Topics tagged with 'Politics'
Time to be climate-positive, NZ businesses told
14 Nov 2008
New Zealand businesses should be embracing a climate-positive future instead of seeing climate change legislation as something from which they need protecting.
FORUM: O'Reilly on leadership group
14 Nov 2008
Your November 11 article O’Reilly questions future of leadership forum could be interpreted as criticism of the individuals on the Leadership Forum on Climate Change.
UN sees need for global body to tackle biodiversity
14 Nov 2008
The possibility of establishing a United Nations-supported scientific intergovernmental body to address biodiversity loss and protect ecosystems is being discussed at a global conference in Malaysia.
Time for another look at carbon tax, say farmers
11 Nov 2008
Federated Farmers wants the carbon tax revisited.
ANALYSIS: Clark could follow in Blair's footsteps
11 Nov 2008
The US presidential victory of Democrat Barack Obama boosts the chances of former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark winning a role with the United Nations.
UK wants carbon assessment standard to go world-wide
7 Nov 2008
The UK Government wants its recently released carbon footprint assessment standard to be adopted internationally.
Concrete makers fear dose of the 'coal syndrome'
7 Nov 2008
The Cement and Concrete Association is sustaining its charm offensive for fear of catching the "coal syndrome" - in which a product becomes so politically negative that it's shipped out of the country to be used elsewhere.
Obama 1: Dark days ahead for fossil fuels
7 Nov 2008
The election of Barack Obama as US President signals a tectonic shift in the nation’s attitudes to future energy sources and to the environment.
New EU states team up against parts of climate plan
7 Nov 2008
Seven eastern members of the European Union have upheld a joint stand against parts of the bloc's climate package which they fear could harm their economies.
Canadian firms taking climate change seriously, says report
7 Nov 2008
Canada's biggest companies are making climate change a higher priority, partly through more widespread disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new report.
UK carbon standards move puts exporters under pressure
4 Nov 2008
A new British standard for measuring carbon content across the life-cycle of products and services has major implications for New Zealand exporters operating in the UK market.
Steel manufacturer calls for global carbon regime
4 Nov 2008
Glenbrook steel mill owner Bluescope is calling for a global carbon scheme.
Ecology group slams Key's call for more growth
4 Nov 2008
The Pacific Institute of Resource Management - the Wellington-based ecological group backed by wealthy British environmentalist Teddy Goldsmith - says a call by National Party leader John Key for increased growth is like giving a drunk more drink.
Science, agriculture and New Zealand's future - Anderton
4 Nov 2008
Federated Farmers is to be congratulated for its contribution to the debate about the economy's future direction, Agriculture Minister and Progressive Leader Jim Anderton said today.
Expert praises China's will to tackle climate change
4 Nov 2008
China's newly released white paper on climate change demonstrates that China has a strong "political will" to tackle global warming, says a German climate policy professor.
Labour and National fail environmental test, say green groups
4 Nov 2008
New Zealand’s two biggest political parties have failed the environment test, put to them by two major New Zealand environmental groups.
Crown Minerals eyes rich gas hydrates deposits
31 Oct 2008
Crown Minerals believes that New Zealand could become a globally significant exploiter of gas hydrates - potentially a rich source of alternate energy.
Exporters fear impact of European emissions decisions
31 Oct 2008
New Zealand exporters say increased costs from recent emissions legislation decisions in Europe will be passed on to customers, but Air New Zealand isn’t talking about the potential impact on the cost of air freight and air travel.
NZ magnets might play part in Big Bang showcase experiment
31 Oct 2008
New Zealand magnetic technology is likely to be used in the CERN Large Hadron Collider - the device seeking to replicate what happened in the seconds following the creation of the planet.
Australian ETS not enough, says leading scientist
31 Oct 2008
Prominent scientist and 2007 Australian of the Year, Professor Tim Flannery, says that the Australian Emissions Trading Scheme is nowhere near sufficient.
World business leaders back UN climate change deal
31 Oct 2008
The United Nations' drive to clinch a new global framework to curb climate change at its Copenhagen summit next year has been endorsed by global business leaders.
Goldman Sachs in pact with carbon-market firm Blue Source
31 Oct 2008
Goldman Sachs Group has signed a strategic alliance with Blue Source, a developer of projects to help companies to offset their greenhouse gas emissions.
Brits reluctant investors in climate change, says report
31 Oct 2008
British investors are still failing to grasp the significant opportunity offered by climate change, according to a report from wealth management specialist Holden & Partners.
FORUM: The flawed economics of nuclear power
31 Oct 2008
By Lester R. Brown, president, Earth Policy Institute, California. Over the past few years the nuclear industry has used concerns about climate change to argue for a nuclear revival. Although industry representatives may have convinced some political leaders that this is a good idea, there is little evidence of private capital investing in nuclear plants in competitive electricity markets.
ETS will put us out of business, says horticulture chief
28 Oct 2008
The horticulture sector’s official body says that the ETS legislation was enacted in dangerous haste and will put many of its members out of business.
Officials working on plan if Bluff smelter is sold
28 Oct 2008
Officials from a swathe of government agencies are quietly drawing up a contingency plan for the Bluff aluminum smelter at Tiwai Point.
