Topics tagged with 'Tax'
Who has the courage to take on transport taboos?
18 Aug 2014
Transportation continues to generate a large proportion of emissions worldwide, even as emissions from other areas of the economy fall.
Gases importers pay $1.5m carbon taxes
11 Aug 2014
Importers of synthetic greenhouse gases paid nearly $1.5 million in carbon taxes in the past financial year.
Greens have a tempting carbon tax idea
11 Aug 2014
A carbon price is still the best and fairest way to achieve emissions cuts, but as Australia and New Zealand show, it’s not easy to get it right. How could carbon pricing be improved?
WORTH WATCHING: New film shows up our sorry climate change story
4 Aug 2014
New Zealand’s tortuously slow reaction to the threats of climate change has been documented.
Carbon axe will boost renewables, says Trustpower
1 Aug 2014
Electricity generator Trustpower believes the repeal of Australia's carbon tax will be great for renewable energy, which is likely to be heavily favoured under the federal government's Renewable Energy Targets scheme.
Business begins to adopt the circular economy
1 Aug 2014
The concept of the circular economy has left the realm of academic theory and entered the world of business.
Shorten pleads for G20 to talk climate crisis
25 Jul 2014
Australian Opposition leader Bill Shorten has taken his battle with Prime Minister Tony Abbott over climate policy to an international stage, saying the issue should be a priority for the G20 leaders' meeting in Brisbane.
It's all eyes on the election
25 Jul 2014
New Zealand has had a quiet week, with the market slowly softening as volumes come to market in small parcels, says Westpac's carbon desk.
Carbon tax repeal could leave businesses marooned
18 Jul 2014
In the short term, the repeal of Australia's carbon tax, passed in the Senate yesterday, may provide some relief for businesses and households as electricity bills fall — although possibly not as much as official estimates.
Study shows Australian emissions cuts were working
18 Jul 2014
Carbon emissions in Australia’s national electricity market would have been 11 to 17 million tonnes higher if Australia had not introduced a carbon price.
Paris gears up pay-for-pedal plan to boost the bicycle
18 Jul 2014
The French Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Energy Development has launched a trial scheme where commuters are paid to cycle to work.
Australian farmers led astray on carbon farming
11 Jul 2014
Australian farmers and rural land owners are being told that they will be given powerful and direct incentives to store carbon in the land under the federal government’s new climate policy.
NORMAN: The longer we wait the more it will cost
11 Jul 2014
By RUSSEL NORMAN, Green Party co-leader.- Thanks to Federated Farmers’ incoming president William Rolleston for taking the time to write about the Green Party’s Climate Tax Cut in last week’s Carbon News.
Sorry, say most Britons, but electric cars are not for us
4 Jul 2014
The electric car trend is still to take off, with drivers largely put off by up-front costs, according to a survey by Britain's Department for Transport.
Why carbon tax proposal won't work
4 Jul 2014
Newly elected Federated Farmers' president Dr William Rolleston explains why he thinks the Green Party's carbon tax proposal is not a runner:
Millionaire miner rocks Canberra carbon camp
27 Jun 2014
Australia’s emissions trading scheme is on again. Maybe.
Carbon tax won't fix troubled ETS, says report
27 Jun 2014
New Zealand's emissions price beacon is "obscured in the fog of policy uncertainty", but dumping it in favour of a carbon tax isn't the only way to fix it, say Motu Research's Catherine Leining and Suzi Kerr.
Progress must be climate-smart, says World Bank
27 Jun 2014
Government policies that improve energy efficiency and public transport could increase global economic output by more than $1.8 trillion per year, says the World Bank.
Australian Senate likely to pass carbon tax repeal
27 Jun 2014
The bill to repeal Australia’s carbon tax is poised to pass the Senate, potentially leaving Australia without a working price on carbon.
Market watchdog welcomes Palmer move
27 Jun 2014
An international carbon market watchdog is welcoming Australian politician Clive Palmer's shift on climate change.
