Topics tagged with 'Politics'
Ireland signs ambitious Climate Act into law
28 Jul 2021
Ireland’s ambitious Climate Act, which has set a legally binding target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030, has now been signed into law.
French lawmakers adopt compromise climate bill
21 Jul 2021
France’s parliament yesterday approved a compromise climate bill that was intended to transform travel, housing and industry but which environmental activists said doesn’t go fast or far enough to slash the country’s carbon emissions.
National releases ute tax video
16 Jul 2021
Media Release - Leader of the Opposition Judith Collins says National’s ‘Demand the Debate’ campaign has received unprecedented support since its launch on Sunday and has today released a video highlighting the effect the Government’s Ute Tax will have on the rural sector.
Politicians take to podcasting to tackle climate change
13 Jul 2021
In the first episode of his new podcast, the Backroom of Politics, National’s Gerry Brownlee accuses the Climate Change Commission of activism. In the second he’ll be interviewing the Commission’s chair Dr Rod Carr.
Further onshore gas exploration possible
12 Jul 2021
Iwi Maori will be consulted before a decision is made on whether any new onshore, gas exploration permits are issued, the Minister of Energy and Resources, Megan Woods, told Parliament last week.
Limits could be placed on NZU stockpiles
9 Jul 2021
Participants in the NZ ETS could have limits set on the number NZUs they are holding and be required to disclose their stockpiles under proposals being considered by the Government.
The Conversation: Climate Change Commission legal challenge
8 Jul 2021
New Zealand’s Climate Change Commission is facing its first legal hurdle, as a group of 300 climate-concerned lawyers seek judicial review of the processes it used to calculate carbon budgets in its recently released advice to government.
Just transition a top priority: Shaw
7 Jul 2021
Climate Change Minister James Shaw has told an audience in Wellington that a just transition will be a top priority in the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan
Shuttering NZUs 'wouldn't hurt': Shaw
5 Jul 2021
Minister for Climate Change James Shaw says buying NZUs with the intention of lowering New Zealand's total emissions 'wouldn't hurt,' in part two of his interview with Carbon News.
Voluntary NZ carbon credit drought
2 Jul 2021
Local businesses wanting to claim zero-carbon status are finding it difficult to obtain verified, voluntary New Zealand carbon credits, the Environment Select Committee heard yesterday.
Lawyers file court proceeding against Climate Change Commission
2 Jul 2021
Lawyers for Climate Action NZ (LCANZI) today filed High Court proceedings seeking judicial review of the Climate Change Commission’s advice to the Minister for Climate Change.
Feebate could see ETS cap reduce: Shaw
1 Jul 2021
Minister for Climate Change James Shaw says policies like the feebate scheme will allow the government to reduce the ETS cap quicker than would otherwise be the case.
Climate risk critical to investment decisions: Orr
30 Jun 2021
Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr urged attendees at yesterday’s Mindful Money Awards to incorporate climate risk into how they invest and allocate capital.
Greater Wellington aims to be carbon positive by 2035
29 Jun 2021
The Greater Wellington Regional Council is this morning expected to approve a long-term plan committing it to being climate positive by 2035.
No plans for halogen ban
29 Jun 2021
The Government has no plans to follow Britain, The EU and Australia’s lead in banning halogen lightbulbs.
EU approves landmark climate law
29 Jun 2021
European Union countries yesterday gave the final seal of approval to a law to make the bloc's greenhouse gas emissions targets legally binding, as EU policymakers prepare a huge new package of policies to fight climate change.
Could halogen lightbulbs be next?
28 Jun 2021
With the Government announcement that single-use plastic packaging is to be phased out, could a British-style ban on halogen lightbulbs be next?
Bolsonaro accused of ecocide
28 Jun 2021
Indigenous leaders and human rights groups in Brazil want President Jair Bolsonaro prosecuted for crimes against humanity.
Calls for disclosure Bill to be widened
25 Jun 2021
In its current form the Financial Sector (Climate-related Disclosures and Other Matters) Amendment Bill would see the Ports of Napier required to disclose its climate risks but not the Ports of Otago, a select committee heard yesterday.
German citizens' assembly offers emission-slashing solutions
25 Jun 2021
To a flurry of online applause and waving hands, citizens from across Germany agreed Wednesday night on more than 80 ways for the country to meet its commitments to slash emissions under the 2015 Paris climate agreement.
Carbon dividend would be “socially progressive”: Shaw
24 Jun 2021
Climate Change Minister James Shaw told this morning’s Environment Select Committee that using revenues from ETS auctions to pay a carbon dividend would be “socially progressive.”
