Topics tagged with 'Politics'
‘Drill, baby, drill’: What Trump’s victory could mean for the future, according to climate experts
7 Nov 2024
Trump's victory could be a 'major blow' for global climate action but experts say it may not slow the roll of the green transition.
Why didn’t climate change come up more in the presidential campaign?
7 Nov 2024
Climate change has dangerously supercharged fires, hurricanes, floods and heat waves. Why didn’t it come up more in the presidential campaign?
Strategy, regular reporting key to councils’ climate response – Auditor-General
6 Nov 2024
Councils will need clear climate strategies, strong community engagement, and robust reporting to meet the challenges posed by a changing climate, according to a new report from the Auditor-General.
‘The world is watching’: Why US election result could dictate global progress on climate action
6 Nov 2024
The US presidential election comes just days ahead of the world’s most important climate negotiations at COP29. Experts say the outcome will have a profound impact on the US’ leadership role at the talks, and beyond.
Authoritarianism is on the rise. Is climate change to blame?
1 Nov 2024
There's evidence that global warming creates fertile ground for political strongmen to come to power.
Govt should expect scrutiny over international climate targets
31 Oct 2024
The government should expect international scrutiny over progress towards its climate pledge, according to its own advisors.
NZ adopts 'underwhelming' Commonwealth Ocean Declaration
30 Oct 2024
Commonwealth nations including Aotearoa and Pacific Island states have adopted the Apia Commonwealth Ocean Declaration.
Govt to invest $20 million for Pacific disaster and climate resilience
29 Oct 2024
New Zealand will contribute $20 million to the Pacific Resilience Facility.
Upcoming auction pivotal for carbon market
29 Oct 2024
With the final carbon auction of the year less than six weeks away, experts are watching keenly to see if any carbon units are likely to enter the market at auction.
RMA reform structure ‘teasers’ revealed
29 Oct 2024
A Cabinet paper on replacing the Resource Management Act offers a “glimmer of hope” for environmentalists, says Environmental Defence Society chief executive Gary Taylor.
UK’s next Paris pledge should commit to ‘81% emissions cut by 2035’: govt advisors
29 Oct 2024
The UK should make an international pledge to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to 81% below 1990 levels by 2035, according to the government’s advisory Climate Change Committee.
Offshore wind energy company pulls out of NZ
25 Oct 2024
Spanish offshore wind energy company Bluefloat has announced it is pulling out of its New Zealand projects, citing the potential clash with seabed mining off Taranaki.
Germany and New Zealand partner to support agriculture and tackle global emissions
25 Oct 2024
Media release | New Zealand and Germany have announced the official start of a partnership aimed at supporting the agriculture sector and tackling global agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, agriculture minister Todd McClay announced today.
Why the time is right for Australia’s second shot at carbon pricing
25 Oct 2024
By Ross Garnaut | OPINION: Australia now has a government and parliament wanting to build Australia as the renewable energy superpower of the zero-carbon world economy.
Environmental management failing to hold the line - Upton
24 Oct 2024
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton is not confident New Zealand’s efforts are making a difference to environmental quality.
Government consulting on ETS charges for forestry
23 Oct 2024
The government is proposing setting an annual per hectare charge for forestry in the ETS at $14.90 - about half the price set by the previous government, but still a significant increase on what foresters formerly paid.
Stockpile and forestry set to drive carbon price
23 Oct 2024
Stockpile holders will have the power to set the NZU price in future, as the importance of the government’s carbon auctions wanes, Emissions Trading Scheme participants were told last week.
Auckland remains off track to meet climate target
22 Oct 2024
Auckland Council remains off track to reach its own climate targets, according to a new progress report, which shows emissions are rising rather tracking down to zero by 2050.
Govt policy statement urges Electricity Authority to keep up the pace
21 Oct 2024
The Government policy statement sent to the Electricity Authority puts an emphasis on implementing its past and current work programme as quickly as possible, while maintaining the market fundamentals.
Political candidates who fight climate change stand to benefit in election
21 Oct 2024
A majority of Floridians expressed support for political candidates who fight climate change in a new Florida Atlantic University survey.
