Topics tagged with 'Energy'
Entries open for sought-after EECA Awards
9 Nov 2015
Entries are open for the EECA Awards 2016, acknowledging businesses and organisations demonstrating excellence in energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Go-it-alone action can break climate gridlock
9 Nov 2015
Researchers say the way to establish fair levels for everyone on global emissions reduction is for one of the major powers to stand up and set the benchmark.
How ‘dragon water’ could power the planet
9 Nov 2015
The quest is on to develop new technology that can tap the intense heat deep below the Earth’s surface and supply the whole world with electricity.
Industrial waste could offset climate emissions
9 Nov 2015
More than a billion tonnes of potentially toxic, bleach-like waste is produced and piled in landfills every year, with often devastating effects. And yet most people haven’t even heard of these ‘alkaline wastes’.
China boosts renewables
9 Nov 2015
China will more than triple its generation from renewables, excluding hydropower, by 2025, a new report shows.
Big Aussies signal quit-carbon commitments
2 Nov 2015
Companies representing a significant chunk of the Australian stock exchange will this week announce new commitments to fighting climate change.
Why we need a world agreement on agri emissions
2 Nov 2015
Pushing for a global agreement on agricultural emissions could benefit the climate and trade, says one of our leading climate scientists.
Get smart, get e-cars, Peters urges Government
2 Nov 2015
New Zealand needs a smarter government to accelerate the uptake of electric vehicles, says New Zealand First leader Winston Peters.
How to build a city fit for 50deg heatwaves
2 Nov 2015
The Persian Gulf is already one of the hottest parts of the world, but by the end of the century increasing heat combined with intense humidity will make the region too hot for habitation, according to research published in Nature Climate Change.
Plantation boom broken, so let’s go carbon farming
2 Nov 2015
In the rolling hills of Victoria’s Strzelecki Ranges, among paddocks of pasture and potatoes, stands a simple steel monument to the world’s tallest tree.
Solar can cut our bills and still be good for utilities
2 Nov 2015
The cost of solar energy continues to fall, so it is no surprise that more people are adopting solar.
Lexus launches hydrogen 'bomb'
2 Nov 2015
Lexus’ hydrogen-powered LF-FC sedan has been unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show.
BNZ's farmers are serious about climate change
27 Oct 2015
Half the Bank of New Zealand’s customers expect the economy to be affected by climate change, says chief executive Anthony Healy.
Cities are the key, says Auckland mayor
27 Oct 2015
Cities will lead the drive on climate change, says Auckland Mayor Len Brown.
Humanity at climate crossroads, warns Stern
27 Oct 2015
Lord Stern, an expert on the economic impacts of climate change, says the stakes have never been higher for radical action to be agreed at the Paris summit.
Victoria's green efforts win high awards
27 Oct 2015
Victoria University’s commitment to sustainability and responsible environmental management have been recognised with top honours at the Australasia Green Gown Awards.
Hurricanes wreak economic havoc as world warms
27 Oct 2015
Analysis of insurance data convinces environmental economists that climate change is pushing up the cost of dealing with the disastrous effects of extreme weather events.
Big emitters shift burden to poorer nations
27 Oct 2015
Researchers say emissions reduction targets set by China, the US and Europe place harsh demands on the rest of the world, and could cast a pall over the Paris climate summit.
Quality emissions key to airline offsets
27 Oct 2015
International aviation could meet climate commitments using only high-quality emission reductions, a new report shows.
Solar goes solo on RadioLive
19 Oct 2015
New Zealand had a solar-powered national radio broadcast last week – for three hours.
Fonterra becomes second-largest user of coal
19 Oct 2015
Fonterra is now the second-largest user of coal in New Zealand, behind the New Zealand Steel plant at Glenbrook, says anti-coal campaign group Coal Action Network.
Follow us and save the world, says Groser
19 Oct 2015
Climate change would cease to be a problem if all other countries followed New Zealand’s lead and got 80 per cent of their electricity from renewable sources, the Climate Change Minister says.
NZ great test-bed for plug-and-play energy system
12 Oct 2015
A new energy system which figures out the smartest way to use and store solar energy is being trialled in New Zealand.
Worried health workers call for climate action
12 Oct 2015
Tens of thousands of New Zealand health workers are calling for New Zealand to take urgent action on climate change, which they say is a critical health issue.
Solar innovator takes to the stage
12 Oct 2015
Victoria University chemist Dr Justin Hodgkiss, whose research into second-generation photovoltaic panels featured in Carbon News’ The Innovators series last month, gives a public talk next week on the solar revolution.
