Topics tagged with 'The House'
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
24 Feb 2020
Auckland Council’s audit and risk committee meets today and says climate change mitigation and adaption continue to be top risks for the council, leading to potential environmental degradation, economic inequality, social vulnerability and financial and reputational damage.
FRIDAY POLITICS: Ready, willing, and Abel
21 Feb 2020
By ADELIA HALLETT | A largely unheralded candidate selection in Auckland this week could prove pivotal in New Zealand’s climate politics.
Aucklanders take to public transport
21 Feb 2020
Auckland’s public transport system is finally as popular as it was in the 1950s – albeit with five times the population.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
20 Feb 2020
Parliament’s Environment Committee is discussing changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme today, as well as the annual reports of the Environmental Protection Authority and Predator Free 2050.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
19 Feb 2020
Applications for the Government’s Low-Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund open today, with secure parking for electric bikes eligible for the first time.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
18 Feb 2020
Greater Wellington Regional Council’s environment committee meets today to set environmental priorities.
Climate change low on Nats' question list
17 Feb 2020
Fewer than five per cent of the written questions to Government ministers lodged this year are about climate change.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
17 Feb 2020
Cambridge University economist Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta will give a public talk in Wellington tomorrow on the economics of biodiversity (5.30pm-7pm, Lecture Theatre 1, Rutherford House, 23 Lambton Quay).
Row brews over free credits to heavy emitters
14 Feb 2020
Tension is building over the allocation of free carbon credits to trade-exposed heavy emitters.
Leaders (well, some of them) are talking climate change
14 Feb 2020
Climate change was on the lips of the leaders of two of the five parties in Parliament when it resumed this week.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
13 Feb 2020
Parliament sits today, with MPs from the Environment Select Committee continuing hearing oral submissions on proposed changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme.
This key MP favours change to RMA law
12 Feb 2020
At least one member of the select committee investigating changes to the Resource Management Act thinks the planning law should include climate change.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
12 Feb 2020
Parliament sits today and tomorrow, and the Environment Select Committee continues hearing submissions on changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme and the Resource Management Act tomorrow.
Climate-risk reports critical, politicians hear
10 Feb 2020
Directors of large companies, Crown entities and any organisation participating in the Emissions Trading Scheme should have to provide an annual signed and audited statement of climate risk, Parliament is being told.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
10 Feb 2020
The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority is looking for businesses that have switched to electric vehicles to be included in a billboard campaign next month.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
7 Feb 2020
Today, submissions close on the Land Transport (Rail) Legislation Bill, allowing the rail network to be funded from the National Land Transport Fund.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
5 Feb 2020
It's Waitangi Day tomorrow, which means there will be no Carbon News.
Expert warns against offshore credits sprees
3 Feb 2020
New Zealand should be buying offshore carbon credits every year instead of going on a buying spree when its carbon bill falls due, says an expert on international carbon policy and markets.
Dairy firms see ETS dates clashing
3 Feb 2020
Reporting dates for the Emissions Trading Scheme should line up with farm production schedules, dairy companies say.
Greens vow to make polluters foot the bill
29 Jan 2020
The Greens go into the September 19 election promising to “fix” the carbon price.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
29 Jan 2020
Parliament’s environment select committee is hearing submissions today and tomorrow on reforms of the Emissions Trading Scheme and the Resource Management Act.
Down the track, our emissions rate will fall
19 Dec 2019
New Zealand’s projected greenhouse gas emissions are falling.
NZ might sit with 2030 emissions' cuts target
10 Dec 2019
New Zealand might not increase its 2030 emissions reduction target next year.
EDITORIAL: Right road, but the slow road
29 Nov 2019
By publisher ADELIA HALLETT | It must be tempting, if you’re in the New Zealand delegation at climate talks in Madrid next week, to rest on your laurels, take the pats on the back, bask in the international limelight.
Minister won't act on ACC oil investments
28 Nov 2019
The Government says it will not interfere in the Accident Compensation Corporation’s decision to invest in fossil fuels.