Australia will suffer, warns new carbon report
20 Jun 2014
Australia's economy faces grave threats from climate change, but the greatest threat is if the country does not make a serious effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, says a new report.
Brazil scores winning goal on carbon emissions
20 Jun 2014
Brazil might or might not win the World Cup, but it so far seems a clear winner in the race to reduce carbon emissions – having stopped 3.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide from escaping into the atmosphere during the past decade.
Carbon tax call is all about playing politics
20 Jun 2014
By CHARLES ETHERINGTON, Warren Forestry Ltd.- The Greens are giving the impression of being ahead on the topic of a carbon tax versus the Emissions Trading Scheme, but, as usual, they are actually behind and just playing politics.
Abbott climate call gets cool reception here
13 Jun 2014
New Zealand appears unenthusiastic about our Tasman neighbour’s plans to form a conservative alliance on climate change.
The case for a carbon consumption tax
13 Jun 2014
As delegates gather once again for climate talks in Bonn, the question has to be asked: after decades of conferences, committees, procedures and protocols, is the multilateral approach to tackling climate change working?
Why we need clear emissions-reduction reporting
13 Jun 2014
STEPHEN KNIGHT-LENIHAN, JULIA HARKER and PRUE TAYLOR argue for transparent emissions-reduction reporting, in the same way that we report on the share market and exchange rates.
Let's get back to ETS basics, says Internet leader
6 Jun 2014
New Internet Party leader Laila Harre is no fan of the Emissions Trading Scheme
How China changes could leave coal a stranded asset
6 Jun 2014
By ALEX KIRBY.- Analysts believe that China − the world’s largest producer and consumer of coal, accounting for almost half of global consumption − could be close to making an abrupt and drastic change of tack.
ETS more workable than carbon tax, says Labour
3 Jun 2014
Labour says that it will be easier to lift carbon prices under the Emissions Trading Scheme than under a carbon tax, as proposed by the Greens.
Greens: Climate change biggest issue world has faced
3 Jun 2014
"They used to call climate change the biggest issue of our time; more recently, I've heard it described as the biggest issue of all time." Green Party co-leader RUSSEL NORMAN on why his party will replace the Emissions Trading Scheme with a carbon tax:
New book lifts the lid on what went wrong with Labor and climate change
16 May 2014
A book released this week documents the failings of the Australian Labor government between 2007 and 2013 in tackling climate change.
You could bill the beef, scientists tell Brazil
16 May 2014
Scientists have come up with a new prescription to address the Amazon rainforest’s health problems: reduce deforestation more efficiently by taxing freerange beef.
Canberra finds ways to implement emissions plan
9 May 2014
The Australian Government will be able to implement its Emissions Reduction Fund in July - but business may bypass the scheme in year one.
Why Australia has something to worry about
9 May 2014
The state of Australia’s environment is a real worry – the report cards exist to prove it.
Abbott's emission scheme seen as short-term fix
2 May 2014
Australia’s $2.5 billion Emissions Reduction Fund has been described as “Nero’s fiddle”.
Australia explains how emissions plan will work
2 May 2014
The Australian Government has released its Emissions Reduction Fund White Paper, setting out what it calls a cost-effective, practical and simple approach to reduce national emissions without a multi-billion dollar carbon tax.
So long Shane Jones, a man who got the message
24 Apr 2014
Shane Jones’ legacy to the Labour Party – and potentially New Zealand - is a policy designed to release the environmental and social potential of forestry, as well as boost economic returns.
Aussie Greens gain, but the rest is much the same
24 Apr 2014
The theme of the past 30 days – much like the past 12 months – has been politics, with market focus squarely on the Western Australia Senate election re-run on April 5 and the implications for the balance of power in the new Senate from July 1, says market analyst Reputex.
Climate academic to speak on European policy
11 Apr 2014
The role of small countries in leading climate policy will be discussed in Wellington on Monday.
