Topics tagged with 'Kyoto'
NZ will sign new ship emissions pact
5 Dec 2019
New Zealand will sign up to new international maritime regulations to reduce ship emissions and lift air quality around ports and harbours.
Why the rulebook matters for us at Madrid talks
3 Dec 2019
New Zealand’s plan to use carbon credits to meet part of its emissions reduction target means the country has a big stake in international climate negotiations now under way in Madrid.
Foresters want pre-1990 trees recognised
26 Nov 2019
Extra carbon stored in pre-1990 forests should be recognised with carbon credits, forest owners say.
Government happy with ZCB direction
5 Nov 2019
The Government intends sticking with the recommendations of the select committee when the zero-carbon bill comes back before Parliament this afternoon.
FACT CHECK: Is that right, Paula?
29 Oct 2019
National Party deputy leader and former climate minister Paula Bennett says when it was in power, her party stabilised greenhouse gas emissions, while under this Government they will keep rising until 2025. Is she right?
EDITORIAL: A Shaw thing
25 Oct 2019
By publisher ADELIA HALLETT | Climate minister James Shaw, take a bow - you deserve five minutes in the sun for doing what none of your seven predecessors did.
Zero-carbon bill report pleases minister
22 Oct 2019
A report by the Environment Select Committee has made the zero-carbon bill even stronger, says climate minister James Shaw.
Business slow to take up offsetting airline travel
30 Sep 2019
Most New Zealand businesses are not offsetting greenhouse gas emissions from flights, Air New Zealand says.
EDITORIAL: It's a long way from Montreal to Paris
4 Sep 2019
By ADELIA HALLETT | The Montreal Protocol – an international treaty to save the protective ozone layer that covers the Earth – has worked.
NZ stays out of islands' beef with Australia
2 Aug 2019
New Zealand is not joining other Pacific countries in criticising Australia’s plans to use Kyoto credits to meet its Paris Agreement target.
Kyoto units move confuses forest owners
1 Aug 2019
THE GOVERNMENT'S decision to cancel Kyoto units has left forest owners with more questions than answers.
Stand over Kyoto units could cost us $500 million
29 Jul 2019
Refusing to use Kyoto units to meet New Zealand’s Paris climate promise could cost taxpayers half a billion dollars.
Officials examine future of dodgy Russian credits
19 Jul 2019
Officials are calculating the number of dodgy carbon credits New Zealand used in meeting its emissions reduction target, raising the prospect that the country might yet make good on its actions.
Global carbon markets long way off, says Shaw
12 Jul 2019
Functioning international carbon markets are a decade away – probably two, New Zealand’s climate minister says.
Few Air NZ passengers offset emissions
28 Jun 2019
Only a fraction of people flying to and from New Zealand are offsetting the greenhouse gas emissions from their flights, according to Air New Zealand figures.
Global carbon markets in the spotlight
17 Jun 2019
Rules governing the development of international carbon markets will be top of the agenda at international climate talks this week.
Tourism sector must toe the line, says minister
16 May 2019
The Government’s new Tourism Strategy released today says the sector must “play its role” in dealing with climate change.
METHANE MOVES: Give poos a chance
15 May 2019
Technologies like turning human waste into electricity could meet a large chunk of the Government's 2030 methane reduction target.
OPINION: With methane, no time like the present
13 May 2019
Organic farmer and former Green Party co-leader JEANETTE FITZSIMONS says farmers can cut methane now while increasing farm profits.
Transport mainly to blame as emissions rise
11 Apr 2019
New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions are growing again, following the global trend.
EDITORIAL: Oh, Canada
3 Apr 2019
Let’s talk about Canada. It’s easier than talking about our own country.
Shipowners want out of 'unfair' ETS
25 Mar 2019
Shipowners want out of the Emissions Trading Scheme, saying it won’t be fair if they have to pay twice for their emissions.
EDITORIAL: We must 'believe' the facts
8 Mar 2019
New Zealand's mayors have been asked whether they believe humans are causing the climate to change.
Methane should be carbon neutral, says Niwa
11 Feb 2019
The Government’s top climate research organisation says New Zealand’s methane emissions from agriculture should be carbon-neutral.
China is the big fish, says European ETS expert
5 Feb 2019
Linkages between emissions trading scheme in Europe and New Zealand are on the agenda – but it’s China that Europe is really interested in.
Shaw hopes for carbon market rules next year
17 Dec 2018
Climate minister James Shaw is optimistic that rules governing carbon markets will be settled next year.
Our climate efforts 'highly insufficient'
12 Dec 2018
New Zealand’s efforts on climate change remain “highly insufficient” and consistent with twice the level of warming that scientists say we should not go beyond.