Give councils green powers, politicians told
25 Nov 2019
Parliament is being told by some unlikely bedfellows that councils should have to consider greenhouse gas emissions when granting resource consents.
Farm protest march misleading, say foresters
13 Nov 2019
Forestry bodies say the organisers of a protest in Wellington tomorrow over the planting of forests on farmland are misleading the public.
That's the act done ... now on with the changes
8 Nov 2019
The zero carbon act is law; bring on reform of the Emissions Trading Scheme.
MPs rubbish call on overseas emissions
7 Nov 2019
Parliament has roundly rejected an attempt to get overseas emission reductions given the same weight as New Zealand projects under new climate legislation.
Government happy with ZCB direction
5 Nov 2019
The Government intends sticking with the recommendations of the select committee when the zero-carbon bill comes back before Parliament this afternoon.
Staunch Nats vow to change zero-carbon bill
4 Nov 2019
National still hopes to drive through changes to the zero-carbon bill before it is passed this week.
ETS fertiliser claims wrong, says Ravensdown
31 Oct 2019
The Emissions Trading Scheme is over-estimating the amount of nitrous oxide being released as a result of fertiliser use – and that could cost the sector money when it starts paying for emissions, says fertiliser company Ravensdown.
Big farm subsidy won't work, says Super Fund
30 Oct 2019
The Government’s plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions from farming won’t work while the sector is being given a 95 per cent subsidy, say the Guardians of the New Zealand Super Fund.
Opinions side with charging for farm emissions
29 Oct 2019
A majority of people and organisations making submissions on whether agricultural emissions should be in the Emissions Trading Scheme say price-based mechanisms are the way to go.
FACT CHECK: Is that right, Paula?
29 Oct 2019
National Party deputy leader and former climate minister Paula Bennett says when it was in power, her party stabilised greenhouse gas emissions, while under this Government they will keep rising until 2025. Is she right?
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
29 Oct 2019
It’s a quiet week on the political front, but a busy week for green finance.
EDITORIAL: A Shaw thing
25 Oct 2019
By publisher ADELIA HALLETT | Climate minister James Shaw, take a bow - you deserve five minutes in the sun for doing what none of your seven predecessors did.
Zero-carbon bill report pleases minister
22 Oct 2019
A report by the Environment Select Committee has made the zero-carbon bill even stronger, says climate minister James Shaw.
National wants in on the ETS act
9 Oct 2019
If the Government wants cross-party consensus on climate legislation it should put up legislation the Opposition can support, National’s climate spokesperson says.
Emissions spotlight on land use and transport
25 Sep 2019
The committee of experts advising the Government on emissions budgeting has its sights set on our two biggest climate-polluting sectors – land use and transport.
At last, we're getting a look at climate risks
19 Sep 2019
Progress is being made at last on assessing the risk climate change poses to New Zealand.
Let new commission be the arbiter, says Upton
12 Sep 2019
ANYTHING in the zero-carbon bill that MPs can’t agree on should be referred to the new climate commission, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton has told MPs.
Thames council aware of risks, says lawyer
5 Sep 2019
A lawyer is calling for mandatory disclosure by councils of climate-change risks, saying authorities have been sitting on information about Thames for years.
Climate all-important, economist reminds Govt
27 Aug 2019
Government decisions that don’t take climate change into account should be voided, says an economist who has spent 30 years trying to get governments in New Zealand and Australia to take the issue seriously.
Carbon farmer questions forestry land facts
22 Aug 2019
The country’s largest carbon-farming company says there is more marginal land available for forestry than officials are telling the Government.
Fracking pushes up methane count, says research
15 Aug 2019
Fracking is probably the reason atmospheric methane is rising, with the United States shale gas industry behind a third of the increase in global greenhouses gas emissions over the past decade, new research warns.
It must be carrot and stick, says business lobbyist
2 Aug 2019
Christchurch Airport chief executive Malcolm Johns has a neat response for anyone suggesting he doesn’t understand the implications of the zero-carbon bill on the agricultural sector.