Govt finances still don’t recognise climate liability
17 Oct 2024
Treasury has failed to recognise a liability for New Zealand’s international climate commitments in its latest financial statement, with its position unchanged on the multibillion dollar price tag of purchasing offshore mitigation.
Legal action filed against minister of transport over Clean Car Standard
14 Oct 2024
The Better New Zealand Trust, with the support of Lawyers for Climate Action NZ Inc, is taking the Government to court over what it says is an unlawful decision to weaken the Clean Car Standard.
NZ must work with other countries to reach climate goals: new research
14 Oct 2024
By Liz Kivi | Aotearoa’s international climate targets can only be met through funding significant emissions reductions in other countries. But a lack of public support to spend this money overseas is paralysing New Zealand’s progress towards its goal, according to researchers.
UN carbon trading expert group agrees deal on market framework
14 Oct 2024
A UN expert group has reached a compromise on key elements of a global carbon trading system, in a bid to resolve nearly a decade of talks on what is seen as an important tool for raising climate finance.
Indigenous groups in Brazil: We were not consulted on carbon credits
14 Oct 2024
Indigenous organizations in the Brazilian state of Para said they were not consulted by the government before it signed a deal with multinational companies to sell carbon offset credits to support conservation of the Amazon rainforest in the state.
Increased volatility as carbon price inches up towards auction floor
11 Oct 2024
The secondary carbon market saw a slight increase in volatility last week, with carbon trading platform Jarden noting higher volumes above the $62 mark.
Amazon state that will host COP30 strikes largest carbon credit sale in history
9 Oct 2024
A coalition of developed countries and corporations has agreed to a massive purchase of carbon credits from the Amazon rainforest worth $180 million.
Environment the loser in govt's fast-track announcement, say critics
7 Oct 2024
Environmental groups and opposition parties are irate over the government's list of fast-track projects, with activists saying they will be "disasters" for the planet.
Gisborne cross-sector group established to guide landowners of highly erodible land
7 Oct 2024
By Zita Campbell, Local Democracy Reporter | As the Government looks to take control of national forestry regulations from councils, questions linger on what it will mean for Gisborne.
Revealed: how the fossil fuel industry helps spread anti-protest laws across the US
7 Oct 2024
Fossil fuel lobbyists coordinated with lawmakers behind the scenes and across state lines to push and shape laws that are escalating a crackdown on peaceful protests against oil and gas expansion.
Reversing oil and gas ban is a risky political choice: Upton
4 Oct 2024
Reversing the ban on fossil fuel exploration risks promoting more environmental damage as well as burdening taxpayers with clean-up costs, according to the environment commissioner.
What’s in it for us? Pātea pledges to mess with miners
3 Oct 2024
Seabed miners will face direct action on the waves if they are given Government fast-track approval, says Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.
Cross party consensus needed to prepare NZ for increased climate risk
3 Oct 2024
A parliamentary report on climate adaptation is an important signal of the need to urgently tackle the impact of climate change on communities and protect people lives and property, the Insurance Council of New Zealand Te Kāhui Inihua o Aotearoa (ICNZ) says.
Climate was a top question at the vice presidential debate
3 Oct 2024
Both candidates actually answered — sort of.
Climate adaptation report lacks detail, urgent action required
2 Oct 2024
The Environmental Defence Society says the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee's report on climate adaption lacks detail, while Forest & Bird calls for urgent action to help adapt to the challenges posed by climate change.
Work needed for cross-party consensus on critical climate issues
1 Oct 2024
Consensus on critical climate issues among New Zealand political parties is proving challenging, according to the Finance and Expenditure Committee’s inquiry into climate adaptation.
Select committee recommendations on Resource Management Amendment Bill disappoint
1 Oct 2024
Media release | The Environmental Defence Society says proposals enable a full-blown assault on freshwater and indigenous biodiversity and take the country further off-track from meeting future climate goals.
Energy rationing proposal shot down by MfE
30 Sep 2024
By Shannon Williams | Tradable energy quotas must be in place before New Zealand has a fuel shortage crisis, Degrowth Aotearoa told a select committee.
Minister to meet Pacific Islands climate leaders
30 Sep 2024
Climate change minister Simon Watts is travelling to Fiji today to attend a Ministerial Meeting (Talanoa) with Pacific Island Countries, Australia, and New Zealand.