Miliband bows to pressure on UK aviation and shipping emissions
28 Oct 2008
The UK government is to announce today that it will include rapidly growing aviation and shipping emissions in Britain's commitment to curb its carbon footprint by 80 per cent by 2050.
Angry airlines condemn EU emissions decision
28 Oct 2008
European Union governments have given formal approval to a potentially costly system of capping greenhouse gases from any airline flying into or out of the trade bloc.
Contact puts $75 million price tag on carbon commitment
24 Oct 2008
Contact Energy expects its carbon liability to cost it at least $75 million a year.
Financial crisis blurs Australian Treasury's carbon view
24 Oct 2008
The Australian federal Treasury says its modelling that underpins the country’s imminent switch to carbon trading does not include analysis about the destructive impact of the global financial crisis.
Climate change needs a Roosevelt ‘New Deal,’ says UN
24 Oct 2008
The world should take a leaf from former US president Franklin Roosevelt's songbook for tackling the Great Depression and fund a "Green New Deal" to fight climate change, a United Nations agency says.
EC eyes market solution to deforestation
24 Oct 2008
The European Commission has called for a target to halt global deforestation by 2030, to be delivered partially through a Global Forest Carbon Mechanism (GFCM), under a post-2012 climate agreement.
Tsakounis Global to investigate JI coal methane projects in Australia.
22 Oct 2008
Following the recent passing of the New Zealand Emissions Trading legislation, Environmental Intermediaries & Trading Group Limited has appointed Tsakounis Global to investigate Joint Implementation Projects for Coal Mine Methane in Australia.
WANTED: 10,000 rich investors to boost our country
21 Oct 2008
Attracting 10,000 rich investors who want a “piece of the New Zealand story” is the key to getting New Zealand’s clean-tech revolution off the ground, says a former cabinet minister and merchant banker.
Costs force Smart Drive innovator to look at US base
21 Oct 2008
Freight costs might force a New Plymouth-based renewable energy company to set up a base in the United States to manufacture and distribute its products.
Nats promise electricity-first ETS by 2010
21 Oct 2008
The National Party will have an emissions trading scheme covering the electricity sector by January 1, 2010, climate change spokesman Nick Smith said in a debate yesterday.
Parker: Nats won't, but we'll answer the questions
21 Oct 2008
Climate Change Minister David Parker says that he is willing to answer Carbon News’ questions on climate change policy – even if National isn’t.
Biodeisel demand fuels price of wood waste
21 Oct 2008
Solid Energy’s demand for high-grade biomass materials is forcing up prices for sawmill shavings and other prime process residue.
Environment will wither whoever wins US election
21 Oct 2008
Eager anticipation of a new American president offering a dramatic departure on issues such as climate change is rapidly being tempered by the financial crisis that threatens to blight the next administration's agenda, says the Times Online.
Nats and climate change: The unanswered questions
17 Oct 2008
Carbon News’s questions for the National Party on key climate-change policy issues have met with silence over the past week.
Nat's insulation snub huge setback, says health expert
17 Oct 2008
National’s plan to scrap the $1 billion home insulation fund will be a huge setback to the health of New Zealanders and to moves to cut energy consumption, says a leading health researcher.
National-Maori coalition raises major issues over fate of ETS
17 Oct 2008
ANALYSIS: If a National-Maori Party Government takes power next month the new coalition could face immense difficulties agreeing on changes to the emissions trading scheme.
Northland, East Coast basins about to go to tender
17 Oct 2008
The Crown Minerals division of the Ministry of Economic Development is getting ready put its Northland Basin and also East Coast Basin to tender.
Forests back in fashion as weapon to combat climate change
17 Oct 2008
Perhaps one of the greatest natural defences against climate change, the Earth's forests, got a boost this week with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and a host of environmental lawyers throwing their support behind plans to protect them and eventually include the forestry sector in carbon markets.
Experts warn Arab states of climate catastrophe
17 Oct 2008
Arab states must find a common position on tackling climate change or face "catastrophic" consequences, a gathering of global warming experts in Beirut has been told.
Nats won't back billion-dollar warm homes plan, says Smith
14 Oct 2008
The National Party says anyone who supports the $1 billion Government plan to insulate New Zealand homes as part of a drive to greater energy efficiency should vote Labour or Green – despite the fact that a poll shows an overwhelming majority of National voters support the scheme.
We're wasting our wood resource, says biofuel innovator
14 Oct 2008
A world-leading New Zealand innovator says he despairs over the country's inertia when it comes to using its abundant wood waste resource.
Financial crisis clouds EU's climate change plans
14 Oct 2008
The international financial crisis and slumping economic activity are threatening Europe's ambitious plans to slash greenhouse gas emissions, with governments eager to avoid saddling companies with additional burdens.
Top economist supports chamber's views on carbon taxes
14 Oct 2008
The latest pronouncement from one of the world's top economists that a carbon tax is better than an emissions trading scheme to fight global warming is welcome news, according to the Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce.
First NZ carbon credits attract strong interest
10 Oct 2008
The first New Zealand carbon credits are on the market.
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.
