Topics tagged with 'Politics'
EDITORIAL: The times they are a-changin' ... quickly
27 Oct 2015
By editor ADELIA HALLETT.- There’s been a sea change in climate change. While some far-sighted New Zealand businesses have been planning for a carbon-constrained economy for some time, the rest of the business world is catching up.
Big emitters shift burden to poorer nations
27 Oct 2015
Researchers say emissions reduction targets set by China, the US and Europe place harsh demands on the rest of the world, and could cast a pall over the Paris climate summit.
Wages set to fall unless warming is tackled
27 Oct 2015
Researchers say the economic costs of failing to take action on climate change will be much greater than previously thought – with average global incomes cut by almost a quarter.
Business needs to take a stand
21 Oct 2015
Business needs to take a clear stand on carbon pricing, says former Climate Change Ambassador Dr Adrian Macey.
A new era of migration ... and not just for people
19 Oct 2015
The world is watching as refugees flood into a Europe unprepared for the new arrivals.
It's time for the hard work to begin
12 Oct 2015
Recent trips by President Obama highlight the costs of adapting – or responding – to climate change that we are paying today and will pay tomorrow.
Islands play vital climate change role, says UN chief
5 Oct 2015
Pacific island nations have a crucial role to play in efforts to advance a sustainable future, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the region’s leaders as they met at United Nations Headquarters.
A 21st century government must care for nature
5 Oct 2015
Australia’s new prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has announced what he calls a “21st century government”. This article is part of The Conversation’s series focusing on what such a government should look like. John Woinarski and Stephen Garnett report:
Australian states threaten to go back to the future
5 Oct 2015
China has added itself to the list of countries prepared to price carbon. Of course, Australia knows more about putting a national price on carbon than almost any other country. And it also knows about dismantling such a price.
Volkswagen budgets billions to stem cheating tide
28 Sep 2015
Volkswagen has set aside €6.5 billion to cover the costs of the growing scandal over cheating on emissions tests in the US.
Backlash fear stopped move on agriculture emissions
21 Sep 2015
New Zealand came close to splitting agriculture off from its post-2020 emissions reduction target in a bid to save money, but dropped the idea amid fears of an international backlash.
How Groser battled for a 15% emissions cut
21 Sep 2015
Climate Change Minister Tim Groser wanted New Zealand to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 15 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030, a Treasury email shows.
More officials mirror Treasury advice to Cabinet
21 Sep 2015
Treasury bosses are not the only officials telling the Government that New Zealanders want a settled, broad agreement on climate change policy.
Turnbull should go back to his old climate self
21 Sep 2015
No more “stop the boats” or “axe the tax”. In announcing his challenge to Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull promised to take Australian politics away from the mantrafication of policy by three-word chant.
India in disarray over strategy on global warming
21 Sep 2015
Researchers in India say its action on climate change is suffering because, unlike China, it has not developed the institutions needed to co-ordinate policy.
Does bioenergy have a green energy future in the US?
21 Sep 2015
Bio-derived sources of energy – wood, grass, dung and alcohol – have a rich history, yet have failed to command the “buzz” of solar, wind or even geothermal in public discussions regarding renewable energy.
Business, officials want cross-party climate deal
14 Sep 2015
High government officials and business leaders have recommended cross-party consensus on climate change - something the Government has since ruled out.
Norman hopes for more action ... this time for real
14 Sep 2015
Russel Noman is chucking in politics for protest. And the 48-year-old MP – co-leader of the Green Party for nine years – could be forgiven for thinking that joining an organisation that operates on direct action might be the only way to get any real action on climate change.
Canberra climate boss quits over 'hostile' minister
14 Sep 2015
The chairman of Australia's Climate Change Authority, Bernie Fraser, has quit – apparently after a long period of bad relations with Environment Minister Greg Hunt.
... so, where does the authority go from here
14 Sep 2015
Bernie Fraser’s resignation as chairman of Australia’s Climate Change Authority has left many wondering what is left of it and what its future might be.
