Topics tagged with 'NZ ETS'
Energy sector wants firm emissions targets now
30 Jun 2009
The renewables sector is waiting to see whether the Government intends to present firm policy or a proposed strategy when it begins a series of public meetings in nine cities around the country next Monday to discuss New Zealand’s 2020 emissions target.
Why Top Energy is sitting pretty
30 Jun 2009
Top Energy is one of the few electricity generators untroubled by uncertainty around New Zealand’s emissions trading scheme.
Aussie Liberals go soft on climate bill stance
30 Jun 2009
Australia's beleaguered carbon-emissions trading scheme has won a lift by the opposition Liberal Party withdrawing its threat to block enabling legislation passing through parliament.
UK wants billions in climate fund for poor countries
30 Jun 2009
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has tried to break the deadlock over climate change by proposing the creation of a £60 billion international fund to help poorer countries adapt to the situation.
Industry counts cost of government's ETS delay
26 Jun 2009
Government moves to postpone the entry of the heavy industrial emitters into the emissions trading scheme will cost forest owners money and delay the establishment of a carbon market in New Zealand.
Labour: Government had enough time
26 Jun 2009
The Labour Party is rejecting Government claims that there was never enough time to bring the stationary energy and industrial processes sector into the emissions trading scheme.
Parties stay quiet on ETS cooperation deal
26 Jun 2009
The Government and the Labour Party are refusing to comment on progress for an emissions trading scheme deal.
Australia delays vote on carbon trading
26 Jun 2009
The Australian government failed to get its carbon trading scheme through the Senate yesterday after the opposition Coalition and crossbench senators criticised the scheme’s economic and environmental analysis as being inadequate.
Government inaction worries foresters
26 Jun 2009
Foresters are anxious about the Government’s refusal to comment on its plans to develop market access for forestry credits.
ETS 'alienates' Maori forest land, says MP
26 Jun 2009
The emissions trading scheme effectively alienates Maori land ownership by putting an encumbrance over Maori land, says the Maori Party.
Greens fear impact of Ukraine connection
23 Jun 2009
Green Party climate change spokesperson Jeanette Fitzisimons is calling for tough and transparent rules on the type of international carbon credits admitted to the New Zealand emissions trading scheme in the wake of reports that a huge number of Ukrainian units are coming our way.
ETS review body on hold for key report
23 Jun 2009
The emissions trading scheme review committee will not be meeting to discuss ETS issues this week.
Top UK scientist here to see NZ toes the line
23 Jun 2009
The appearance at a public seminar in New Zealand of a top British government scientist this week underlines the importance that the British authorities are placing on whipping New Zealand into line on emissions trading.
Australian opposition stalls vote on emissions laws
23 Jun 2009
A vote on the Australian government's emissions trading scheme appears certain to be delayed until August, but the Senate was locked in procedural wrangling for much of yesterday about how to achieve the delay.
In the House ...
23 Jun 2009
On Thursday, the Government asked – and answered – questions about the emissions trading scheme.
Climate lobby wants longer ETS review
23 Jun 2009
The New Zealand Climate Change Coalition wants the Government to extend the time frame for the select committee reviewing emissions trading, and to "clarify its real intentions on this issue."
Dunne: ETS report might be July or August ... or later
19 Jun 2009
The emissions trading scheme review committee might not release its report until as late as August.
Greens get in on the act with ETS talks
19 Jun 2009
The Green Party and National have had preliminary talks about supporting a Labour-National agreement on the emissions trading scheme.
Report doesn't do us justice, says forest chief
19 Jun 2009
The regulatory impact analysis of the emissions trading scheme does not do justice to forestry as a low-cost mitigation option for other sectors, says Forest Owners’ Association chief executive David Rhodes.
Filibustering may delay carbon trading vote
19 Jun 2009
The Opposition is likely to seek to prolong debate on the Australian Government's carbon emissions trading scheme in a bid to delay a vote in the Senate.
Brussels tries to charm NZ into action on ETS
19 Jun 2009
A European Union charm offensive exerted on Australia over the past month is partly dedicated to ensuring that the Rudd government passes its delayed emissions trading scheme legislation in sympathy with Europe’s own policies.