Airlines wrestle with demands of climate change
11 Apr 2014
By LYNETTE DRAY.- Although aviation emissions contribute only 3 to 5 per cent of the total impact on the planet’s climate, this is steadily growing and is a surprisingly intractable problem to solve.
Tax credits deal fuels LanzaTech move to Illinois
4 Apr 2014
NEW ZEALAND clean-tech company LanzaTech has been lured to Illinois with more than $US1 million worth of tax credits.
Profit comes before environment, says Act leader
4 Apr 2014
NEW Act Party leader Jamie Whyte says that businesses have no obligation to the environment.
Australia poised for carbon policy tussle
28 Mar 2014
By MICHAEL HOPKIN.- A Labor-dominated Senate committee has set the stage for the post-July tussle over carbon policy, recommending that Australia commit to much deeper emissions cuts than the current 5 per cent target, and advising against scrapping carbon pricing.
Australian Senate throws out carbon tax bill
21 Mar 2014
The Australian Government’s bill to scrap that country’s carbon tax has been thrown out of the Senate, prompting speculation that a double dissolution could be looming.
We're keen on renewables, says Bridges
21 Mar 2014
Energy Minister Simon Bridges says the Government is just as excited about renewables as it is about oil and gas.
BP urges progress on global carbon price
21 Mar 2014
By ED KING .- Oil giant BP says regional and national carbon pricing policies are likely to be the best way to tackle climate change.
Why business needs to know climate change laws
21 Mar 2014
The number of climate change laws on the statue books of the world’s leading economies grew from less than 40 in 1997 to almost 500 at the end of 2013 SAM FRANKHAUSER, co-director of the Grantham Research Institute at the London School of Economics, reports:
NZUS bounce of $2.90
17 Mar 2014
Spot NZUs closed at $3.00 Friday after starting the day lower. OMFianncial reports:
Nats push green achievements
14 Mar 2014
National is preparing to strut its environmental stuff this weekend, as its Bluegreens Forum gathers in Kaikoura.
Why Australia needs to increase emissions targets
28 Feb 2014
The Climate Change Authority’s new report on emission reduction targets makes a compelling argument for Australia to go much further in cutting greenhouse gas emissions, writes CLIVE HAMILTON, Vice-Chancellor's Chair, Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics, Charles Sturt University.
Pacific climate advocates welcome pre-COP31 meeting in Fiji and Tuvalu
Today 11:45am
Media release – 350.org | Climate advocates across the Pacific will now prepare for the Pre-COP31 meetings in Fiji and Tuvalu, with the Pacific Islands Forum confirming the hosts yesterday.
South Korean farmers sue utility giant KEPCO over climate damage to crops
Wed 25 Feb 2026
As harvest season approached last November, farmer Ma Yong-un walked through his apple orchard in southern South Korea with a growing sense of dread.
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.
Singapore sets first ever sustainable aviation fuel levy, as Southeast Asia’s fuel industry grows
17 Feb 2026
Flying in and out of Singapore, home to Southeast Asia’s busiest airport, will get slightly more expensive this year as the city state begins imposing a levy of between 75 cents to $32 per ticket to fund sustainable aviation fuel.
Kiwis overly optimistic about state of environment
Today 11:45am
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.
Govt’s own modelling shows LNG leads to higher electricity prices than other solutions
19 Feb 2026
By Christina Hood | COMMENT: According to modelling conducted by Concept Consulting for MBIE, either developing the Tariki gas storage facility or managing electricity demand would deliver lower wholesale electricity prices than the Government’s preferred solution of an LNG import terminal.
New study looks to nature markets to accelerate climate response
18 Feb 2026
The Nature Conservancy is teaming up with local groups to study the most affordable and effective ways of restoring native habitats at the top of the South Island, including ways to fund the work using international voluntary carbon markets and biodiversity credits.
