Topics tagged with 'Technology'
Baker’s yeast may be the unexpected solution to beer’s sustainability problem
31 Mar 2022
Researchers have managed to recreate beer’s signature hoppy flavor through baker’s yeast, circumventing the resource-intensive process of growing aroma hops in a field. This could save gallons of water and carbon dioxide emissions involved in growing the crops for beer—making this favorite beverage much more sustainable, they say.
Stanford transitions to 100% renewable electricity as second solar plant goes online
30 Mar 2022
Stanford’s second solar generating plant went online this month, completing the university’s years-long transition to 100% renewable electricity and marking a major milestone in its larger journey to reach net zero carbon emissions on campus.
Super Fund teams up with Danes to explore massive offshore wind project
29 Mar 2022
The NZ Super Fund and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners have formed a joint company to explore the feasibility of an offshore windfarm in Taranaki that could supply 11% of New Zealand's current electricity demand.
Windfarm upgrade on path to fast-tracked consent process
29 Mar 2022
Environment minister David Parker has accepted NZ Windfarms' application to refer the Te Rere Hau wind farm repowering project to an expert consenting panel for consideration under the COVID-19 Recovery Fast-track Consenting Act (FTCA).
IPCC scientists to examine carbon removal in key report
22 Mar 2022
UN scientists are likely to weigh up technology to remove CO2 from the atmosphere, as they gather to finalise a key report.
Australian billionaires put more money into $15 bln solar power export project
16 Mar 2022
Australia's two richest men joined a A$210 million ($152 million) capital raising for an ambitious project to supply Singapore with solar power via an undersea cable, the company said on Monday.
Back to the future: bottle drives on the horizon
14 Mar 2022
The government has announced plans for the reintroduction of a refundable deposit on drink containers – something not seen since the 1980s.
Ten climate-resilient homes that have adapted to the realities of global warming
11 Mar 2022
From a hurricane-proof house in Puerto Rico to a floating villa with retractable stilts, Dezeen has rounded up ten homes that incorporate the climate change-resilience strategies set out in the latest IPCC report.
Carbon removal factory
10 Mar 2022
In September, Climeworks flipped the switch on Orca, the largest plant to date that is designed to remove carbon dioxide from the air.
Barcelona-style “superblocks” could make a surprising number of cities greener and less car-centric
10 Mar 2022
More than 40% of the street network in some cities is suitable for transformation similar to Barcelona-style “superblocks,” according to a new study. The findings highlight the possibilities as well as the complexities of making neighborhoods in diverse cities greener and less car-centric.
Low-carbon cement trial cuts CO2 emissions by 60%
4 Mar 2022
A UK Government-backed innovation and demonstration programme has successfully developed and trialled new low-carbon cements which have up to 60 per cent lower embodied CO2 emissions than Portland cement, the current market leader in the UK.
Stilride uses "industrial origami" to create stainless steel electric scooter
3 Mar 2022
Swedish startup Stilride has unveiled the electric Sport Utility Scooter One, which is manufactured from stainless steel using an origami-like process that reduces the amount of material used.
First EV ute arrives in NZ
25 Feb 2022
CARBON NEWS wasn't among the invitees to the unveiling of New Zealand's first EV Ute - but the AA was and it claims "jaws dropped as the new EV T60 was unveiled in dramatic style."
Massive timber residential building planned for Toronto
25 Feb 2022
Architecture studio Adjaye Associates has designed a plant-covered building called Timber House as part of a developement on Toronto's waterfront that will include buildings by Alison Brooks Architects and Henning Larsen.
Electric milk tanker receives government grant
24 Feb 2022
Media Release - The country’s first electric milk tank tanker, a solar-panelled bus, electric off-road farm vehicles and new high powered EV charging stations are among projects to receive co-funding from the Government’s new-look Low Emission Transport Fund (LETF), the Minister of Energy and Resources Dr Megan Woods announced today.