Copenhagen chair fears Paris talks outcome
14 Sep 2015
At the world’s last blockbuster climate summit, in Copenhagen in 2009, the person in the president’s chair was former EU climate commissioner and Danish environment minister Connie Hedegaard.
Greens bend to seek political climate consensus
7 Sep 2015
A strong carbon price, a green investment bank and a climate commission are emerging as the basis of a political consensus on climate change policy – at least on one side of the House.
Australia’s new cap a trading scheme in all but name
7 Sep 2015
The Australian Government has released its final draft for a cap on greenhouse gas emissions. The “safeguard mechanism” will form part of the government’s central climate policy, and will fine large businesses for exceeding emissions baselines.
What really happened with Kyoto ERUs
7 Sep 2015
Emissions trading needs to be backed by ambitious targets, transparent reporting and international accountability if it is to be effective in tackling climate change.
The green-tech future is a flawed vision of sustainability
31 Aug 2015
What does your vision of a sustainable future look like? Some people imagine a scenario whereby technology solves the world’s most pressing environmental problems.
Scientists rate Australia even worse than NZ
31 Aug 2015
Australia has got an even worse review from an international coalition of climate scientists for its post-2020 emissions reduction target than New Zealand got.
Fishing industry faces quota system review
24 Aug 2015
The Quota Management System for fisheries is to be reviewed.
We need to show off our quality seafood
24 Aug 2015
New Zealand seafood needs a clear, New Zealand-branded validation scheme to take advantage of growing global demand for environmentally sustainable, natural, healthy food, Seafood New Zealand chair George Clement says.
If we want to eat tuna, we need to learn how to share
24 Aug 2015
Amid growing demand for seafood, gas and other resources drawn from the world’s oceans, and growing stresses from climate change, QUENTIN HANICH examines some of the challenges and solutions for developing 'the blue economy' in smarter, more sustainable ways.
It's time for packaging that cares about the future
17 Aug 2015
Our Daily Waste founder Dr SHARON McIVER on why how smart businesses are future-proofing by getting rid of plastic packaging now.
Frustrated Sydney gets climate act together
17 Aug 2015
Sydney is acting to protect itself against heat waves, floods, storms and energy shortages as a result of climate change.
Obama plan opens door to real action in Paris
10 Aug 2015
President Obama’s determination to reduce US carbon emissions by 32% below 2005 levels by 2030 sends a message to the rest of the world’s leaders that the UN climate talks in Paris could succeed in saving the planet from overheating.
Arctic’s melting ice shrinks Europe-Asia shipping routes
10 Aug 2015
The disappearing Arctic ice cap will boost trade between north-west Europe and countries such as China, Japan and South Korea by making the sea routes far shorter, according to economic analysts.
Clinton stakes out safe political ground with energy and climate plan
3 Aug 2015
US presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has begun to unveil components of her policy agenda on energy and climate change.
Good practice makes perfect sense for emissions cuts
3 Aug 2015
European researchers investigating ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the internationally agreed safety level have arrived at the good news that we can just about achieve it – provided all nations show the political will to do so.
Sustainable oil from algae: the technology is ready, but what about the politics?
3 Aug 2015
Ultimately, all of the oil we use to power our modern lives comes from living creatures such as algae – albeit ones that lived 3.5 billion years ago, before gradually morphing into fossil fuel.
Key: It's our climate policy and we're sticking with it
27 Jul 2015
Prime Minister John Key has rejected calls for cross-party agreement on climate change policy.
Why cities are a rare good news story in climate change
27 Jul 2015
The visit last week of 65 mayors to the Vatican to discuss climate change, among other things, reflects the central role of cities in debates that for too long took place only at the global and national level.
Forecasting dead zones and toxic algae in US waterways: a bad year for Lake Erie
27 Jul 2015
Over the past two decades, scientists have developed ways to predict how ecosystems will react to changing environmental conditions.
One year on from the carbon price experiment, the rebound in emissions is clear
27 Jul 2015
Just over a year ago, Australia concluded a unique public policy experiment. For the preceding two years and two weeks, it had put a price on a range of greenhouse gas emitting activities, most significantly power generation.
