Topics tagged with 'Politics'
National's best ETS bet is deal with Labour
31 Aug 2009
The Labour Party is looking like the Government’s most likely emissions trading scheme partner.
Dunne: A middle road through complex issues
31 Aug 2009
The Emissions Trading Scheme Select Committee review has demonstrated strong support for such a scheme and gives the Government the platform it needs to develop its position for the upcoming Copenhagen climate change conference, committee chairman Peter Dunne said today.
National: We'll continue talks with all parties
31 Aug 2009
Minister for Climate Change Issues Nick Smith today welcomed the report of the Emissions Trading Scheme Review Committee.
Labour: Big chance for a meaningful ETS
31 Aug 2009
The Labour Party has used today’s report back of the ETS Committee to repeat its call for a broad-based scheme with integrity to be agreed by Parliament.
Denmark has recycling down to a fine art
28 Aug 2009
Denmark is truckloads of waste ahead of New Zealand when it comes to recycling, reports Angela Gregory from Copenhagen.
China gets serious with climate change resolution
28 Aug 2009
China's top legislative body approved its first climate change resolution yesterday and announced plans to draw up new laws to combat global warming, according to the state media.
World airlines stung by European CO2 limits
28 Aug 2009
Thousands of airlines are set to face problems in flying into the European Union from 2012 unless they join the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, the European Commission has said.
Crucial climate vote lost with Kennedy's death
28 Aug 2009
The push for a climate change bill in the US Senate lost a reliable supporter with the death of Edward Kennedy this week.
ETS review body to report next week
21 Aug 2009
The select committee reviewing the emissions trading scheme will release its long-awaited report next week.
ETS deal hangs on Key's response to Goff
21 Aug 2009
National is having significant difficulty delivering the “broad-based political support” sought for an amended ETS by its Climate Change Issues Minister.
Australia targets 20% renewable energy by 2020
21 Aug 2009
Australia yesterday passed a clean energy law requiring the country to produce 20 per cent of its power from renewable sources by 2020 in move that could draw billions of dollars of green investment.
Democrats want banks barred from carbon trading
21 Aug 2009
Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase would be barred from a planned US carbon- emissions market or face trading restrictions under proposals by Democratic senators crafting climate change legislation.
Scientists and intellectuals key, says UN chief
21 Aug 2009
Scientific and intellectual leadership is the key to creating the new green economy of the 21st century, United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon has told an academic forum in Seoul.
Smith hopes ETS will please everyone
21 Aug 2009
The Minister for Climate Changes Issues has told business leaders he hopes for a settled emissions trading scheme attracting broad political sign up.
EXCLUSIVE: Smith firm on ETS despite Rudd's defeat
14 Aug 2009
The Rudd Government's big climate package was defeated in the Australian Senate yesterday, but the New Zealand Government is pushing ahead anyway.
Groser and Greenpeace at odds on Bonn reception
14 Aug 2009
New Zealand’s 2020 emissions reduction target is higher than many countries anticipated, says Associate Climate Change Issues Minister Tim Groser.
Bonn talks making headway, says UN official
14 Aug 2009
Governments are making headway in negotiations aimed at reaching an ambitious and effective global greenhouse gas reduction treaty, the top United Nations climate change official said in Bonn.
Carbon-tracking business gets ready to boom
14 Aug 2009
A growing list of companies, from tiny start-ups to some of the world's biggest corporations, is investing in products that will help them to cash in on a mad dash for businesses to track their carbon footprints.
North American leaders promise a low-carbon future
14 Aug 2009
The leaders of the United States, Canada and Mexico have vowed to forge a "low-carbon North America.”
Tree-planting key to meeting target, says expert
10 Aug 2009
New Zealand can achieve a significant proportion of its 2020 emission reduction target by planting trees – and generate $375m a year in carbon credits, says a forestry expert.
ANALYSIS: Now it comes down to the ETS deal for agriculture
10 Aug 2009
The Government has pretty cunningly positioned itself in its first emissions reduction target offering.
GREENPEACE: Target will not go down well with world
10 Aug 2009
The Government cannot expect its emission reduction target range to go down well internationally, says Greenpeace.
Hands off price and trade ties, foresters tell Government
7 Aug 2009
Government interference in the price of carbon or the international trade in NZUs would drive investors from the forestry sector and kneecap any prospect of new forestry planting, the industry says.
ETS unsettled as NZ packs for Bonn talks
7 Aug 2009
The future of New Zealand’s emissions trading scheme remains up in the air as the Government heads to the Bonn climate change talks.
Law makes electric cars exempt from RUCs
7 Aug 2009
Legislation exempting light electric vehicles from road user charges until 2013 has been passed by Parliament.