Government commits $2 million to lithium recovery
23 Feb 2022
A government holding company is taking a $2 million stake in Geo40 Ltd to help it upscale is lithium recovery technology at Ohaaki near Taupo.
US to offer $3B to boost battery production, recycling
18 Feb 2022
The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced plans to provide nearly $3 billion to a pair of programs designed to spur domestic production of advanced batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage.
This fuel plant will use agricultural waste to combat climate change
16 Feb 2022
A startup plans to build a new type of fuel-producing plant in California’s fertile Central Valley that would, if it works as hoped, continually capture and bury carbon dioxide.
UK renewables auctions to be held annually in green energy push
11 Feb 2022
The UK government has re-stated its faith in green technologies with a decision that it says will create a steady stream of renewable energy projects.
Toronto's huge new solar wall
10 Feb 2022
A company in Toronto is installing North America’s biggest solar wall to date, a 7,000-square-foot system located in an industrial area of Rexdale Blvd. in west-end Etobicoke.
How "cool roofs" are helping women earn more in India
2 Feb 2022
During the scorching midday heat in Behrampura, a slum in the Indian city of Ahmedabad, it can be difficult to breathe, let alone get any work done. Throughout the summer, peak daytime temperatures often exceed 38C. Crowded and cramped housing, a lack of ventilation and the prevalence of cheap, heat-trapping materials such as metal roofs magnify that heat to even more unbearable levels.
More Zoom, less climate gloom
2 Feb 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many aspects of everyday life, including the way we work. Now, more than ever, professionals are working from home due to health and safety concerns and local restrictions. The pandemic has also forced the trillion-dollar events industry to undergo a fundamental shift as many organizers move conferences from physical halls to online platforms such as Zoom.
Renewables investment hits record $755B
31 Jan 2022
Renewable energy development hit a record US$755 billion last year, but still fell far short of what will be needed to bring the world’s greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050, according to analysis released yesterday by BloombergNEF.
Plant-based epoxy enables recyclable carbon fibre
31 Jan 2022
Ten times stronger than steel, nearly half the weight of aluminum, far stiffer than fiberglass — carbon fibre carries a package of advantages, making it a preferred material for use in luxury sedans and Formula One racecars alike.
The pandemic has been great for electric car sales
28 Jan 2022
Electric vehicles grabbed a much bigger share of the global car market last year as sales more than doubled despite turbulent economic conditions and a severe shortage of computer chips.
Greener burials uncovered by new Canterbury research
27 Jan 2022
Media Release - While many are striving to live in a more eco-friendly way, a University of Canterbury (UC) academic says we should also have the option to be buried more sustainably.
Carbon capture: savior or a boondoggle?
26 Jan 2022
While much of President Joe Biden's climate change agenda has stalled in Congress, there is one nascent — and controversial — technology for reducing carbon emissions that has received billions in public funds in 2020 and 2021: Carbon capture.
Slow phasing out of polluting cars a drag on China’s climate targets
25 Jan 2022
“There are 9-million bicycles in Beijing, that’s a fact.” The opening lyrics to that 2005 hit song was a conservative estimate back then, and today millions of those bicycles have been replaced by planet-warming cars.
What will it take to shrink the carbon footprint of health care
25 Jan 2022
One of the most instantly recognisable emblems of the past pandemic year is the discarded surgical mask: ground into mud at the edge of a walking path, caught in the branches of a tree, tangled around a seabird’s legs. Thanks to the pandemic, the waste and disposability associated with modern healthcare are more visible to the public than ever before.
Shell’s massive carbon capture plant emits more than it captures
24 Jan 2022
A first-of-its-kind “green” Shell facility in Alberta is emitting more greenhouse gases than it’s capturing, throwing into question whether taxpayers should be funding it, a new report has found
First battery-powered train to start trial operations in German regional transport
24 Jan 2022
Together with French manufacturer Alstom, German railway company Deutsche Bahn is going to start trial runs with the country’s first battery-powered passenger train.
