Topics tagged with 'Energy'
Compost makers put case for carbon credits
18 Jun 2010
Compost operators want credits for the greenhouse gases they prevent entering the atmosphere.
Seven days that will forever change the energy game (and your portfolio)
18 Jun 2010
By Nick Hodge. - The fossil fuel industry has shown us its even uglier side this year.
UK minister vows to ease path for nuclear power
18 Jun 2010
Britain’s new coalition government will remove regulatory barriers and encourage nuclear power by establishing a minimum price for carbon.
New PM aims to slash Govt emissions
18 Jun 2010
Carbon emissions from the UK central government will be cut by 10 per cent in the next 12 months, new Prime Minister David Cameron says.
UK farmers show how to cut carbon
18 Jun 2010
While many New Zealand farmers protest against cutting carbon emissions, or paying the price, UK farmers are showing how it can be done.
Entries open in EECA Awards
18 Jun 2010
Organisations with successful energy efficiency or renewable energy projects are being invited to enter the 2010 EECA Awards.
Renewable generation remains high
18 Jun 2010
Renewable electricity generation remained high at 73 per cent of total electricity generation in the March 2010 quarter, Minister of Energy and Resources Gerry Brownlee says.
Green business tool transferred to business community
18 Jun 2010
Commerce Minister Simon Power has transferred the Government’s Envirostep scheme to the environmental certification company Telarc SAI Ltd.
NZUs continue to be well bid
18 Jun 2010
With less than two weeks until July 1, when emitters start coming into the Emissions Trading Scheme, interest in the New Zealand market continues to grow, says broker OMFinancial.
LanzaTech eyes oil and coal waste gases
11 Jun 2010
Emissions-to-ethanol pioneer LanzaTech is turning its sights on the oil and coal industries.
Zero carbon low on green goals for Asian firms
11 Jun 2010
Zero carbon footprint targets are "unusual" and have their challenges, according to a consultant who points out that green goals are for now still secondary to attaining growth in Asia, particularly China.
Wal-Mart went green for the money, says former boss
11 Jun 2010
Wal-Mart Stores‘rationale for going green was purely economic, according to former CEO Lee Scott.
Americans begin to worry again
11 Jun 2010
Public concern about global warming is again on the rise in the United States, according to a survey just released by researchers at Yale and George Mason universities.
Changes needed to air quality standard, says Smith
11 Jun 2010
Hundreds of businesses and thousands of jobs will be put at risk if changes are not made to the unrealistic and unfair air quality standard adopted by the previous Government, Environment Minister Nick Smith says.
'Sensible' Norway halts new oil drilling, say Greens
11 Jun 2010
The Greens are calling on the Governent to follow Norway's lead and put a moratorium on new oil exploration drilling until such time as the Deepwater Horizon incident has been fully investigated.
Vital ETS rules for agriculture emissions being prepared
4 Jun 2010
All-important fine detail determining how emissions are measured for agriculture are now being developed.
Inventor claims he's beaten energy storage problems
4 Jun 2010
A New Zealand inventor says he has come up with a cheap and practical way of storing solar energy for heating buildings.
Obama vows to fight for climate bill
4 Jun 2010
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill should inspire the US to cut its reliance on fossil fuels, President Obama said this week, issuing his strongest promise yet to fight for Senate passage of a climate bill.
We must move from meat diet, says UN
4 Jun 2010
A global shift toward a vegan diet is vital to save the world from hunger, fuel poverty and the worst impacts of climate change, a UN report says.
China to start carbon market by 2014
4 Jun 2010
China will set up a domestic market for trading carbon emissions by 2014 and hand companies “half-mandatory” targets for limiting their greenhouse gases, said a government official.
NZ owners sitting pretty, says forest chief
4 Jun 2010
A “perfect storm” may be brewing for the forest sector, says Forest Owners' chief executive David Rhodes.
