Topics tagged with 'Politics'
Water-wise Maori now look to the wind
7 Sep 2012
As the Government prepares to negotiate with Maori over ownership of rivers, a Waitangi Tribunal claim is being finalised for Maori to earn a dividend for the use of wind for commercial electricity generation.
Europe throws switch on incandescent bulbs
7 Sep 2012
The European Union has banned the sale of 40W and 25W incandescent bulbs.
We’re well on the road to Doha, says UN
7 Sep 2012
A week of climate talks in Bangkok has allowed countries to make concrete progress on key issues, providing a positive momentum for the upcoming United Nations conference in Doha, says a UN official.
Check aid targets, urges Pacific report
31 Aug 2012
A new report is urging funding donors and Pacific governments to work together with civil society organisations to ensure the money reaches those most vulnerable to climate change.
AL MORRISON: We've been too smug for too long
17 Aug 2012
The Department of Conservation wants to do business with business.
Europe limits dumping of e-waste
17 Aug 2012
At least 85 per cent of electrical and electronic waste generated in the European Union will have to be recycled by 2020 under new rules that took effect this week.
Missed opportunity to invest in NZ
17 Aug 2012
Since the Government’s July Emissions Trading Scheme announcements (a U-turn on a previously announced plan to introduce some sort of restriction on international units) the New Zealand carbon market has slowly, but surely, collapsed, says Carbon Match's Lizzie Chambers.
People want more action on climate change
10 Aug 2012
New Zealanders want the Government and business to do more about climate change – but most of all we want other countries to do something.
Europe slams US for backing off
10 Aug 2012
The European Union and small island states have criticised the United States for backing away from a United Nations goal of limiting global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius
You, too, can be like the Olympics
10 Aug 2012
Impressed by the sustainable nature of the Olympics? You can do it, too, thanks to a new standard for events.
Academic diagnoses climate change fatigue
3 Aug 2012
A dramatic fall in the number of people who think climate change is an urgent problem is not surprising, given the current economic and political environment in New Zealand, says an environmental sociologist.
Scientists challenge biofuels claim
3 Aug 2012
German researchers have unveiled evidence suggesting European Commission claims that locally produced rapeseed biodiesel cut back at least 38 per cent of greenhouse gases compared with fossil fuels, are unfounded.
Sustainability must on menu, says report
27 Jul 2012
Sustainability should be at the heart of New Zealand’s food industry, says a new report.
Petrobras protest skipper walks free
27 Jul 2012
Charges against the skipper of a boat involved in protests against deep-sea oil exploration in the Raukumara Basin by Petrobras have been dismissed.
Korea waters down carbon trading plan
27 Jul 2012
The South Korean government has unveiled a detailed plan for its emissions trading scheme, apparently seeking a smooth start of the programme in light of persistent fears from industries about increased environmental costs.
Switch NZUS for ERUs
27 Jul 2012
Carbon was defensive early, but finished with underlying strength and momentum after ECB President Mario Draghi pledged to do whatever it takes to support the Euro, OMFinancial says.
Down, down, down ... carbon hits new low
20 Jul 2012
Global carbon prices are at an all-time low and are expected to go lower.
Foresters might swap carbon for cows
20 Jul 2012
Tumbling carbon prices could trigger the conversion of large tracts of forest into dairy farms, the forestry industry is warning.
Groser talks green in Germany
13 Jul 2012
Climate Change Minister Tim Groser is talking clean-tech investment in Germany.
More Americans go cool on global warming
6 Jul 2012
Americans' support for government action on global warming remains high but has dropped during the past two years, according to a new survey by Stanford University.
Rio pledges pass $500 billion mark
29 Jun 2012
More than $513 billion in funding has been committed by governments, the private sector, civil society and other groups to achieve a sustainable future.
Australia takes aim at shipping
29 Jun 2012
Legislation has been introduced into the Australian Parliament aimed at reducing pollution from ships and protecting the marine environment.
Don't trade in the Holden on a push bike
29 Jun 2012
Twenty years after he attended the Rio Earth Summit, Carbon Market Solutions' Wayne King looks at progress and hopes for the future:
Business lobby group tries again
15 Jun 2012
Some of New Zealand’s top business leaders are issuing what they say is a call-to-action over the country's green development future.
EDITORIAL: Our leaders should be in Rio
15 Jun 2012
Twenty-five years ago, the world was urged to adopt sustainable development.
