Topics tagged with 'Green finance'
SBTi releases Net Zero Standard for banks, investors
24 Jul 2025
The Science Based Targets initiative announced the release of its finalised Financial Institutions Net-Zero Standard, aimed at enabling banks and investors to set net zero-aligned targets for their lending, investing, insurance and capital markets activities.
Australia's big companies face critical net zero investment gap
22 Jul 2025
Media release – Investor Group on Climate Change | New research reveals Australia’s highest emitting companies are failing to back their net zero commitments with adequate investment, highlighting the need for a strong 2035 emissions reduction target and net zero plans to ensure Australia’s transition.
Expert rejects farmers call to ditch green investment framework
17 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Scrapping a proposed 'green' finance taxonomy before work on it is even finished would risk New Zealand being left behind in the transition to more sustainable systems, according to an expert.
Farmers slam proposed guidelines for sustainable finance
16 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | Federated Farmers is calling on the government to scrap its proposed framework for ‘green’ finance, saying it is ideologically driven, unworkable, and risks harming rural communities.
Debanking bill 'financially dangerous'
15 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A private member’s bill aiming to stop financial institutions from considering ESG factors has been slammed by leading investment groups, legal experts, and climate finance advocates as misguided, financially dangerous, and legislative overreach.
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.
Net-zero much cheaper than thought for UK – and unchecked global warming far more costly
9 Jul 2025
Reaching net-zero will be much cheaper for the UK government than previously expected – and the economic damages of unmitigated climate change far more severe.
Electrification challenge for politicians, regulators
27 May 2025
Rewiring Aotearoa is calling for stronger political leadership to bring its vision of a cheaper, cleaner and stronger energy system to life, with the launch of its policy manifesto today.
Kiwi cleantech companies on the world stage
27 May 2025
Six New Zealand 'cleantech' companies were in Singapore earlier this month, along with a venture capital firm and the MacDiarmid Institute, to meet investors and multinational partners.
Budget 2025 needs to prioritise a thriving and resilient Pacific region
16 May 2025
Media release | World Vision New Zealand is urging the government to prioritise Pacific prosperity and resilience with strong investment in climate finance and foreign aid as part of Budget 2025.
Greens promise to rapidly reduce emissions in new Green Budget
14 May 2025
By Shannon Williams | The Green Party has unveiled its alternative Green Budget, promising bold investments to tackle the climate crisis and deliver cleaner air, water, and soil.
Banking regulators agree to prioritise climate risk work
14 May 2025
Global banking regulators on Monday agreed to intensify efforts to better understand the financial risks posed by climate change amid pushback from the United States.
Germany’s €100 billion green gamble: Inside the nation’s bold climate investment
13 May 2025
In the race for a net-zero future —Germany’s latest €100 billion climate investment package is so large it has been dubbed a "green bombshell."
Owning a green home could cut mortgage payback time by two years
9 May 2025
A green certified home plus a green mortgage and associated energy bill savings could save Kiwi families up to $98,800 over the course of their mortgage - the equivalent of being mortgage-free several years early, according to new research.
EECA and Centre for Sustainable Finance partner to unlock private capital for clean energy
1 May 2025
Media release | The Centre for Sustainable Finance: Toitū Tahua (CSF) and EECA (Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority) have, today, announced a strategic partnership to accelerate private investment in New Zealand’s energy transition. This collaboration aims to address barriers to financing renewable energy projects and energy efficiency projects.
Second 'woke banks' bill aims to remove climate disclosures
30 Apr 2025
By Shannon Williams | The ACT Party has joined the fight against so-called "woke" banks by introducing a member’s bill aimed at repealing laws that require banks and other financial institutions to report on climate-related disclosures.
Experts slam govt decision to wind down green investment bank
9 Apr 2025
The government’s move to scrap its green investment bank is a step backwards for emissions reductions and doesn’t stack up with the National Party’s economic and energy transition strategies, according to sustainable finance experts.
Risky business – banks must consider climate risks, commissioner says
3 Apr 2025
Banks considering climate risks is prudent business practice, not just environmental activism, according to Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton.
Germany’s €100bn climate funding
24 Mar 2025
Germany’s parliament has voted to create a €500bn defence and infrastructure fund and relax “constitutionally-protected debt rules,” with “the last-minute backing of the Greens” in return for guarantees that €100bn of the funds destined for infrastructure would be allocated for climate and economic transformation investments.
Carbon credit deal to provide windfall for Maori landowners
21 Mar 2025
By Moana Ellis, Local Democracy Reporting | An isolated Maori Land Trust in the central North Island has sealed a groundbreaking carbon credit deal, securing millions for its 4000 owners and tens of thousands of beneficiaries.
New report exposes climate finance failures
20 Mar 2025
Media release | A new climate finance report highlights failings in funding urgent climate action.