It's time for the hard work to begin
12 Oct 2015
Recent trips by President Obama highlight the costs of adapting – or responding – to climate change that we are paying today and will pay tomorrow.
Scientists push boundaries to find alternative energy
12 Oct 2015
From algae to alloys, ingenuity in the world’s laboratories is fuelling experiments to find new ways of providing viable sources of clean energy.
France has a soil plan – and it’s not just about wine
12 Oct 2015
French wine lovers have always taken their soil very seriously. But now the country’s government has introduced fresh reasons for the rest of the world to pay attention to their terroir.
Solar tops renewables in Australia
12 Oct 2015
Solar photovoltaic became Australia’s largest source of renewable energy in 2014, a new report shows.
Biofuel, e-cars and trees are the way we must go
5 Oct 2015
New Zealand needs to embrace biofuels, electric vehicles and energy forests, and get rid of coal and gas-fired industrial processes if it wants to meet its 2050 emissions reduction commitment, officials have told the Government.
China ups the pace, so the time to act is now
5 Oct 2015
China’s commitment to pricing carbon throughout its economy from 2017 means that the rest of the world should now be factoring the cost of greenhouse gas emissions into business projections, says a leading public policy analyst.
Global megatrends driving our energy changes
5 Oct 2015
New Zealand’s energy sector is being transformed from a top-down centralised system to one that is much more interactive, yet also decentralised and fragmented, a new report says.
Auction 2 could see contracts total worth $1b
5 Oct 2015
The second round of Australia’s Emissions Reduction Fund auction may see up to $1 billion worth of contracts entered into for the delivery of emissions reductions from land-use and high-emitting companies.
Climate change threatens financial crash, says banker
5 Oct 2015
The world’s most influential banker says an orderly switch from fossil fuels to renewables is needed to avoid turmoil on world stock markets.
Safer battery could spark investment in renewables
5 Oct 2015
Researchers have developed a battery that uses a common food additive to enable abundant solar and wind power to be stored cheaply and safely in homes and offices.
Australian states threaten to go back to the future
5 Oct 2015
China has added itself to the list of countries prepared to price carbon. Of course, Australia knows more about putting a national price on carbon than almost any other country. And it also knows about dismantling such a price.
The VW affair: It's about honesty and transparency
5 Oct 2015
As Volkswagen has found out, sustainability is about much more than promises to customers, says Professor FRANCISCO SZEKELY of the IMD Global Centre for Sustainability Leadership in Switzerland. It requires honesty and transparency, too.
Pesticides are not the only way to deal with insects
5 Oct 2015
This article is not about how to prevent ants from eating your sandwich on a picnic. But it is about mankind’s greatest competitor for our global food resource: insects.
Solar capacity to grow more than fourfold
5 Oct 2015
Global concentrated solar power capacity will increase more than fourfold by 2020, a new report shows.
Remote Queensland solar plant makes a mark
5 Oct 2015
Australia’s first commercial diesel-displacement solar plant has begun operating at a remote mine in northern Queensland.
Elephant grass could offer viable alternative to coal
5 Oct 2015
By adapting a tropical grass to grow in the British climate, scientists hope to be able to replace coal in power stations with biofuel.
UN offers Kyoto credits direct to public
28 Sep 2015
The United Nations is offering Kyoto-compliant carbon credits directly to the public.
China unveils trading plan and joins hands with US
28 Sep 2015
China, the world’s largest carbon polluter, has reiterated its carbon trading commitment and has pledged $3.1 billion in climate financing to assist developing countries.
OECD urges end to policies which support fossil fuels
28 Sep 2015
The world should abandon fossil fuel support policies which belong in a past when healthy economies depended on pollution, say wealthiest nations.
Investors opt out of fossil fuels as climate talks near
28 Sep 2015
As momentum builds for a new deal on climate change, investors are becoming increasingly nervous about having their cash in fossil fuels.
Asia-Pacific heads for solar powerhouse status
28 Sep 2015
The Asia-Pacific region will overtake Europe to become the largest contributor to global solar photovoltaic installed capacity, says a new report.
Arctic thaw would cost half of world's annual earnings
28 Sep 2015
If Arctic soils melt and release frozen carbon, the impact would cost almost half the world’s annual gross domestic product, researchers say.
Forests move centre stage in India’s climate plan
28 Sep 2015
India, the world’s third-largest polluter, is planning to balance development with environment protection as it tackles climate change.
