Topics tagged with 'Energy'
Leaders must make changes, says report
21 Oct 2011
In light of recent extreme weather events, as well as long-term disruptions related to climate change, a major new report calls for different approaches to decision making by national leaders.
Study sheds new light on cattle emissions
21 Oct 2011
New CSIRO research indicates that the amount of methane emitted from cattle fed on tropical grasses in northern Australia is up to 30 per cent less than figures currently used to calculate the northern cattle industry’s contribution to Australia’s greenhouse gas accounts.
Young people put ideas for green economy
21 Oct 2011
Young environmental leaders from 18 developing countries are meeting in Germany this week to showcase their own, innovative solutions for sustainable development, ranging from eco-tourism to eco-friendly cooking fuel.
Why we need to ban industrial CERs soon
21 Oct 2011
A proposed Government ban on industrial CERs should go ahead as soon as possible, says DANIEL WATSON, of Carbon Market Solutions.
Investors sniff out NZ forest fortunes
14 Oct 2011
New Zealand should expect intense interest in our carbon-sequestering forests from Australian investors, especially if the two countries’ emissions trading schemes are linked, says a company involved in carbon forestry on both sides of the Tasman.
Somehow, we've got a carbon surplus
14 Oct 2011
New Zealand has a carbon surplus – on paper, anyway.
Windflow puts future in shareholders' hands
14 Oct 2011
Windflow Technology shareholders will be asked next month to decide the fate of the cash-strapped company.
Historic moment as carbon tax gets a yes
14 Oct 2011
In what the Gillard Government is calling "a historic moment”, the Australian House of Representatives has passed clean energy legislation which will give the country a price on carbon.
Clean energy corporation has $10b bank
14 Oct 2011
The Gillard Government has given details of how it will set up a $10 billion Clean Energy Finance Corporation, which will provide a new source of finance to renewable energy, energy efficiency and low emissions technologies.
Islands need help to beat droughts
14 Oct 2011
Drought conditions in some Pacific islands have prompted calls for comprehensive risk reduction steps to be put in place to protect vulnerable populations living in delicate ecosystems.
Abbott will eat his words, says CMS
14 Oct 2011
The Australian emissions trading scheme legislation was passed through that country’s Federal Parliament this week, and is expected to begin being passed into law by the Senate next month.
Philips wins lighting award
14 Oct 2011
Philips Lighting’s work in developing LED technology has been recognised by an international award.
Spooked Europe slashes carbon price
14 Oct 2011
European carbon prices hit all-time lows overnight, partly on the back of weak European financial markets, OM Financial reports.
Gas credits ban might catch some emitters
7 Oct 2011
Some emitters are likely to be caught holding carbon credits that cannot be used in the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme.
Windflow founder backs shares plan
7 Oct 2011
Windflow Technology founder Geoff Henderson is lending the company $150,000 to keep it afloat as the company extends the closing date for a share purchase plan.
Homeless could reach 200 million, says UN
7 Oct 2011
Climate-related events could force up to 200 million people worldwide to flee their homes by 2050, warns the United Nations.
Agency to aid world of seven billion
7 Oct 2011
The United Nations Environment Programme has joined the 7 Billion Actions campaign, an initiative to encourage individuals, governments, businesses and organisations to take positive actions toward creating a more sustainable world with 7 billion inhabitants.
Greens demand subsidy answers
30 Sep 2011
The Government is being accused of subsidising the fossil fuel industry while at the same time campaigning internationally for an end to fossil fuel-industry subsidies.
Global CO2 emissions show steep rise
30 Sep 2011
Global emissions of carbon dioxide - the main cause of global warming - increased by 45 per cent between 1990 and 2010, and reached an all-time high of 33 billion tonnes in 2010, says a European agency.
UN to probe green impact of infotech
30 Sep 2011
Agreement has been reached on a globally recognised way of assessing the environmental impact of information and communications technologies (ICTs), and on the use of minerals from conflict areas.
Minister rates ties with Chile
30 Sep 2011
Growing partnerships between New Zealand and Chile on environmental issues will provide long-term benefits, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nick Smith says.
Nelson projects aim to cut emissions
30 Sep 2011
Three significant projects launched in Nelson as part of the global day of action last weekend will make practical differences to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promoters say.
Business wants green growth answers
23 Sep 2011
Some of New Zealand’s top business leaders will put a ruler over politicians’ election plans for green growth.
Green jobs galore, promises Norman
23 Sep 2011
The Green Party has launched a policy it says will create 100,000 new green jobs through business incentives and government leadership.