ETS economic impact report reaction: Government
19 Jun 2009
A joint report by economic consultants NZIER and Infometrics concludes that a modified emissions trading scheme is the best way forward for New Zealand on climate change policy, says the Government.
ETS economic impact report reaction: Labour
19 Jun 2009
Labour says it welcomes a long-awaited economic modelling of climate change policy options, recommending an emissions trading scheme as the best climate change policy response.
ETS economic impact report reaction: Greens
19 Jun 2009
New economic modelling shows that New Zealand can continue with an emissions trading scheme at little economic cost, and Green Party MP Jeanette Fitzsimons says it is a clear message to Government to stop dithering and get on with it.
Carter quiet on potential of forest carbon credits
16 Jun 2009
Forestry Minister David Carter doesn’t want to talk about the potential for New Zealand forest owners to sell carbon credits to other countries – nor what the Government is doing to help them.
US forests stand crucial for NZ growers
16 Jun 2009
The United States’ stand on forestry offsetting is being closely watched and could be hugely beneficial to New Zealand.
World first as Japan buys NZ carbon credits
12 Jun 2009
New Zealand forestry-based carbon credits have been sold to Japan.
Carbon heavyweight changes mind about NZ
12 Jun 2009
The company that cancelled plans to come to New Zealand when the in-coming National Government announced a total review of the emissions trading scheme is back.
Where are our carbon credits, asks tribal group
12 Jun 2009
Emissions trading has been a long time coming for Ngâti Porou Whanui Forests.
NZUs should be staggered, says trading group
12 Jun 2009
The issuing of carbon credits to forest owners should be staggered through the year, rather than in one lump a year, says Environmental Intermediaries and Trading Group.
Decision near on greenhouse gas emissions rules
9 Jun 2009
The rules that will govern the way in which the stationary energy processes sector works under the emissions trading scheme are nearly complete.
Tawhaki stays quiet on world's biggest carbon deal
2 Jun 2009
The New Zealand company reported to be involved in the world’s largest trade of carbon credits is keeping mum on the deal.
Forestry owners plead for level playing field
2 Jun 2009
New Zealand forest owners say investment in forestry world-wide is being inhibited by policies designed to dampen the effects of the economic recession and to counter climate change.
Govt delays setting emissions target again, says Greenpeace
2 Jun 2009
With only five months to go until the crucial UN climate talks in Copenhagen, the New Zealand Government has announced another delay in setting an emissions reduction target, says Greenpeace.
Traders: Leave carbon price and speculators alone
2 Jun 2009
Carbon prices and the speculators who trade the underlying emissions permits should remain unregulated, despite wild volatility in the nascent market, a panel of emissions traders says.
Turnbull tips Australian carbon trading by January
2 Jun 2009
Australian Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull says the country could have an emissions trading scheme as early as January despite members of the Coalition still being opposed to the idea.
Australia points to $200b natural gas-powered recovery
2 Jun 2009
Australia has more than $200 billion worth of energy projects on the drawing board, enough to drive the nation's economic recovery with the right emissions trading scheme, the industry says.
Mystery NZ buyer in world's biggest carbon deal
29 May 2009
International reports that a New Zealand-based company is involved in the world's biggest trade of carbon credits are causing confusion here.
Budget fund boost for ETS another sign it will stay
29 May 2009
A massive Budget boost in funding for the emissions trading scheme is being seen as a sign that the ETS is here to stay.
Climate change outburst embarrasses Act
29 May 2009
The Act Party is distancing itself from a statement made in its name yesterday in which National Party MPs were told they would “introduce an emissions trading scheme at their peril."
Act must back ETS, says forest owner
29 May 2009
The Act Party must embrace the emissions trading scheme, says Malborough forest owner and ex-Act supporter Michael Cambridge.
Beware of 'carbon cowboys', foresters warned
29 May 2009
“Carbon cowboys” with no forestry knowledge are looking to make a quick buck from carbon trading at the expense of forest owners, says Environmental Intermediaries and Trading Group founder Richard Hayes.
EU stands alone as world ponders carbon schemes
29 May 2009
Only the 27-member European Union has a legislated and operating emissions trading scheme to achieve the carbon pollution reduction targets it will sign up to at the United Nations climate change negotiations in Copenhagen in December, the Australian points out.