Member's bill demands end to fossil fuels investment
21 Sep 2015
A bill requiring public funds like ACC and Superannuation to stop investing in the exploration for and mining and production of fossil fuels has been drawn from the Parliamentary Members’ ballot.
We're a nation of wastrels, says OECD report
21 Sep 2015
New Zealanders consume a lot and waste energy, according to a new analysis of OECD countries’ performance on the Millennium Development Goals.
Environmental groups call for ETS reform
Fri 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.
Media round-up
Fri 20 Feb 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: 'Every tonne matters': The climate scientist who wants to give you hope; Minister says managed retreat is an option; and climate change is here – is New Zealand ready?
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.
Singapore sets first ever sustainable aviation fuel levy, as Southeast Asia’s fuel industry grows
Tue 17 Feb 2026
Flying in and out of Singapore, home to Southeast Asia’s busiest airport, will get slightly more expensive this year as the city state begins imposing a levy of between 75 cents to $32 per ticket to fund sustainable aviation fuel.
Greens slam move to disband Environment Ministry
Fri 20 Feb 2026
The Green Party has joined climate and health advocates in condemning the Government's decision to disestablish the Ministry for the Environment as part of a multi-ministry merger.
Govt’s own modelling shows LNG leads to higher electricity prices than other solutions
Thu 19 Feb 2026
By Christina Hood | COMMENT: According to modelling conducted by Concept Consulting for MBIE, either developing the Tariki gas storage facility or managing electricity demand would deliver lower wholesale electricity prices than the Government’s preferred solution of an LNG import terminal.
New study looks to nature markets to accelerate climate response
Wed 18 Feb 2026
The Nature Conservancy is teaming up with local groups to study the most affordable and effective ways of restoring native habitats at the top of the South Island, including ways to fund the work using international voluntary carbon markets and biodiversity credits.
California, Connecticut preparing 'attack' against Trump's repeal of basis of US climate regulation
Fri 20 Feb 2026
California and Connecticut are working together on a multi-state "plan of attack" against President Donald Trump's repeal of the foundation of federal climate regulation of vehicles, the states' attorneys general told Reuters on Tuesday.
Carbon price drops as volatility continues
Tue 17 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The carbon market is still displaying extreme volatility, with prices dropping back to below $40 yesterday, after trading as high as $46.25 last week.
Flawed decision-making around taxing electricity to fund LNG import terminal
Mon 16 Feb 2026
By Simon Orme | COMMENT: The Government's decision to back an LNG import terminal exemplifies an egregious failure in public policy and energy sector governance.
LNG: a rational choice compared to unpalatable alternatives
10 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: By deciding to underwrite the private construction of a liquefied natural gas import facility in Taranaki, the Government has made a rational choice in favour of energy security and affordability.
Sustainable retail-office project breaks ground under new Green Star framework
Thu 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 market rallies but auction floor still out of reach
13 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The carbon market has rallied, with secondary market prices up more than 25% in the past two weeks, although current prices in the mid-$40s are still far below this year’s $71 auction floor, with the first auction of 2026 less than three weeks away.
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.
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.
Slash for cash turns storm debris into jobs and climate resilience
Thu 19 Feb 2026
A community-led initiative in Tairāwhiti is transforming storm-damaged forestry slash into jobs, soil regeneration and long-term climate resilience.
Calls for action to reduce emissions as extreme weather bites
Tue 17 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | Renewable energy advocates and environmental groups are calling for more action to reduce emissions and increase resilience as severe weather wreaks havoc across the country.
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.”
European Central Bank's green supervision grows teeth, but will banks avoid being bitten?
13 Feb 2026
After several years of issuing guidance and repeatedly calling on banks to take climate and environmental risk management seriously, the European Central Bank is moving from guidance and expectations to enforcement.
Green Member’s Bill aims to give whales legal ‘personhood’
9 Feb 2026
The Green Party wants to give whales legal rights, including the right to sue.
Claims that AI can help fix climate dismissed as greenwashing
Wed 18 Feb 2026
Tech companies are conflating traditional artificial intelligence with generative AI when claiming the energy-hungry technology could help avert climate breakdown, according to a report.
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.
Media round-up
13 Feb 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Senior UK ministers have asked their New Zealand counterparts to explain new climate policies, National’s LNG blunders are a warning ahead of election campaign, and what are the lessons New Zealand should take from another summer of weather disasters?
