clean energy world records in 2015.
Cold light shines on Paris climate pledges
1 Mar 2016
New research finds signs that many countries are making serious attempts to stick to action pledges made at the Paris climate summit – but others are still lagging way behind.
Australia’s pollution rising while Canberra tinkers
1 Mar 2016
Federal government policies are making it harder for the electricity sector to swiftly transition to clean energy, according to the Australian Conservation Foundation, which has just released a report on the country's10 biggest climate polluters.
Capital first, people second, says cities report
1 Mar 2016
Developed cities are spending a much larger percentage of their GDP than poorer cities each year on measures to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
US uses trade rules to hinder India’s solar hopes
29 Feb 2016
World trade regulations have been invoked by the US to challenge India’s ambitious programme to expand massively its renewable energy capacity and provide local jobs.
Will self-driving cars make the world a better place?
29 Feb 2016
By ZIA WADUD.- I started learning to drive only three years ago and – inevitably – failed my first test. Naturally, I was disappointed: but then it occurred to me that I could avoid the whole issue, if only I could get my hands on a driverless car.
Canberra backs fossil fuel 'growth centre' with $15m
29 Feb 2016
Australia's Industry, Innovation and Science Minister, Christopher Pyne, has launched a new “growth centre” for the fossil fuel industry (and uranium), to be known as National Energy Resources Australia.
ETS uncertainty is a worry, says Meridian
26 Feb 2016
Uncertainty over the Emissions Trading Scheme is affecting the way Meridian Energy does business.
Carbon budget is only half as big as we thought
26 Feb 2016
Fossil fuel use will have to fall twice as fast as predicted if global warming is to be kept within the 2deg limit agreed internationally as being the point of no return, researchers say.
2040 will see electric-car sales in the millions, says report
26 Feb 2016
A quarter of the vehicles on the road in 2040 will be electric, forecasters say in a new report.
Energy efficiency in the spotlight
26 Feb 2016
Energy productivity and climate change will be the focus of this year’s Energy Management Association conference.
Concrete innovator wins expansion money
26 Feb 2016
Concrete-block manufacturer Interbloc has been recognised for its efforts to manage the environmental effects of its products – and received $430,000 of Government money to expand its recycling project.
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 slammed for weakening methane target
Mon 15 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams The Government has pushed through legislation under urgency to almost halve New Zealand’s 2050 methane target – a move Opposition parties say disregards scientific advice, breaks the country’s hard-won political consensus on climate action, and shifts the burden of higher warming and higher future costs onto the next generation.
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.
‘Cali Fund’ aiming to raise billions for nature receives first donation – of just $1,000
Today 11:15am
A major biodiversity fund – which could, in theory, generate billions of dollars annually for conservation – received its first donation of just $1,000 in November.
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.
Battery subsidy scheme set for 'urgent' overhaul as costs run out of control
Today 11:15am
Australian Energy Minister Chris Bowen has announced big changes to the government's battery subsidy scheme amid claims most of its $2.3 billion budget has been spent in just six months.
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
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.
COP30 microcosm of difficult geopolitics, says Vanuatu's Climate Minister
Mon 15 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Despite ‘intransigent’ states blocking multilateralism and a disappointing official outcome, Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister Ralph Regenvanu says he left the COP30 climate summit feeling more positive than after previous UN climate conferences.
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.
Are rainforests now a cause of, rather than the answer to, climate change?
Mon 15 Dec 2025
A new study finds that Africa’s forests, responsible for one-fifth of global carbon removal, are beginning to generate carbon as the result of human activity.
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.
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.
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'.
NZ could become ‘dumping ground’ for dirty vehicles: Commissioner
Today 11:15am
By Liz Kivi | Simon Upton, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, has warned the Government that its changes to the clean car standard could turn the country into a dumping ground for high emitting cars, making future emissions budgets harder to achieve.
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.
The deep ocean is fixing carbon in ways no one expected
Today 11:15am
A new study reveals that unexpected microbes are quietly fixing carbon in the dark depths of the ocean.
‘A shift no country can ignore’: where global emissions stand, 10 years after the Paris climate agreement
Today 11:15am
The watershed summit in 2015 was far from perfect, but its impact so far has been significant and measurable.
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.
Weak carbon policy misses ‘exponential’ NZ growth opportunity: KiC
Mon 15 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Ambitious climate change policy is a route to a faster-growing New Zealand economy because of the potential for “exponential” growth in decarbonising technologies,” says KiwisinClimate, a global lobby group of New Zealanders working on climate change policy.
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.
NZ could lose nearly all glaciers this century without stronger climate action
Today 11:15am
New Zealand could see 97% of its glaciers vanish by 2100, with new international modelling projecting a rapid acceleration in glacier extinction from the 2030s onward – even under lower-warming scenarios.
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.
Australian Government wants EV, PHEV owners to start sending power to the grid
Mon 15 Dec 2025
The newly announced Vehicle-Grid Network is part of a plan to establish Australia as a leader in vehicle-to-grid technology.
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.