Govt allows only five days for submissions on repeal of oil and gas ban
27 Sep 2024
By Liz Kivi | The government is allowing only five days for the public to make submissions on legislation to restart oil and gas exploration.
Govt fired up for return of fossil fuel exploration
26 Sep 2024
The coalition government’s legislation to reinstate offshore oil and gas exploration has had its first reading in Parliament under urgency, but the Green Party is vowing to revoke permits if it returns to government.
RMA is out – govt to replace with two new laws
23 Sep 2024
Two new laws are set to replace the Resource Management Act, with the government placing private property rights at its core.
NZ’s decision to restart fossil fuel exploration will be ‘hard to explain to future generations’: leading climate scientist
19 Sep 2024
By Liz Kivi | The government’s plan to restart oil and gas exploration is set to lock in higher levels of global warming, according to a leading Australian climate scientist.
Govt must act to avoid the worst of NIWA’s climate projections
19 Sep 2024
Media release | New climate projections from NIWA underscore how urgently climate action is needed.
Manawa deal: a red rag to a bull
18 Sep 2024
Contact’s proposal to takeover Manawa may make commercial sense, but it is like waving a red rag at a bull when it comes to the politics of the move.
‘Grave concerns’: experts plead with govt not to increase speed limits
17 Sep 2024
A coalition of experts is urging the government to drop its plan to increase speed limits, in an open letter arguing it will lead to more deaths and higher health costs as well as increased emissions.
Climate shouldn't be politicised: Carr
17 Sep 2024
By Shannon Williams | Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr said it "defies belief" that the climate is a political debate.
Govt must rethink energy assumptions: Rewiring Aotearoa
16 Sep 2024
Electrification presents a significant opportunity to future-proof the economy as well as reduce gross emissions, according to Rewiring Aotearoa.
Media round-up
13 Sep 2024
In our weekly round-up of climate coverage in local media: a former top diplomat says we need to step up our game with our next climate target; are Kiwis really ‘sick and tired’ of spending on cycleways? and why Aotearoa isn’t doing enough to fund climate action.
Governments must vote in favour of moratorium on deep sea mining
Tue 29 Jul 2025
Media release - Greenpeace | The 30th session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has ended with Greenpeace saying governments are continuing to fall short in protecting the deep sea.
Does NZ need a national incentive scheme for wetlands?
Fri 25 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | An expert is calling for a national incentive programme to restore New Zealand’s wetlands and wants to stop schemes to drain these vital carbon-sequestering ecosystems.
NZ Post drops science-based climate target
8 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | NZ Post has dropped its science-based emissions reduction target of 42% by 2030 with no plans to replace it.
Airlines risk legal challenges by advertising jet fuel as “sustainable”, NGO warns
18 Jul 2025
Amid suspected fraud in the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a new report says the airline industry should stop calling all alternatives to kerosene “sustainable”.
Challenges persist in bid to mine the deep sea, even after boost from Trump
Tue 29 Jul 2025
After years of delay, the deep-sea mining plans of Canadian firm The Metals Company (TMC) now appear to be progressing as it pursues a controversial new path to securing a license to mine in international waters under U.S. jurisdiction.
Sustainability claims questioned as renewable diesel surges
14 May 2025
Critics are sceptical about industry claims of renewable diesel life-cycle greenhouse gas emission cuts and warn renewable diesel carbon releases will surge if sourcing is scaled up, triggering tropical deforestation as producers convert forests to energy crops, such as oil palm and soy.
Is extending Huntly power station to 2035 in consumers’ best interest?
22 Jul 2025
By Simon Orme | COMMENT: Genesis Energy is proposing a cartel to keep high-emitting Huntly Power Station in business to 2035. If extending Huntly has economic benefits, is a cartel necessary?
At least 30 killed and several missing as heavy rains and floods lash northern China
Wed 30 Jul 2025
Thousands of people were evacuated as the region, including the capital Beijing, braced for more rainfall overnight.
Bearish sentiment lingers for carbon market
11 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The compliance carbon market could be set for a gradual upward trajectory, however unsold volume from the quarterly Emissions Trading Scheme auctions continues to act as ‘a price ceiling,’ according to an expert.
