Topics tagged with 'Technology'
Apple’s first ‘carbon neutral’ products are a red herring
14 Sep 2023
Apple announced that its Watch Series 9 marks its first carbon-neutral product. But focusing on the watch distracts from the bigger picture of the company’s climate impact.
NZGIF supports Eastland Generation with up to $25m in long term lending
30 Aug 2023
Media Release | NZGIF will supply up to $25m to fund the construction of connection assets for the new ~50MW TOPP2 geothermal plant.
Solar promises slowly rise
28 Aug 2023
After much talk and numerous announcements and re-announcements, it appears some grid-scale solar farms are finally nearing completion and others crawling closer to starting.
Hydrogen summit coming to Wellington
15 Aug 2023
New Zealand’s second international hydrogen summit, in Wellington next month, will feature international speakers representing global shipping and aviation.
Can vacuums slow global warming? Biden administration bets $1.2 billion on it
14 Aug 2023
Texas and Louisiana will become a global testing ground for giant machines that suck carbon from the air.
Floating solar near the equator could power the world
11 Aug 2023
Researchers in Australia suggest that floating solar on parts of the ocean near the Equator could power the entire world several times over.
Govt launches consultation on five areas of energy transition policy
10 Aug 2023
The Government has launched consultation on New Zealand's transition towards a low emissions economy, with five streams of energy policy out for feedback.
Meeting the long-term climate threat takes more than private investment – 10 ways NZ can be smart and strategic
10 Aug 2023
By Kevin Trenberth | The announcement of a partnership between the government and the world’s biggest investment manager BlackRock in a NZ$2 billion climate infrastructure fund suggests the company is expecting renewable energy in New Zealand to increase its own profitability.
Climate mitigation patent program boosts green tech financing
10 Aug 2023
The US Patent and Trademark Office’s newly expanded program aimed at accelerating patents for climate mitigation technology is critical to garnering the funding necessary to advance the clean energy transition, researchers say.
$2 billion climate fund to back 100% renewable electricity
9 Aug 2023
Investment giant BlackRock has announced a $2 billion climate infrastructure fund in New Zealand to unlock investment to support 100% renewable electricity generation.
What would it look like for the NZ ETS to be aligned with 1.5C?
9 Aug 2023
By Christina Hood | The government needs to prioritise gross reductions in long-lived gases much faster to be consistent with 1.5C of warming - with a 90% reduction in gross emissions needed by 2050.
Investment positive - but still hurdles to overcome to reach renewable electricity target
9 Aug 2023
By Ralph Sims | It’s been a good week for encouraging the uptake of renewable electricity generation in order to get closer to the Government’s 100% target by 2030.
Can new tech make carbon offsets trustworthy?
9 Aug 2023
Technology providers are launching automated products to boost transparency in voluntary carbon markets, but human auditors remain crucial.
Govt refers wind and solar developments for fast-tracked consenting
8 Aug 2023
The government is fast-tracking nine solar power projects and three wind farm projects, with the combined projects potentially generating nearly four times the output of the Clyde Dam.
No battery left behind in NZ’s first nationwide end to end recycling solution
3 Aug 2023
Media release | A one hundred percent Kiwi, privately owned recycling company has become the very first New Zealand business to offer an end-to-end nationwide ‘all waste batteries’ recycling solution.
Surge in renewable energy deployment puts global power system on track for net-zero
19 Jul 2023
Media release - New analysis reveals surging solar, wind and battery capacity out to 2030 is now in line with the IEA’s ambitious net-zero scenarios.
NZ’s geothermal wells offer a cheap way of storing carbon permanently – equivalent to taking 600,000 cars off the road
28 Jun 2023
By David Dempsey, Karan Titus, Rebecca Peer | We know putting carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the atmosphere is bad for the climate. But should we be reversing some of the damage by removing greenhouse gases that were emitted decades ago?
Auckland Council digs into scope 3 emissions
27 Jun 2023
Auckland Council’s stormwater team is trialling an electric digger in its maintenance operations, which it says is a first in the southern hemisphere.
Australia commits to build $34 million renewable hydrogen plant
27 Jun 2023
Australia has green-lit plans to build a A$51 million (US$34 million) renewable hydrogen plant in Victoria state, as the country moves to cut carbon emissions and boost alternative power resources.
