Topics tagged with 'Forestry'
Best by the rest...
29 Jul 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media: Is the government abandoning its proposal to limit permanent exotic forest in the ETS? Two court cases fighting over further fossil fuel prospecting; and why confronting climate change means sharing power.
How forests lost 8,000 years of stored carbon in a few generations
29 Jul 2022
"Plant a tree" seems to be the go-to answer to climate change concerns these days. Booking a rental car online recently, I was asked to check a box to plant a tree to offset my car's anticipated carbon dioxide emissions.
US to plant a billion trees
27 Jul 2022
The Biden administration says the government will plant more than one billion trees across millions of acres of burned and dead woodlands in the U.S. West, as officials struggle to counter the increasing toll on the nation's forests from wildfires, insects and other manifestations of climate change.
When does planting trees make sense?
27 Jul 2022
Trees can be powerful allies in the fight against global heating because they can trap CO2 and lock it away. But planting billions more of them won't be enough to save the climate.
Corporate carbon offset company accidentally starts devastating wildfire
25 Jul 2022
Last Monday, Dutch reforestation company Land Life started what has become a 35,000 acre forest fire in Spain.
Federated Farmers “devastated” stations sold to offshore forestry interests
22 Jul 2022
By Liz Kivi | Federated Farmers says the sale of 6000 hectares of sheep and beef farming land to an overseas buyer for forestry is “devastating” for the East Coast.
Best by the rest...
22 Jul 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media: How not to solve the climate crisis; Are carbon markets hurting farming communities? Plus the government’s $9.8 million climate-wrecking stimulus.
MPI calls for submissions on changes to ETS forestry regulations
20 Jul 2022
The Ministry for Primary Industries is calling for submissions on draft changes to forestry regulations in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).
The madness of cutting down forests to grow food crops for supersonic aircraft biofuels
15 Jul 2022
In June 2021, United Airlines announced that it intends to purchase 15 “Overture” aircraft from Boom Supersonic, with an option to purchase 35 more. In June 2022, United CEO Scott Kirby reaffirmed that United’s purchase remains “on track”.
Forests are becoming less resilient because of climate change
14 Jul 2022
Climate change has been linked with a widespread decline in the ability of many of the world’s forests to bounce back after events such as drought and logging.
Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon hits record for first half of 2022
12 Jul 2022
Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest reached a record high for the first six months of the year, as an area five times the size of New York City was destroyed, preliminary government data showes.
CarbonCrop units being traded again but questions remain
8 Jul 2022
CarbonCrop chief executive Jo Blundell and Carbonz founder Finn Ross says an update to their “messaging” was all that was required to re-start the trading of CarbonCrop units (CCUs) this week.
Best by the rest…
8 Jul 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media: Offshore oil and gas exploration goes ahead despite bans; indigenous forests’ carbon sequestration superpowers; and is romanticising New Zealand’s colonial past hindering our climate response?
The downside of corporate reforestation pledges
7 Jul 2022
Many big companies have pledged to offset some of their carbon pollution by investing in tree planting project
ECAN wants exotics removed from ETS permanent settings
6 Jul 2022
A Banks Peninsula case study has convinced Canterbury’s regional council that removing exotics from the permanent settings of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is the right move.
Restoring nature is not a silver bullet for global warming, we must cut emissions outright
5 Jul 2022
Restoring degraded environments, such as by planting trees, is often touted as a solution to the climate crisis. But our new research shows this, while important, is no substitute for preventing fossil fuel emissions to limit global warming.
Gabon to sell €275m worth of carbon credits before COP27
5 Jul 2022
For Gabon, forests are rich in with economic opportunity. The country plans to create 187 million carbon credits and sell half of them on the offset market.
CarbonCrop to renew trading next week
1 Jul 2022
The on-again-off-again trading of Native CarbonCrop units (CCUs) will be on again next week.
Trading paused on new voluntary carbon market platform after a single day
30 Jun 2022
Carbonnz - a voluntary carbon credit trading platform launched on Tuesday - has temporarily paused trading.