World's first hydrogen tanker to ship test cargo to Japan from Australia
24 Jan 2022
A Japanese-Australian venture producing hydrogen from brown coal is set to start loading its maiden cargo on the world's first liquid hydrogen carrier on Friday, in a test delayed by nearly a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bicycle parking to be mandatory in all new European buildings
23 Dec 2021
THE European Commission’s revision proposal for the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive will make bicycle parking mandatory in all new and renovated buildings in the EU, a measure that will make everyday cycling easier for millions of people.
The e-trike armada propelling a net-zero dream
22 Dec 2021
Oliver Obernier first began delivering mail for Germany’s postal service back in 2006. Through the course of a normal day, the 47-year-old would drop off about three boxes of letters on his winding route through Hamburg’s HafenCity, an historic harborside neighborhood set alongside the River Elbe.
Seaweed company beefs up its R&D
21 Dec 2021
CH4 Aotearoa – a pioneer in using red seaweed (Asparagopsis) to reduce methane emissions from ruminant animals – is beefing up its R&D operations.
New York is banning the use of natural gas in new buildings
20 Dec 2021
After several other cities in the United States, the City Council of New York passed a law banning the use of natural gas in most new buildings. Construction projects submitted for approval from 2027 will have to use electricity instead of gas or fossil fuels for heating.
Southern hemesphere's first electric ferry launched in Wellington
17 Dec 2021
The Southern Hemisphere's first electric ferry has been seen zipping across the waters of Te Whanganui-a-Tara for some time now . Yesterday it was officially launched.
Buildings key to achieving Europe’s climate goals
16 Dec 2021
The revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), expected from the European Commission today, as part of the Fit for 55 package, is a legislative milestone which cannot go under the radar.
Avoiding the waste of Christmases past
14 Dec 2021
Household waste going to landfill will jump by 30% this festive season if New Zealanders don't take actions to avoid the waste of Christmases past, according to WasteMINZ.
Germany approves billions for climate, modernisation fund
14 Dec 2021
The German government on Monday approved 60 billion euros (NZ$114 billion) in funding to be used for combating climate change and modernizing the country, a move that the new finance minister described as a “booster” for Europe's biggest economy.
400 hectare green park announced by Christchurch Airport
13 Dec 2021
A 220-hectare solar array capable of generating 150 megawatts of electricity is the centre-piece of a green park being built on Christchurch Airport's Harewood Campus.
NZ's first 'green hydrogen' plant opened
10 Dec 2021
A Maori trust and a Japanese corporation have teamed up to open New Zealand's first 'green hydrogen' plant near Taupo.
How close are we to price parity between EVs and ICE vehicles?
10 Dec 2021
The price of the batteries that power electric vehicles has fallen by about 90 percent since 2010, a continuing trend that will soon make EVs less expensive than gasoline vehicles.
World's largest carbon capture pipeline aims to connect 31 ethanol plants
7 Dec 2021
Iowa-based Summit Carbon Solutions, an offshoot of Summit Agriculture Group, is behind the $4.5 billion Midwest Carbon Express project, with the goal of sending 12 millions tons of CO2 annually to western North Dakota, where it can be stored underground. It would be the largest carbon capture project in the world.
Study finds US$278 billion investment could eliminate steel industry carbon emissions
6 Dec 2021
The steel industry currently accounts for 7% of greenhouse gas emissions as the world reckons with climate change.
Compressed air energy storage proposed
3 Dec 2021
A Canadian company wants to use compressed air to store energy in California.
The clean energy transitions enters hyperdrive
29 Nov 2021
After decades in which governments and industry groups have often assumed that the shift to renewable energy will be a financial burden, economists and analysts are increasingly making a case that the opposite is true: The transition will lead to cost-savings on a massive scale that will add to its momentum.
China creates vast research infrastructure to support ambitious climate goals
23 Nov 2021
China, the world’s top carbon emitter, has for the first time published plans broadly outlining how it might achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2060, and a peak of emissions before 2030 — promises it made in 2019.