Business amoral on climate change, says Morgan
26 May 2009
New Zealand cannot rely on business to take a moral position on climate change because it is motivated by optimising profit, says economist Gareth Morgan.
Academic slams our lack of climate research
26 May 2009
New Zealand needs to invest in economic analysis if it is to keep up with climate change research being done offshore, says one of our leading climate scientists.
Uncertainty means forest industry taking a beating
26 May 2009
The forestry sector will take years to recover from the impacts of recent policy uncertainty, says forestry consultant Roger Dickie.
Business group's climate change voice remains hushed
26 May 2009
The Stephen Tindall–led Climate Change Leadership Forum’s bid to keep working seems to have sunk like a stone.
Our ETS already up and running, says law firm
26 May 2009
A publicly issued backgrounder on the emissions trading scheme by a top-tier law firm is being taken by some to represent a semi-official policy statement to the effect that the ETS is long past the point of no return.
Smith delivers significant pro-ETS policy steer
22 May 2009
National still prefers an emissions trading scheme and has hinted at ways in which the scheme can be ‘harmonised’ with Australia’s.
European investors call for carbon trading revamp
22 May 2009
As fresh details emerge confirming that US legislators plan to water down proposed cap-and-trade legislation, a group of European investors have called on world leaders to move in the opposite direction and undertake urgent reforms designed to tighten up emerging carbon markets.
Call for cross-party agreement on climate risks as NZ stuck in costly disaster cycle
Fri 8 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | An expert is calling for cross-party ministerial appointments and lasting bipartisan agreement about how to act on significant climate risks the country is facing, in response to the Climate Change Commission’s latest report.
Commission urges Govt action on climate risks
Thu 7 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | Climate change currently poses major risks to our water infrastructure with “significant gaps” in readiness to manage risks and increasing hazards, according to the Climate Change Commission.
$30m airline fund risks ‘burning public money’ without lasting benefit – expert
20 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A $30 million government package to support regional air routes risks delivering poor value for money while increasing emissions, according to transport strategist Tim Adriaansen.
Europe has 'maybe six weeks of jet fuel left', energy boss warns
20 Apr 2026
Stocks would reach a tipping point in June if Europe was unable to replace at least half of its imports from the Middle East, the organisation said in a report this week.
‘Landmark’ conservation reform bill – boost or bust for nature?
Fri 8 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government has announced an overhaul of the country’s conservation system, which environmental organisation Forest & Bird says will undo the work of many generations of Kiwis to protect public conservation land.
Burning wood for power worse for climate than gas equivalent, report finds
21 Apr 2026
Research casts doubt on plans by the UK government to offer subsidies for carbon capture attached to the power source.
Methanexit: writing on the wall for NZ’s biggest gas user
Wed 6 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s biggest fossil gas user, Methanex, is expected to stop production by the end of this year, with the company confirming its Motunui methanol operation won’t survive Māui gas field’s closure.
Solar and wind with battery storage become more cost competitive, IRENA report shows
Fri 8 May 2026
Solar and wind energy with battery storage are delivering cost-competitive electricity compared with coal and gas, according to a report by the International Renewable Energy Agency on Wednesday.
Drop in ETS forestry registrations
Tue 5 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | ETS forestry registrations have dropped off this year, with the new mandatory emissions return period, new land-use rules, and carbon price volatility all meaning participants aren’t rushing to register forestry in the emissions trading scheme.
Greens condemn planned coal mine next to protected wetland
Mon 4 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party says a new plan for a coal mine and fertiliser plant next to an internationally significant wetland is “ecological vandalism and climate denial.”
Tairāwhiti deserves better than weakened forestry rules
Tue 5 May 2026
OPINION: The government's proposed amendments to forestry standards, released yesterday, ignore the hard lessons learned in our region and ignore the voices that have fought hardest to protect it, writes Manu Caddie.
Latest emissions inventory: ‘Something has gone very wrong’
16 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2024 decreased by just 0.1% compared to 2023, in what an expert says is a “terrible result”, compared to faster progress in previous years.
What Magyar’s defeat of Orbán in Hungary means for climate and energy
21 Apr 2026
Hungary has played a disproportionate role in EU climate and energy policy in recent years, by repeatedly vetoing climate action and by delaying the phaseout of Russian fossil-fuel imports.
