Topics tagged with 'Forestry'
Covid stalls NZ's GHG emissions
12 Apr 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic has achieved what politicians have failed to do for decades: stall the growth in New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Tropical forests have big climate benefits beyond carbon storage
7 Apr 2022
Tropical forests have a crucial role in cooling Earth’s surface by extracting carbon dioxide from the air. But only two-thirds of their cooling power comes from their ability to suck in CO2 and store it, according to a study. The other one-third comes from their ability to create clouds, humidify the air and release cooling chemicals.
PNG suspends new carbon deals, scrambles to write rules for the schemes
6 Apr 2022
Papua New Guinea’s environment minister has imposed a moratorium on new voluntary carbon credit schemes to give the government time to create a regulatory framework for future and existing deals.
A bold idea to stall climate crisis - build better trees
29 Mar 2022
Changing the genetic makeup of trees could supercharge their ability to suck up carbon dioxide. But are forests of frankentrees really a good idea?
The impact of deforestation goes beyond carbon emissions: new study
28 Mar 2022
The deforestation of tropical areas is even more impactful on the climate cycle than previously thought, according to a March 2022 study published in
Indian forest loss ‘worse than feared’ due to climate change
25 Mar 2022
Forest loss in India could become an even bigger problem than anticipated in the coming years, with new research revealing climate change has caused significant recent losses.
10 YEARS AGO...
22 Mar 2022
Ten years ago, US expert Dr Richard Phillips said New Zealand had a once in a decade opportunity to build a combined pulp and paper mill that could produce biofuel.
10 YEARS AGO...
21 Mar 2022
Ten years ago, Carbon News reported increased interest in the Permanent Forest Sink initiative.
Forest clearing for crops in Papua may unleash massive emissions
9 Mar 2022
A plan to clear forests in Indonesia’s easternmost region of Papua for food crops will release as much greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as Australia emits in an entire year, according to a new analysis.
Windfall for Aussie farmers as government changes carbon credit rules
4 Mar 2022
Australian carbon farmers and landholders are set for a potential windfall of almost $2.6 billion from a surprise Morrison government decision that allows them to tap into surging market demand for Australian Carbon Credit Units.
Timber giant quietly converts Congo logging sites to carbon schemes
4 Mar 2022
A major European logging firm may have illegally converted more than a dozen of its timber concessions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo into so-called conservation concessions, a new investigation can reveal.
Govt proposes excluding permanent exotic forests from ETS
3 Mar 2022
The government has released a discussion document that proposes removing exotic forests – such as pinus radiata – from being registered under the permanent post-1989 category of New Zealand’s Emission Trading Scheme
The UN’s climate report highlights the dangers of natural solutions
2 Mar 2022
A variety of researchers have highlighted the potential to leverage nature to combat climate change, by planting trees or growing crops to suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
Deforestation emissions far higher than previously thought: study
1 Mar 2022
Carbon emissions from tropical deforestation this century are far higher than previously thought, doubling in just two decades and continuing to accelerate, according to a study.
Using land to tackle climate change could have ‘adverse impacts’ on global hunger
28 Feb 2022
Relying heavily on land use to tackle climate change could slow the decline in global hunger, according to new research published in Nature Food.
Forestry rule changes could jeopardise net zero target: Forest Owners Assoc
24 Feb 2022
CABINET has approved changes to the Overseas Investment Act that will make it harder for overseas buyers to convert farmland to forestry, a move the Forest Owners Association says could jeopardise the country’s Net Zero target.
10 YEARS AGO...
21 Feb 2022
Ten years ago, farmers were taking advantage of low carbon prices to convert pre-1990 forests into pastoral farm land.
Carbon farmers could “walk away” from liabilities: report warns
17 Feb 2022
A discussion document, funded by farming groups and councils, is warning investors could plant pinus radiata at high density for carbon only yields and then "walk away" from their emission liabilities (and pest, disease and fire risk) by winding up their limited liability companies.
Forests follow unexpected—and surprisingly fast—paths to recovery
17 Feb 2022
A new study found that carbon, nitrogen and soil density in cleared forests reached 90% of levels in untouched forests after 1 to 9 years. They key was leaving them alone.
Amazon deforestation: Record high destruction of trees in January
15 Feb 2022
The number of trees cut down in the Brazilian Amazon in January far exceeded deforestation for the same month last year, according to government satellite data.
