Topics tagged with 'Politics'
Greens cool down on coal, but still hot on emissions
24 Apr 2008
The Green Party says that closing down the coal industry will not be a bottom-line issue in post-election coalition talks - but genuine measures to cut greenhouse gas emissions will be.
ACT leader dismisses ETS legislation as ‘a rort’
24 Apr 2008
The emissions trading scheme (ETS) is just a government money-making rort, according to ACT Party leader Rodney Hide – and his party members agree.
Whitehall issues security warning over changing climate
24 Apr 2008
The international response to climate security threats has been “slow and inadequate” and nations need to integrate climate change into their security policy to prepare for worst-case scenarios, a Whitehall report says.
Blame it all on climate change, says Annan
24 Apr 2008
Former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan has blamed climate change for a fistful of ills - and hopes world leaders can sort out the problems at an international forum in June.
Carbon storage in soil being researched: Major benefits possible for landowners
23 Apr 2008
A new move to store carbon in New Zealand soil is being formally researched and could be worth hundreds of millions to New Zealand farmers and other landowners.
Green Party pledges to shut Huntly, hobble coal industry
23 Apr 2008
The Green Party is threatening to end thermal coal exports and close the Huntly coal-fired power stations.
ANALYSIS: Potential political fall out from Green’s shock coal policy
23 Apr 2008
The Greens are viewed by many New Zealanders as “extreme” and offering policies which are too restrictive.
Nashville boffins to probe your carbon footprint
23 Apr 2008
A diverse group of experts has been brought together in the United States to investigate one of the most important and most widely overlooked sources of greenhouse gases: individual behavior.
Climate change 'a problem for now'
22 Apr 2008
New Zealanders in the primary production sector believe that climate change is an urgent problem which needs addressing now.
Democracy undermined by spying
22 Apr 2008
Greenpeace says it is shocked at the arrogance shown by Gavin Clark, of Thompson and Clark Investigations (TCIL) after they were exposed for the second time trying to pay someone to spy and undermine the activities of the Save Happy Valley group.
Wellington City decides on carbon credit revenue plan from town belts, forests
21 Apr 2008
Wellington City is looking to earn large annual revenues from emission credits by turning its town belts and forests into carbon sinks.
Parker: Industry protection under ETS being considered
21 Apr 2008
Designing an emissions trading scheme which effectively reduces greenhouse gas emissions while being fair to industry is an important matter which requires careful consideration, Climate Change Minister David Parker says.
World ETS expert: global trading needed or ETS unsustainable
21 Apr 2008
The costs of combating climate change are much lower than they might seem, because there are real business opportunities wherever you look, according to Henry Derwent, President and CEO International Emissions Trading Association (IETA).
THE FOOD CRISIS: Long term challenges says Rice
21 Apr 2008
By Merle D. Kellerhals, Jr., Staff Writer,USINFO. Washington - President Bush is seeking an additional $350 million from Congress to provide immediate emergency food assistance, but the current food crisis has long-term global challenges, says Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Genesis to build new $420m thermal plant unless regulations say not to
18 Apr 2008
The absence of legal definitions of base-load and peaking power supply is behind Genesis Energy’s seeking resource consent for a new thermal power station north of Auckland, the Government’s planned 10-year ban not withstanding.
ANALYSIS: World food problem: Business as usual not an option
18 Apr 2008
By Lester R. Brown - A fast-unfolding food shortage is engulfing the entire world, driving food prices to record highs.
Bush sets 2025 as year for nil US emissions growth
17 Apr 2008
US President George Bush this morning announced a new national climate change goal – to stop the growth of US greenhouse has emissions by 2025.
State landlords must go green
17 Apr 2008
Go Green or flag away your state tenants. The massive over-building of state office accommodation in Wellington is designed to ensure that public servants from 2010 onward will toil only in green buildings.
ANALYSIS: High hopes for the Lieberman-Warner ETS bill in the US
17 Apr 2008
By Emily Farnwort. - The °Climate Group recently held its first North American members meeting with attendance from over 50 leading businesses, states and cities. The conversation was centered on action from the US on climate change. It was a far-ranging and optimistic conversation with a striking focus on the need for leadership and a robust carbon market.
Government working on eco claim system, Mallard may look at new accord on packaging
16 Apr 2008
Environment Minister Trevor says the government is on a system to verify eco-claims being made on all goods and services.
MP: Parachutes coming out on bio fuel imports
15 Apr 2008
Special correspondent.- Members of Parliament on all sides of the fence are seeing the political fishhooks in the government’s desire to import biofuels.