Blockchain takes politics out of carbon play
15 Nov 2018
Businesses will soon be able to price and trade carbon without the help of governments by using blockchain technology, says a social enterprise about to launch a new carbon platform.
How we'll pay for National's mismanagement
12 Nov 2018
Climate mismanagement under the National government means New Zealand will have to use international carbon credits to meet its emissions reduction targets, says a leading carbon forestry executive.
Meat farmers want two-pronged methane move
6 Nov 2018
Beef, lamb and deer farmers say they accept New Zealand’s methane emissions will have be cut – but not to net-zero.
Emissions failure will hurt farmers, says Fonterra
31 Oct 2018
A global failure to cut greenhouse gas emissions will see New Zealand farmers face demands for major production cuts, the world’s largest milk-producer is warning.
Why our monetary system suits Zero Carbon Act
15 Oct 2018
New Zealand’s monetary policy system is a good model for the Zero Carbon Act, says the country’s stock exchange.
MONDAY'S MESSAGE: Quite simply, it's up to us
3 Oct 2018
By publisher ADELIA HALLETT | One of the most important scientific papers ever produced will be released on Monday, and the ramifications for New Zealand could be huge.
PRODCOM 5: Where we got it wrong
4 Sep 2018
What went wrong with New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme? The Productivity Commission spells it out in a report released today.
Cheap-credits companies might face crackdown
22 Aug 2018
The Government might crack down on companies using cheap credits to cover their carbon liabilities while banking or selling credits given to them by taxpayers.
No floor, but expect early action on carbon prices
14 Aug 2018
The Government might intervene in the market to lift carbon prices before 2020, but it has no plan to introduce a price floor.
Global markets and agriculture our Bonn targets
2 May 2018
Access to international carbon markets and getting the rest of the world to cut emissions from agriculture are two of New Zealand’s negotiating priorities at international climate talks this week.
Government on global hunt for carbon credits
24 Apr 2018
The Government is locating sources of international units that could be used to meet New Zealand’s international climate obligations – but hasn’t decided yet whether to use them.
NZ could do good carbon deal now, says trader
20 Feb 2018
The Government could hedge against its $10 billion future carbon bill now – with a money-back guarantee, says carbon trader Nigel Brunel.
Emitters can keep stashed free carbon credits
9 Feb 2018
Trade-exposed heavy emitters sitting on free NZUs from taxpayers will be able to keep using them - even if they did contribute to New Zealand’s embarrassing “dodgy credits” incident.
We'll do better than emissions target, says Shaw
25 Jan 2018
The new government will not officially increase the country's 2020 emissions reduction target.
DOUBLE TROUBLE: Carbon emissions running wild
22 Jan 2018
New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions blow-out continues unabashed, with net emissions expected to more than double by 2030, despite international pledges to cut them.
Policies will begin to bite down on the farm
22 Jan 2018
Government policies – including the Emissions Trading Scheme - are expected to start making a dent in New Zealand’s agricultural emissions over the next 12 years.
HUSH-HUSH: Officials want lid on global-market talk
8 Dec 2017
Officials are working on getting New Zealand access to international carbon markets when they develop – but they don’t want their activities made public.
Broker backs hedging with European units
20 Nov 2017
Entities with future carbon liabilities should be thinking about hedging with European units – and that includes the country itself, says a leading carbon broker.
Papers show official eyes on cutting free credits
16 Nov 2017
Government officials have looked at cutting the allocation of free credits to some industrial emitters by between 1 per cent and 3 per cent a year.
Shaw might clear our name over dodgy credits
14 Nov 2017
New Zealand might yet come good on the issue of dodgy carbon credits.
Do it differently to ensure markets do their job
8 Nov 2017
Carbon markets need to do things differently to avoid the mistakes of the Kyoto Protocol, a market watchdog says.
Market forces can go further, faster and cheaper to cut emissions
3 Nov 2017
Government delegations gathering in Bonn for the start of annual UN climate talks on Monday need to ramp up efforts, says the International Emissions Trading Association.
Emissions failure will hurt NZ farmers, warns Fonterra
31 Oct 2017
A global failure to cut greenhouse gas emissions will see New Zealand farmers face demands for major production cuts, the world’s largest milk-processor is warning.
Auckland Council opens $1m Climate and Emergency Readiness Fund
4 Feb 2026
Community groups across Tāmaki Makaurau are being invited to apply for a new $1 million Climate and Emergency Readiness Fund, designed to support locally led action on climate change, disaster preparedness and climate adaptation.
Hydrogen plant to start construction
Tue 10 Feb 2026
Construction is set to start this month on Hiringa Energy’s long delayed green hydrogen project in South Taranaki, after years of consenting fights that culminated in the Court of Appeal rejecting Greenpeace’s challenge in late 2023.
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.