Legal definition of ecocide proposed
24 Jun 2021
A panel of 12 lawyers from around the world has proposed a legal definition for a new crime that the lawyers want to see outlawed internationally: ecocide, or widespread destruction of the environment
10 YEARS AGO...
23 Jun 2021
Ten years ago, the Australian Government announced $4.2 million worth of research grants to help communities to prepare for climate change.
France introduces corporate climate disclosures
23 Jun 2021
France is striving to confirm its position as a global leader in corporate climate disclosures with a new set of binding targets that require investors to declare how green their assets.
Submission pile-up at congestion hearings
22 Jun 2021
Anyone wanting to wade their way through the written submissions to the Transport and Infrastructure Select Committee’s hearings on congestion pricing in Auckland will need to set aside a day or two… there’s 435 of them.
Billions of dollars of benefits overlooked by ClimCom
21 Jun 2021
The Climate Change Commission has failed to fully take into account billions of dollars in potential savings from climate change mitigation, according to some of Zealand's leading epidemiologists.
Do sport and climate change mix?
17 Jun 2021
The All Black’s current sponsor, AIG, and the company tipped to replace it, INEOS, are both under fire for their climate change records.
Switzerland to offset in Thailand
16 Jun 2021
Switzerland has agreed in principle to offset part of its carbon emissions reduction target by supporting green projects in Thailand.
Getting people out of their cars a top priority
14 Jun 2021
The lead author of a 2016 Royal Society report that recommended a feebate scheme says yesterday’s announcement is welcome news but getting people out of their cars remains a top priority.
G7 to adopt tougher measures on coal
14 Jun 2021
World leaders meeting in Cornwall are to adopt strict measures on coal-fired power stations as part of the battle against climate change.
Swiss reject climate tax hike
14 Jun 2021
Exit polls on Sunday indicated that Swiss voters appear to have narrowly rejected a proposed “carbon dioxide law” that would have hiked fees and taxes on fuels that produce greenhouse gases.
Children of the poor likely to be hit hardest by climate change
11 Jun 2021
The Climate Change Commission has warned that the poor, Maori, Pasifika and those with disabilities could shoulder a disproportionate amount of any financial pain caused by the transition to a zero-carbon economy.
Looming EU carbon tariffs
11 Jun 2021
Europe is preparing legislation that would jolt the rules of international trade by taxing imported goods based on the greenhouse gases emitted to make them.
Biden's climate ambitions hit headwinds
10 Jun 2021
President Joe Biden's National Climate Adviser Gina McCarthy has said some of the administration's more ambitious proposals to fight climate change are likely to be dropped.
Germany's citizens' assembly on climate
8 Jun 2021
A diverse group of 160 German citizens have until the end of June to present their recommendations for climate protection to the government. DW spoke to two participants.
Is the Growing Climate Solutions Act the solution?
8 Jun 2021
The Growing Climate Solutions Act is garnering support on both sides of the US Senate and has the support of Big Ag and some environmental groups. Mother Jones asks whether it will really make a dent in emissions?
Marijuana's carbon problem
8 Jun 2021
Location, location, location: That’s the deciding factor when it comes to the size of marijuana cultivation’s carbon footprint, according to a new study out of Colorado State University.
Government commits more money to cars and bikes
4 Jun 2021
And in more mixed news for the climate, the Government today announced plans for a new cycle and pedestrian harbour bridge for Auckland and confirmed the $1.5 billion dollar Otaki to Levin expressway will go ahead.
Healthcare workers turning to climate activism
4 Jun 2021
A growing number of doctors and front-line healthcare workers are turning to climate activism to urge global leaders to declare climate change a public health emergency.
Global agreement on climate disclosure for listed companies on the cards
3 Jun 2021
The governor of the Bank of France said that a global agreement is about to be reached, which will require all listed companies to disclose their climate change risks in a standardised way.
Virtual climate talks underway
2 Jun 2021
Officials from around the globe begin three weeks of grueling climate talks Monday that will involve grappling with a number of thorny political issues without the benefit of face-to-face meetings, due to pandemic restrictions.
Lawyers for Climate Action call on Govt to walk the talk
1 Jun 2021
Lawyers for Climate Action have told the Government that exempting government agencies from financial disclosure requirements would be a fundamental failure by government to lead by example.
How should that $3 billion in ETS revenues be spent?
27 May 2021
Paying farmers to reduce their stocks, electrifying the main trunk line, and subsidies to zero-carbon housing, are some of the ideas suggested by experts for how the Government should spend the estimated $3 billion dollars raised over the next five years from the ETS auctions.
"Wrongheaded" obsession with balance a threat to the climate
21 May 2021
Former Treasury chief economist Girol Karacaoglu told a post budget breakfast this morning that the Government’s “wrongheaded” obsession with balance was preventing it from dealing adequately with poverty and climate change.