UN approves first carbon credits under Paris Agreement market mechanism
Today 11:45am
The United Nations has approved the first credits to be issued under a carbon market established by the Paris climate accord, aimed at reducing emissions – a mechanism that has faced scrutiny over greenwashing concerns.
Carbon price drops as volatility continues
17 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The carbon market is still displaying extreme volatility, with prices dropping back to below $40 yesterday, after trading as high as $46.25 last week.
3,600 times faster: China is shaking up the steel industry
Wed 25 Feb 2026
For over a century, making steel meant coal, heat, and hours of waiting. A Chinese research team now reports collapsing that process into just three to six seconds; no coal, near zero emissions, and a vortex lance already moving toward commercial production. The technology is called flash ironmaking, and in February 2026, its implications are still unfolding.
LNG: a rational choice compared to unpalatable alternatives
10 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: By deciding to underwrite the private construction of a liquefied natural gas import facility in Taranaki, the Government has made a rational choice in favour of energy security and affordability.
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 market rallies but auction floor still out of reach
13 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The carbon market has rallied, with secondary market prices up more than 25% in the past two weeks, although current prices in the mid-$40s are still far below this year’s $71 auction floor, with the first auction of 2026 less than three weeks away.
Govt plan to encourage new energy investment won’t cut costs for ordinary Kiwis
Thu 26 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | While gentailers and major energy users have welcomed the Government’s plan to leverage public sector demand to drive new energy projects, an expert says it is unlikely to reduce prices for ordinary people.
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.
Floods and landslides in Brazil kill at least 30 after record rainfall
Thu 26 Feb 2026
Three firefighters pulled a man’s body from the mud amid the rubble of houses swept away in a landslide in south-eastern Brazil, where 30 people died and 39 were still missing on Tuesday after torrential rains.
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.
The 15 foods destroying rainforests, in one simple chart
Wed 25 Feb 2026
It’s pretty much impossible to live a life free of environmental harm. But there is one thing you could do immediately that would help the planet a heck of a lot: eat less beef.
Hipkins rejects LNG terminal, backs renewables
Tue 24 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Labour leader Chris Hipkins used his State of the Nation address to warn that worsening extreme weather and rising energy costs show climate change is no longer a distant threat.
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.”
European Central Bank's green supervision grows teeth, but will banks avoid being bitten?
13 Feb 2026
After several years of issuing guidance and repeatedly calling on banks to take climate and environmental risk management seriously, the European Central Bank is moving from guidance and expectations to enforcement.
Tairāwhiti needs proper Govt support to heal the land – not empty announcements for political optics
Tue 24 Feb 2026
OPINION: The Government’s answer to Tairāwhiti’s severe erosion crisis – that the region apply for modest, contestable funding rounds – while rejecting the region's own land transition business case, leaves our long-term resilience hanging in the balance, writes Manu Caddie.
Claims that AI can help fix climate dismissed as greenwashing
18 Feb 2026
Tech companies are conflating traditional artificial intelligence with generative AI when claiming the energy-hungry technology could help avert climate breakdown, according to a report.
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.
Media round-up
13 Feb 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Senior UK ministers have asked their New Zealand counterparts to explain new climate policies, National’s LNG blunders are a warning ahead of election campaign, and what are the lessons New Zealand should take from another summer of weather disasters?
Wales council to buy and demolish homes prone to flooding
4 Feb 2026
A row of homes in a village in south Wales is to be bought by a local authority and demolished as they can no longer be protected from flooding caused by the climate crisis.
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.
EDS puts environmental lawmaking under the spotlight
Thu 26 Feb 2026
Media Release |The Environmental Defence Society has launched the first in a series of investigative pieces into how environmental laws are being made in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Climate 'dream team' launches foundation targeting 100 million tonnes in emissions cuts
Wed 25 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The New Zealand Climate Foundation, which has the ambitious aim of cutting 100 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, had its official launch on Monday.