KiwiSaver fossil fuel investment up 18% 'alarming disconnect'
5 Mar 2025
KiwiSaver investments in fossil fuels jumped to $4.42 billion in September 2024, marking an 18% increase from $3.75 billion in March 2024, according to Mindful Money.
FMA should expose 'greenwashing' investment funds - Coates
3 Feb 2025
If the Financial Markets Authority is serious about tackling greenwash, they should call out KiwiSaver and investment funds that claim to be ethical while investing in the worst fossil fuel companies, says Mindful Money's Barry Coates.
NZ submits first Paris Agreement progress report
19 Dec 2024
New Zealand has submitted its first report to the UN on how the country is tracking towards its international climate target to 2030 under the Paris Agreement.
NZGIF chair quits following SolarZero collapse
13 Dec 2024
NZ Green Investment Finance chair Cecilia Tarrant has resigned in the wake of the SolarZero debacle.
New Zealand Green Investment Finance shares Ministers' concerns with SolarZero liquidation
6 Dec 2024
Yesterday representatives of New Zealand Green Investment Finance (NZGIF) met with its Shareholding Ministers to discuss matters relating to the voluntary liquidation of SolarZero.
Auckland Council awards grants to advance community climate action
4 Dec 2024
Media release | Auckland Council has approved $260,000 from a total funding pool of $372,451 to support 11 community-led initiatives addressing climate change projects from sustainable water infrastructure to increasing access to bikes.
Pacific Youth hope historic hearing in the Hague delivers climate justice where COP did not
3 Dec 2024
Media release | Save the Children is urging world leaders to heed the call of Pacific children and young people as a landmark action to clarify states’ obligations to tackle the climate crisis gets underway before the International Court of Justice.
New Zealand must step up and pay our fair share post-COP29
29 Nov 2024
Media release | World Vision New Zealand and Oxfam Aotearoa are urging the New Zealand Government to seize the momentum off the back of the global climate conference, Cop29, and pay our fair share toward global climate action.
Investment lagging in climate action – report
27 Nov 2024
A new report looks at the barriers to investment at the core of the priorities of COP29.
‘Underwhelming’: Poor countries push for way more climate funding than the EU is floating
21 Nov 2024
Privately, however, some conceded they may have to settle for the lower figures for now as COP29 talks amble toward the finish line.
New carbon market rules could lock out forestry
19 Nov 2024
By Liz Kivi | New carbon market rules negotiated at the United Nations climate summit could have negative consequences for carbon forestry in New Zealand, experts are warning.
What is the ‘new collective quantified goal’ on climate finance?
19 Nov 2024
Countries need to invest trillions of dollars to build clean-energy systems, prepare for an increasingly hotter world and deal with the aftermath of climate change-fuelled disasters, and the UN climate convention specifically requires developed nations to provide climate finance to help developing countries do this.
Pacific debt surging as climate impacts hit
18 Nov 2024
Media release | With Pacific countries swamped by surging climate debt, New Zealand has the moral authority to head off a regional debt crisis, says Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand.
XRB delays obligations on Scope 3
15 Nov 2024
The External Reporting Board has decided to delay the obligation to report and assure scope 3 emissions - indirect emissions from an organisation's supply chain - but has retained its requirement for climate-reporting entities to publish transition plans.
NZ experts on UN climate conference
12 Nov 2024
With the United Nations’ major climate summit kicking off in oil-rich Azerbaijan, New Zealand’s climate policy experts are divided over the value of the meeting.
Carbon markets could boost climate action in least developed countries
6 Nov 2024
Media release | UNCTAD’s Least Developed Countries Report 2024 highlighted on Monday that the group of 45 least developed countries (LDCs) could use carbon market projects to enhance climate action by offsetting the buyers’ emissions at improved rates which will allow more investment.
COP29: What is the ‘new collective quantified goal’ on climate finance?
6 Nov 2024
As nations assemble at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, one issue is expected to dominate the summit: climate finance.
Biodiversity summit makes some breakthroughs but fails to progress finance
5 Nov 2024
COMMENT: The UN’s biodiversity summit ended in a race against the clock at the weekend, writes David Hall, who was at the conference representing Aotearoa start-up the Toha Network.
Carbon credits essential part of decarbonisation toolkit: new report
31 Oct 2024
Carbon credits remain at the heart of global efforts to limit dangerous climate change, with prices predicted to rise towards US$125 by 2035, according to new analysis.
NZ adopts 'underwhelming' Commonwealth Ocean Declaration
30 Oct 2024
Commonwealth nations including Aotearoa and Pacific Island states have adopted the Apia Commonwealth Ocean Declaration.
Use KiwiSaver for climate action, urges charity
25 Oct 2024
Media release | New Zealand charity Mindful Money is calling on Kiwis to drive climate action with their investments.