Shaw poised to announce more ETS changes
31 Jul 2019
The Government is about to unveil more changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Scott Simpson National's new climate voice
31 Jul 2019
Coromandel MP Scott Simpson is the National Party’s new climate spokesperson.
Conservation land open for voluntary carbon market schemes
Tue 12 May 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The government is to open up the Crown-owned conservation estate to private investment in voluntary carbon market projects.
Govt moves to block climate change litigation
Tue 12 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s move to limit lawsuits holding climate polluters accountable for damage is putting the interests of big emitters ahead of communities, according to Lawyers for Climate Action.
$30m airline fund risks ‘burning public money’ without lasting benefit – expert
20 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A $30 million government package to support regional air routes risks delivering poor value for money while increasing emissions, according to transport strategist Tim Adriaansen.
Europe has 'maybe six weeks of jet fuel left', energy boss warns
20 Apr 2026
Stocks would reach a tipping point in June if Europe was unable to replace at least half of its imports from the Middle East, the organisation said in a report this week.
Government biodiversity credit scheme welcomed as opportunity for restoration
Tue 12 May 2026
Media release | Forest & Bird says today’s Government announcement supporting the development of voluntary biodiversity credit schemes has potential to bring about much needed investment into nature restoration.
Burning wood for power worse for climate than gas equivalent, report finds
21 Apr 2026
Research casts doubt on plans by the UK government to offer subsidies for carbon capture attached to the power source.
Carbon News updates forward curve
Today 11:30am
Carbon News has updated its ten-year NZU forward curve, following a recent rise in spot market prices, with NZUs rallying from about $34 in January to nearly $54 in early May.
Scientists warn El Niño could intensify climate extremes in 2026
Today 11:30am
Climatologists say a particularly powerful weather pattern could amplify wildfire risk, heatwaves and flooding worldwide as global temperatures continue to rise.
Drop in ETS forestry registrations
5 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | ETS forestry registrations have dropped off this year, with the new mandatory emissions return period, new land-use rules, and carbon price volatility all meaning participants aren’t rushing to register forestry in the emissions trading scheme.
GIDI-style help cheaper than LNG: MBIE
Mon 11 May 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Officials advised ministers last July that the lowest-cost way to free up gas for use during dry winters was to assist industrial gas users to switch to electricity.
Tairāwhiti deserves better than weakened forestry rules
5 May 2026
OPINION: The government's proposed amendments to forestry standards, released yesterday, ignore the hard lessons learned in our region and ignore the voices that have fought hardest to protect it, writes Manu Caddie.
Latest emissions inventory: ‘Something has gone very wrong’
16 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2024 decreased by just 0.1% compared to 2023, in what an expert says is a “terrible result”, compared to faster progress in previous years.
What Magyar’s defeat of Orbán in Hungary means for climate and energy
21 Apr 2026
Hungary has played a disproportionate role in EU climate and energy policy in recent years, by repeatedly vetoing climate action and by delaying the phaseout of Russian fossil-fuel imports.
Australian operator to run NZ ETS auctions
Mon 11 May 2026
The Government has appointed an Australian company to run its Emissions Trading Scheme auctions, taking over from NZX, which has operated the ETS auctions since they began in 2021.
Datacentres should be forced to invest in wind and solar energy, all states agree – except Queensland
Today 11:30am
Power hungry datacentres that are growing to meet the demands of artificial intelligence could be forced to invest in enough new solar and wind generation to completely cover their electricity needs.
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.
Call for cross-party agreement on climate risks as NZ stuck in costly disaster cycle
Fri 8 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | An expert is calling for cross-party ministerial appointments and lasting bipartisan agreement about how to act on significant climate risks the country is facing, in response to the Climate Change Commission’s latest report.
EDS urges MPs to scrap the Fisheries Amendment Bill
5 May 2026
Media release | The Environmental Defence Society today lodged a substantive submission on the Fisheries Amendment Bill.