Canadian steelmakers embrace 'green steel' as carbon taxes set to rise
23 Nov 2021
The Canadian steel industry is at a crossroads, with government policies like carbon pricing designed to combat climate change hitting manufacturers' bottom lines and international pledges likely to seek further concessions from companies that burn
Toyota bets big on hydrogen as an alternative route to carbon neutrality
19 Nov 2021
Toyota is betting big on hydrogen and is collaborating with Kawasaki, Subaru, Mazda and Yamaha on the production, transportation and use of hydrogen.
Farm-level emissions cuts possible, but almost everything stands in the way
18 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Progress to slash farming emissions is being blocked by limited farmer confidence in mitigation tools, inconsistent engagement, misinformation and a lack of clear policy signals, according to a new report.
State-owned farmer drives profit growth with emissions reductions
19 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Government-owned Landcorp, trading as Pāmu, is one-third of the way to meeting its 2031 emissions reduction targets, with five years left to run to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30.3% against 2021 emissions.
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.
‘Cali Fund’ aiming to raise billions for nature receives first donation – of just $1,000
16 Dec 2025
A major biodiversity fund – which could, in theory, generate billions of dollars annually for conservation – received its first donation of just $1,000 in November.
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.
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.
Seven quiet wins for climate and nature in 2025
19 Dec 2025
This year's environmental backdrop is familiar: emissions are rising and nature is continuing to decline. But there have nevertheless been bright spots in 2025.
Govt unveils plans for carbon storage regulations – and ETS rewards
18 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government has released plans to regulate carbon capture and storage in natural geological formations, which include Emissions Trading Scheme incentives, with the aim of introducing related legislation in 2026.
Global coal demand hit record high this year but is set to decline by 2030
18 Dec 2025
Global coal demand reached a record high in 2025 but is expected to decline by 2030 as renewables, nuclear power and abundant natural gas squeeze its dominance in power generation.
Investors must support positive climate-tech
28 Nov 2025
OPINION: We need better leadership than the current ‘climate opportunism’ that is rife in the Beehive, and we need to back a marketplace that will make it happen, writes Rob Campbell.
RMA’s successors hinge on two untested bets
17 Dec 2025
Two ideas sit at the heart of the Government’s replacement for the Resource Management Act: regulatory relief and spatial planning.
India at COP30: A mismatch between grandstanding and climate action
11 Dec 2025
Despite India’s attempt to anoint itself as the leader of the developing world, at the COP30 summit, New Delhi’s track record remains contradictory.
Govt warned that scrapping ag emission pricing comes with risks
11 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s move to halt plans for agricultural emissions pricing without replacing it with any other action will leave New Zealand facing a bigger gap to meet its third emissions budget, Environment ministry officials have warned.
NZ hydrogen regulation to catch up with the world
18 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The government has announced a regulatory reset for New Zealand’s emerging clean tech hydrogen sector.
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.
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.
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.
Hydrogen emissions are ‘supercharging’ the warming impact of methane
19 Dec 2025
The warming impact of hydrogen has been “overlooked” in projections of climate change, according to authors of the latest “global hydrogen budget”.
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.”
Westpac NZ announces partnership to form Blue Economy hub in Nelson
17 Dec 2025
Media release | Westpac NZ has announced a new three-year partnership with the Nelson Regional Development Agency and Kernohan Engineering to help accelerate the development of a sustainable marine economy – also known as the blue economy.
NZ ‘clearly’ breaching international law on climate – Vanuatu Climate Change Minister
12 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister, Ralph Regenvanu, says New Zealand restarting fossil fuel exploration and subsidies is an obvious breach of international law, exposing the country to international and domestic litigation.
Govt slammed for weakening methane target
15 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams The Government has pushed through legislation under urgency to almost halve New Zealand’s 2050 methane target – a move Opposition parties say disregards scientific advice, breaks the country’s hard-won political consensus on climate action, and shifts the burden of higher warming and higher future costs onto the next generation.