Power companies look at hedge market
4 Jun 2010
Major electricity users are welcoming news that New Zealand's five largest power companies are looking to develop a futures and options market with ASX.
Kiwis 'throwing away millions' in electricity savings
4 Jun 2010
New Zealand households are collectively paying at least $129 million a year more than they need to in electricity charges by using inefficient light bulbs, according to new statistics released this week.
Power companies explain ETS price rises
28 May 2010
At least one of the power companies implementing price rises on the back of the Emissions Trading Scheme is basing its calculations on the maximum carbon price.
Gull likes look of Kiwi biofuel company
28 May 2010
Australian independent fuel supplier Gull Petroleum is considering investing in New Zealand algae-based biofuel company Aquaflow.
Global carbon market up in 2009, says World Bank
28 May 2010
The global carbon market grew six per cent last year, despite facing tough trading conditions, according to a report by the World Bank.
Remote-access meters cut energy costs
28 May 2010
A new web-based smart metering system has been developed by Australia’s CSIRO to enable householders, small businesses and electricity retailers to remotely control energy use over a broadband Internet connection.
Pacific climate change could drive droughts
28 May 2010
Climate scientists are concerned a rise in temperature in the Pacific region due to climate change, could increase droughts in New Zealand and Australia.
BUDGET 2010: Billion set aside to kickstart ETS
21 May 2010
The Government is putting its money where its mouth is with the emissions trading scheme, setting aside nearly a billion dollars for the cost of implementing it this year.
Ministry pushes to meet allocations deadline
21 May 2010
The Ministry for the Environment says it is making “all reasonable endeavours” to provide businesses with some certainty over who will get free carbon credits before emitters start entering the scheme on July 1.
NZ on right road with ETS, says negotiator
21 May 2010
Political developments in the United States and elsewhere back the New Zealand Government’s decision to press ahead with the Emissions Trading Scheme, says Climate Change Negotiations Minister Tim Groser.
Coal looks good again, says power chief
21 May 2010
The absence of a price on carbon means more coal-fired power stations will be built in Australia, says the head of one of the country’s leading power companies.
Senate climate bill seems stuck in limbo
21 May 2010
The compromise United States climate change proposal unveiled last week in the Senate is in legislative limbo, its fate apparently uncertain until at least next month.
Slump slashes Europe’s carbon emissions
21 May 2010
The recession last year slashed more than 11 per cent off climate-warming emissions from heavy industry, the European Union's executive said.
Minister's credit allocation powers remain on hold
14 May 2010
The Government says it has not considered using ministerial discretion on the allocation of free carbon credits to big emitters of greenhouse gases.
Big player Genesis turns carbon market builder
14 May 2010
Big-emitting Genesis Energy is using its size to help to build liquidity in the fledgling New Zealand carbon market.
Should we have tax cuts or extend emissions subsidies beyond 95%?
14 May 2010
ANALYSIS: Now the Government has shut the front door on delaying the ETS, the country’s largest emitters are knocking on the back one to get more free emission credits.
Kiwi companies eye $800m Canberra fund
14 May 2010
New Zealand companies might be eligible for a slice of an $800 million Australian pie.
150 billion reasons to be bullish about clean energy
14 May 2010
By Tim Watson.- There are more reasons than ever to be bullish on clean energy.
US: We’re back on top of the energy world
14 May 2010
The American Power Act, a bill proposing a cap and trade system for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, was introduced yesterday in the US Senate.
UK’s green coalition hits a nuclear snag
14 May 2010
Britain’s new governing coalition faces a major sticking point in its cobbled-together plans for a low carbon and eco-friendly economy.
Australia votes $652m for renewable energy
14 May 2010
Australia has announced a $A652 million fund for renewable energy, two weeks after it shelved its carbon trading legislation.
How Tokyo became first cap-and-trade city
14 May 2010
Seeking to shrink its Portugal-sized carbon footprint, Tokyo has become the first cap-and-trade city.