China study: clean energy switch could save thousands of lives, earn billions of dollars
27 Jun 2023
Industrial parks in China could cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 40% and avoid tens of thousands of premature deaths if they switched to clean energy earlier than a 2030 baseline scenario, a study has found.
AstraZeneca turns to cows to cut US carbon footprint
15 Jun 2023
Drugmaker AstraZeneca said it is switching to biogas produced from cow manure and food waste in the United States, in a deal to cut its carbon emissions there.
Epson completes transition to 100% renewable energy use
6 Jun 2023
Media release | Furthering its commitment to the environment and sustainability, 100% of Epson’s electricity used at all of its Australian and New Zealand offices and company sites has now been certified under the Australian GreenPower and the New Zealand Energy Certificate System (NZECS).
‘Systemic vulnerabilities’ led to insufficient protection of Canterbury lakes
30 May 2023
A new report from the ministry of environment has found “no systems were in place that allowed a timely response” to the decline of the Ōtūwharekai/Ashburton Lakes area of Canterbury.
Carbon removal industry challenges findings of skeptical UN body
30 May 2023
Carbon removal industry representatives have challenged a document a United Nations scientific body released this week that casts doubt on the nascent technology's usefulness in efforts to limit global warming.
Govt, NZ Steel to take action towards a low emissions economy
22 May 2023
The government will invest up to $140 million to subsidise one of the country’s largest greenhouse gas emitters, making it New Zealand’s biggest decarbonisation plan to date.
Vietnam approves plan to boost wind, LNG by 2030
19 May 2023
Vietnam said on Tuesday it has approved a long-awaited power plan for this decade, in a move meant to boost wind energy and gas, while reducing reliance on coal.
Cop28 host UAE’s approach is ‘dangerous’, says UN’s ex-climate chief
18 May 2023
The United Arab Emirates’ approach to the Cop28 climate summit it will preside over in November is “very dangerous” and a “direct threat to the survival of vulnerable nations”, according to the UN’s former climate chief.
Phase 3 of Tui Project oil field decommissioning begins
16 May 2023
Media release | A specialist Heavy Well Intervention vessel will arrive in New Plymouth this week, marking the start of Phase 3 of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Tui Project, set up in 2020 to decommission the Tui Oil Field.
Tech festival focuses on climate and sustainability
15 May 2023
New Zealand's largest technology and innovation festival, on this week, features multiple events with a focus on climate and sustainability.
Carbon capture key to Biden’s new power-plant rule: is the tech ready?
15 May 2023
The administration of US President Joe Biden has proposed a landmark regulation that aims to curb emissions from the power sector in the United States over the next two decades.
New tech to turn hydrogen and CO2 into lower-carbon aviation fuel announced
11 May 2023
Honeywell International Inc (HON.O) has announced announced a new technology to produce lower-carbon aviation fuel from green hydrogen and carbon dioxide captured from industry, which can help cut greenhouse gas emissions from aviation, one of the hardest sectors to electrify and decarbonise.
World’s tallest wind power testing mast hopes to herald new generation of turbines
10 May 2023
With the inauguration of a new onshore wind power testing mast with a height of 300 metres, project developers in Germany hope it will pave the way for a new generation of wind turbines.
Can a city store as much carbon as a forest?
10 May 2023
A team of researchers at Aalto University has developed a new tool to help urban planners keep urban developments in line with climate goals. The tool provides a metric that planners can use to improve carbon-neutral planning of urban growth, which is essential for meeting carbon emission targets.
World’s largest carbon capture facility will store 9M tonnes of CO2 yearly
8 May 2023
The NextGen CDR Facility, a collaboration between the Swiss carbon finance consultant South Pole and the Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi Corporation, has announced the purchase of 193,125 tonnes of carbon dioxide removals (CDRs) from three projects, producing the world's largest portfolio of CDRs.
Taiwan diary: Semiconductor manufacture drives emissions
4 May 2023
By Jeremy Rose | Taiwan is a superpower in two things, I confidently declared in my pitch for an Asia New Zealand Foundation Travel grant, bicycles and semi-conductors and both are crucial on the fight against climate change
Can US automakers meet EPA’s tough new standards?