Commission urges Govt action on climate risks
Thu 7 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | Climate change currently poses major risks to our water infrastructure with “significant gaps” in readiness to manage risks and increasing hazards, according to the Climate Change Commission.
Trump’s Iran war may stymie climate gains with boost to big oil, experts say
Mon 11 May 2026
Windfall profits could lock in Trump-era political wins for the industry and slow clean-energy transition.
Methanexit: writing on the wall for NZ’s biggest gas user
6 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s biggest fossil gas user, Methanex, is expected to stop production by the end of this year, with the company confirming its Motunui methanol operation won’t survive Māui gas field’s closure.
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.”
New funding for low methane farming uptake
29 Apr 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The government will co-fund projects under an Early Adoption Accelerator scheme announced today to accelerate the uptake of low emissions farming technologies emerging from the AgriZero public-private partnership.
‘Formidable’ El Niño expected this winter
29 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Meteorologists are anticipating a significant El Niño influence on weather patterns across the country from winter onwards, with predicted lower rainfall for some areas and heavier rain for others likely to impact multiple sectors of the economy as well as the carbon market.
Fonterra ‘spins’ greenwashing research for favourable press
1 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | Dairy co-operative Fonterra has managed to ‘spin’ international research intended to highlight greenwashing, instead using it to generate unwarranted positive press, according to researchers behind the recent study into ag industry greenwashing.
Mercury signs major hydro upgrade programme with ANDRITZ
23 Apr 2026
Media release | Mercury has signed a contract with international technology group ANDRITZ as part of a $590 million upgrade of three of the nine hydro stations on the Waikato River.
Victorian Hydrogen announces Southland urea fertiliser project using coal
22 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Australian-based Victorian Hydrogen has announced it is developing a new 1.5 million-tonne-a-year urea fertiliser operation in Southland, which it will apply for under fast-track legislation.
Media round-up
24 Apr 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: What is the real cost of storm-hit infrastructure? Urgency is needed over climate adaptation funding; and a community conservation group has won a legal victory against multinational mining company OceanaGold.
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.
How big oil companies can slow the green transition by suing governments that ban fossil fuels
Today 11:30am
Simply put, this rule lets big oil companies sue sovereign states and demand exorbitant amounts of money if they are prohibited from digging up fossil fuels.
Tehran will never cede control of Strait of Hormuz, senior Iranian politician tells BBC
21 Apr 2026
"Never." That's when a senior Iranian lawmaker says they'll be ready to give up their control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Govt missing tricks to save fuel in crisis
30 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government is being urged to shift its response to the fuel crisis away from short-term relief and towards measures that reduce demand, with public health experts warning it is missing an opportunity to boost energy security and lower household costs.
Climate risks could reshape business finances, new guidance warns
15 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New guidance warns climate change is set to fundamentally reshape financial outcomes for businesses, including difficult-to-model climate “tipping points” – irreversible changes such as ice sheet collapse or ocean circulation shifts – which threaten severe and sudden financial impacts.
‘Triple whammy of climate chaos’: Why Antarctica's sea ice collapse is no longer a mystery
Mon 11 May 2026
Scientists have finally identified the ‘triple whammy’ behind Antarctica’s dramatic collapse, shedding new light on the chain reaction that has pushed its sea ice to record lows.
Coal mine challenge reaches Aus High Court
Today 11:30am
What climate change impacts should a planning authority have to take into account when assessing a mining project?
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.
Deep-sea mining risks biodiversity loss lasting decades, scientists warn
Mon 11 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The first comprehensive review of deep-sea mining research has found mining could cause ecological damage lasting decades and, in some ecosystems, irreversible biodiversity loss, with New Zealand experts warning the industry poses major risks to fragile ocean environments.
Environmental groups sue Trump administration over approval of new ultra deep-water drilling project
23 Apr 2026
Environmental groups sued the Trump administration on Monday over its approval last month of oil company BP’s ultra deep-water drilling project in the Gulf of Mexico.