Multi-day protest continues at coal mine
Wed 30 Jul 2025
Bathurst Resources has been forced to truck coal from its Stockton mine as climate activists occupy coal buckets at the mine for a third day.
Forestry can be a big plus for sheep and beef farmers – but there are caveats
22 Jul 2025
By Keith Woodford | OPINION: These are good times for sheep and beef farmers with record product prices for meat, which is precisely why now is the time for sheep and beef farmers to be looking again at farm forestry.
Common low-grade clay strengthens low-carbon concrete
5 Jun 2025
Media release | Engineers at RMIT University have converted low-grade clay into a high-performance cement supplement, opening a potential new market in sustainable construction materials.
Cuts to climate finance put exports in jeopardy: Lawyers
23 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has halved international climate finance, a move aid organisations describe as “devastating,” and which lawyers say could put our Paris Agreement commitments and export market access at risk.
NZ voluntary carbon market’s sad state
14 Jul 2025
By John O’Brien | OPINION: A combination of scandals, challenging economic times, and cheaper offshore carbon credits, mean that the domestic voluntary carbon market in New Zealand remains absolutely tiny.
Hiringa eyes green methanol plant near Whanganui
Tue 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.
Key orange roughy population on verge of collapse, govt considers closure
9 Jul 2025
Media release - Deep Sea Conservation Coalition | New data reveals that New Zealand’s main orange roughy fishery, accounting for half of the country’s total catch, is on the brink of collapse, with one model showing it may have reached that point already, and the government’s considering closing it.
A third of ‘slum residents’ in global south are exposed to disastrous flood risks
Wed 30 Jul 2025
One in three people in informal settlements in the global south live in floodplains and are at risk of a “disastrous flood”.
Latest trawl bycatch numbers 'a grim wake-up call'
24 Jun 2025
Media release – Greenpeace | The latest fisheries bycatch data paints a grim picture, with trawlers hauling up thousands of kilograms of coral and killing hundreds of fur seals and seabirds over a 12 month period.
Wilding pines threaten Molesworth Station
Mon 28 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Without increased support, the unchecked spread of wilding pines will continue to creep across Marlborough’s high country – putting iconic landscapes and one of New Zealand’s top five biodiversity hotspots at serious risk, according to an expert.
EV sales fall, but it’s complicated
Tue 29 Jul 2025
Imports of fully electric vehicles fell over 50% in value during the 12 months to June 2025, compared with the year ended June 2024, according to Stats NZ.
Watts talks big on energy reform, but barriers persist
29 May 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Energy and Climate Change minister Simon Watts says the government is doubling down on efforts to boost renewable energy generation, streamline regulation, and drive private sector investment as New Zealand faces mounting energy security and affordability challenges.
SBTi releases Net Zero Standard for banks, investors
24 Jul 2025
The Science Based Targets initiative announced the release of its finalised Financial Institutions Net-Zero Standard, aimed at enabling banks and investors to set net zero-aligned targets for their lending, investing, insurance and capital markets activities.
NZ part of hidden global deep-sea network beneath the waves
Fri 25 Jul 2025
Media release - Earth Sciences New Zealand | A world-first study of marine life, including sea creatures found in New Zealand's dark, cold, pressurised ocean depths, has revealed that deep-sea life is surprisingly more connected than previously thought.
‘Ideological sludge’: How NZ is quiet quitting climate action
17 Jul 2025
New Zealand once stood out as a world leader on climate change. In June it became the first country in the world to abandon a commitment to phase out oil, gas and coal.
Methanex closure comes early this year
14 May 2025
The almost-now-annual closure of Methanex has come earlier this year, giving more confidence that the electricity system will get through the winter without a fuel shortfall.
Taranaki mayors want hydrogen kick-start from Wellington
Mon 28 Jul 2025
By Craig Ashworth, Local Democracy Reporter Taranaki mayors want central government to partner up with their councils to kick-start a hydrogen industry. This despite ongoing questions about the gas’s effectiveness in reducing carbon emissions.
Climate catastrophes are creating a ‘new market reality’ for insurance carriers
23 Jul 2025
Raging wildfires and severe storms contributed to record-high global insurance losses — totalling an estimated US$84 billion — for the first six months of the year.
Will NZ walk away from the Paris Agreement?