China has a new competitor? Kazakhstan reveals huge rare Earth deposit that could power the next tech boom
Wed 25 Feb 2026
China’s grip on rare earths might finally see some competition, and the world is already taking notice.
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.
Chronic ocean heating fuels ‘staggering’ loss of marine life, study finds
Today 11:45am
Chronic ocean heating is fuelling a “staggering and deeply concerning” loss of marine life, a study has found, with fish levels falling by 7.2% from as little as 0.1C of warming per decade.
Calls for action to reduce emissions as extreme weather bites
17 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | Renewable energy advocates and environmental groups are calling for more action to reduce emissions and increase resilience as severe weather wreaks havoc across the country.
Australia-US minerals deal underpinned decision to allow mining company to clear threatened indigenous forest
Mon 23 Feb 2026
The Australian government’s decision to allow the US mining giant Alcoa to continue clearing swathes of Western Australian jarrah forest despite past illegal clearing practices was made in part due to a critical minerals deal reached between Australia and the Trump administration last year, a new document shows.
‘They pushed so many lies about recycling’: the fight to stop big oil pumping billions more into plastics
Tue 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?
Local govt shake-up risks weakened environmental outcomes – Commissioner
Today 11:45am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s push to simplify local government is "deeply flawed" and has been launched without a clear understanding of which functions must remain regional, according to the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
Gas security fund panel named – but projects still hush-hush
Thu 26 Feb 2026
The Government’s $200m Gas Security Fund has attracted interest from “several” entities, but officials are refusing to disclose who is circling or what types of projects are being put forward, leaving the market to take the programme’s credibility largely on trust.
Media round-up
20 Feb 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: 'Every tonne matters': The climate scientist who wants to give you hope; Minister says managed retreat is an option; and climate change is here – is New Zealand ready?
Brazil and India agree to boost cooperation on rare earths
Tue 24 Feb 2026
Brazil and India sealed a deal Saturday on critical minerals and rare earths, enhancing cooperation on crucial resources between two major countries of the global south as they seek to diversify their trading relationships.
Trump slaps 126% solar import duty on India in threat to India-US trade deal
Thu 26 Feb 2026
The solar import duty suggests that Trump's “America First” policy remains the priority, even at the expense of an India-US trade deal.
UNESCO report: Major blind spot in ocean carbon research could undermine global climate predictions
Thu 26 Feb 2026
Media release | A new report by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO reveals a critical lack of understanding of how the ocean absorbs and stores carbon.
NZ-UAE partnership boosts advanced tech
9 Feb 2026
Media release | A new Antarctic science partnership with a leading UAE university will grow New Zealand’s advanced engineering and modelling capability, supporting high-value jobs, encouraging economic growth, and enabling smarter climate risk management, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti says.
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.
NZ’s EV uptake decelerates
Mon 23 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s EV uptake is lagging behind other countries, with a huge drop in EV sales since 2023 bucking international trends, at the same time the Government contemplates abolishing its standard for clean cars entirely.
General Assembly chief calls for US to pay UN fees in full
Today 11:45am
The head of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday urged top contributor the United States to pay its fees in full after Washington made only a partial payment to the global body, amounting to less than 5% of the total amount owed.
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.
New research on climate adaptation as severe weather hits
16 Feb 2026
As extreme weather batters the country yet again, researchers have published the first ever empirical study of climate adaptation justice in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Study finds warming world increases days when weather is prone to fires around the globe
20 Feb 2026
The number of days when the weather gets hot, dry and windy — ideal to spark extreme wildfires — has nearly tripled in the past 45 years across the globe, with the trend increasing even higher in the Americas, a new study shows.
India and UK launch offshore wind taskforce
Mon 23 Feb 2026
Constituted under Vision 2035 and the Fourth India-UK Energy Dialogue, the Taskforce is designed to provide strategic leadership and coordination for India’s nascent offshore wind ecosystem.