Opposition slams environment ministry merger
Today 11:30am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Opposition MPs accused the Government of downgrading climate and environmental protections as legislation to abolish the Ministry for the Environment and merge it into a new mega-ministry passed its second reading in Parliament.
Kiwis overly optimistic about state of environment
27 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New research suggests many New Zealanders believe the environment is in better shape than it really is, with public perceptions often out of step with scientific evidence.
ESG funds include petrochemical companies, report finds
5 May 2026
Global banks have invested US$133bn into US petrochemical expansion, even as the industry is linked to climate change.
Thousands protest in Germany urging faster shift to renewable energy, amid Iran war
20 Apr 2026
Thousands of people demonstrated across Germany on April 18, urging a faster shift to renewable energy and accusing conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition of putting the brakes on the transition.
Green Party calls for national electrification plan
20 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party is calling for a national plan to electrify homes, transport and industry using renewable energy, to reduce fossil fuel dependence in response to the Middle East crisis.
‘Landmark’ conservation reform bill – boost or bust for nature?
Fri 8 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government has announced an overhaul of the country’s conservation system, which environmental organisation Forest & Bird says will undo the work of many generations of Kiwis to protect public conservation land.
Govt launches solar red tape review to speed up installations
Fri 8 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has launched a review aimed at making residential and small-scale solar installations faster and easier, in a move Rewiring Aotearoa says could help cut costs and accelerate solar uptake across New Zealand.
Planned coal mine borders internationally significant wetland
30 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Victorian Hydrogen, the company behind plans for a huge coal-to-urea project, has applied for a permit to explore for coal next to an internationally significant wetland in a sensitive catchment in Southland.
Climate change driving rising stroke risk, experts warn
Thu 7 May 2026
Climate change is increasing the risk of stroke and related deaths, with extreme heat and other environmental factors posing growing threats to brain health, says Professor Anna Ranta of the University of Otago.
Solar and wind with battery storage become more cost competitive, IRENA report shows
Fri 8 May 2026
Solar and wind energy with battery storage are delivering cost-competitive electricity compared with coal and gas, according to a report by the International Renewable Energy Agency on Wednesday.
Carbon trading schemes cut more emissions than carbon taxes, according to global study
20 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Carbon trading schemes are more effective than carbon taxes at reducing emissions, cutting fossil fuel use, and accelerating the shift to renewable energy, a global study has found.
Why both trees and technology are important in the race to mitigate carbon emissions
4 May 2026
Different carbon‑removal approaches solve different problems, and pitting these technologies against each other could slow progress.
More red lights for cars might mean more green lights for sustainable transport
Thu 7 May 2026
Media release: Royal Society Open Science | Reducing the amount of green light time for cars at traffic lights could encourage commuters to switch to more sustainable transport.
UN methane alert system expanded to coal and waste sectors after Indian landfill named among world’s top emitters
6 May 2026
The United Nations is expanding its methane monitoring system to cover coal mines and waste facilities, after satellite analysis identified a landfill in India among the world’s three largest methane-emitting sites.
NZ First moves to revive container return scheme
4 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | NZ First is aiming to launch a national container return scheme, which could recycle over a billion wasted containers each year, reviving a policy shelved by the previous Labour-led Government in 2023.
Greens condemn planned coal mine next to protected wetland
4 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party says a new plan for a coal mine and fertiliser plant next to an internationally significant wetland is “ecological vandalism and climate denial.”
Why is Northern Ireland facing a growing threat from wildfires?
Thu 7 May 2026
Figures show that spring drought events are happening more often while there has been a sharp rise in "fire weather" - a mix of warmth, dryness, and wind that allows fires to ignite and spread rapidly. Experts warn this combination, along with climate change, is creating a longer and more volatile wildfire season.
Stripy wind turbines could save some birds
Fri 8 May 2026
Media release: Royal Society Interface | Preventing birds from colliding with wind turbine blades could be as simple as a few paint stripes, according to international researchers, who say this could help protect wildlife as renewable energy expands.