Sustainable business groups welcome budget
21 May 2021
MEDIA RELEASE - Business leaders from the Sustainable Business Council (SBC) and the Climate Leaders Coalition (CLC) welcome the 2021 Budget announcement on climate action, noting that it sets high expectations for further commitments resulting from the imminent Emissions Reduction Plan, in next year’s budget.
Climate change takes backseat in opposition parties’ alternative budgets
18 May 2021
The ACT Party says its supports reducing New Zealand’s emissions but the ETS is all that’s needed to do it.
The winding road to decarbonising transport
17 May 2021
With yesterday’s pre-budget announcement of $41.8 million for the state sector to lease low emissions vehicles, and last week’s release of a Ministry of Transport green paper on transitioning to net zero by 2050 a map of how New Zealand could decarbonise its transport sector is emerging.
Capital a step closer to fossil-fuel free CBD
14 May 2021
The Wellington City Council yesterday voted to direct staff to investigate the Wellington Fossil-Fuel Free Central City 2025 proposal put forward by councillor Tamatha Paul.
Climate change takes centre stage in infrastructure proposals
13 May 2021
Cheaper public transport, congestion charges, centralising the waste and recycling sectors, off-shore wind farms and up to a 10-fold increase in the price of carbon used to calculate the cost-benefit ratio of new projects are some of the ideas put forward in the infrastructure Commission’s 30 year draft strategy released yesterday.
Investor Group on Climate Change outgoing CEO optimistic about the future
10 May 2021
The outgoing CEO of the Investor Group on Climate Change, Emma Herd, says she’s never felt more optimistic about the likelihood of the world successfully dealing with climate change.
Environmental groups call for ETS reform
Fri 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.
Media round-up
Fri 20 Feb 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: 'Every tonne matters': The climate scientist who wants to give you hope; Minister says managed retreat is an option; and climate change is here – is New Zealand ready?
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.
Singapore sets first ever sustainable aviation fuel levy, as Southeast Asia’s fuel industry grows
Tue 17 Feb 2026
Flying in and out of Singapore, home to Southeast Asia’s busiest airport, will get slightly more expensive this year as the city state begins imposing a levy of between 75 cents to $32 per ticket to fund sustainable aviation fuel.
Greens slam move to disband Environment Ministry
Fri 20 Feb 2026
The Green Party has joined climate and health advocates in condemning the Government's decision to disestablish the Ministry for the Environment as part of a multi-ministry merger.
Govt’s own modelling shows LNG leads to higher electricity prices than other solutions
Thu 19 Feb 2026
By Christina Hood | COMMENT: According to modelling conducted by Concept Consulting for MBIE, either developing the Tariki gas storage facility or managing electricity demand would deliver lower wholesale electricity prices than the Government’s preferred solution of an LNG import terminal.
New study looks to nature markets to accelerate climate response
Wed 18 Feb 2026
The Nature Conservancy is teaming up with local groups to study the most affordable and effective ways of restoring native habitats at the top of the South Island, including ways to fund the work using international voluntary carbon markets and biodiversity credits.
California, Connecticut preparing 'attack' against Trump's repeal of basis of US climate regulation
Fri 20 Feb 2026
California and Connecticut are working together on a multi-state "plan of attack" against President Donald Trump's repeal of the foundation of federal climate regulation of vehicles, the states' attorneys general told Reuters on Tuesday.
Carbon price drops as volatility continues
Tue 17 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The carbon market is still displaying extreme volatility, with prices dropping back to below $40 yesterday, after trading as high as $46.25 last week.
Flawed decision-making around taxing electricity to fund LNG import terminal
16 Feb 2026
By Simon Orme | COMMENT: The Government's decision to back an LNG import terminal exemplifies an egregious failure in public policy and energy sector governance.
LNG: a rational choice compared to unpalatable alternatives
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.
Sustainable retail-office project breaks ground under new Green Star framework
Thu 19 Feb 2026
Construction is set to begin on a new retail-office development in central Auckland, which is targeting a 40% reduction in embodied carbon and 25% lower energy.
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.
Carbon market rallies but auction floor still out of reach
13 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The carbon market has rallied, with secondary market prices up more than 25% in the past two weeks, although current prices in the mid-$40s are still far below this year’s $71 auction floor, with the first auction of 2026 less than three weeks away.
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.
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.
Slash for cash turns storm debris into jobs and climate resilience
Thu 19 Feb 2026
A community-led initiative in Tairāwhiti is transforming storm-damaged forestry slash into jobs, soil regeneration and long-term climate resilience.