What’s driving the remarkable decline of urban sprawl in the US?
3 Feb 2022
Rising gas prices prevented the development of 4.19 million acres of forest and agricultural land in the U.S. between 2000 and 2015, according to a new study. The findings enhance understanding of the dynamics underlying urban sprawl.
Future forests will have smaller trees and soak up less carbon: study
28 Jan 2022
There is no crystal ball to tell ecologists how forests of the future will respond to the changing climate, but a University of Arizona-led team of researchers may have created the next best thing.
14,000 hectares of farm land converted to forestry in first six months of 2021
20 Dec 2021
More than 14,000 hectares of beef and sheep farm land was bought for forestry conversions in the first six months of 2021, according to a report commissioned by Beef + Lamb New Zealand.
When carbon credits drive people from their homes
13 Dec 2021
The Mayo River begins in the tropical cloud forests of Northeastern Peru. Where the Andean foothills meet the Amazonian plains, bromeliads, ferns, and mosses grow under palms, tropical hardwoods, and the liana vines that climb their trunks.
Land and water ecosystems, 'stressed to a critical point': FAO
13 Dec 2021
Land and water resources are “stressed to a critical point”, following significant deterioration over the past decade, according to a major new report released on Thursday by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Corporations are turning to forest credits in the race to go 'carbon-neutral.' Advocates worry about 'greenwashing.'
6 Dec 2021
In the forests of Guatemala, China and Scotland, oil giant Royal Dutch Shell is planting tens of thousands of trees that suck greenhouse gas out of the air, allowing customers who buy its fuel to claim their driving is carbon-neutral — at least on paper.
NZ ETS Look-Up tables should be altered to include planted native forests: Pure Advantage
3 Dec 2021
New research by environmental group Pure Advantage shows that the difference in carbon sequestration rates of pine and planted native forests is much less than previously thought.
Government told to reform ETS to incentivise natives over pines
24 Nov 2021
A coalition of environmental groups and high-profile environmentalists is calling on the government to reform the Emissions Trading Scheme to prioritise the planting of native forests.
Forest & Bird takes aim at government’s climate policies
22 Nov 2021
Forest & Bird has launched a billboard campaign taking aim at the government’s track record on climate change and the environment.
Forest deal may not be enough to save the trees
10 Nov 2021
THE COP26 deal to limit deforestation and boost tree planting is only a small step toward slowing global warming, and key nations show few signs of adhering to the pact, writes Bob Berwyn of Inside Climate News.
Why planting trees is no silver bullet against climate change
1 Nov 2021
“Nature-based solutions” are gaining traction as a means of fighting climate change while protecting biodiversity. Tree planting, a key part of several countries’ COP26 pledges, is one such proposal – but experts say that reforestation, while essential, is far from a silver bullet against climate crises.
World's most highly protected forests are now net emitters of carbon
29 Oct 2021
Humans and climate change have transformed 10 of the world’s most highly protected forests into net emitters of carbon over the past 20 years, according to a new report
On forestry, COP26 must avoid double counting of carbon removals: scientist
28 Oct 2021
Global leaders must not allow the double counting of emissions removals from forestry during negotiations at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, says Professor Jean-Pascal van Ypersele.
How one woman protected millions of acres
28 Oct 2021
The first thing Kristine McDivitt Tompkins had to do when she arrived in Chile more than three decades ago was tear down fences. Demolishing 700 kilometers of barbed wire in the rough terrain that she and her husband bought was back-breaking work, but overcoming barriers in the minds of the locals was much harder. “
Strong business support for mandatory climate change risk reporting
21 Oct 2021
Eighty-six per cent of businesses that made submissions on the Climate Related Disclosures Bill supported mandatory disclosure, climate change minister James Shaw told a briefing on a governance and risk management consultation document released yesterday.
Mozambique first country to receive World Bank forestry emission reducation payment
18 Oct 2021
Mozambique has become the first country to receive payments from a World Bank trust fund for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation—commonly known as REDD+.
NZ ranks 9th in KPMG Net Zero Readiness Survey
15 Oct 2021
NEW ZEALAND'S agri-food sector is ranked first for decarbonisation in KPMG’s Net Zero Readiness Survey – a result that will be welcomed by the farming industry and raise eyebrows among environmentalists.