20 Dec 2024
By Geoff Bertram | COMMENT: Unless the government can find very cheap offshore mitigation, the temptation to walk away from its Paris Agreement obligations may well be too strong to resist for a coalition government focused on fiscal austerity.
The ICJ’s ruling means Australia and other major polluters face a new era of climate reparations
Fri 25 Jul 2025
By Harj Narulla | OPINION: Australia has found itself on the wrong side of history.
All aboard for passenger rail in the golden triangle
Mon 28 Jul 2025
Media release – The Future Is Rail | New Zealand’s national passenger rail advocacy group, The Future is Rail, has announced its strong support for the Green Party’s proposal to establish a new passenger rail service connecting Auckland and Tauranga.
Urgent action needed to get on track for climate goals - commission
Fri 25 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand is making progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but more work is needed – urgently – to set up for future reductions, according to the latest report from the Climate Change Commission.
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.
Toxic algae are turning South Australia’s coral reefs into underwater graveyards
Tue 29 Jul 2025
Since March, a harmful algal bloom, fueled by a marine heat wave, has been choking South Australia’s coastline.
NZ govt’s fossil fuel plans could break international law
24 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government could be breaching international law with its plans to subsidise and expand fossil fuel extraction, following a ruling overnight from the world’s highest court.
Tipping points: Window to avoid irreversible climate impacts is ‘rapidly closing’
11 Jul 2025
In the midst of a record-breaking heatwave in Europe, the UK city of Exeter recently played host to the second international conference on “tipping points”.
‘Total infiltration’: How plastics industry swamped vital global treaty talks
Mon 28 Jul 2025
Petrostates and well-funded lobbyists at UN-hosted talks are derailing a deal to cut plastic production and protect people and the planet.
Media round-up
Fri 25 Jul 2025
In our round-up of the climate coverage in local media: Dairy conversions surge; Gore is hit with a drinking water crisis; meanwhile farming lobby groups Groundswell and Federated Farmers are up in arms about a plan to classify environmental impacts in the agriculture and forestry sector.
Activists sue US development bank over $4.6bn loan to massive Mozambique gas project
18 Jul 2025
Environmental groups claim loan is ‘unlawful’ in legal filing.
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.
China's carbon emissions may have peaked thanks to renewables push
Mon 28 Jul 2025
Climate experts say China's carbon emissions may have peaked, which could affect global climate targets, the fight against global warming – and the Australian coal industry.
Ocean heatwaves may signal climate tipping point
Fri 25 Jul 2025
A recent study that tapped into satellite data has revealed that 2023 marked an unprecedented year for marine heatwaves, with record-breaking levels of duration, reach and intensity across the world's oceans.
Climate groups want UK wealth tax to make super-rich fund sustainable economy
17 Jul 2025
Growing number of campaigners urge government to ensure green investment is not done ‘on backs of the poor’.
Can robot taxis solve NZ's transport woes?
23 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Ministry of Transport has tested the idea of driverless taxis as a futuristic fix. But while new modelling explores how "robotaxis" could ease congestion and reduce car ownership, critics say it misses a crucial point – the country’s worsening transport emissions.
United Nations carbon market rules agreed but concerns remain
25 Nov 2024
New carbon market rules agreed at the fractious UN climate summit will be a relief to New Zealand and Singapore, who were leading the negotiations, but concerns about greenwashing and disadvantaging nature-based solutions remain.
Waste Levy risks becoming ‘slush fund’ under proposed changes – Commissioner
5 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Proposed changes to New Zealand's waste legislation risk undermining public trust in the waste levy scheme, according to Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton.
The struggle for control of the Arctic is accelerating - and it's riskier than ever
11 Jul 2025
As the battle for one of the world’s coldest places heats up, an increasingly fragile security balance may be breaking down, leading to an escalating arms race.
UN University report warns against carbon credits from REDD, tree planting, and improved forest management
13 Jun 2025
But the report stops short of recommending banning the trade in carbon temporarily stored in trees.
For the first time, China invests more in wind and solar than coal overseas
29 May 2025
China’s Belt and Road Initiative, long derided for its heavy carbon footprint, was dominated by wind and solar power projects for the first time from 2022 to 2023, according to a new analysis. But coal plants financed in earlier years are still coming online.
