Topics tagged with 'Energy'
EU set to turn climate agenda upside down
24 May 2013
Europe’s plan to decarbonise its economy by 2050 could be turned on its head at a high-level meeting today.
MPs fail to approve renewables target
24 May 2013
The European Parliament has approved a non-binding resolution calling for a mandatory EU-wide share for renewables for 2030, but failed to set the target in the 40-45 per cent range.
Todd takes control of tidal power project
17 May 2013
Todd Energy has taken control of the company behind plans for a tidal energy plant on the Kaipara Harbour.
Top scientist to look into the future
17 May 2013
Climate change commentator and the United Kingdom’s former Government chief scientific adviser, Sir David King, will give lectures at all three of Massey University’s campuses later this month.
Green energy in the spotlight
17 May 2013
Businesses promoting solar power, energy efficiency and electric cars will strut their stuff in Christchurch this weekend.
Pot party pushes hemp for houses
17 May 2013
Cannabis should be legalised for the sake of the environment, says the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party.
Korea eyes ambitious carbon scheme
17 May 2013
South Korea is preparing to introduce the world's most ambitious emissions trading scheme, potentially paving the way for carbon costs as high as $90 a tonne for many of the country's key industries.
China holds key to cleaner skies
17 May 2013
It’s time for China to adopt tighter laws and more regional efforts to fight air pollution through market mechanisms such as the carbon trading system, says an American expert.
Power sector warns of costly 'lost decade'
17 May 2013
Europe faces a ‘lost decade’ of climate and energy policy inaction between 2020-2030, says a new report.
Students protest at Shell science funding
17 May 2013
Students and alumni of Oxford University have protested at the opening of a new lab in its Earth sciences department that is funded with €7 million from the Shell oil company.
Buy shares … and turn the heater off
17 May 2013
When Labour and the Greens presented their energy policy aimed at restraining the ever- increasing electricity price, they were derided by all and sundry, including the Prime Minister, says Carbon Market Solutions.
Law academics spread energy word
10 May 2013
Top international law academics will present their work on global developments in law and policy in energy, resources and the environment to New Zealanders next week.
Greening of global trade vital, says UN
10 May 2013
The expanding market for low-carbon and environmentally friendly products will create huge new opportunities in an increasingly interconnected world, says the United Nations.
Europe embraces green infrastructure
10 May 2013
A strategy aimed at promoting green infrastructure and putting natural processes at the heart of its spatial planning has been adopted by the European Union.
Carbon trading tax cut put on hold
10 May 2013
A 2015 tax cut in Australia associated with the carbon trading scheme will not go ahead because of the drop in the carbon price in Europe.
Draft treaty threatens fracking bans
10 May 2013
European bans on fracking for shale gas could face lawsuits under a far-reaching investment clause in a draft Canada-EU Trade Agreement (CETA) treaty.
Power switch will cut emissions, says solar chief
3 May 2013
Exposing domestic electricity consumers to the spot market would lead to substantial cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, the Solar Energy Association says.
Businesses don’t get it, says green campaigner
3 May 2013
Most campaigns promoting the advantages of green business are failing to gain traction because they are preaching to the converted, says a commercial lawyer who has found a new vocation.
Gas emissions about to hit critical level
3 May 2013
For the first time in human history, concentrations of carbon dioxide this month could rise above 400 parts per million and remain there for sustained lengths of time.
Why coal looks like a bad investment
3 May 2013
Coal investors could suffer heavy losses in the future as carbon assets are frozen by regulators to achieve global warming targets, a new research report has found.
States miss renewable energy targets
3 May 2013
Twenty-two out of 29 states in India have failed to meet their renewable energy targets, says a new report.
Interesting price action overnight
3 May 2013
December 2013 EUAs rallied €0.18 cents to settle at €3.09 overnight, in spite of German power hitting an eight-year low and other energy markets like oil weaker, OMFiancial reports.
Worries deepen over future of ETS
26 Apr 2013
Deep uncertainty remains over the future of the Emissions Trading Scheme, according to a revealing survey of ETS participants.
Don’t deafen our dolphins, marine scientists urge
26 Apr 2013
The world’s largest marine science professional body says New Zealand should stop seismic testing in the habitat of the critically endangered Maui’s dolphin.
Here come the new supereconomies
26 Apr 2013
More than 40 southern countries experienced significantly greater human development than specialists would have predicted 20 years ago, but global temperature shifts could yet undermine their progress, says a United Nations report.
Backloading might go to second vote
26 Apr 2013
A European Union plan to “backload” or withhold 900 million carbon allowances to see-saw their falling price, rejected by the European Parliament in a plenary session last week, could return for a second-round vote in June.