Govt launches solar red tape review to speed up installations
Fri 8 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has launched a review aimed at making residential and small-scale solar installations faster and easier, in a move Rewiring Aotearoa says could help cut costs and accelerate solar uptake across New Zealand.
Environmental groups call for ETS reform
20 Feb 2026
Several environmental organisations are calling on political parties to make climate and biodiversity central to the 2026 election campaign, with reforming the Emissions Trading Scheme seen as a key priority.
‘Point of no return’: New Orleans relocation must start now due to sea level, study finds
Fri 8 May 2026
The process of relocating people from New Orleans should start immediately, as the city has reached a “point of no return” that will see it surrounded by the ocean within decades due to the climate crisis, a stark new study has concluded.
EDS urges MPs to scrap the Fisheries Amendment Bill
Tue 5 May 2026
Media release | The Environmental Defence Society today lodged a substantive submission on the Fisheries Amendment Bill.
Australia to force gas giants to reserve fuel for domestic use
Fri 8 May 2026
Australia will look to stave off energy shortages by forcing major gas companies to reserve 20 percent of their exports for domestic use, Energy Minister Chris Bowen said Thursday.
Māui closure notice narrows the buffer
Mon 4 May 2026
OMV New Zealand's notification that the Māui gas field will cease production by the end of 2026 has brought forward risks the industry had expected to emerge more gradually.
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.”
New funding for low methane farming uptake
29 Apr 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The government will co-fund projects under an Early Adoption Accelerator scheme announced today to accelerate the uptake of low emissions farming technologies emerging from the AgriZero public-private partnership.
‘Formidable’ El Niño expected this winter
29 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Meteorologists are anticipating a significant El Niño influence on weather patterns across the country from winter onwards, with predicted lower rainfall for some areas and heavier rain for others likely to impact multiple sectors of the economy as well as the carbon market.
Fonterra ‘spins’ greenwashing research for favourable press
1 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | Dairy co-operative Fonterra has managed to ‘spin’ international research intended to highlight greenwashing, instead using it to generate unwarranted positive press, according to researchers behind the recent study into ag industry greenwashing.
Mercury signs major hydro upgrade programme with ANDRITZ
23 Apr 2026
Media release | Mercury has signed a contract with international technology group ANDRITZ as part of a $590 million upgrade of three of the nine hydro stations on the Waikato River.
Victorian Hydrogen announces Southland urea fertiliser project using coal
22 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Australian-based Victorian Hydrogen has announced it is developing a new 1.5 million-tonne-a-year urea fertiliser operation in Southland, which it will apply for under fast-track legislation.
Media round-up
24 Apr 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: What is the real cost of storm-hit infrastructure? Urgency is needed over climate adaptation funding; and a community conservation group has won a legal victory against multinational mining company OceanaGold.
Climate law change spanner in the works for Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry
19 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s controversial changes to New Zealand’s legal framework for climate policy have thrown a spanner in the works for a long-running Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry into climate change.
Environmental groups sue Trump administration over approval of new ultra deep-water drilling project
23 Apr 2026
Environmental groups sued the Trump administration on Monday over its approval last month of oil company BP’s ultra deep-water drilling project in the Gulf of Mexico.
Tehran will never cede control of Strait of Hormuz, senior Iranian politician tells BBC
21 Apr 2026
"Never." That's when a senior Iranian lawmaker says they'll be ready to give up their control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Govt missing tricks to save fuel in crisis
30 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government is being urged to shift its response to the fuel crisis away from short-term relief and towards measures that reduce demand, with public health experts warning it is missing an opportunity to boost energy security and lower household costs.
Climate risks could reshape business finances, new guidance warns
15 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New guidance warns climate change is set to fundamentally reshape financial outcomes for businesses, including difficult-to-model climate “tipping points” – irreversible changes such as ice sheet collapse or ocean circulation shifts – which threaten severe and sudden financial impacts.
EU floats making it easy for oil companies to break methane rules
Fri 8 May 2026
Countries would be able to exempt companies from the rules on energy security grounds, even before major disruption occurs, under draft guidelines seen by POLITICO.
