Topics tagged with 'Kyoto'
Australia readies for key climate debate next week
23 Oct 2009
The Australian Government’s last bid to have a carbon trading scheme in place before the Copenhagen climate talks kicked off yesterday with the reintroduction of carbon reduction legislation into parliament.
Emissions from major nations continue to rise
23 Oct 2009
Harmful greenhouse gas emissions produced by industrialised countries rose for the seventh consecutive year in 2007, the United Nations reported yesterday.
Interim steps … that’s about it from Copenhagen
23 Oct 2009
With the clock running out and deep differences unresolved, it now appears that there is little chance that international climate change negotiations in Copenhagen in December will produce a comprehensive and binding new treaty on global warming.
China, India forge alternative to UN treaty
23 Oct 2009
China and India’s joint plan to cut greenhouse-gas emissions provides the developing world with an alternative to the global climate treaty that wealthier nations want them to sign in Copenhagen this year, analysts said.
Maldives rallies nations under climate threat
23 Oct 2009
The Maldives will convene a summit next month of countries suffering some of the worst impacts of climate change, government officials said.
Bangkok flop leaves little hope for Copenhagen
16 Oct 2009
As the latest round of UN climate talks in Bangkok ended with little progress, negotiators are preparing for the Copenhagen summit in December on the assumption that not every detail will be agreed this year.
US ‘deeply committed,’ says energy chief
16 Oct 2009
The US is “deeply committed” to solving the problem of climate change, Energy Secretary Steven Chu says.
G8 countries could face class actions on climate change
9 Oct 2009
The US and other G8 countries could face class actions on behalf of people in the developing world if they fail to take convincing steps to cut the emissions blamed for causing climate change, a lawyer has warned.
What's to become of the Kyoto Protocol?
9 Oct 2009
Whether to tweak, bolster or bury the Kyoto Protocol - the only binding global agreement for curbing greenhouse gases - has become a red-hot issue as UN negotiators in Bangkok try to lay the groundwork for a successor treaty.
Humans undermine nature’s help in climate war
9 Oct 2009
Humankind is undermining a crucial natural ally in the battle against climate change through its activities in the world’s oceans and marine ecosystems, a UN agency warns.
Blue-Greens must be 'pink' with embarrasment, says Chauvel
2 Oct 2009
Labour’s Climate Change Issues spokesperson Charles Chauvel says ministers will privately be hoping that the doors are locked at the National Party’s Blue Greens conference in Wellington this weekend.
Airlines plan to halve emissions by 2050
23 Sep 2009
The world’s airlines have unveiled plans to halve emissions by 2050, to fend off calls for new taxes on flying and criticism that they are failing to act quickly enough in the fight against climate change.
World is listening to us, says Groser
18 Sep 2009
Other countries are coming around to New Zealand’s position on forestry and agriculture in climate-change mitigation, says the Associate Minister for Climate Change, Tim Groser.
Climate leaders set to give up on Copenhagen
18 Sep 2009
Top US energy and climate leaders have begun to openly plan for international global warming talks to trickle into 2010.
India, China could join the big league of traders
18 Sep 2009
India and China may join the league of carbon trading hot spots in a few years, along with Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo, that should soon make the grade, says a major international trader.
Climate goal needs dramatic rise in renewables
11 Sep 2009
The share of renewable energy will have to rise "dramatically" if the world is to have a chance of limiting global warming to a maximum 2C temperature rise, says an expert.
Planting season lost, but foresters cling to hopes
4 Sep 2009
The forestry industry is cautiously optimistic about the future of the emissions trading scheme – despite the fact that political delays mean that this year’s seed-planting season has been missed.
UN chief calls for action from polar ice rim
4 Sep 2009
Standing on rapidly melting polar ice, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appealed to the world for urgent measures to be taken to combat climate change to protect the planet for future generations.
Report lists 34 ways to shape our carbon future
31 Aug 2009
The Emissions Trading Scheme Review Committee has made 34 recommendations about New Zealand’s response to climate change and the shape of the emissions trading scheme.
Farmers: Report is a loaded gun at our heads
31 Aug 2009
Farmers are reacting angrily to news that a parliamentary select committee thinks that agriculture should be part of the emissions trading scheme.
World airlines stung by European CO2 limits
28 Aug 2009
Thousands of airlines are set to face problems in flying into the European Union from 2012 unless they join the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, the European Commission has said.
African leaders want $67b-a-year in climate aid
28 Aug 2009
African leaders meeting in Libya next week will consider a plan to ask industrialised nations to pay developing countries $67 billion a year as part of a common negotiating position for December’s climate talks in Copenhagen.