Australia hit its Kyoto target, but it was more a three-inch putt than a hole in one
20 Jul 2015
In the saga of mendacity that is the climate policy debate, no claim has been more audacious than the one now being told by the federal government about Australia’s “success” in meeting its Kyoto emissions target.
Eco-friendly golf means not worrying if the grass is greener on the other course
20 Jul 2015
The Open Championship has returned to St Andrews, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious golf courses and one that has been recognised for its commitment to sustainability.
Barriers, canals and fake islands ... how we can save cities from rising sea levels
20 Jul 2015
Extreme storms and rising sea levels will threaten the existence of coastal cities worldwide, unless preventative action is undertaken.
Climate threat as grave a risk as nuclear war, say scientists
20 Jul 2015
The risks of climate change are comparable to those posed by nuclear conflict, says a new report.
Fossil fuel firms fail to report climate risks
13 Jul 2015
Fossil fuel companies operating in the UK are accused by a financial monitoring group of a “staggering” disregard for their obligation to acknowledge the risks which climate change poses to them and their investors.
We're still undecided on ETS, says minister
8 Jul 2015
The terms of reference for the review of the Emissions Trading Scheme have not yet been set, says Climate Change Minister Tim Groser.
PFSI consultation meeting today
7 Jul 2015
Public meetings to discuss changes to the Permanent Forest Sink Initiative kick off in Northland today.
We could still be a carbon leader, says trader
6 Jul 2015
It’s not too late for New Zealand to become an international carbon trading hub, says pioneer carbon trader Nigel Brunel.
Australia’s ‘climate roundtable’ could unite old foes and end the carbon deadlock
6 Jul 2015
Climate policy is in the Australian media yet again, but this time it might be different. The set of policy principles released by the Australian Climate Roundtable are extraordinary for two reasons.
It looks like carbon capture is going down down the tubes
6 Jul 2015
One of the much-heralded solutions to climate change which its supporters believe could enable the world to continue to burn fossil fuels looks likely to be a failure.
Farm-level emissions cuts possible, but almost everything stands in the way
18 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Progress to slash farming emissions is being blocked by limited farmer confidence in mitigation tools, inconsistent engagement, misinformation and a lack of clear policy signals, according to a new report.
State-owned farmer drives profit growth with emissions reductions
19 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Government-owned Landcorp, trading as Pāmu, is one-third of the way to meeting its 2031 emissions reduction targets, with five years left to run to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30.3% against 2021 emissions.
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.
‘Cali Fund’ aiming to raise billions for nature receives first donation – of just $1,000
16 Dec 2025
A major biodiversity fund – which could, in theory, generate billions of dollars annually for conservation – received its first donation of just $1,000 in November.
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.
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.
Seven quiet wins for climate and nature in 2025
19 Dec 2025
This year's environmental backdrop is familiar: emissions are rising and nature is continuing to decline. But there have nevertheless been bright spots in 2025.
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.
Global coal demand hit record high this year but is set to decline by 2030
18 Dec 2025
Global coal demand reached a record high in 2025 but is expected to decline by 2030 as renewables, nuclear power and abundant natural gas squeeze its dominance in power generation.
Investors must support positive climate-tech
28 Nov 2025
OPINION: We need better leadership than the current ‘climate opportunism’ that is rife in the Beehive, and we need to back a marketplace that will make it happen, writes Rob Campbell.
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.
India at COP30: A mismatch between grandstanding and climate action
11 Dec 2025
Despite India’s attempt to anoint itself as the leader of the developing world, at the COP30 summit, New Delhi’s track record remains contradictory.
Govt warned that scrapping ag emission pricing comes with risks
11 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s move to halt plans for agricultural emissions pricing without replacing it with any other action will leave New Zealand facing a bigger gap to meet its third emissions budget, Environment ministry officials have warned.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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”.
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.”