New voluntary carbon unit will incentivise landowners to preserve regenerating native bush
28 Jun 2022
A new voluntary carbon unit, launched today, will incentivise landowners to protect areas of regenerating native bush currently ineligible for NZUs under the ETS.
Greenpeace, Green Party call for stronger action on deforestation imports
23 Jun 2022
Greenpeace says a bill aimed at preventing unsustainable timber imports will do little to save the world’s rainforests or end human rights abuses.
In Ecuador's Amazon, indigenous forest defense gains legal ground
23 Jun 2022
Deep in Ecuador's Amazon rainforest, indigenous leader Marcelo Lucitante deftly climbs a tree and attaches a camera trap, camouflaged among thick jungle foliage, to record footage of trespassing illegal gold miners.
Parliamentary questions often a let down
21 Jun 2022
There is a climate crisis, but deflating people’s tyres is not okay, that in a nutshell was climate change minister James Shaw’s response to a written question from ACT’s climate change spokesperson Simon Court.
Best by the rest...
17 Jun 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media: The leaky logic of the farming sector's climate plan; analysis of how effective government policies will be at slashing carbon; and can governments boost defence spending while cutting emissions at the same time?
New biodiversity market launched
17 Jun 2022
Media Release - A new biodiversity market has been launched with the first transaction of biodiversity units between Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari (the seller) and Profile Group Limited (the buyer). The mainland ecological island is now able to raise funds for conservation management from the sale of biodiversity units through the newly minted Ekos Sustainable Development Units Programme.
Mapping carbon reserves to fight climate change
16 Jun 2022
Carbon storage capacity in forests across the globe is only at 88% of its potential, according to a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), which sets out to help prioritize locations for increasing reserves.
Tasmania's native forest logging sector the state's highest carbon emitting industry: report
15 Jun 2022
Based in Tasmania's Derwent Valley, Fiona Weaver's adventure tourism business trades on the reputation of Tasmania's pristine wilderness.
He Waka Eke Noa all talk no action: NZIEF
13 Jun 2022
The NZ Institute of Forestry has declared last week’s He Waka Eke Noa emissions pricing proposal all talk and no action.
Climate change looms large over indigenous biodiversity discussion document
10 Jun 2022
Climate change is repeatedly identified as one of the major threats to indigenous biodiversity in a government discussion document launched yesterday.
Post-1989 forest ETS registrations skyrocket
3 Jun 2022
Applications to register post-1989 forest grew by more than 400% from 296 in the last quarter of 2021 to 1304 in the first quarter of 2022.
Yes, you can save lives by planting trees, a new study says
1 Jun 2022
It’s hard not to love trees. They provide us with shade during the scorching heat of summer, help clean the air and water, and improve our physical and mental well-being. Now, a recent study has found that boosting urban greenery — including trees, shrubs, and other plants — could also save tens of thousands of lives in cities across the USA.
In Tanzania, carbon offsets preserve forests and a way of life
26 May 2022
Carbon offsets have been criticised for failing to provide carbon savings and ignoring the needs of local communities. But in Tanzania, hunter-gatherer tribes are earning a good return for their carbon credits and protecting their forests from poachers and encroaching agriculture.
Redwood could help NZ reach net-zero: Scion
24 May 2022
Redwood could be a carbon capture hero for New Zealand, sequestering double the amount of CO2 captured by pine in some areas, according to new research.
Failure to save the Congo Basin forest ‘would mean world loses climate fight’
24 May 2022
Failing to conserve the carbon-rich forests of the Congo Basin would mean the world loses the fight against climate change, officials in Gabon have warned.
Trees are dying much faster in northern Australia
20 May 2022
The rate of trees dying in the old-growth tropical forests of northern Australia each year has doubled since the 1980s, and researchers say climate change is probably to blame.