17 Apr 2023
One big question keeps surfacing after the Biden administration announced plans to raise auto standards so sharply they would likely boost electric vehicle production to 67% of all new passenger vehicle sales in under a decade: Can automakers pull that off?
The clean energy milestone the world is set to pass in 2023
17 Apr 2023
This year, the world is predicted to pass a critical turning point in renewable energy.
Amsterdam’s ‘smart’ blue-green roofs reduce urban flooding
12 Apr 2023
The city scaled up the planting of self-watering residential rooftop gardens that mitigate flooding and lower temperatures.
Chemists use bacteria to convert CO2 in the air into bioplastic
6 Apr 2023
A new simple hybrid setup allows bacteria to capture CO2 and produce biodegradable plastic for days, boosting output by 100 times previous efforts.
Taiwan diary: Bicycle Kingdom
24 Mar 2023
Jeremy Rose | Just as the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan - formally known as the Republic of China - once competed for the title of Middle Kingdom the phrase Bicycle Kingdom has been liberally applied to both.
Aussie rooftop solar payback periods are back down to near record-lows
21 Mar 2023
Rising Australian power prices are bringing rooftop solar payback periods back down towards the record low seen in 2020, almost completely wiping out the impact of higher component costs.
‘Dead’ electric car batteries find a second life powering cities
15 Mar 2023
Last month, a small warehouse in the English city of Nottingham received the crucial final components for a project that leverages the power of used EV batteries to create a new kind of circular economy.
What Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse means for climate tech
15 Mar 2023
As the buoyancy drained out of the tech sector last year, leading to almost 100,000 job cuts in the U.S., cleantech looked like a bright spot.
Hydrogen aircraft: Fool me once?
14 Mar 2023
By Robert McLachan- Planet Ecology | NEW YORK TIMES – Virtually unnoticed abroad except by aviation experts, a recent broadcast by Russian television showed an ordinary-looking airliner roaring aloft from a Moscow-area airport, trailing a stream of condensing steam instead of the usual kerosene smoke.
Companies eye ‘carbon insetting’ as winning climate solution; critics wary
14 Mar 2023
Carbon offsetting has a controversial 25-year history, with companies like Microsoft and Apple pledging their plans to go carbon neutral, or negative, by allowing aspects of their operations to continue emitting at a certain level, while removing as much, or more, carbon from the air via reforestation or other projects elsewhere in the world.
Dairy-alternative Kiwi start-up raises $1.5 million in seed funding round
10 Mar 2023
Daisy Lab, a precision fermentation start up, has successfully closed an oversubscribed $1.5 million seed funding round.
Mass timber should "always start with forest health": expert
10 Mar 2023
Increasing use of mass timber in architecture is driving good forest management practices in the United States, says Forest Business Network co-founder Arnie Didier in this interview as part of our Timber Revolution series.
Solar takes centre stage as renewables and batteries dominate new power capacity in US
9 Mar 2023
Wind, solar, and battery storage are expected to account for nearly all of the new utility-scale generating capacity set to be brought online in the United States this year.
Microalgae to help capture carbon from power plants in new research venture
2 Mar 2023
US researchers have been awarded a $2 million grant from the Department of Energy to explore the potential of microalgae to absorb CO₂ emissions from industrial power plants.
By adding timber to old buildings, Stockholm is expanding sustainably
28 Feb 2023
A three-storey red brick building has stood in Stockholm’s southern neighborhood of Hammarby Sjöstad since 1928. Once a hosiery factory, the Trikåfabriken building is the oldest remnant of the area’s industrial past.
NZ drops in global climate rankings as govt 'propels country backwards'
Wed 19 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand has fallen to 44th place in global climate rankings, with the country’s climate policy rated “very low” amid widespread rollbacks of environmental protections.
Govt rejects CCC’s advice on net-negative 2050 but makes no official announcement
Thu 20 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government has rejected the Climate Change Commission’s advice to strengthen the country’s net zero 2050 target, but appears to have buried the news with its announcement about methane targets last month.
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’
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.
Govt’s rejection of CCC’s advice on climate targets undermines independent watchdog’s role, says opposition
Fri 21 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s latest dismissal of Climate Change Commission advice shows they have their heads in the sand about the reality of meeting climate targets, according to the Labour Party, while the Greens say Government decisions were an embarrassment on the world stage at COP30 this week.