Cash injection For ‘pine to natives’ forest conversion project
14 Oct 2021
The country’s largest ‘pine to natives’ forest conversion project has been given a $15,000 cash injection by a leading producer of radiata pine products.
10 YEARS AGO...
13 Oct 2021
Ten years ago, an Australian forestry investors predicted there would be growing interest in our forest as carbon sinks from across the Tasman.
NZ tops list of highest CO2 emissions per capita since 1850
6 Oct 2021
New Zealand is arguably responsible for the highest per capita emissions of carbon dioxide emissions since the beginning of the industrial revolution, according to a just released report by Carbon Brief.
Hawke's Bay partners with the Nature Conservancy
6 Oct 2021
Media Release - Hawke's Bay Regional Council partnering with global environmental organisation The Nature Conservancy.
Carbon offset market will grow 50 times to meet 2050 net-zero emissions goals: Bank of America
28 Sep 2021
The carbon offset market may grow by as much as 50 times if companies are going to meet their 2050 net zero greenhouse gas emissions goals, according to the Bank of America.
First credits sold under Queensland's carbon scheme
22 Sep 2021
A central Queensland couple has become the first to sell carbon credits under the state government's Land Restoration Fund (LRF).
Deadwood releasing 10.9 gigatons of carbon every year
21 Sep 2021
Decaying wood releases around 10.9 gigatons of carbon worldwide every year, according to a new study by an international team of scientists.
Battle lines being drawn over role of pine in climate change mitigation
17 Sep 2021
The Environmental Defence Society has called for an “urgent reset” of the Emissions Trading Scheme to avoid large swathes of the countryside being covered in pine plantations
Price of carbon drives new forestry fund
13 Sep 2021
A new fund to finance the planting of pines trees on marginal agricultural land has been launched today.
Not seeing the wood for the trees—the EU’s environmental blunder
8 Sep 2021
The European Union is leading the world in adopting limits on greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions, notably via hefty carbon taxes. New policies always experience teething problems but an EU environmental regulation adopted in 2009 has become an embarrassing own goal.
Almost a third of world’s tree species face extinction: report
2 Sep 2021
Almost a third of the world’s tree species are at risk of extinction, while hundreds are on the brink of being wiped out, according to a new report.
Africa's mountain forests store more carbon than previously thought
27 Aug 2021
Tropical forests may be local to the tropics, yet they all have global benefits. In addition to serving as refuges of the planet’s stunning, if shrinking, biodiversity, these forests store large amounts of carbon, which helps offset our emissions and mitigate climate change.
Price of carbon driving forestry conversions
5 Aug 2021
Research commissioned by Beef + Lamb New Zealand has found that about 26,550 hectares of farmland has been sold to “carbon-only” entities since 2017.
$235 billion worth of NZ buildings exposed to flooding
Thu 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.
Look out for these 8 big ag greenwashing terms at COP30
Tue 28 Oct 2025
Food and farming companies will claim agriculture is the solution to the climate crisis at the Brazil summit — even though food drives a third of global warming.
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.
Celebrities slam mining plans
Tue 28 Oct 2025
Actor Sam Neill has slammed plans for a gold mine in Otago, while Denniston Rose author Jenny Pattrick is backing a petition that would stop a coalmine on the West Coast.
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.
Taxonomy seen as key to shaping NZ’s voluntary nature credit market
Thu 30 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Experts say aligning the New Zealand Sustainable Finance Taxonomy with the development of voluntary nature credit markets could strengthen credibility, streamline investment, and support high-integrity environmental outcomes.
The Yangtze River is becoming the world’s largest electrified trade corridor
Thu 30 Oct 2025
The Gezhouba, a new 13,000-ton all-electric bulk carrier launched in Yichang, is more than a technical milestone. It is a sign that the electrification of inland shipping is moving from concept to inevitability.
‘Plain old dull’: NZU market continues to limp sideways
24 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The NZU market has been “plain old dull” in recent months, with activity driven mainly by credit opportunities or a specific need to raise cash, according to Lizzie Chambers of trading platform Carbon Match.
Genesis doubles down on Huntly as renewables ramp up
24 Oct 2025
Genesis Energy is doubling down on Huntly’s role as New Zealand’s energy backstop while accelerating one of the country’s largest pipelines of new renewable generation.
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.