A good new corporate v green group spy story
15 Apr 2008
If you’re up for a good conspiracy story on big corporates employing former secret service officers to spy on green groups, here’s the best of the week - so far (not that we'd dream of anything like this happening here)..
US Government ETS revenue windfall $1.13 trillion: new official estimate
14 Apr 2008
US officials have just released a new report estimating emission trading there will increase Government revenues by about $1.21 trillion over the 2009-2018 period.
Clark: Jury out on opponents' support for ETS, climate change policies
14 Apr 2008
In her speech to the Labour Congress at the weekend, Prime Minister Helen Clark defended her Government’s research and development funding, aimed at the pastoral and food sectors - and laid down a challenge to her political opponents to back the ETS legislation now before Parliament.
No need for NZ to drag feet on biofuels
14 Apr 2008
New Zealand shouldn’t delay bringing in biofuel sales obligations and miss out on cutting greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the use of fossil fuels says a major potential investor.
EXCLUSIVE: $18b windfall for NZ government from ETS
11 Apr 2008
CARBON NEWS INQUIRY - The New Zealand Government’s coffers will be boosted by $18b in windfall revenues from sales of carbon credits between 2013 and 2024, according to privileged information obtained by Carbon News.
ETS will hit steel mill profits by $60m a year - $1 billion investment deferred
11 Apr 2008
MPs have been told a $1 billion decision to invest in New Zealand’s Glenbrook steel mill depends on the shape of the final emissions trading legislation, and the new regime might also lead to the mill’s closure.
New price control and investment law for utilities
11 Apr 2008
Infrastructure businesses like electricity lines companies and airports will gain improved incentives to innovate and invest while giving consumers protection from excessive prices and poor quality, under a Bill amending the Commerce Act introduced to Parliament yesterday.
Mexico gets World Bank’s first climate change loan
10 Apr 2008
Washington -- The World Bank Board of Directors yesterday endorsed its first climate change lending operation, for Mexico, worth US$501.25 million.
The scrap is still on over who gets new $10m a year waste tax revenue
8 Apr 2008
The Waste Minimisation Bill, in the name of Green MP Nandor Tanczos, has been reported back from select committee with unanimous support. It will usher in a new tax raising $30 million a year, if passed
GreenAir Fund pitches for major new forestry emision unit business
8 Apr 2008
With new forestry in New Zealand eligible for NZUs (New Zealand carbon offset units) from January 1 this year, the Sydney-based GreenAir Fund is bidding for new business here by offering up-front funding to complete the qualification design and certification of a potential carbon credit project.
UK Trade Minister: tariffs threat could gain momentum if market doesn’t work
7 Apr 2008
Britain’s Trade and Investment Minister, Lord Digby Jones, has told business executives in Auckland that if the market has not got carbon priced right by 2012, the calls to impose border taxes on goods from countries not paying for emissions could gain momentum.
Emissions specialist: manadatry rules needed on emissions calculations
7 Apr 2008
New Zealand’s emissions compliance processes need to be re-examined to see whether they are globally compatible, according to PriceWaterhouseCoopers’ emissions specialist consultant Julia Hoare.
Carbon News discovers "book-and-claim" scheme answer to bio-fuels impasse
4 Apr 2008
A Dutch-style book-and-claim scheme might be the best way through the bio-fuels impasse in the emissions trading scheme (ETS) debate, according to both Bio-fuels Manufacturers Association chairman Dickon Posnett and the New Zealand chief executive of British Petroleum (BP), Peter Griffiths.
Simple standard will deliver net bio-fuel gains - Fitzsimons
4 Apr 2008
A single sustainability standard written into the emissions trading scheme (ETS) legislation would ensure bio-fuels sourced from overseas represented a net benefit to the environment, Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons said.
‘Green’ car conference a sham – expert
4 Apr 2008
New Zealanders shouldn’t be fooled by quick fixes to the current energy crisis, says the car buyers’ Dog & Lemon Guide.
Parliamentary Commissioner: Biofuel Bill should not proceed
4 Apr 2008
The Biofuel Bill currently before Parliament should not proceed in its current form, says Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Dr Jan Wright.
Smith: End the mad rush on the bio fuels bill
4 Apr 2008
The Government must heed the message of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment that its biofuels bill is flawed and a risk to New Zealand’s clean, green brand, says National’s Environment spokesman, Dr Nick Smith.
Dunne: slam the brakes on biofuels
4 Apr 2008
UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne has joined the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment in urging the Government and all parties to slow down and consider the real effects of the Biofuel Bill currently before Parliament.