COP30 climate talks evacuated after fire breaks out
Fri 21 Nov 2025
The UN climate talks COP30 have been evacuated due to a fire breaking out inside the venue in Belém, Brazil.
Mounting emissions due to Government decisions
Thu 20 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Coalition Government’s climate policies have added a whopping 26 million tonnes of emissions out to 2030, according to new analysis of Government projections.
Act-NZ First split over future of the energy sector
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.
Turkey set to host COP31 after reaching compromise with Australia
Fri 21 Nov 2025
The COP31 climate meeting is now expected to be held in Turkey after Australia dropped its bid to host the annual event.
‘We must keep 1.5 alive’ – Minister’s statement to climate summit
Wed 19 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | Climate Change Minister Simon Watts has delivered New Zealand’s National Statement to this year’s United Nations climate summit, affirming the country’s commitment to international climate targets and saying “we must keep 1.5 alive.”
NZ’s energy system at a crossroads – report
Fri 21 Nov 2025
A new report says New Zealand’s rapid shift toward a 95% renewable electricity system is at a critical turning point, urging faster consenting, stronger firming solutions and better grid planning.
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.
Insurers welcome govt decision to keep NHC levy unchanged
Fri 21 Nov 2025
Media release |The Insurance Council of New Zealand | Te Kāhui Inihua o Aotearoa (ICNZ) has welcomed the Government’s decision to leave the Natural Hazards Commission levy unchanged, amid ongoing concerns around the cost-of-living.
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.
The hidden dangers in Canada’s oil and gas ambitions
Tue 18 Nov 2025
Premier of Alberta Danielle Smith thinks global demand for oil will grow to 2050, perhaps beyond, and the Alberta industry will be viable for a hundred years.
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
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.
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.
Ministers urge decisive methane action as global report shows progress, warns of gaps
Wed 19 Nov 2025
Media release: UN Environment Programme | The Global Methane Status Report, launched on the sidelines of COP30 in Belém, shows that while considerable progress has been made since the launch of the Global Methane Pledge in 2021, more work is required to align with the level of ambition and action needed to meet the Pledge.
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.
A landmark court ruling looms over US absence at COP30
Thu 20 Nov 2025
The historic climate change advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice suggests the United States is violating international law on climate, legal experts say.
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.
Greens put miners ‘on notice’, pledge to revoke fast-track approvals
Tue 18 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Greens have pledged to revoke fast-track consents for coal, hard-rock gold, and seabed mining projects if elected to government next 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.
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.
Trump’s anti-climate agenda could result in 1.3m more deaths globally, analysis finds
Fri 21 Nov 2025
Fallout from increased emissions linked to president’s ‘America First’ policies expected to most affect those in poor, hot countries.
Thousands march outside COP30 summit in call for action
Tue 18 Nov 2025
Marching to the beat of pounding sound systems, thousands of climate protesters have been bringing their message to the gates of the COP30 climate talks in Brazil.
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.
New partnership to fast-track grid connections for major renewable and storage projects
Fri 21 Nov 2025
Powerco Transmission Services (PTS) has signed a new agreement with Kākāriki Renewables to streamline delivering large-scale wind, solar, and battery projects across New Zealand, in a move intended to accelerate the country’s transition to a low-emissions energy system.
Building resilient cities in a time of climate change
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.
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.
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.
New carbon calculator helps Kiwirail customers make sustainable choices
Fri 21 Nov 2025
Media release | KiwiRail has launched a carbon calculator to meet increasing demand from customers wanting to compare carbon emissions from rail, road and air.
Kaicycle celebrates ten years of collective climate action in Pōneke
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.
‘It felt bloody awful’: Hope rises from Tongariro’s wildfire ashes
Fri 21 Nov 2025
By Moana Ellis, Local Democracy Reporter | A devastating wildfire scorched 3000 hectares of Tongariro National Park, but as recovery gets underway, conservation leaders say the blackened landscape could offer a rare chance for large-scale native regeneration. Local Democracy's Moana Ellis reports.
Southland windfarm plan moves through Fast Track process
Wed 19 Nov 2025
By Matthew Rosenberg, Local Democracy Reporter | A $1.1 billion Southland windfarm proposal has reared its head at a regional council after facing rejection earlier this year.