UN bans Bulgaria from carbon trading
14 May 2010
Bulgaria will be banned from carbon emission trading as of June 30 after a United Nations body opened a procedure to revoke its accreditation under the Kyoto Protocol.
China looks likely to levy carbon tax
14 May 2010
China is likely to levy a carbon tax, an environmental tax that is paid for carbon emissions, on its enterprises around 2012, in a bid to encourage the country's energy saving and environmentally friendly industries, the daily Economic Information says.
Philippines bank to sell carbon credits
14 May 2010
The Development Bank of the Philippines has agreed to sell carbon credits to a Singapore-based carbon emissions trading company, becoming the second Philippines bank to take advantage of a recovering carbon market.
Too soon to say if falling markets will hit carbon - trader
7 May 2010
Tumbling markets have not affected global carbon markets.
Forest owner pockets second round of millions
7 May 2010
A New Zealand forest owner has once again netted itself millions of dollars from the sale of New Zealand forestry Kyoto credits.
Government takes ETS hardline with farmers
7 May 2010
The Government is going on the offensive with farmers over the Emissions Trading Scheme, telling them that abandoning the scheme could lead to a trade backlash.
Why the Gulf oil spill doesn't matter
7 May 2010
By Jeff Siegel.- While environmentalists rally and politicians chase opinion polls, investors are now trying to gauge how BP’s Gulf oil incident will affect energy and climate change legislation.
Governments must vote in favour of moratorium on deep sea mining
Tue 29 Jul 2025
Media release - Greenpeace | The 30th session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has ended with Greenpeace saying governments are continuing to fall short in protecting the deep sea.
Does NZ need a national incentive scheme for wetlands?
25 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | An expert is calling for a national incentive programme to restore New Zealand’s wetlands and wants to stop schemes to drain these vital carbon-sequestering ecosystems.
NZ Post drops science-based climate target
8 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | NZ Post has dropped its science-based emissions reduction target of 42% by 2030 with no plans to replace it.
Airlines risk legal challenges by advertising jet fuel as “sustainable”, NGO warns
18 Jul 2025
Amid suspected fraud in the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a new report says the airline industry should stop calling all alternatives to kerosene “sustainable”.
Challenges persist in bid to mine the deep sea, even after boost from Trump
Tue 29 Jul 2025
After years of delay, the deep-sea mining plans of Canadian firm The Metals Company (TMC) now appear to be progressing as it pursues a controversial new path to securing a license to mine in international waters under U.S. jurisdiction.
Sustainability claims questioned as renewable diesel surges
14 May 2025
Critics are sceptical about industry claims of renewable diesel life-cycle greenhouse gas emission cuts and warn renewable diesel carbon releases will surge if sourcing is scaled up, triggering tropical deforestation as producers convert forests to energy crops, such as oil palm and soy.
Carbon prices slide as market awaits ETS decision
Fri 1 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | Volatility has returned to the secondary carbon market, with prices sliding again after plateauing in recent weeks, as the market waits for government decisions on Emissions Trading Scheme settings.
The US is sitting out the most consequential climate summit in a decade. It may offer a victory to China
Fri 1 Aug 2025
The Trump administration fired the last of the US climate negotiators earlier this month, helping cement America’s withdrawal from international climate diplomacy. It may also have handed a huge victory to China.
Bearish sentiment lingers for carbon market
11 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The compliance carbon market could be set for a gradual upward trajectory, however unsold volume from the quarterly Emissions Trading Scheme auctions continues to act as ‘a price ceiling,’ according to an expert.
Coal use drove recent emissions increase
Fri 1 Aug 2025
Increased use of coal for electricity generation was a large driver for an increase in New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions in the last quarter.
Is extending Huntly power station to 2035 in consumers’ best interest?