Climate change "motorway" to higher value production
4 Apr 2008
The effects of climate change are one of the greatest threats we face, Agriculture Minister Jim Adnerton has told the Large Herds Association conference at New Plymouth. If we handle it the right way, it will also be our motorway to higher value production.
Mallard speech: Sustainable development at a sustainable price
4 Apr 2008
Here is the full keynote speech of Environment Minister Trevor Mallard, presented yesteray to Planning Institute members conferencing in Greymouth.
Nine major ETS risks indetified in UK report
4 Apr 2008
The UK Financial Services Authority's Commodities Group published a summary of their perspective of the emissions trading market.
A slippery sort of "come out of the closet day" of climate change politics
3 Apr 2008
While the select committee opened up its hearings on the climate change bill at Parliament yesterday, senior Ministers launched a fusillade of statements questioning National’s position on climate change, including trying to get some “slippery” mud to stick to John Key.
Consultation on climate change measures continues
3 Apr 2008
Climate Change Minister David Parker has welcomed the start of the next round of public engagement on the Labour-led government's important climate change policy of emissions trading.
Professor reviewing forestry offset scheme proposal
3 Apr 2008
The Flexible Land Use Alliance has appointed Professor Lewis Evans to review a draft report by the University of Waikato and Covec on proposed changes to the forestry components of the Climate Change (Emissions Trading and Renewable Preference) Bill, including the introduction of a Forestry Offset Scheme.
No timeframe on exploiting southern lignite fields
2 Apr 2008
Solid Energy (SE) is going to use its huge Otago-Southland lignite coal resource eventually – it’s just not sure when, according to the state-owned collier’s chairman, John Palmer.
Bangkok talks warned little time remains for climate change solution
2 Apr 2008
UN Climate Change Talks began Monday in Bangkok with warnings that little time remains for international community to negotiate 2009 Copenhagen agreement.
Clark, Rudd to jointly address Auckland climate change conference
2 Apr 2008
Both Helen Clark and Kevin Rudd are to address a major trans-Tasman climate change business conference to be held in Auckland.
Insolvency threatens Maori forest owners
1 Apr 2008
Some Maori owners of pre-1990 forest land are going to become technically insolvent the day the Government’s emissions trading scheme (ETS) comes into effect, according to the secretary of a Maori incorporation.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: ‘Conflicts? What conflicts?’ – John Palmer
1 Apr 2008
No conflicts or contradictions over the pending emissions trading scheme (ETS) arise from John Palmer’s chairmanship of both state-owned collier Solid Energy (SE) and mostly-state-owned airline Air New Zealand, he told Carbon News yesterday.
Fifty years of observations, no reversal of glacier climate damage
31 Mar 2026
Media release: Earth Sciences New Zealand | Fifty years on from the first aerial survey of our Southern Alps glaciers, late snow and variable summer weather delivered a temporary reprieve from rapid ice loss, says Earth Sciences New Zealand.
Climate experts say spring is coming earlier. How will that affect agriculture and ecosystems?
Tue 7 Apr 2026
An earlier spring affects when migratory birds arrive, leaves emerge, and fruit ripens — among plants and animals that determine ecosystem health.
$30m airline fund risks ‘burning public money’ without lasting benefit – expert
20 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A $30 million government package to support regional air routes risks delivering poor value for money while increasing emissions, according to transport strategist Tim Adriaansen.
Signs of jet fuel hoarding emerge in Asia on Iran oil shock
26 Mar 2026
Signs are growing that Asian countries are hoarding jet fuel after the Iran war sent oil prices surging, reflecting growing strain on the aviation industry.
Environmental groups launch legal action over Govt's 'tick-box approach' to conservation land
Wed 8 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Forest & Bird and the Environmental Defence Society are taking the Government to court over decisions about the future of publicly-owned land on Te Tai Poutini/the West Coast.
Genesis fires up pellet study with Nature’s Flame
Wed 8 Apr 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Genesis Energy is extending its quest for locally produced torrefied wood pellets to supplement coal and gas to fuel its Huntly power station, announcing it is investigating plant construction with established local solid fuels player Nature’s Flame.
Supply-side pressures and political uncertainty ahead for carbon market
Tue 7 Apr 2026
By Kristen Green | ANALYSIS: With failed auctions, a surge of new forestry registrations, and an election a few months away, the NZ ETS in 2026 will be subject to a mix of supply-side pressures and political uncertainty.