Calls for action to reduce emissions as extreme weather bites
Tue 17 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | Renewable energy advocates and environmental groups are calling for more action to reduce emissions and increase resilience as severe weather wreaks havoc across the country.
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.”
European Central Bank's green supervision grows teeth, but will banks avoid being bitten?
13 Feb 2026
After several years of issuing guidance and repeatedly calling on banks to take climate and environmental risk management seriously, the European Central Bank is moving from guidance and expectations to enforcement.
Green Member’s Bill aims to give whales legal ‘personhood’
9 Feb 2026
The Green Party wants to give whales legal rights, including the right to sue.
Claims that AI can help fix climate dismissed as greenwashing
Wed 18 Feb 2026
Tech companies are conflating traditional artificial intelligence with generative AI when claiming the energy-hungry technology could help avert climate breakdown, according to a report.
Govt missing opportunity to slash electricity prices, says expert
11 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s fixation on eliminating the "dry-year risk margin" as a lever to reduce costs misses a much bigger opportunity to lower electricity prices, according to Christina Hood, head of Compass Climate.
Media round-up
13 Feb 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Senior UK ministers have asked their New Zealand counterparts to explain new climate policies, National’s LNG blunders are a warning ahead of election campaign, and what are the lessons New Zealand should take from another summer of weather disasters?
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.
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.
Australian gas producer Santos wins court fight over net zero claims
Wed 18 Feb 2026
An Australian court on Tuesday threw out a lawsuit against gas producer Santos that alleged the company misled the public on its plans to achieve net zero carbon emissions.
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.
Seabed miners quit South Taranaki fast-track bid
Fri 20 Feb 2026
By Craig Ashworth, Local Democracy Reporter | Would-be seabed miners have abandoned their fast-track bid to mine in South Taranaki waters, saying they can’t change the minds of the panel that rejected their application.
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.
Partnership to advance Pacific science and environmental leadership
Thu 19 Feb 2026
Media release | Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration in Pacific-led science, research and capacity-building, with a strong focus on environmental sustainability and ocean stewardship.
Lawyers seek answers on climate impacts of LNG import facility
13 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Lawyers for Climate Action has written to Climate Change and Energy Minister Simon Watts warning that the Government's plan for an LNG import terminal could be in conflict with New Zealand’s climate obligations and emissions reduction targets.
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.
Kiwi startup takes on global plastic pollution
12 Feb 2026
A New Zealand startup is launching what it says is the world’s first plastic-free effervescent drink tablet, with the ambitious aim of eliminating bottled beverages to reduce global plastic pollution.
78% of NZers want bottom trawling banned as Govt pushes to catch more coral in South Pacific
Tue 17 Feb 2026
Media release | New polling shows overwhelming support from New Zealanders for a ban on bottom trawling in the South Pacific high seas, says Greenpeace.
Critical minerals talks with US questioned in Waitangi Tribunal climate inquiry
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.
IEA Declaration strengthens international co-operation on critical minerals
Fri 20 Feb 2026
Media release – NZ Government | New Zealand has joined international leaders at the 2026 International Energy Agency Ministerial meeting in committing to strengthen global co-operation on critical minerals to strengthen long‑term energy security.
Antarctic sediment core reveals past ice sheet retreat during warmer climates
Wed 18 Feb 2026
A record-breaking sediment core drilled from beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is giving scientists new insight into how the ice sheet responded to warmer climates in the past — and what that could mean for future sea-level rise.
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-UAE partnership boosts advanced tech
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.
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.
Infrastructure plan calls for ‘predictable approach’ to electrifying economy
Wed 18 Feb 2026
Aotearoa’s first National Infrastructure Plan, introduced to Parliament yesterday, calls for "a predictable approach to electrifying the economy" as one of ten priorities for the next decade.
Climate ambassador moves on
13 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government is on the hunt for a new top climate diplomat, with previous climate ambassador Stu Horne moving on to a posting in Honolulu as New Zealand’s Consul General to Hawai’i.
EU to ban destruction of unsold clothes and shoes
12 Feb 2026
The European Commission has adopted new measures that will require medium and large companies to stop discarding unsold clothing and footwear, in the bloc’s latest move to target textile waste.
New research on climate adaptation as severe weather hits
16 Feb 2026
As extreme weather batters the country yet again, researchers have published the first ever empirical study of climate adaptation justice in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Study finds warming world increases days when weather is prone to fires around the globe
Fri 20 Feb 2026
The number of days when the weather gets hot, dry and windy — ideal to spark extreme wildfires — has nearly tripled in the past 45 years across the globe, with the trend increasing even higher in the Americas, a new study shows.
Hydrogen plant to start construction
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.