22 Jul 2025
By Simon Orme | COMMENT: Genesis Energy is proposing a cartel to keep high-emitting Huntly Power Station in business to 2035. If extending Huntly has economic benefits, is a cartel necessary?
What does 'drier' really mean in 'green' homes?
Fri 1 Aug 2025
Media release - Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland | Researchers say green-rating systems could improve clarity and effectiveness by explicitly defining ‘drier’ and using two measures of humidity.
Cuts to climate finance put exports in jeopardy: Lawyers
23 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has halved international climate finance, a move aid organisations describe as “devastating,” and which lawyers say could put our Paris Agreement commitments and export market access at risk.
NZ voluntary carbon market’s sad state
14 Jul 2025
By John O’Brien | OPINION: A combination of scandals, challenging economic times, and cheaper offshore carbon credits, mean that the domestic voluntary carbon market in New Zealand remains absolutely tiny.
Key orange roughy population on verge of collapse, govt considers closure
9 Jul 2025
Media release - Deep Sea Conservation Coalition | New data reveals that New Zealand’s main orange roughy fishery, accounting for half of the country’s total catch, is on the brink of collapse, with one model showing it may have reached that point already, and the government’s considering closing it.
Warmer than usual weather ahead, wetter in north and east, as La Niña signals strengthen
Fri 1 Aug 2025
Media release – Earth Sciences New Zealand | Seasonal Outlook Climate August to October 2025 suggests warm, damp weather, with La Niña’s possible return.
Latest trawl bycatch numbers 'a grim wake-up call'
24 Jun 2025
Media release – Greenpeace | The latest fisheries bycatch data paints a grim picture, with trawlers hauling up thousands of kilograms of coral and killing hundreds of fur seals and seabirds over a 12 month period.
Wilding pines threaten Molesworth Station
28 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Without increased support, the unchecked spread of wilding pines will continue to creep across Marlborough’s high country – putting iconic landscapes and one of New Zealand’s top five biodiversity hotspots at serious risk, according to an expert.
Bill to restart oil and gas exploration clears final hurdle
Fri 1 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government’s Crown Minerals Amendment Bill is set to become law after passing its third reading in parliament last night, with critics calling it humiliating for the climate minister and an embarrassment to New Zealand's international reputation.
A modest geothermal strategy
Thu 31 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The Government has unveiled a far more modest geothermal energy strategy than its primary backer, Resources Minister Shane Jones, had sought.
European Central Bank to consider 'climate factor' when lending to banks
Thu 31 Jul 2025
The European Central Bank will add climate change considerations to its lending operations from late 2026, raising pressure on banks to channel financing towards greener sectors as the euro zone seeks to reduce its carbon footprint.
NZ part of hidden global deep-sea network beneath the waves
25 Jul 2025
Media release - Earth Sciences New Zealand | A world-first study of marine life, including sea creatures found in New Zealand's dark, cold, pressurised ocean depths, has revealed that deep-sea life is surprisingly more connected than previously thought.
‘Ideological sludge’: How NZ is quiet quitting climate action
17 Jul 2025
New Zealand once stood out as a world leader on climate change. In June it became the first country in the world to abandon a commitment to phase out oil, gas and coal.
Watts talks big on energy reform, but barriers persist
29 May 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Energy and Climate Change minister Simon Watts says the government is doubling down on efforts to boost renewable energy generation, streamline regulation, and drive private sector investment as New Zealand faces mounting energy security and affordability challenges.
Hiringa eyes green methanol plant near Whanganui
Tue 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.
Climate catastrophes are creating a ‘new market reality’ for insurance carriers
23 Jul 2025
Raging wildfires and severe storms contributed to record-high global insurance losses — totalling an estimated US$84 billion — for the first six months of the year.
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.
Multi-day protest continues at coal mine
Wed 30 Jul 2025
Bathurst Resources has been forced to truck coal from its Stockton mine as climate activists occupy coal buckets at the mine for a third day.