Oil prices choppy after expletive-laden Trump threat to Iran
Wed 8 Apr 2026
Oil prices saw choppy trading on Monday after US President Donald Trump threatened to destroy critical infrastructure in Iran unless it allows ships to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
Economic contraction will impact carbon market
1 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | While higher fossil fuel prices strengthen the long-run economics of decarbonisation, the current fuel crisis won’t inspire near-term confidence in the carbon market, according to Lizzie Chambers of Carbon Match.
Asia ramps up use of dirty fuels to cover energy shortfall triggered by Iran war
2 Apr 2026
South Korea will delay the shutdown of coal-fired plants, while the Philippines also plans to boost the output of its coal-burning plants
Death toll in Afghanistan flooding increases to 28, authorities say
1 Apr 2026
Afghan authorities said Monday that the death toll from severe weather that has struck swathes of the country over the past four days has increased to 28, with 49 people injured. Dozens of people have died from extreme weather in the country so far this year.
Sustainable retail-office project breaks ground under new Green Star framework
19 Feb 2026
Construction is set to begin on a new retail-office development in central Auckland, which is targeting a 40% reduction in embodied carbon and 25% lower energy.
Opposition attacks Govt over fossil fuel phaseout backdown
2 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | Revelations that Resources Minister Shane Jones ruled out New Zealand signing up to a 'road map' away from fossil fuels at last year’s global climate summit show the National Party’s minor coalition partners’ undue influence over the Government, according to Labour leader Chris Hipkins.
Carbon price: Ups and downs amid geopolitical uncertainty
26 Mar 2026
By Liz Kivi | After ups and downs in recent weeks, the carbon market again broke above the $40 mark this week, with questions around how the Middle East conflict will play out weighing on market confidence.
EA entrenches 10kW export limit for residential solar
Wed 8 Apr 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The Electricity Authority intends to require all electricity networks to offer at least a 10 kilowatt (kW) export capacity for residential rooftop and other small-scale distributed generation.
Environmental groups call for ETS reform
20 Feb 2026
Several environmental organisations are calling on political parties to make climate and biodiversity central to the 2026 election campaign, with reforming the Emissions Trading Scheme seen as a key priority.
Severe tropical cyclones Maila And Vaianu threaten communities in Solomon Islands, PNG and Fiji
Wed 8 Apr 2026
Media release: 350.org |Two Category 3 Tropical Cyclones are currently moving through the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Fiji, while experts watch a third system potentially developing in the North Pacific.
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.
Wellington planting nears one million trees
30 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Greater Wellington’s parks restoration programme will hit one million native trees this year, with the first dams to rewet peat wetlands in Queen Elizabeth Park now completed after a years-long effort to bring these ecosystems – and their carbon sequestering superpowers – back to life.
Renewable build-out runs into grid and firming limits
Wed 8 Apr 2026
New Zealand's electricity market entered 2026 with renewable generation at record levels and a substantial build pipeline finally moving from paper to construction. The harder question is whether the wider system can absorb and firm that capacity fast enough.
A matter of strategy
Tue 7 Apr 2026
COMMENT: Even on the brink of a global commodities crisis, the possibilities for climate action aren't hopelessly foreclosed. Strategy can turn our fortunes around, writes David Hall.
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.”
FMA to ease conditions for green bond issues
31 Mar 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Green, social and sustainability-linked bonds will face lower disclosure requirements and regulatory costs under a class exemption newly granted by the Financial Markets Authority.
New protections for NZ migratory species under UN convention
2 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New international protections for migratory species, including several found in New Zealand, are a positive step – but global protections won’t halt the decline of migratory species on their own, experts say.
Fonterra admits ‘100% grass-fed’ claim breached law in greenwashing row
2 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Fonterra has admitted its “100% New Zealand grass-fed” claims on Anchor butter were misleading and breached the law, settling a case brought by Greenpeace Aotearoa over packaging used between December 2023 and April 2025.
Govt missing opportunity to slash electricity prices, says expert
11 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s fixation on eliminating the "dry-year risk margin" as a lever to reduce costs misses a much bigger opportunity to lower electricity prices, according to Christina Hood, head of Compass Climate.
NZ prepares to join ‘gold rush’ for white hydrogen
25 Mar 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand may be close to commercialising the capture and use of naturally occurring ‘white’ hydrogen, with investment plans for developments in the Wairarapa region picking up pace in response to spiralling oil prices.
Media round-up
20 Mar 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Crown lawyers agree High Court could quash emissions plan if found unlawful; NZ is locked in 'disaster inertia'; and climate change is notably absent from new development laws.
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.
Lawyers complain to ombudsman over Govt failure to release LNG modelling
1 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Lawyers for Climate Action has made a formal complaint to the Ombudsman over the Government’s failure to release information about its controversial decision to build a LNG import terminal.