Climate experts to brief young ambassadors
28 Aug 2009
Government and academic experts will share their expertise on climate change at the first of three NZ workshops preparing a group of young Kiwis for the international stage.
Cap-and-ban could kill carbon market, warns broker
14 Aug 2009
An artificial cap on carbon prices and a ban on international sales of New Zealand credits will effectively kill the development of the carbon market, says trader Nigel Brunel.
Copenhagen is 10-times bigger than Kyoto for business
14 Aug 2009
By Alex Koyfman. - What few understand today is that climate change is actually one of the most significant drivers of the economy that we're likely to see in our lifetimes.
How green Denmark got ahead of the pack
14 Aug 2009
In December, all eyes will be on Copenhagen as world leaders gather to negotiate a new international climate change agreement. But how green are the Danes themselves.
Emissions pledges fall short of what’s needed
14 Aug 2009
A climate deal due in December will be a flop unless industrialised nations sharply increase promised cuts in greenhouse gas emissions for 2020, says the chair of a key United Nations group.
Bonn talks making headway, says UN official
14 Aug 2009
Governments are making headway in negotiations aimed at reaching an ambitious and effective global greenhouse gas reduction treaty, the top United Nations climate change official said in Bonn.
ANALYSIS: Now it comes down to the ETS deal for agriculture
10 Aug 2009
The Government has pretty cunningly positioned itself in its first emissions reduction target offering.
BUSINESS LEADERS: Target will have to rise later
10 Aug 2009
The Government’s opening offer to reduce New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions by 10 per cent to 20 per cent by 2020 will need to be improved during coming international negotiations, says the New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development.
OXFAM: Target shows NZ does not care
10 Aug 2009
The announcement today of the Government's proposed emissions reduction target is tantamount to telling millions of vulnerable people around the world that New Zealand does not care enough about their fate to make the cuts that are needed, says Oxfam.
Companies must take care with carbon-neutral claims
7 Aug 2009
Companies wanting to market themselves as carbon-neutral are being warned not to rely on the emissions trading scheme for their green credentials.
Hands off price and trade ties, foresters tell Government
7 Aug 2009
Government interference in the price of carbon or the international trade in NZUs would drive investors from the forestry sector and kneecap any prospect of new forestry planting, the industry says.
We can do it in Copenhagen, says China
7 Aug 2009
China’s envoy to global negotiations on climate change has expressed optimism that a new agreement to reduce greenhouse gases will be reached this year, and says that his nation’s efforts to curb carbon pollution already had produced results that he called “second to none.”
FORUM: Chris Bryant, UK Foreign Affairs under-secretary
7 Aug 2009
Britain’s Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Chris Bryant, says that climate change talks in Copenhagen could be as important as any peace treaty in avoiding global suffering:
Carbon potential huge, says multi-million dollar seller
31 Jul 2009
The man behind a multi-million dollar sale of New Zealand forestry credits to Europe says that carbon is potentially a major export and could make up to 80 per cent of forestry company revenue.
Fletcher urgently wants ETS answers
31 Jul 2009
Fletcher Building wants the Government to urgently determine the carbon credit allocation for large businesses so that it can plan for any potential costs arising from an emissions trading scheme.
US, China upbeat on Copenhagen treaty
31 Jul 2009
The United States’ chief spokesman on climate change has voiced optimism at reaching a new global treaty this year, saying that top polluters China and the US were both serious about taking action.
UN chief to visit Arctic ice rim to see for himself
31 Jul 2009
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will head to the Arctic polar ice rim next month as part of his efforts to push for action ahead of a major climate change conference to be held in December in Copenhagen.
India says no to legally binding emissions
31 Jul 2009
India will not succumb to any international pressure on committing to a legally binding agreement on cutting greenhouse emissions but will deal with climate change issues according to its own plans, a state minister says.
Forum: Cool heads still needed on global warming
31 Jul 2009
We're less wealthy than Australia is, so should be setting a lower emissions reduction target, says Business Rountable executive director Roger Kerr.
Business backs 20% emissions cut target
31 Jul 2009
The New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development has advised the Government to set a unilateral target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent by 2020.
No new tree planting under this Parliament, say Kyoto forest owners
31 Jul 2009
Climate Change Minister Nick Smith is "badly misreading commercial and economic realities" if he thinks the Government's planned changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme will lead to the private sector resuming tree planting, the Kyoto Forestry Association says.
ETS in place by December, says Smith
31 Jul 2009
The Government aims to have an amended emissions trading scheme in place by December.