Media round-up
1 May 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: The environmental cost of cruise ships isn't worth the economic benefit, according to an expert; a Kiwi joins an all-female voyage to tackle plastics in the Pacific; and Greenpeace's Russel Norman said what about oil?
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.
Heat‑resistant corals could help reefs adapt to climate change
Thu 7 May 2026
Scientists are trying to conserve, replicate and reproduce heat-resistant corals before climate change wipes them out.
Pacific Islands call for fossil fuel phase-out, NZ hangs back
23 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Pacific Islands nations have launched a landmark declaration for a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific, calling for a Fossil Fuel Treaty and urgent phase-out of fossil fuels, however New Zealand isn’t rushing to join the call.
Kiwis overly optimistic about state of environment
27 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New research suggests many New Zealanders believe the environment is in better shape than it really is, with public perceptions often out of step with scientific evidence.
ESG funds include petrochemical companies, report finds
Tue 5 May 2026
Global banks have invested US$133bn into US petrochemical expansion, even as the industry is linked to climate change.
Thousands protest in Germany urging faster shift to renewable energy, amid Iran war
20 Apr 2026
Thousands of people demonstrated across Germany on April 18, urging a faster shift to renewable energy and accusing conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition of putting the brakes on the transition.
Green Party calls for national electrification plan
20 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party is calling for a national plan to electrify homes, transport and industry using renewable energy, to reduce fossil fuel dependence in response to the Middle East crisis.
Environment ministry straining under pressure of reforms and potential disestablishment
15 Apr 2026
The ministry responsible for New Zealand’s most significant resource management reform in a generation is doing so under institutional strain, compressed timeframes, and an uncertain future – including its own potential disestablishment.
Stripy wind turbines could save some birds
Fri 8 May 2026
Media release: Royal Society Interface | Preventing birds from colliding with wind turbine blades could be as simple as a few paint stripes, according to international researchers, who say this could help protect wildlife as renewable energy expands.
Planned coal mine borders internationally significant wetland
30 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Victorian Hydrogen, the company behind plans for a huge coal-to-urea project, has applied for a permit to explore for coal next to an internationally significant wetland in a sensitive catchment in Southland.
Climate change driving rising stroke risk, experts warn
Thu 7 May 2026
Climate change is increasing the risk of stroke and related deaths, with extreme heat and other environmental factors posing growing threats to brain health, says Professor Anna Ranta of the University of Otago.
Paddocks to power: The rise of small-scale solar farms
1 May 2026
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter | A new, small-scale solar farm has been lit in North Canterbury.
Carbon trading schemes cut more emissions than carbon taxes, according to global study
20 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Carbon trading schemes are more effective than carbon taxes at reducing emissions, cutting fossil fuel use, and accelerating the shift to renewable energy, a global study has found.
Why both trees and technology are important in the race to mitigate carbon emissions
Mon 4 May 2026
Different carbon‑removal approaches solve different problems, and pitting these technologies against each other could slow progress.
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.
More red lights for cars might mean more green lights for sustainable transport
Thu 7 May 2026
Media release: Royal Society Open Science | Reducing the amount of green light time for cars at traffic lights could encourage commuters to switch to more sustainable transport.
UN methane alert system expanded to coal and waste sectors after Indian landfill named among world’s top emitters
Wed 6 May 2026
The United Nations is expanding its methane monitoring system to cover coal mines and waste facilities, after satellite analysis identified a landfill in India among the world’s three largest methane-emitting sites.
NZ First moves to revive container return scheme
Mon 4 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | NZ First is aiming to launch a national container return scheme, which could recycle over a billion wasted containers each year, reviving a policy shelved by the previous Labour-led Government in 2023.
Why is Northern Ireland facing a growing threat from wildfires?
Thu 7 May 2026
Figures show that spring drought events are happening more often while there has been a sharp rise in "fire weather" - a mix of warmth, dryness, and wind that allows fires to ignite and spread rapidly. Experts warn this combination, along with climate change, is creating a longer and more volatile wildfire season.
Trump administration to pay two more companies to walk away from US offshore wind leases
29 Apr 2026
Bluepoint Wind and Golden State Wind have agreed to end their offshore wind leases in exchange for reimbursements totaling nearly $900 million. Both companies have decided not to pursue any new offshore wind projects in the United States.
