Topics tagged with 'Energy'
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.
Energy storage solutions win backing
22 Mar 2013
Cost-effective battery storage for residential and commercial renewable energy systems is a step closer following an Australian Government investment of $480,000 to test a world-leading battery technology.
Biodiesel NZ good buy, says new owner
15 Mar 2013
Christchurch shipping executive Andrew Stark does not agree with political claims that Biodiesel NZ is a bad investment.
Don't blame biofuels, says minister
15 Mar 2013
The Government is denying its decision to scrap the biofuels obligation contributed to Solid Energy’s financial meltdown.
NZ 'solution' wrong, says researcher
15 Mar 2013
New Zealand’s “solution” to Tokelau’s shipping problems will commit the islands to a future dependent on fossil fuels, says a researcher who believes the Pacific could be serviced by ships using renewable energy.
Money worries stall Europe's e-car plans
15 Mar 2013
Plans to kick-start Europe’s low-carbon vehicles industry with a huge infrastructure package have run into early roadblocks.
Japan might re-open carbon discussion
15 Mar 2013
Japan might revive discussions regarding a carbon market to effectively reduce pollution levels after elections for the Upper House of parliament in July.
Price steady after overnight spike
15 Mar 2013
After a lack of support throughout the week, the December 2013 EUA - touching lows of €3.45 overnight - spiked up to €4.23 before settling at €3.70.
NZU supply tight
15 Mar 2013
NZU trading remains sporadic, as switching flow dictates price action, says Westpac.
Unfair to blame biodiesel, say critics
8 Mar 2013
Claims that Solid Energy’s diversification into biodiesel led to its dismal financial state are being dismissed by both the industry and the Green Party.
Europe eyes ambitious restructure
8 Mar 2013
Five weeks after voting down the ‘backloading’ (or withholding) of allowances to raise carbon prices, the European Parliament’s industry committee is proposing two far-more ambitious structural measures.
Steel mill, smelter top free credits list
1 Mar 2013
The Glenbrook steel mill and the Bluff aluminium smelter were the big winners in last year’s hand-out of free carbon credits to industrial emitters.
Airport sets high energy cut goals
1 Mar 2013
Auckland Airport wants to cut energy use by 20 per cent per passenger by 2020.
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 overhaul leaves the door open for coal mining on conservation land
Fri 12 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s sweeping reclassification of thousands of hectares of publicly-owned conservation land has met with sharp criticism, with environmental groups saying the decision leaves vulnerable ecosystems exposed to mining and development.
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.
Second fire tears through Tongariro National Park
Tue 9 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Fire crews have returned to Tongariro National Park this morning as a fast-moving fire that started yesterday threatens unburnt vegetation and nearby communities, just a month after a major blaze scorched 3000 hectares in the same area.
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.
What are the causes of recent record-high global temperatures?
Fri 12 Dec 2025
The past three years have been exceptionally warm globally.
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
Tue 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.
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.
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.
Australia has new laws to protect nature. Do they signal an end to native forest logging?
Thu 11 Dec 2025
Reforms to Australia’s nature laws have passed federal parliament. A longstanding exemption that meant federal environment laws did not apply to native logging has finally been removed from the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
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.
Ticking time-bomb in Govt’s failure of leadership on climate – Carr
Tue 9 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The coalition Government’s failure to slash emissions is like pulling the pin on a grenade, handing it to a kid, and saying “hold on tight, she’ll be right”, says former Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr.
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'.
Govt rushes to pass climate law changes under urgency
Wed 10 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Legislation to amend the Climate Change Response Act was introduced to Parliament on Monday, and the government intends to rush the changes through under urgency in the next two weeks, avoiding the usual public consultation.
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.
High risk of economic losses from Cook Islands nodule extraction and sales – new study
Fri 12 Dec 2025
Media release: Greenpeace | The economic potential of seabed polymetallic nodules in the Cook Islands has been overstated, according to a new independent study commissioned by Greenpeace International.
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.
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.
Neighbours fume over plans to axe trees for solar farm
Thu 11 Dec 2025
Diane McCarthy, Local Democracy Reporter | Whakatāne District Council has thrown its support behind residents of a country lane distressed about Genesis Energy’s plans to axe their trees.
NZ and US studying "huge unknown" in Antarctic climate science
Thu 11 Dec 2025
Media release: Earth Sciences New Zealand | Scientists are measuring a huge unknown in climate science: how much heat Antarctica emits into space.
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.
Seven EU countries pressure European Commission to rethink 2035 diesel and petrol car ban
Tue 9 Dec 2025
Pressure from EU countries, lawmakers and the automotive industry is likely pushing the European Commission to delay the revision of the bloc's ban on diesel and petrol cars by 2035.
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.