Govt finances still don’t recognise climate liability
17 Oct 2024
Treasury has failed to recognise a liability for New Zealand’s international climate commitments in its latest financial statement, with its position unchanged on the multibillion dollar price tag of purchasing offshore mitigation.
NZ must work with other countries to reach climate goals: new research
14 Oct 2024
By Liz Kivi | Aotearoa’s international climate targets can only be met through funding significant emissions reductions in other countries. But a lack of public support to spend this money overseas is paralysing New Zealand’s progress towards its goal, according to researchers.
Amazon state that will host COP30 strikes largest carbon credit sale in history
9 Oct 2024
A coalition of developed countries and corporations has agreed to a massive purchase of carbon credits from the Amazon rainforest worth $180 million.
Centre seeks experts to classify sustainable claims
4 Oct 2024
The Centre for Sustainable Finance is looking for experts in sustainable finance, agriculture, and forestry, to develop the agriculture and forestry taxonomy for Aotearoa New Zealand.
Carbon offset pioneer charged with $100 million fraud scheme
4 Oct 2024
US regulators say Australian national Ken Newcombe faked data for carbon credits investment. The Goldman and World Bank veteran denies the allegations but is facing up to 20 years in jail.
Fossil fuel dominance of India’s power mix to end by 2030, says central bank
3 Oct 2024
India's burgeoning economy continues to be overwhelmingly powered by fossil fuels including coal, but that dominance will be consigned to the history books by end of this decade, according to the country's central bank.
ESG is dead. Long live ESG
1 Oct 2024
OPINION: We must urgently address the tension between profitability and sustainability.
'Why are carbon offsets not dead yet?'
26 Sep 2024
Journalist and environmental activist George Monbiot discusses neoliberalism, nature, and negative consequences with the Australia Institute's Climate and Energy program director.
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?
Fri 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.
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?
At least 30 killed and several missing as heavy rains and floods lash northern China
Wed 30 Jul 2025
Thousands of people were evacuated as the region, including the capital Beijing, braced for more rainfall overnight.
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.
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.
Forestry can be a big plus for sheep and beef farmers – but there are caveats
22 Jul 2025
By Keith Woodford | OPINION: These are good times for sheep and beef farmers with record product prices for meat, which is precisely why now is the time for sheep and beef farmers to be looking again at farm forestry.
Common low-grade clay strengthens low-carbon concrete
5 Jun 2025
Media release | Engineers at RMIT University have converted low-grade clay into a high-performance cement supplement, opening a potential new market in sustainable construction materials.
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.
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.
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.
A third of ‘slum residents’ in global south are exposed to disastrous flood risks
Wed 30 Jul 2025
One in three people in informal settlements in the global south live in floodplains and are at risk of a “disastrous flood”.
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
Mon 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.
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.
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.
NZ part of hidden global deep-sea network beneath the waves
Fri 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.
Methanex closure comes early this year
14 May 2025
The almost-now-annual closure of Methanex has come earlier this year, giving more confidence that the electricity system will get through the winter without a fuel shortfall.
Taranaki mayors want hydrogen kick-start from Wellington
Mon 28 Jul 2025
By Craig Ashworth, Local Democracy Reporter Taranaki mayors want central government to partner up with their councils to kick-start a hydrogen industry. This despite ongoing questions about the gas’s effectiveness in reducing carbon emissions.
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.
The ICJ’s ruling means Australia and other major polluters face a new era of climate reparations
Fri 25 Jul 2025
By Harj Narulla | OPINION: Australia has found itself on the wrong side of history.
All aboard for passenger rail in the golden triangle
Mon 28 Jul 2025
Media release – The Future Is Rail | New Zealand’s national passenger rail advocacy group, The Future is Rail, has announced its strong support for the Green Party’s proposal to establish a new passenger rail service connecting Auckland and Tauranga.
Urgent action needed to get on track for climate goals - commission
Fri 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
Mon 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.
Media round-up
Fri 25 Jul 2025
In our round-up of the climate coverage in local media: Dairy conversions surge; Gore is hit with a drinking water crisis; meanwhile farming lobby groups Groundswell and Federated Farmers are up in arms about a plan to classify environmental impacts in the agriculture and forestry sector.
As US climate data-gathering is gutted, Australian forecasting is now at real risk
Wed 30 Jul 2025
As damage from climate change intensifies, political change overseas is threatening Australia’s ability to track what’s happening now, and predict what will happen next.
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.
China's carbon emissions may have peaked thanks to renewables push
Mon 28 Jul 2025
Climate experts say China's carbon emissions may have peaked, which could affect global climate targets, the fight against global warming – and the Australian coal industry.
Ocean heatwaves may signal climate tipping point
Fri 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.
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.