Household impact of US bill only modest, says study
7 Aug 2009
The United States climate change and energy bill passed by the House in June will bring somewhat higher energy prices for businesses and households and slow economic growth slightly by 2020.
You’re not alone – UN climate chief comforts Australia
7 Aug 2009
Australia is not at risk of going it alone on climate change by committing to emissions reduction targets before a global summit later this year, UN climate change chief Yvo de Boer says.
Forum calls for 80% cut by 2020, not 2050
7 Aug 2009
Greenhouse gases must be cut 80 per cent by 2020, not by 2050 as UN countries propose, to preserve life as we know it, says the head of a global conference.
ANZAC approach needed to tackle climate change, says business group
7 Aug 2009
The upcoming Australia-New Zealand Business Climate Change Conference is an opportunity for the two countries to develop a common voice on climate change issues, say Trans-Tasman Business Circle chief executive John Weiss and the general manager of the Australia and New Zealand Sustainability Circle, Gareth Johnston.
Market comment: Why cleantech stocks have the energy advantage
7 Aug 2009
By Sam Hopkins - The S&P 500 just broke the 1,000 mark for the first time since November. With a price-to-earnings ratio of 65, the broadest U.S. benchmark is now about 225% over last year's premium of 20.
France faces internal fight over carbon tax
31 Jul 2009
France should aim to introduce a tax on carbon dioxide emissions by 2010 to help to fight global climate change, says a panel advising the government.
Forum: Cool heads still needed on global warming
31 Jul 2009
We're less wealthy than Australia is, so should be setting a lower emissions reduction target, says Business Rountable executive director Roger Kerr.
Guarantee for good biofuel moves closer
31 Jul 2009
A guarantee that biofuels in New Zealand are good for the environment moved a step closer this week as a Member’s Bill from Green Party MP Jeanette Fitzsimons passed its first reading in the House with widespread support.
ETS in place by December, says Smith
31 Jul 2009
The Government aims to have an amended emissions trading scheme in place by December.
Minister’s political games on climate are off target, say Greens
31 Jul 2009
The Green Party has accused the Government of playing politics with the most significant threat ever to our economy and our environment while ignoring the obvious practical solutions.
Labour urges boldness on carbon pollution reduction target
31 Jul 2009
It is better to be bold than to be timid when setting New Zealand's 2020 carbon pollution reduction target, says Labour's Climate Change Issues spokesperson Charles Chauvel.
Sustainability report a useful step towards accurate reporting
31 Jul 2009
Business NZ has welcomed steps towards accurate reporting on sustainability.
Opposition split over Australia's climate plan
24 Jul 2009
Australia’s opposition has split over whether to support government legislation to tackle climate change, with one lawmaker calling leader Malcolm Turnbull “arrogant” for ignoring the wishes of party members.
Groser: Something will come from Copenhagen
17 Jul 2009
The Copenhagen climate change negotiations are unlikely to come up with a ratifiable agreement but will produce some sort of agreement, says Associate Climate Change Minister Tim Groser.
Carbon scheme ripe for fraud, says Aussie expert
17 Jul 2009
Australia’s proposed carbon trading scheme is ripe for fraud and companies are set to be hit with class actions by activist groups because they are not adequately protected by proposed laws, a climate change expert has warned.
Get on with it, Gore tells Australians
14 Jul 2009
Former US vice-president Al Gore has waded into the Australian carbon trading debate, suggesting passing even an imperfect bill this year could help to secure a new treaty to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
ANALYSIS: And in the red corner ...
10 Jul 2009
New Zealand is in the middle of a powerful, if somewhat veiled, vice when it comes to the emissions trading scheme.
UN accuses G8 of doing too little
10 Jul 2009
The world's richest countries are not doing enough to tackle climate change and secure the "future of humanity", the United Nations says.
Senate delays action on climate bill
10 Jul 2009
US President Barack Obama's push for quick action by Congress on climate change legislation suffered a setback yesterday when the Senate committee leading the drive delayed work on the bill until September.
Al Gore invokes spirit of Churchill in climate war
10 Jul 2009
Al Gore invoked the spirit of Winston Churchill yesterday when he urged political leaders to follow the example of Britain’s wartime leader in the battle against climate change.
Accountants the winners as carbon economy grows
10 Jul 2009
As a carbon-trading economy gathers steam in the United States, the accounting industry is expected to profit handsomely.
NZ climate deniers wed US counterpart
7 Jul 2009
New Zealand’s premier climate change denier site has linked up with its United States counterpart.
G8 leaders could set emissions goal of 80%
7 Jul 2009
Leaders of the G8 nations meeting in Italy this week are to set a target to cut greenhouse gases by 80 per cent by 2050, the BBC understands.