Trees aren’t a climate change cure-all – 2 new studies on the life and death of trees in a warming world show why
13 May 2022
The results of two studies published in the journals Science and Ecology Letters on May 12, 2022 – one focused on growth, the other on death – raise new questions about how much the world can rely on forests to store increasing amounts of carbon in a warming future. Ecologist William Anderegg, who was involved in both studies, explains why.
Permanent pine settings in the ETS divisive among Maori
12 May 2022
A research group says Maori in their area are opposed to including pine in the Emissions Trading Scheme’s (ETS) permanent forestry settings, despite Te Paati Maori declaring strong support of pine.
ACT proposes blitzkrieg of climate bureaucracy
10 May 2022
The ACT Party says it would scrap the Climate Change Commission and Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority and ditch all climate change related subsidies and environment-related job schemes, in its alternative budget launched yesterday.
Te Paati Maori comes out in support of permanent pine forests
10 May 2022
Debbie Ngawera-Packer, Te Paati Maori co-leader and climate change spokesperson, has come out in support of pine forests, attacking government proposals to remove exotic species from the permanent forestry category of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).
Native forests cannot realistically compensate for flying
10 May 2022
By Paul Callister - Planetary Ecology blog | Submissions have now closed on a potential law change that would shift the emphasis from fast growing pine and other exotic forests to permanent native forests to absorb our emissions. These are complex debates involving forest ecology, economics, as well as ideology. The decision will have a major impact on long-term land use, especially with regard to marginal farmland. This, in turn, will affect farmer and Mâori landowner decisions on how to...
Mystery of the missing forestry credits solved
9 May 2022
On Friday Carbon News reported that British asset management fund Gresham House had purchased a 25% stake in 12,000 hectares of native New Zealand forests and was claiming it would generate 9 million carbon credits over 25 years. We questioned that 9 million figure as it’s well above the 1.95 million tonnes of CO2 a post-1989 native forest of that size would be expected sequester.
Growing African mangrove forests aim to combat climate woes
9 May 2022
In a bid to protect coastal communities from climate change and encourage investment, African nations are increasingly turning to mangrove restoration projects, with Mozambique becoming the latest addition to the growing list of countries with large scale mangrove initiatives.
British firm takes 25% stake in 12,000 hectares of native bush
6 May 2022
British asset management fund Gresham House has taken a 25% stake in 12,000 hectares of native forest after having an Overseas Investment Office application to buy the lot declined last year.
Tasmania goes net carbon negative by reducing logging
4 May 2022
Tasmania has become one of the first jurisdictions in the world to reduce their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and increase removals to become net carbon negative, according to new research from The Australian National University (ANU) and Griffith University.
Tree loss in tropics casts doubt over climate goals
3 May 2022
Tropical regions of the world lost 11.1 million hectares of forest cover in 2021, new data shows, calling into question global pledges to end deforestation by 2030.
A $64 billion forestry question
29 Apr 2022
Modelling by economic consultancy Infometrics – commissioned by the Climate Forestry Association – has found removing exotics from the permanent forest category under the ETS will cost the country more than $64 billion over 15 years.
Urgent need to restore land and forests – expert reaction
29 Apr 2022
Up to 40% of the world’s land is degraded, says a major UN assessment of how countries manage and use land resources – soil, water and biodiversity. The Science Media Centre asked experts to comment.
Maori leaders divided on pine’s removal from permanent ETS settings
22 Apr 2022
By Liz Kivi | Maori are divided on plans to remove the permanent exotic forestry category from the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), with a newly formed forestry group claiming it will cost the Maori economy close to $7 billion.
Deforestation of Brazil's Indigenous lands a threat to country's climate target
20 Apr 2022
Indigenous lands in the Brazilian Amazon are under constant pressure, and deforestation of these areas has accelerated in recent years.
Biomass industry pushes back against Europe's plans to protect forests
14 Apr 2022
A powerful US biomass lobby group is pushing for a raft of changes that would weaken European renewable energy rules geared to better protect biodiversity and tackle climate change, DeSmog can reveal.
$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.