Australia cuts emissions … slightly
19 Apr 2013
The Australian Government is facing calls to strengthen its carbon tax, as new figures show the country’s emissions fell only slightly last year.
World wind power on a roll
19 Apr 2013
Wind power surged to a new record in 2012, with the United States emerging as the dominant player.
Women want out of the barn and into the boardroom
19 Apr 2013
The dairy industry is looking to girl-power to combat problems like climate change and the global recession.
Hurunui wind farm gets green light
19 Apr 2013
Meridian Energy’s $200 million Hurunui wind farm is to go ahead.
Fracking waste danger to food, say Greens
12 Apr 2013
New Zealand risks damaging its international reputation as an exporter of quality food by disposing of oil industry wastes on to farmland, the Green Party says.
Russians and Shell sign Arctic deal
12 Apr 2013
Russia’s export monopoly Gazprom and energy giant Royal Dutch Shell have signed a tentative deal to develop hydrocarbons in the Russian Arctic.
Shanghai second city to trade carbon
12 Apr 2013
Just days after Shenzhen became the first Chinese city to set a launch date for its city-wide carbon trading scheme, Shanghai has followed suit with confirmation its own carbon market will be in place before the end of June.
EDS claims RMA information is flawed
5 Apr 2013
The Government’s discussion document on proposed changes to the Resource Management Act relies on out-of-date and incorrect information, the Environmental Defence Society says
Museum aims high to cut emissions
5 Apr 2013
Auckland Museum aims to cut carbon emissions by 31 per cent in two years - a move expected to save it hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
EXCLUSIVE: Upstream paddle for next SOE floats
28 Mar 2013
The Mighty River Power share float will attract at least 228,000 personal investors – but at this stage Genesis and Meridian might struggle to get more than half that.
Lobbyist wants help to fight RMA changes
28 Mar 2013
The Environmental Defence Society says that changes to the Resource Management Act give radical new powers to government ministers.
NZ firms win solar fresh water contracts
28 Mar 2013
Two New Zealand companies are taking fresh water to the Pacific.
China outlines carbon trading road map
28 Mar 2013
China has laid out an ambitious road map to reduce emissions by 40-45 per cent by 2020, including the world’s largest national carbon trading scheme.
Combet becomes minister of everything
28 Mar 2013
It’s one of the great political job titles … Minister of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education.
Drought costs power company $2m
28 Mar 2013
The North Island drought will cut King Country Energy's income by about $2 million, as the company is forced to buy electricity on the spot market.
Renewable energy share on the rise
28 Mar 2013
Initiatives aimed at cutting carbon emissions and establishing long-term energy security will see renewable energy claim a 36 per cent share of global cumulative installed capacity by the end of the decade, says the latest report from business intelligence firm GBI Research.
NZUs look good as carbon prices rise
22 Mar 2013
Carbon has started edging up, prompting traders to recommend buying NZUs.
Power plant gas emissions show rise
22 Mar 2013
New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation last year were up more than 20 per cent on the previous year.
Wind energy firm laps up UK tariff deal
22 Mar 2013
New Zealand's Windflow Technology says it has just installed its first exported wind turbine on the windy island of Westray in the Orkney Islands off the far northern tip of Scotland.
Islands eye switch to renewable energy
22 Mar 2013
Most of New Zealand’s Pacific neighbours should move closer to achieving 50 per cent of their electricity from renewable means as a result of the two-day Pacific Energy Summit to behosted in Auckland jointly by New Zealand and the European Union next week, the Government says.
Kyoto call kills off tar sands project
22 Mar 2013
Canada’s withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol has led to one of the world’s most prestigious research institute pulling out of a $25 million tar sands project.
Clean energy advocates join forces
22 Mar 2013
Australian and United States clean energy organisations have joined forces to advance the use of research and energy information.
‘Pathetic': experts slam govt’s approach to adaptation
Mon 20 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has signalled it will step back from full property buyouts if assets are hit by climate disasters, a move adaptation experts say will condemn hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders to a “dismal” future.
Methane pledge in question following NZ weakening targets
Mon 20 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi New Zealand’s new methane target puts the Global Methane Pledge – and ultimately climate targets – at risk, according to an international expert.
NZ needs to be part of a regional SAF strategy: Z, Air NZ
9 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand needs to be part of a regional strategic approach to sourcing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with domestic production less the aim than ensuring access to the fuel from one of a number of strategically positioned bio-refineries around the world.
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.