Millions face climate-related hunger, says Oxfam
7 Jul 2009
Shifting seasons are destroying harvests and causing widespread hunger – but this is just one of the multiple climate change impacts taking their toll on the world’s poorest people – says a new report launched from Oxfam.
Split targets on agenda of Nats-Labour ETS talks
3 Jul 2009
Splitting New Zealand’s domestic emissions reduction target is on the table in talks between Labour and National for an emissions trading scheme deal.
Media round-up
Fri 14 Nov 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Simon Watts acknowledges he may face ‘challenging’ conversations with Pacific nations at COP30, New Zealand's climbdown on its methane emissions target is "embarrassing", and corporates are the real winners of the gutting of the Zero Carbon Act this week.
South Korean growers sue state power utility, blaming climate change for crop damage
Mon 17 Nov 2025
Five South Korean farmers recently sued the state utility Korea Electric Power Corporation and its power-generating subsidiaries, alleging that their reliance on coal and other fossil fuels has accelerated climate change and damaged their crops.
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.
NZ’s shameful new role as ‘international climate pariah’
Thu 13 Nov 2025
OPINION: New Zealand has ratcheted up its climate backsliding in the past month – losing any shred of climate credibility we once had and showing the world we’re giving up on a net zero future, writes Kayla Kingdon-Bebb.
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.
Ministry won’t investigate pre-announcement price drop
Mon 17 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Ministry for the Environment won’t be investigating a drop in the price of NZUs on the secondary market just days before the government announced a policy change causing carbon prices to plummet.
Fossil fuel lobbyists outnumber all COP30 delegations except Brazil, report says
Mon 17 Nov 2025
One in every 25 participants at 2025 UN climate summit is a fossil fuel lobbyist, according to Kick Big Polluters Out.
ETS price spike fears drove NDC decoupling
Thu 13 Nov 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Fears about the economic and fiscal costs of failure to buy enough offshore carbon credits to meet New Zealand’s Nationally Determined Contribution drove last week’s key climate change policy decision.
Act-NZ First split over future of the energy sector
Fri 14 Nov 2025
Act leader David Seymour has set out an energy policy platform that diverges sharply from coalition partner NZ First, arguing New Zealand must accept coal-fired backup generation, consider nuclear power, remove political interference from the electricity sector and sell down the government’s majority stakes in the gentailers.
'Little to be hopeful about' – NZ scientists caution ahead of COP30
31 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Record heat, worsening climate impacts and global backsliding on emission reduction commitments have left some New Zealand climate experts with little optimism as COP30 approaches.
$235 billion worth of NZ buildings exposed to flooding
30 Oct 2025
More than 750,000 New Zealanders live in locations exposed to one-in-100-year floods, according to a nationwide study which shows escalating flood risk.
A fossil fuel fight brews at COP30 as delegates draft road map
Mon 17 Nov 2025
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva surprised many at the opening ceremony of the COP30 leaders summit in Belém last week when he called for world leaders to prepare a road map to “overcome dependence on fossil fuels.”
NZ backs international government push for high-integrity carbon markets
Thu 13 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand has joined a coalition of governments aiming to strengthen corporate demand for voluntary carbon credits.
Clean energy could become a huge political winner
Wed 12 Nov 2025
Rising power bills quietly shaped this year’s races – and gave Democrats a new attack line on climate.
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.
Rural Wairarapa communities on climate change frontline
Mon 17 Nov 2025
By Sue Teodoro, Local Democracy Reporter | Droughts, long hot days, more pests and invasive plants and increasingly severe weather are all risks faced by the Wairarapa rural community, leaders heard this week.
NZ marine heatwaves could double in intensity under high-emissions pathway
16 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show marine heatwaves will grow more intense around the North Island and more frequent around the South Island as the climate warms – raising risks for fisheries, aquaculture, coastal ecosystems and tourism.
Foresters warn ETS reforms could fell innovation
Mon 17 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Elizabeth Heeg, chief executive officer for the Forest Owners Association, says forestry must not be stripped from the Emissions Trading Scheme, arguing that carbon income underpins forest management and rural resilience.
Govt gas expansion 'climate vandalism' – Greens
7 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Green Party has labelled the Government’s move to broaden the scope of its $200 million fossil gas investment fund as vandalism, accusing Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of breaking trust with New Zealanders.
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.”
Oxfam urges NZ to renew climate funding as Pacific projects face closure
Wed 12 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Oxfam Aotearoa is calling on the Government to urgently renew New Zealand’s climate finance commitments, warning that vital projects supporting Pacific communities’ resilience are running out of funding.
Building resilient cities in a time of climate change
Thu 13 Nov 2025
Media release: Otago University | Local and international experts are meeting in Wellington this month to share their knowledge on creating healthier, more resilient cities in the face of the challenges posed by climate change.