Fund for low emissions transport winds up
Thu 31 Jul 2025
New Zealand’s Low Emission Transport Fund has officially wrapped up, ending a nine-year programme that put hundreds of millions of dollars towards accelerating the country’s shift to cleaner transport.
Last minute change to oil and gas legislation over cleanup costs
Thu 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.
Urgent action needed to get on track for climate goals - commission
25 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand is making progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but more work is needed – urgently – to set up for future reductions, according to the latest report from the Climate Change Commission.
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.
Toxic algae are turning South Australia’s coral reefs into underwater graveyards
Tue 29 Jul 2025
Since March, a harmful algal bloom, fueled by a marine heat wave, has been choking South Australia’s coastline.
NZ govt’s fossil fuel plans could break international law
24 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government could be breaching international law with its plans to subsidise and expand fossil fuel extraction, following a ruling overnight from the world’s highest court.
Tipping points: Window to avoid irreversible climate impacts is ‘rapidly closing’
11 Jul 2025
In the midst of a record-breaking heatwave in Europe, the UK city of Exeter recently played host to the second international conference on “tipping points”.
‘Total infiltration’: How plastics industry swamped vital global treaty talks
28 Jul 2025
Petrostates and well-funded lobbyists at UN-hosted talks are derailing a deal to cut plastic production and protect people and the planet.
Activists sue US development bank over $4.6bn loan to massive Mozambique gas project
18 Jul 2025
Environmental groups claim loan is ‘unlawful’ in legal filing.
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.
Tilting at windmills? Trump’s claims about turbines fact-checked
Thu 31 Jul 2025
The US president has taken a swipe at wind power as the blades visible from his Turnberry golf course turn.
Ocean heatwaves may signal climate tipping point
25 Jul 2025
A recent study that tapped into satellite data has revealed that 2023 marked an unprecedented year for marine heatwaves, with record-breaking levels of duration, reach and intensity across the world's oceans.
Climate groups want UK wealth tax to make super-rich fund sustainable economy
17 Jul 2025
Growing number of campaigners urge government to ensure green investment is not done ‘on backs of the poor’.
Can robot taxis solve NZ's transport woes?
23 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Ministry of Transport has tested the idea of driverless taxis as a futuristic fix. But while new modelling explores how "robotaxis" could ease congestion and reduce car ownership, critics say it misses a crucial point – the country’s worsening transport emissions.
United Nations carbon market rules agreed but concerns remain
25 Nov 2024
New carbon market rules agreed at the fractious UN climate summit will be a relief to New Zealand and Singapore, who were leading the negotiations, but concerns about greenwashing and disadvantaging nature-based solutions remain.
EV sales fall, but it’s complicated
Tue 29 Jul 2025
Imports of fully electric vehicles fell over 50% in value during the 12 months to June 2025, compared with the year ended June 2024, according to Stats NZ.
The ICJ’s ruling means Australia and other major polluters face a new era of climate reparations
25 Jul 2025
By Harj Narulla | OPINION: Australia has found itself on the wrong side of history.
Waste Levy risks becoming ‘slush fund’ under proposed changes – Commissioner
5 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Proposed changes to New Zealand's waste legislation risk undermining public trust in the waste levy scheme, according to Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton.
The struggle for control of the Arctic is accelerating - and it's riskier than ever
11 Jul 2025
As the battle for one of the world’s coldest places heats up, an increasingly fragile security balance may be breaking down, leading to an escalating arms race.
UN University report warns against carbon credits from REDD, tree planting, and improved forest management
13 Jun 2025
But the report stops short of recommending banning the trade in carbon temporarily stored in trees.
For the first time, China invests more in wind and solar than coal overseas
29 May 2025
China’s Belt and Road Initiative, long derided for its heavy carbon footprint, was dominated by wind and solar power projects for the first time from 2022 to 2023, according to a new analysis. But coal plants financed in earlier years are still coming online.