NZ not 'holding the line' on wilding pine management – experts
Wed 15 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand is no longer “holding the line” against invasive threats, with the country’s scale, remoteness and rugged terrain making control costly and complex, one expert has said ahead of this week's Wilding Pines Conference.
Researchers say sealing old oil wells with bio-oil from crop waste is a dual carbon-removal solution
19 Sep 2025
A new analysis shows that oil made from corn husks, wood chips, and other waste could plug greenhouse gas-belching abandoned oil wells while sequestering carbon for about $152 per ton.
Broker predicts all this year’s carbon auctions will fail
10 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Marex New Zealand is forecasting that the government will sell no ‘pollution permits’ at the NZU auctions this year, with a significant gap continuing between secondary market prices and this year’s $68 auction floor price.
EU plans support for countries affected by carbon border levy
Mon 20 Oct 2025
The European Union will offer development funding to countries affected by the bloc's carbon border tariff, the European Commission said on Thursday, as it attempts to soothe developing economies' concerns over the policy.
Will govt’s light touch approach lead to higher carbon prices?
3 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Carbon market watchers are hoping the government’s plan for the electricity sector will eventually lead to higher carbon prices, with the secondary market still trading sideways for the longest time in its history.
Electricity to remain in ETS
1 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The Government has rejected Frontier Economics' recommendation that electricity should be removed from the Emissions Trading Scheme.
The merchants of doubt are back
3 Sep 2025
OPINION: If you don’t follow climate policy closely, you might not know that the Trump administration is launching an effort to overturn one of the most fundamental pillars of American climate policy.
Milestone for NZ Steel electrification
10 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | NZ Steel has passed an installation milestone for its new electric arc furnace, which will reduce emissions from the Glenbrook steel mill site by as much as one megatonne (1Mt) a year.
UN limits staff at COP30 climate summit over accommodation concerns
19 Sep 2025
High hotel prices for Brazil's COP30 climate summit in November have prompted the United Nations to urge its staff to limit attendance, while government delegations are still scrambling to find rooms within their budgets.
All carrot, no stick for farmers on methane
Fri 17 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: The abandonment of methane emissions pricing and the adoption of a weaker target is effectively the last nail in the coffin of the historic cross-parliamentary consensus embedded in the Zero Carbon Act 2019.
From nuisance to crisis: New report on pest wasps In Aotearoa
24 Sep 2025
Media release: Moths and Butterflies NZ Trust | Just published is the Final Report of the Pest Wasps Survey carried out by the Moths and Butterflies of NZ Trust (MBNZT) offering a comprehensive look at New Zealanders’ awareness, experiences, and attitudes toward wasps and the growing ecological, health, and social issues associated with them.
Govt pours millions into Canterbury flood defences
Mon 20 Oct 2025
By Jonathan Leask, Local Democracy Reporter | Canterbury’s flood defences are set for a major boost, with $21.5 million in Government co-funding to fast-track nine priority river protection projects.
NZ marine heatwaves could double in intensity under high-emissions pathway
Thu 16 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show marine heatwaves will grow more intense around the North Island and more frequent around the South Island as the climate warms – raising risks for fisheries, aquaculture, coastal ecosystems and tourism.
World falling far behind deforestation goals with farms and fires driving loss, report says
Wed 15 Oct 2025
The report said the world permanently lost 8.1 million hectares (20 million acres) of forest, an area about the size of England, in 2024 alone.
‘Damp squib’ – Govt energy plan slammed for locking in fossil fuels
2 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Critics across business, climate groups and the opposition say the Government’s electricity reforms duck structural change, double down on LNG and gas, and offer little relief for soaring power prices – warning of an “expensive white elephant", deeper energy poverty and a missed chance to scale renewables.
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.”
Climate investment is only growth opportunity of 21st century, says leading economist
Wed 15 Oct 2025
Investment in climate action is the economic growth story of the 21st century, while growth fuelled by fossil fuels is futile because the damage it causes ends in self-destruction, the economist Nicholas Stern has said.
Difficult trade-offs ahead for climate adaptation
Fri 17 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | While climate impacts are already here, bringing the urgent need to accelerate effective adaptation now, the Government's newly minted adaptation framework still leaves important questions unanswered about who will pay.
Climate credibility gap widening for Aussie firms
1 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Australian public companies’ climate change commitments are in retreat, reflecting difficulty in achieving stated targets and increased fossil use, but not because of any pressure to make less effort, according to a study of major companies’ ESG reporting.
Coal imports up 650%
12 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams and Liz Kivi | Coal imports are up 650% as generators stockpile the most polluting fossil fuel ahead of next winter.