Wales council to buy and demolish homes prone to flooding
4 Feb 2026
A row of homes in a village in south Wales is to be bought by a local authority and demolished as they can no longer be protected from flooding caused by the climate crisis.
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.
Australian gas producer Santos wins court fight over net zero claims
Wed 18 Feb 2026
An Australian court on Tuesday threw out a lawsuit against gas producer Santos that alleged the company misled the public on its plans to achieve net zero carbon emissions.
Govt unveils plans for carbon storage regulations – and ETS rewards
18 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government has released plans to regulate carbon capture and storage in natural geological formations, which include Emissions Trading Scheme incentives, with the aim of introducing related legislation in 2026.
Seabed miners quit South Taranaki fast-track bid
Fri 20 Feb 2026
By Craig Ashworth, Local Democracy Reporter | Would-be seabed miners have abandoned their fast-track bid to mine in South Taranaki waters, saying they can’t change the minds of the panel that rejected their application.
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.
Partnership to advance Pacific science and environmental leadership
Thu 19 Feb 2026
Media release | Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration in Pacific-led science, research and capacity-building, with a strong focus on environmental sustainability and ocean stewardship.
Lawyers seek answers on climate impacts of LNG import facility
13 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Lawyers for Climate Action has written to Climate Change and Energy Minister Simon Watts warning that the Government's plan for an LNG import terminal could be in conflict with New Zealand’s climate obligations and emissions reduction targets.
Commentators slam Govt inaction in aftermath of climate change-fuelled storms
30 Jan 2026
By Liz Kivi | Climate action - or inaction - is shaping up to be an election issue, with multiple commentators drawing a line between the Coalition Government’s backsliding on climate targets and the deadly extreme weather events of the past week.
Kiwi startup takes on global plastic pollution
12 Feb 2026
A New Zealand startup is launching what it says is the world’s first plastic-free effervescent drink tablet, with the ambitious aim of eliminating bottled beverages to reduce global plastic pollution.
78% of NZers want bottom trawling banned as Govt pushes to catch more coral in South Pacific
Tue 17 Feb 2026
Media release | New polling shows overwhelming support from New Zealanders for a ban on bottom trawling in the South Pacific high seas, says Greenpeace.
Critical minerals talks with US questioned in Waitangi Tribunal climate inquiry
9 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand and the United States' negotiations over critical minerals have raised questions for the Waitangi Tribunal’s long-running inquiry into climate change.
IEA Declaration strengthens international co-operation on critical minerals
Fri 20 Feb 2026
Media release – NZ Government | New Zealand has joined international leaders at the 2026 International Energy Agency Ministerial meeting in committing to strengthen global co-operation on critical minerals to strengthen long‑term energy security.
Antarctic sediment core reveals past ice sheet retreat during warmer climates
Wed 18 Feb 2026
A record-breaking sediment core drilled from beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is giving scientists new insight into how the ice sheet responded to warmer climates in the past — and what that could mean for future sea-level rise.
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.
NZ-UAE partnership boosts advanced tech
9 Feb 2026
Media release | A new Antarctic science partnership with a leading UAE university will grow New Zealand’s advanced engineering and modelling capability, supporting high-value jobs, encouraging economic growth, and enabling smarter climate risk management, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti says.
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.
Infrastructure plan calls for ‘predictable approach’ to electrifying economy
Wed 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.
Climate ambassador moves on
13 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government is on the hunt for a new top climate diplomat, with previous climate ambassador Stu Horne moving on to a posting in Honolulu as New Zealand’s Consul General to Hawai’i.
EU to ban destruction of unsold clothes and shoes
12 Feb 2026
The European Commission has adopted new measures that will require medium and large companies to stop discarding unsold clothing and footwear, in the bloc’s latest move to target textile waste.
New research on climate adaptation as severe weather hits
Mon 16 Feb 2026
As extreme weather batters the country yet again, researchers have published the first ever empirical study of climate adaptation justice in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Study finds warming world increases days when weather is prone to fires around the globe
Fri 20 Feb 2026
The number of days when the weather gets hot, dry and windy — ideal to spark extreme wildfires — has nearly tripled in the past 45 years across the globe, with the trend increasing even higher in the Americas, a new study shows.
Hydrogen plant to start construction
10 Feb 2026
Construction is set to start this month on Hiringa Energy’s long delayed green hydrogen project in South Taranaki, after years of consenting fights that culminated in the Court of Appeal rejecting Greenpeace’s challenge in late 2023.