Minister’s political games on climate are off target, say Greens
31 Jul 2009
The Green Party has accused the Government of playing politics with the most significant threat ever to our economy and our environment while ignoring the obvious practical solutions.
Coal pushes NZ's emissions up
24 Jul 2009
New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions have risen again, with coal the biggest culprit.
Forum: Excluding agriculture from ETS neither principled nor smart
24 Jul 2009
New Zealand asking to exempt agriculture from the scheme to replace the Kyoto Treaty, is as credible as Saudi Arabia asking for the exemption of oil.
Government misreading public mood for free ride for agriculture?
24 Jul 2009
There appears to be little public tolerance for a freer ride for agriculture under New Zealand's ETS, despite a Ministerial claim to the contrary.
Maritime chiefs act to cut emissions from ships
24 Jul 2009
The International Maritime Organisation will issue a package of energy efficiency measures for new and existing ships to help to cut the industry’s rising greenhouse gas emissions.
IPCC to elevate plight of poorest countries
24 Jul 2009
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will use its next assessment due in 2014 to look at how the impact of global warming is falling unequally on the poorest developing countries.
'A sneeze in the night': Peters questions NZ's climate culpability
Mon 4 Aug 2025
New Zealand First seems to be vying with ACT and farming lobby group Groundswell to claim credit for being the first to call for New Zealand to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.
Climate change policy growing concern for farming sector
Mon 4 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | While farmer confidence has hit an eight-year high, concerns about climate change policy and the Emissions Trading Scheme are growing in New Zealand’s rural sector, according to Federated Farmers.
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”.
Backlash over govt conservation changes
Mon 4 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government’s proposed changes to the Conservation Act are the most significant roll back in conservation protections in a generation, according to the Green Party.
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.
Nordic countries hit by ‘truly unprecedented’ heatwave
Tue 5 Aug 2025
Scientists have recorded the longest streak of temperatures higher than 30C in the region in records going back to 1961.
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.
Gentailers to stockpile coal under new deal
Tue 5 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | An agreement between New Zealand’s four major electricity generators to establish a 10-year fuel reserve is being labelled a 'climate change stockpile', and could undermine momentum for renewable energy investment.
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.
Warmer end to winter but dry spell expected over southern lakes
Tue 5 Aug 2025
As hydro lake levels hover just below average levels, climate forecasts indicate that warmer than usual weather conditions will reduce demand, but there will likely be less rain over the southern hydro lakes as New Zealand moves towards spring and summer.
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.
'Yet another rate': Franz Josef ratepayers balk at $2.8m stopbank extension
Mon 4 Aug 2025
By Lois Williams, Local Democracy Reporter | Franz Josef ratepayers have given the thumbs down to plans for a $2.8 million stopbank extension to protect the town’s sewerage plant from the Waiho River.
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.
OPEC+ countries to boost oil production by 547,000 barrels per day
Tue 5 Aug 2025
Some believe the boost in production could lower oil and gasoline prices.
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.
Barclays exits net zero banking alliance
Tue 5 Aug 2025
Barclays will exit the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, marking the second UK-based bank to withdraw from the UN-backed coalition dedicated to advancing global net zero goals through their financing activities, after the departure last month of HSBC.
EU climate goals at risk as ailing forests absorb less CO2, scientists say
Tue 5 Aug 2025
Damage to European forests from increased logging, wildfires, drought and pests is reducing their ability to absorb carbon dioxide, putting European Union emissions targets at risk, scientists warn.
‘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
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.
BlackRock, other fund managers lose bid to dismiss Texas climate collusion lawsuit
Tue 5 Aug 2025
A U.S. judge on Friday largely rejected a request by top asset managers including BlackRock, to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Texas and 12 other Republican-led states that said the companies violated antitrust law through climate activism that reduced coal production and boosted energy prices.
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.
Why I’m in a coal bucket
Mon 4 Aug 2025
By Rach Andrews | OPINION: People might wonder why a 53-year-old grandmother would choose to climb into a 80 metre high stinky coal bucket on the rainy West Coast and settle in for the long haul.
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.
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.
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.
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.
‘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.
Multi-day protest continues at coal mine
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.
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.
Vatican strikes solar farm deal to become the world’s first carbon-neutral state
Tue 5 Aug 2025
Italy has agreed to a Vatican plan to turn a 430-hectare field north of Rome into a vast solar farm that the Holy See hopes will generate enough electricity to meet its needs and turn Vatican City into the world’s first carbon-neutral state.
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
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.
Governments must vote in favour of moratorium on deep sea mining
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.
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.