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.
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.
Judge dismisses suit by young climate activists against Trump’s pro-fossil fuel policies
Fri 17 Oct 2025
Plaintiffs had ‘overwhelming evidence’ of climate crisis but a court injunction would be ‘unworkable’, ruling says.
'Non-negotiable' – EU carbon pricing to hit Kiwi exporters, expert warns
11 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | High carbon exports will inevitably face a high carbon tax at the EU border, possibly in the next five years, and high methane agricultural products might not be exempt, an international expert told a local audience yesterday.
Deep sea mining threatens sharks, rays and ghost sharks
6 Oct 2025
Mining the world’s deep seas for metals will likely threaten many species of sharks, rays and chimaeras (ghost sharks), according to researchers.
Govt promises ‘earlier action’ in response to Commission’s warning climate targets at risk
Fri 17 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government says it will “explore opportunities for earlier action” ahead of the third Emissions Reduction Plan, and has committed to looking at ways to stop the system of free carbon credits for industrial polluters from disincentivising industrial decarbonisation.
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.
‘Weird and sad’ – Tuvalu Climate Minister condemns NZ halving methane target
Wed 15 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Dr Maina Talia, Tuvalu’s Minister for Home Affairs, Climate Change, and Environment, says he’s surprised at New Zealand’s decision to weaken its target for reducing methane emissions – and is planning to take up the issue with his counterpart Climate Minister Simon Watts this week.
NZ’s biggest ever climate meeting kicks off
14 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The world's largest climate adaptation conference kicked off in Christchurch yesterday, with nearly 2000 attendees expected, making it potentially the biggest international climate meeting Aotearoa New Zealand will ever host.
Bottom trawling a triple threat to marine environments - new report
9 Oct 2025
Media release | Greenpeace is calling for urgent action to restrict bottom trawling after a new government report highlights the compounding effects this destructive fishing method has on climate change, habitat degradation and biodiversity loss.
Lobby group launches ‘blueprint’ for ocean management reform
18 Sep 2025
The Environmental Defence Society yesterday released its plan to tackle widespread ecological decline in our oceans.
Electricity Authority proposes doubling solar export limits to 10 kW
Mon 20 Oct 2025
The Electricity Authority is proposing a default 10kW export limit for small-scale generation, saying new inverter standards and voltage settings allow homes and businesses to feed more power into local networks without compromising safety.
Students repeat request for Victoria University to divest from fossil fuel investments
24 Sep 2025
Media release | A group of students campaigning for climate action at Victoria University of Wellington have dropped a banner protesting against the university’s lack of action on its 2014 commitment to divest from fossil fuels.
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.
Record global renewable energy growth remains short of climate target, report says
Thu 16 Oct 2025
A new report finds that a record amount of global renewable energy capacity was added last year, but that still leaves countries “short of targets towards meeting a UN climate goal to triple capacity by 2030”.
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.
Climate scientists and republican lawyers are taking aim at Big Tech’s emissions
Fri 17 Oct 2025
Technology companies have long been one of the biggest investors in clean energy, but new accounting rules could upend that.
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.
Landmark deal to cut global shipping emissions in tatters after US pressure
Mon 20 Oct 2025
A landmark deal to cut global shipping emissions has been abandoned after Saudi Arabia and the US succeeded in ending the talks.
Where’s Watts? Climate Minister no-show at climate conference
Thu 16 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Opposition parties have slammed the Climate Change Minister’s failure to front up to a major international conference in Christchurch, saying it shows that climate adaptation is a low priority for the National Party.
Fix it, don't ditch it: University of Auckland hosts first Repair Cafe
9 Oct 2025
Media release - Auckland University | The University's first-ever Repair Cafe is bringing students and staff together to give broken items a new lease on life, while promoting a culture of repair and reuse.
Farmers face heightened solvency risks as climate changes: research
10 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Increasingly volatile weather patterns, higher insurance costs driven by climate change risk and global financial volatility represent risks to New Zealand farmers’ capacity to service debt and remain solvent, according to new research by Christchurch-based research firm Kōmanawa Solutions.
‘Con,’ ‘scam,’ ‘hoax’: Trump’s UN speech on climate
24 Sep 2025
The president used a large chunk of his hour-long speech to world leaders to condemn climate science and clean energy policies.
Trump administration moves to revoke permit for Massachusetts offshore wind project
24 Sep 2025
The Trump administration has moved to block a Massachusetts offshore wind farm, its latest effort to hobble an industry and technology that President Donald Trump has attacked as “ugly” and unreliable compared to fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas.