World fight against invasive species comes to Auckland
Tue 10 Feb 2026
Media release: University of Auckland | From countering invasive pink salmon in Norway to controlling feral cats in the Cayman Islands, knowledge on eradicating invasive species will be shared by international experts in New Zealand.
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.
EU weighing options to support industry in carbon market overhaul
Mon 9 Feb 2026
The European Commission is looking at various ways to support industries in an upcoming overhaul of the EU carbon market to prevent them moving to areas with lower pollution standards, the head of the Commission’s climate department said late on Wednesday.
IEA calls peak coal, even as 'Age of Electricity' takes hold to boost global power demand
Tue 10 Feb 2026
A new IEA report published on Friday, Electricity 2026, says electricity demand will increase by an average of 3.6 per cent each year over the remainder of the decade, driven by rising consumption from industry, electric vehicles, air conditioning, and data centres.
Minister’s letters: Mildly positive or just virtue signalling?
Thu 5 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The carbon market was buoyed slightly yesterday, after letters between the Government and the Climate Change Commission were proactively released.
Govt backs LNG imports
Tue 10 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The Government will rush to put in place contracts for the construction of a liquefied natural gas import facility by mid-year, claiming it will smooth electricity price volatility and underpin investment in renewable energy projects.
LNG: a rational choice compared to unpalatable alternatives
Tue 10 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: By deciding to underwrite the private construction of a liquefied natural gas import facility in Taranaki, the Government has made a rational choice in favour of energy security and affordability.
RMA’s successors hinge on two untested bets
17 Dec 2025
Two ideas sit at the heart of the Government’s replacement for the Resource Management Act: regulatory relief and spatial planning.
Opposition attacks Govt over fossil fuel phaseout backdown
2 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | Revelations that Resources Minister Shane Jones ruled out New Zealand signing up to a 'road map' away from fossil fuels at last year’s global climate summit show the National Party’s minor coalition partners’ undue influence over the Government, according to Labour leader Chris Hipkins.
Govt looks to Commission for ways to shore up carbon price
4 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government has asked the Climate Change Commission to look at lower auction volumes and an increase in the auction floor price as options to revive the Emissions Trading Scheme, as carbon prices remain weak.
Ministers celebrate fast-track milestone amid criticism
Tue 10 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government is marking the first anniversary of its fast-track approvals regime, saying it is helping “build New Zealand’s future”, despite continued criticism from environmental groups, opposition parties, and industry voices following several controversial project decisions.
DOC trims costs and winds down jobs for nature
10 Nov 2025
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is entering a new phase of tighter budgets and structural change as it winds down the pandemic-era Jobs for Nature programme and reshapes its operations to absorb long-term cost pressures.
$8.9m research project to map future ocean change around Aotearoa
Tue 10 Feb 2026
The major research project aims to better understand how warming oceans are driving extreme weather events around New Zealand, from heavy rainfall to tropical cyclones.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transport pollution was the biggest contributor to an increase in New Zealand’s consumption-based emissions in 2023, with emissions from household travel up 12%, and consumption-based emissions totalling 58.3 million tonnes – up 1.6% from the previous year.
'Damning' report challenges forestry’s role in Tairāwhiti as sector rejects conclusions
4 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New independent analysis commissioned by Mana Taiao Tairāwhiti challenges long-standing claims that industrial forestry underpins the Tairāwhiti economy.
US-driven gas turbine crunch may speed global clean power uptake
Mon 9 Feb 2026
A rush by U.S. utilities and tech giants to snap up as many gas turbines as possible to boost local power output is causing a global shortage of gas-power equipment and may spur other power systems to fast-track cleaner alternatives.
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.”
US is canceling almost $30 billion in Biden-era energy loans
27 Jan 2026
The Trump administration said it’s canceling almost $30 billion of financing from the Energy Department’s green bank after reviewing transactions approved under former President Biden.
Green Member’s Bill aims to give whales legal ‘personhood’
Mon 9 Feb 2026
The Green Party wants to give whales legal rights, including the right to sue.
Govt slammed for weakening methane target
15 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams The Government has pushed through legislation under urgency to almost halve New Zealand’s 2050 methane target – a move Opposition parties say disregards scientific advice, breaks the country’s hard-won political consensus on climate action, and shifts the burden of higher warming and higher future costs onto the next generation.
COP30 microcosm of difficult geopolitics, says Vanuatu's Climate Minister
15 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Despite ‘intransigent’ states blocking multilateralism and a disappointing official outcome, Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister Ralph Regenvanu says he left the COP30 climate summit feeling more positive than after previous UN climate conferences.
Hydrogen emissions are ‘supercharging’ the warming impact of methane
19 Dec 2025
The warming impact of hydrogen has been “overlooked” in projections of climate change, according to authors of the latest “global hydrogen budget”.