Rio countries now in final talks
15 Jun 2012
Countries have started the last round of talks to come to an agreement on the draft outcome document on environmental, economic and social issues at the heart of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.
How corporates play the climate game
8 Jun 2012
Many companies are casting unwarranted doubt on the science of climate change, adding confusion to policy discussion and holding back or slowing down action on solutions, says a new report.
Australia nuclear by 2030, says expert
8 Jun 2012
Australia will become a user of the world's most advanced nuclear power technology if the country is serious about cutting carbon emissions, says an Adelaide scientist.
EU-China carbon talks get serious
8 Jun 2012
Meetings between EU and Chinese officials aimed at helping Beijing to draft plans for its own carbon emissions market are “increasing in intensity,” says the union’s chief climate negotiator, Artur Runge-Metzger.
Growing market meets carbon challenges
1 Jun 2012
The total value of the carbon market grew by 11 per cent in 2011, to $176 billion, and transaction volumes reached a new high of 10.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, says a new World Bank report.
Australia eyes new energy standards
1 Jun 2012
The Australian Government has introduced the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards legislation to Parliament.
EU airline cash could go to climate fund
18 May 2012
European Union nations should pledge that funds from paying for airline emissions will help poor countries to deal with global warming, the bloc's climate chief said this week.
Warm homes green economics at work
18 May 2012
The Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart home insulation scheme is a good example of smart, green economics at work, the Green Party says.
Forest credits must find place in Asia
11 May 2012
New Zealand is moving to secure access to emerging Asian carbon markets.
Climate drives security fears in Arctic
4 May 2012
Ways must be found to head off potential conflicts in the Arctic as climate change reshapes the geopolitics of the area, says a new report.
Govt stands back from new-world calls
27 Apr 2012
New Zealand supports global action on environmental issues, but might stop short of supporting an overhaul of world governance systems at the upcoming Rio+20 conference, officials say.
Obama warms to climate change action
27 Apr 2012
United States President Barack Obama has recently voiced his intention to address climate change issues during the up-coming election cycle, after criticism from environmentalists who have been disappointed with his lack of attention on the subject, Carbon Market Solutions says.
Mexico eyes carbon trading system
20 Apr 2012
Mexico has moved a step closer to passing legislation which will lead to a carbon trading system.
Perth company gets first carbon licence
20 Apr 2012
CO2 Group has become the Australia’s first carbon project developer to get a financial services licence that will allow the company to trade carbon credit units.
We can't go on like this, says think tank
13 Apr 2012
Over the past 50 years, the world's middle and upper classes have more than doubled their consumption levels, and an additional 1 to 2 billion people globally aspire to join the consumer class, the Worldwatch Institute says in its latest report.
UN in pre-Rio call for business action
13 Apr 2012
The business and industry sectors play a key role in leading countries toward sustainable development, says a top United Nations official.
Agriculture might get 2018 reprieve
11 Apr 2012
Agriculture might be out of the Emissions Trading Scheme until 2018.
Govt wants hold on international credits
11 Apr 2012
The Government intends restricting the number of international carbon credits New Zealand emitters can use to meet their obligations, it has been revealed today.
Why high-tech is vital in carbon economy
5 Apr 2012
The use of broadband in information and communication technology can help the world transition to a low-carbon economy and address the causes and effects of climate change, according to a new United Nations-backed report.
Policy uncertainty makes for a foggy market
5 Apr 2012
The New Zealand Government has confirmed that it is considering changes to the current Emissions Trading Scheme, and that the law and policy could be changed this year.
Australia stands alone in low-carbon slide
23 Mar 2012
Australia is the only G20 country that has gone backwards on its low-carbon competitiveness since 1995, according to the Global Climate Leadership Review 2012 released by The Climate Institute.
China sees sense of low-carbon economy
16 Mar 2012
A low-carbon economy is among China’s major goals as it tries to leave itself more room to improve the way in which it grows.
Australian election poses ETS problems
2 Mar 2012
A big event in the future of the New Zealand Emission Trading Scheme will be the introduction of the Australian carbon tax flexible pricing period in 2015, Carbon Market Solutions says.
Antarctic call shonky, says ice-man Morgan
2 Mar 2012
Climate change, not fishing, is the biggest threat to the Southern Ocean, says economist Gareth Morgan.
Europe's airline rules stir controversy
24 Feb 2012
Carbon Market Solutions says that the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme has now included aviation in its emissions reduction sectors in a move fraught with controversy and disagreement.
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'.