COP30 microcosm of difficult geopolitics, says Vanuatu's Climate Minister
15 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Despite ‘intransigent’ states blocking multilateralism and a disappointing official outcome, Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister Ralph Regenvanu says he left the COP30 climate summit feeling more positive than after previous UN climate conferences.
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.
Insurers welcome govt decision to keep NHC levy unchanged
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.
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.
Three Greenpeace activists removed by police from Fonterra
17 Dec 2025
Media release | Three Greenpeace activists were removed by police from Fonterra’s downtown Auckland offices, following a protest on Monday at the Shareholders’ Fund meeting over the corporation’s role in the contamination of rural communities’ drinking water.
Oil and gas majors would create $78bn more value by stopping exploration
11 Dec 2025
Media release | Ten of the world’s largest oil and gas companies would create significantly more shareholder value by ending exploration and sharply curtailing upstream development, according to new analysis released today by ACCR.
Wetlands and biodiversity at risk as mining rules loosen: Greenpeace
19 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Greenpeace says Government changes to national direction instruments under the RMA paves the way for mining in wetlands and biodiversity hotspots and will expose some of Aotearoa’s most fragile ecosystems to irreversible damage.
NZ could become ‘dumping ground’ for dirty vehicles: Commissioner
16 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Simon Upton, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, has warned the Government that its changes to the clean car standard could turn the country into a dumping ground for high emitting cars, making future emissions budgets harder to achieve.
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.
Offshore windfarms enhance function of coastal waters and diversity of aquatic life
19 Dec 2025
Media release | A study conducted by researchers from Murdoch University in Australia and Dalian Ocean University in China has found that offshore windfarms can improve marine ecosystems and diversify aquatic food chains.
‘A shift no country can ignore’: where global emissions stand, 10 years after the Paris climate agreement
16 Dec 2025
The watershed summit in 2015 was far from perfect, but its impact so far has been significant and measurable.
Govt consulting on Pacific Resilience Facility
12 Dec 2025
The Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee is calling for submissions on its international treaty examination of the Agreement to Establish the Pacific Resilience Facility.
Govt green lights rural recycling scheme
4 Dec 2025
The Government has approved new regulations to bring rural waste schemes under one unified framework.
KiwiRail pauses coal trains amid rising climate protests
9 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate activists are ramping up actions this week, with a Christchurch protest leading to KiwiRail pausing some coal train operations on Saturday, and another protest against the Fast-Track Amendment Bill planned for parliament today.
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.
Could tidal energy one day power NZ?
18 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New research suggests Aotearoa holds some of the world’s strongest tidal-stream energy potential – enough to generate up to 93% of today’s electricity use – but one expert cautions that extracting energy at such a scale could have significant impacts and remains highly uncertain.
NZ could lose nearly all glaciers this century without stronger climate action
16 Dec 2025
New Zealand could see 97% of its glaciers vanish by 2100, with new international modelling projecting a rapid acceleration in glacier extinction from the 2030s onward – even under lower-warming scenarios.
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.
The surprisingly convincing case against cars
19 Dec 2025
Life After Cars dares to imagine how different, and enriching, a car-free world could be.
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.
Heatwaves, downpours and droughts – Auckland on track for more extreme weather
1 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show Auckland will face more heatwaves, heavier downpours, worsening droughts and growing coastal threats as climate extremes intensify, according to a new report from Earth Sciences New Zealand.
NZ just had its hottest spring in at least 116 years
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | This year New Zealand had its hottest spring since records began, with widespread heat, rainfall extremes and destructive wind driven by sudden stratospheric warming.
Media round-up
12 Dec 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Another offshore wind firm exits New Zealand over a clash with seabed mining; Fonterra falls behind on its climate goals as farm emissions remain flat; and the businesses trapped by the gas 'death spiral'.