TotalEnergies loses in Paris court, marking a turning point for fossil fuel truth-in-advertising
5 Nov 2025
TotalEnergies was found to have misled consumers about its role in the energy transition.
Lake Onslow battery project set for revival?
29 Oct 2025
A newly formed private consortium has emerged with plans to finance and build the massive Lake Onslow pumped-hydro project, despite the coalition government’s decision to abandon the scheme.
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.
Media round-up
31 Oct 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: A controversial seabed mining project could lead to sediment flows knocking over rigs and damaging wind turbines; weather-related insurance claims climb; and is the government playing Russian Roulette with our future over methane targets?
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.
Z Energy settles greenwashing case over ‘quitting petrol’ claims
4 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Z Energy has settled a landmark greenwashing case over claims it misled the public about moving away from petrol – a result Lawyers for Climate Action NZ says delivers long-overdue accountability.
Nelson commuters urged to ditch car once a week
22 Oct 2025
By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | Nelson has a bold carbon emission reduction target and residents are being encouraged to leave the car at home one day a week to help meet it.
Supermarket fast-track a ‘cynical ploy’, risks climate and environmental protections
5 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s “express lane for supermarkets” announcement has been met with fierce backlash, with critics calling the Fast-track Approvals Amendment Bill a Trojan horse that strips environmental protections, sidelines communities, and hands sweeping powers to ministers at the expense of democracy.
NZ's latest climate target 'weak' – Climate Action Tracker
24 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand's new international climate target to 2035 is weak, and could even allow for higher emissions than the 2030 target, according to a global scientific project that tracks government climate action.
A crucial system of ocean currents may be on course to collapse. This country just declared it a national security threat
Mon 17 Nov 2025
As evidence mounts these currents could be on course for collapse, Iceland’s government has made the unusual move of designating the risk a national security threat.
Carbon Finance Program upscales efforts to close climate investment gap in climate vulnerable nations
22 Oct 2025
Media release | The Climate Vulnerable Forum and its V20 Finance Ministers (CVF-V20) will work with the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) to upscale the Carbon Finance Program in reach and impact, supporting more climate-vulnerable countries to host high-integrity carbon projects that yield tangible climate, nature, and sustainable development benefits.
Lobby group launches ‘blueprint’ for ocean management reform
18 Sep 2025
The Environmental Defence Society yesterday released its plan to tackle widespread ecological decline in our oceans.
Coastal roads in the climate spotlight
Fri 14 Nov 2025
By Sue Teodoro, Local Democracy Reporter | Vulnerable coastal roads across New Zealand, including in Masterton district, are coming under the spotlight as the Government works on a plan to address the cost of climate-related damage.
Protesters and UN security clash at climate summit in Brazil
Thu 13 Nov 2025
Activist groups and United Nations security clashed in chaotic scenes late Tuesday after protesters appeared to force their way into the COP30 climate conference venue, in the most serious act of unrest seen in years inside one of the annual gatherings.
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.
Scotland's first wind farm 'supercharged' after upgrade
11 Nov 2025
Scotland's first commercial wind farm will be able to deliver five times more clean power than before after being upgraded.
New national dataset to unlock blue carbon potential in NZ’s coastal wetlands
Wed 12 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Ministry for the Environment and the Nature Conservancy have collaborated on a dataset to inform a framework to potentially include coastal wetlands into compliance and voluntary carbon credit schemes.
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.
AgriZero backs first nitrous oxide solution with $1.2m investment
6 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A Kiwi ag-tech start-up developing a device for cows to wear to drastically cut nitrous oxide emissions has secured $1.2 million in government-industry funding.
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.
EV and hybrid sales soar in Australia as internal combustion cars fall below 70% market share for first time
Thu 13 Nov 2025
Data from peak motoring body shows battery-electric vehicles accounted for 9.7% of new cars sold in September quarter, the highest proportion on record.
EU’s new climate target lines up multibillion dollar boost for carbon markets
10 Nov 2025
Analysts estimate the EU will buy at least 50 billion euros worth of carbon credits in the 2030s to help meet its emissions-cutting goals.
Kaicycle celebrates ten years of collective climate action in Pōneke
Fri 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.
Climate impacts hit NZ with increasing wild weather
23 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand is facing a triple whammy of climate impacts today, with severe winds and rainfall predicted for much of the country while some areas are still dealing with wildfires ignited earlier in the week.
Adaptation plan at odds with public sentiment: survey
21 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s position on climate adaptation buyouts shows a disconnect with public opinion, according to survey findings from insurer Suncorp NZ.
We have more renewable energy than ever before. Why are we switching it off?
11 Nov 2025
Experts say until more storage is installed to soak up the waves of renewable energy flooding the grid, much of that power will occasionally have to be curtailed.