Labour mulls GIDI 2.0 as factory closures mount
1 Apr 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Factory closures across the country could have been prevented if the last Labour-led government’s GIDI fund to assist companies with the cost of electrification hadn't been scrapped, Labour energy spokesperson, Megan Woods, says.
NZ First targets regional share of mining royalties
30 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand First has proposed returning 50% of mining royalties to regional communities, saying that too much of the value from resource extraction is currently flowing to Wellington.
Tuvalu prioritises climate change in agreement with NZ
27 Mar 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand has pledged an additional $20 million to climate resilience work in Tuvalu, more than doubling Aotearoa's aid to the tiny island nation in the current financial year.
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.
Worst in a generation: Environmentalists slam fisheries reform bill
25 Mar 2026
Media release: Greenpeace | The Fisheries Amendment Bill, which will likely have its first reading in parliament this week, is being labelled the worst fisheries policy in a generation by environmental groups who are calling for it to be rejected to protect ocean health.
Free fares call as fuel crisis impacts school attendance
Wed 8 Apr 2026
An open letter is urging the Government to make public transport free for all school children and subsidised for students under 25, as rising fuel costs begin to impact attendance and access to education across the country.
Kiwis overly optimistic about state of environment
27 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New research suggests many New Zealanders believe the environment is in better shape than it really is, with public perceptions often out of step with scientific evidence.
‘They pushed so many lies about recycling’: the fight to stop big oil pumping billions more into plastics
24 Feb 2026
Plastic production has doubled over the last 20 years – and will likely double again. For author Beth Gardiner, metal water bottles and canvas tote bags are not the solution. So what is?
Activists occupy controversial gold drilling site
25 Mar 2026
By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | Opposition in Golden Bay to a controversial gold mine at Sams Creek has flared up over the weekend after several activists briefly occupied a drilling site.
China has a new competitor? Kazakhstan reveals huge rare Earth deposit that could power the next tech boom
25 Feb 2026
China’s grip on rare earths might finally see some competition, and the world is already taking notice.
Britain hits renewable power record in 2025, but fossil fuel use also up
Wed 8 Apr 2026
Renewable power such as wind and solar provided a record 52.5% of Britain’s electricity generation in 2025, government data showed on Thursday, but fossil fuel use also rose.
Sci-tech prioritisation report is a joke that could cost NZ dearly, says NZ Association of Scientists
2 Apr 2026
Media release: New Zealand Association of Scientists | The Prioritisation Report released yesterday by the Prime Minister’s Science Innovation and Technology Council makes a poor case for further cuts and changes to our research system.
Carbon trading schemes cut more emissions than carbon taxes, according to global study
20 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Carbon trading schemes are more effective than carbon taxes at reducing emissions, cutting fossil fuel use, and accelerating the shift to renewable energy, a global study has found.
AI’s arrival complicates Big Tech climate goals, and some worry it’s locking in more fossil fuels
2 Apr 2026
Six years ago, Google was confident that by 2030 it would power all operations with electricity generated from clean sources, including wind and solar power, and remove as much pollution as it produced. Today it calls those goals a “moonshot.” Microsoft says it’s still aiming to remove more carbon than it creates by 2030 but now describes the effort as “a marathon, not a sprint.”
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.
Fuel crisis powers surge in EV interest in Asia-Pacific region
Tue 7 Apr 2026
Motorists across the Asia-Pacific region are switching to electric vehicles at a rapid pace, as rising fuel costs due to the Middle East war force consumers and companies to reconsider their reliance on petrol and diesel vehicles.
Infrastructure plan calls for ‘predictable approach’ to electrifying economy
18 Feb 2026
Aotearoa’s first National Infrastructure Plan, introduced to Parliament yesterday, calls for "a predictable approach to electrifying the economy" as one of ten priorities for the next decade.
Dairy farmers' lack of climate action 'even bleaker' than water inaction – Upton
1 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Government projections for cutting agricultural emissions are being undermined by low farmer uptake, with the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment warning the country is relying on “heroic” assumptions to meet its methane targets.
AI tool predicts wildfire danger faster than current systems
26 Mar 2026
Media release | A wildfire forecasting system powered by artificial intelligence could help detect dangerous fire conditions earlier and reduce the cost of wildfire response, according to new research from Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury.
Fast-track approved project could deliver NZ’s largest wind farm
Tue 7 Apr 2026
Media release: New Zealand Government |Fast-track approval has been granted for New Zealand’s largest wind farm project.