Carbon Finance Program upscales efforts to close climate investment gap in climate vulnerable nations
22 Oct 2025
Media release | The Climate Vulnerable Forum and its V20 Finance Ministers (CVF-V20) will work with the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) to upscale the Carbon Finance Program in reach and impact, supporting more climate-vulnerable countries to host high-integrity carbon projects that yield tangible climate, nature, and sustainable development benefits.
All carrot, no stick for farmers on methane
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.
Lake Onslow battery project set for revival?
Wed 29 Oct 2025
A newly formed private consortium has emerged with plans to finance and build the massive Lake Onslow pumped-hydro project, despite the coalition government’s decision to abandon the scheme.
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.
What makes Melissa such a dangerous storm?
Thu 30 Oct 2025
A very powerful hurricane has made landfall in Jamaica and is the strongest storm to hit the Caribbean island in modern history.
NZ marine heatwaves could double in intensity under high-emissions pathway
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.
Oil firm TotalEnergies made misleading green statements, court rules
Tue 28 Oct 2025
A French oil company engaged in “misleading commercial practices” about the scope of its environmental commitments, a court has ruled.
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.”
Super Fund smashes decarbonisation goals
23 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The New Zealand Superannuation Fund continues to blow through its self-imposed targets for decarbonising its investment portfolio, increasing its exposure to fast-growing green technology opportunities in the process, according to its 2025 climate statement.
No major banks have yet committed to stop funding new oil, gas and coal, research finds
24 Oct 2025
‘The objectives of the Paris agreement are slipping further out of reach,’ say researchers.
Is greenhushing the new greenwashing? Or something else entirely
24 Oct 2025
Companies used to be accused of faking sustainability via greenwashing. Now some are hiding actual climate progress.
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.
Vero warns losses to rise 26% by 2050 over extreme weather
Wed 29 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Extreme weather could drive a 19–26% spike in annual insurance losses by 2050, fuelled by rising seas and more intense flooding, according to Vero’s latest Climate-Related Disclosures Report.
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.
Norway faces European Court climate ruling over oil licences
Wed 29 Oct 2025
The European Court of Human Rights will decide on Tuesday if Norway breached its climate obligations when it awarded Arctic oil exploration licenses in 2016.
Nelson commuters urged to ditch car once a week
22 Oct 2025
By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | Nelson has a bold carbon emission reduction target and residents are being encouraged to leave the car at home one day a week to help meet it.
Bill to ban new coal mines fails at first reading
24 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A bid to outlaw new coal mines was defeated at its first hurdle in Parliament this week, after a heated debate pitting climate imperatives against energy security and affordability.
Govt ‘captured by industry’ on methane – Carr
21 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Former Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr says that recent moves to weaken methane targets and halt plans for agricultural emissions pricing show the Government has been captured by industry.
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.
Climate impacts hit NZ with increasing wild weather
23 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand is facing a triple whammy of climate impacts today, with severe winds and rainfall predicted for much of the country while some areas are still dealing with wildfires ignited earlier in the week.
‘Weird and sad’ – Tuvalu Climate Minister condemns NZ halving methane target
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.
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.
FMA grants temporary 'no action' relief for for firms set to exit climate reporting regime
Wed 29 Oct 2025
The Financial Markets Authority has announced it won't take action against companies expecting to fall out of mandatory climate reporting obligations, if they fail to lodge climate statements while the law changes are pending.
Judge dismisses suit by young climate activists against Trump’s pro-fossil fuel policies
17 Oct 2025
Plaintiffs had ‘overwhelming evidence’ of climate crisis but a court injunction would be ‘unworkable’, ruling says.
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.
Difficult trade-offs ahead for climate adaptation
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.
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
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.
Councillor calls out ‘anti-EV propaganda’ after fatal bus fire
Wed 29 Oct 2025
By Torika Tokalau, Local Democracy Reporter | An Auckland councillor says he's disappointed with the level of misinformation circulating about a fatal collision involving an electric bus and car last week.
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.
Council buys dairy farm to help clean up Lake Rotorua
21 Oct 2025
Bay of Plenty Regional Council has bought a 266-hectare dairy farm in the Lake Rotorua catchment and plans to retire it from production to reduce nitrogen entering the lake.
Adaptation plan at odds with public sentiment: survey
21 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s position on climate adaptation buyouts shows a disconnect with public opinion, according to survey findings from insurer Suncorp NZ.
‘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.