Wales council to buy and demolish homes prone to flooding
4 Feb 2026
A row of homes in a village in south Wales is to be bought by a local authority and demolished as they can no longer be protected from flooding caused by the climate crisis.
Greenpeace set to take UK Government to court over deep-sea mining licences
Thu 5 Feb 2026
Environmental NGO Greenpeace has kick-started a legal challenge against the UK Government’s decision to approve the transfer of two seabed exploration licences to a newly-formed mining company with US links.
Govt unveils plans for carbon storage regulations – and ETS rewards
18 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government has released plans to regulate carbon capture and storage in natural geological formations, which include Emissions Trading Scheme incentives, with the aim of introducing related legislation in 2026.
Critical minerals talks with US questioned in Waitangi Tribunal climate inquiry
Mon 9 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand and the United States' negotiations over critical minerals have raised questions for the Waitangi Tribunal’s long-running inquiry into climate change.
Court rejects challenge to Minister and Commission over climate targets
28 Jan 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Supreme Court has rejected Lawyers for Climate Action’s bid to challenge the Climate Change Commission and former Climate Minister James Shaw over climate targets, ending a long-running case which had been working its way through the courts since 2021.
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.
A turning point for our ocean: why the High Seas Treaty matters for the Pacific
Tue 10 Feb 2026
Media release: UNDP | The global ratification of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Treaty marks a decisive moment in international cooperation and ocean governance. Referred to as the High Seas Treaty, the agreement establishes a legally binding framework to protect marine biodiversity in areas of the ocean that lie beyond national jurisdiction.
Out of Paris, but will the US formally quit the UN climate regime?
30 Jan 2026
The Trump administration has decided to withdraw the US from the broader UN climate convention, raising questions about the legality of the move and what it means in practice.
Commentators slam Govt inaction in aftermath of climate change-fuelled storms
30 Jan 2026
By Liz Kivi | Climate action - or inaction - is shaping up to be an election issue, with multiple commentators drawing a line between the Coalition Government’s backsliding on climate targets and the deadly extreme weather events of the past week.
Major health risks linked to plastics emissions set to soar by 2040
28 Jan 2026
The adverse health consequences stemming from the global plastics system are projected to more than double by 2040, driven by greenhouse gases, air pollutants and toxic chemicals released throughout its lifecycle.
Three Greenpeace activists removed by police from Fonterra
17 Dec 2025
Media release | Three Greenpeace activists were removed by police from Fonterra’s downtown Auckland offices, following a protest on Monday at the Shareholders’ Fund meeting over the corporation’s role in the contamination of rural communities’ drinking water.
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.
NZ-UAE partnership boosts advanced tech
Mon 9 Feb 2026
Media release | A new Antarctic science partnership with a leading UAE university will grow New Zealand’s advanced engineering and modelling capability, supporting high-value jobs, encouraging economic growth, and enabling smarter climate risk management, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti says.
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.
NZ hydrogen regulation to catch up with the world
18 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The government has announced a regulatory reset for New Zealand’s emerging clean tech hydrogen sector.
Pacific climate response in question as NZ finance remains unclear
19 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With New Zealand's $1.3 billion international climate finance commitment set to end with no clarity on what follows, the Auditor-General says oversight of that funding remains patchy and long-term outcomes are unclear.
Heavy EV charger hub opens at Lower Hutt landfill
4 Feb 2026
By Justin Wong, Local Democracy Reporter |In a nationwide first, heavy electric vehicles can now recharge at Lower Hutt’s Silverstream Landfill.
UN risks 'imminent financial collapse', secretary general warns
3 Feb 2026
The United Nations is at risk of "imminent financial collapse" due to member states not paying their fees, the body's head has warned.
Kaicycle celebrates ten years of collective climate action in Pōneke
14 Nov 2025
Media release: Kaicycle | Since 2015, Kaicycle has grown from a humble pilot project growing kai and collecting compost on bicycles into the thriving urban farm and composting hub that Wellingtonians know and love.
Heatwaves, downpours and droughts – Auckland on track for more extreme weather
1 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show Auckland will face more heatwaves, heavier downpours, worsening droughts and growing coastal threats as climate extremes intensify, according to a new report from Earth Sciences New Zealand.
Argentina fires ravage pristine Patagonia forests, fueling criticism of Milei’s austerity
4 Feb 2026
The wildfires, among the worst to hit the drought-stricken Patagonia region in decades, have devastated more than 45,000 hectares (174 square miles) of Argentina’s forests in the last month and a half, forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists.
World's first 20 MW offshore wind turbine powers grid in China
Tue 10 Feb 2026
The world's most powerful offshore wind turbine has begun feeding electricity into the grid off the coast of southeast China, marking a major technological leap in the country's wind power industry.