Cheap, clean energy critical, says UN
23 Sep 2011
A lack of access to affordable and clean energy is hampering the fight against poverty and disease, says the United Nations.
Carbon price good news, says study
23 Sep 2011
The Gillard Government has released updated modelling of the impact of a carbon price which confirms Australia's economy will continue to grow strongly at the same time as pollution is cut.
Why Asia-Pacific needs green revolution
23 Sep 2011
Countries in Asia and the Pacific have been urged to embark on a green industrial revolution that takes advantage of improvements in resource efficiency.
Scientists spring speed checks on wind
23 Sep 2011
Scientists in Australia are taking the first steps to improve estimates of long-term wind speed changes for the fast-growing wind energy sector.
That's it ... till after the election
16 Sep 2011
The Emissions Trading Scheme has been kicked for touch until after the election.
Labour plans for state clean energy push
16 Sep 2011
A Labour Government would use state-owned enterprises to foster New Zealand’s clean energy industry.
ETS review: Act stands for abolition
16 Sep 2011
The Government should "drop the pretence" and scrap the Emissions Trading Scheme, the Act Party says.
ETS review: Farm costs worry Fonterra
16 Sep 2011
Fonterra is committed to emissions reductions and will continue to work within the business and on-farm to see them achieved.
Australian carbon bills go to House
16 Sep 2011
The Gillard Government has introduced a package of bills to the House of Representatives which it says will allow Australia to seize the economic and job opportunities that will come as the world tackles climate change and shifts to a clean energy future.
Fossil fuel investment will damage NZ's reputation
9 Sep 2011
Pure Advantage says that the Government’s Energy Strategy is an attempt for New Zealand to have its cake and eat it too.
Colin Powell's got Karma … so has Leonardo
9 Sep 2011
By Jeff Siegel, editor Energy & Capital. A few years ago, I attended a fundraising meeting for Fisker Automotive, the company that's just delivered the Fisker Karma, the world's first plug-in hybrid electric luxury car.
Carbon capture body opens Japan office
9 Sep 2011
The Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute, working to accelerate the development and uptake of carbon capture and storage technologies round the world, has opened an office in Tokyo.
Rugby World Cup more than a load of rubbish
9 Sep 2011
Visitors are arriving by air from all over the world for the Rugby World Cup that kicks off today - and the fuel consumed during these flights will generate large amounts of carbon dioxide emissions, says Carbon Market Solutions.
Greens push for Pacific climate action
9 Sep 2011
New Zealand and Australia can, and must, lead on real action to respond to climate change to save the endangered Pacific Island nations, the Green Party says.
Genesis surpasses cuts targets
2 Sep 2011
Genesis Energy is ahead of targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions from its power plants
Windflow seeks capital to take IP offshore
2 Sep 2011
Pioneering New Zealand wind turbine company Windflow Technology is seeking capital to sell its intellectual property to other countries, after suspending manufacturing in New Zealand.
Doctor fears climate treaty challenge
2 Sep 2011
A Maori public health specialist says that the Government is failing to address climate change – and that could leave the way open for a Treaty of Waitangi challenge.
Buildings will go green under $35m fund
2 Sep 2011
The Australian Government has announced $35.2 million in funding to green-up 90 buildings across the nation.
Big business backs eucalypt biofuel
2 Sep 2011
A consortium of Australian businesses plans to use eucalypt trees to produce aviation biofuel from a pilot production unit operating by 2012.
Hotel green scheme makes business sense
2 Sep 2011
Hotels will be able to contribute to climate change mitigation while also increasing their profits under a new green scheme.
State deals cut out wind power pioneer
26 Aug 2011
State-owned energy companies’ decisions to buy subsidised turbines from overseas have forced a New Zealand wind turbine pioneer to stop manufacturing.
Carbon farming becomes reality in Australia
26 Aug 2011
The Gillard Government’s Carbon Farming Initiative has passed through the Parliament to establish a regulated carbon offsets market in Australia.
UN wants clean energy revolution
26 Aug 2011
United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon has called for a clean energy revolution to help to transform the global economy and put the world on a cleaner, safer, more equitable path.
What China does is vitally important
26 Aug 2011
Is the world’s largest polluter doing enough to combat climate change, asks Carbon Market Solutions.
Cautious market mulls over CERs moves
19 Aug 2011
The market has reacted cautiously to hints from the Government that it might restrict the use of CERs in the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme after 2012.
Greens slam stand on Auckland transport
19 Aug 2011
Public transport under-funding will be an election issue in Auckland, the Green Party is predicting.
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.