Westpac NZ announces partnership to form Blue Economy hub in Nelson
17 Dec 2025
Media release | Westpac NZ has announced a new three-year partnership with the Nelson Regional Development Agency and Kernohan Engineering to help accelerate the development of a sustainable marine economy – also known as the blue economy.
NZ ‘clearly’ breaching international law on climate – Vanuatu Climate Change Minister
12 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister, Ralph Regenvanu, says New Zealand restarting fossil fuel exploration and subsidies is an obvious breach of international law, exposing the country to international and domestic litigation.
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.
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.
Insurers welcome govt decision to keep NHC levy unchanged
21 Nov 2025
Media release |The Insurance Council of New Zealand | Te Kāhui Inihua o Aotearoa (ICNZ) has welcomed the Government’s decision to leave the Natural Hazards Commission levy unchanged, amid ongoing concerns around the cost-of-living.
Why I’m not outraged at the Govt’s latest climate backsliding
7 Nov 2025
COMMENT: The Government’s latest climate rollbacks underline New Zealand’s long history of a lack of genuine desire to cut emissions, writes Geoff Bertram.
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.
Oil and gas majors would create $78bn more value by stopping exploration
11 Dec 2025
Media release | Ten of the world’s largest oil and gas companies would create significantly more shareholder value by ending exploration and sharply curtailing upstream development, according to new analysis released today by ACCR.
Wetlands and biodiversity at risk as mining rules loosen: Greenpeace
19 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Greenpeace says Government changes to national direction instruments under the RMA paves the way for mining in wetlands and biodiversity hotspots and will expose some of Aotearoa’s most fragile ecosystems to irreversible damage.
NZ could become ‘dumping ground’ for dirty vehicles: Commissioner
16 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Simon Upton, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, has warned the Government that its changes to the clean car standard could turn the country into a dumping ground for high emitting cars, making future emissions budgets harder to achieve.
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.
Offshore windfarms enhance function of coastal waters and diversity of aquatic life
19 Dec 2025
Media release | A study conducted by researchers from Murdoch University in Australia and Dalian Ocean University in China has found that offshore windfarms can improve marine ecosystems and diversify aquatic food chains.
‘A shift no country can ignore’: where global emissions stand, 10 years after the Paris climate agreement
16 Dec 2025
The watershed summit in 2015 was far from perfect, but its impact so far has been significant and measurable.
Govt consulting on Pacific Resilience Facility
12 Dec 2025
The Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee is calling for submissions on its international treaty examination of the Agreement to Establish the Pacific Resilience Facility.
Govt green lights rural recycling scheme
4 Dec 2025
The Government has approved new regulations to bring rural waste schemes under one unified framework.
KiwiRail pauses coal trains amid rising climate protests
9 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate activists are ramping up actions this week, with a Christchurch protest leading to KiwiRail pausing some coal train operations on Saturday, and another protest against the Fast-Track Amendment Bill planned for parliament today.
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.
Could tidal energy one day power NZ?
18 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New research suggests Aotearoa holds some of the world’s strongest tidal-stream energy potential – enough to generate up to 93% of today’s electricity use – but one expert cautions that extracting energy at such a scale could have significant impacts and remains highly uncertain.
NZ could lose nearly all glaciers this century without stronger climate action
16 Dec 2025
New Zealand could see 97% of its glaciers vanish by 2100, with new international modelling projecting a rapid acceleration in glacier extinction from the 2030s onward – even under lower-warming scenarios.
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.
Last minute change to oil and gas legislation over cleanup costs
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.
The surprisingly convincing case against cars
19 Dec 2025
Life After Cars dares to imagine how different, and enriching, a car-free world could be.
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.
NZ just had its hottest spring in at least 116 years
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | This year New Zealand had its hottest spring since records began, with widespread heat, rainfall extremes and destructive wind driven by sudden stratospheric warming.
Media round-up
12 Dec 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Another offshore wind firm exits New Zealand over a clash with seabed mining; Fonterra falls behind on its climate goals as farm emissions remain flat; and the businesses trapped by the gas 'death spiral'.
