Topics tagged with 'Transport'
Electric cars fend off supply challenges to more than double global sales
8 Feb 2022
Sales of electric cars hit 6.6 million in 2021, more than tripling their market share from two years earlier
Road User Charge Act could be amended to take climate change into account
4 Feb 2022
The government is considering amending the Road User Charge Act to allow it to charge motorists for externalities – including climate change.
EV sales up but still short of government targets
4 Feb 2022
The number of vehicles powered by some form of electrification almost doubled last year from 12,997 in 2020 to 25,194.
Remote sensing technology reduces urban air pollution
4 Feb 2022
Cities that adopt roadside emissions sensors to detect high polluting vehicles, together with an enforcement programme to inspect and repair these vehicles, could significantly improve urban air quality, new research shows.
Tauranga organisations and councils announce pledge to cut transport emissions
3 Feb 2022
Media Release - Tauranga City has one of the highest rates of private car use in Australasia and traffic flows have been increasing by up to 8% each year. The Tauranga City Community Carbon Footprint found transport makes up 61% of the city’s carbon footprint, of which 97% comes from road transport.
New transport blueprint unveiled for Scotland
1 Feb 2022
A mass transit network in Glasgow and bridges or tunnels to some of Scotland's islands are among the ideas in the Scottish government's new transport strategy.
Light rail plan “catastrophically wrong”: Genter
31 Jan 2022
Green MP and former associate minister of transport Julie Anne Genter described the government's light rail plan for Auckland as “catastrophically wrong” in a tweet, shortly after the proposal was announced last Friday.
Light rail to take up to 12,000 cars off the road
28 Jan 2022
THE government claims its transport plan for Auckland announced this morning – which includes light rail – will remove up to 13 car lanes: equivalent to taking 12,000 cars off the roads.
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.
Shipping emissions rise 4.9% in 2021
25 Jan 2022
GLOBAL shipping’s carbon dioxide emissions posted year-on-year gains of 4.9% in 2021 and were higher than 2019, according to Simpson Spence & Young.
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.
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.
EPA announces strictest vehicle emissions standards ever
23 Dec 2021
The US Environmental Protection Agency has announced aggressive new vehicle emissions standards for greenhouse gasses that will impact cars and light trucks from model years 2023-2026.
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.
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.
Government to introduce biofuel mandate
15 Dec 2021
From April 2023 fuel wholesalers will be required to include a percentage of biofuels in the fuels they sell in an effort to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, the government announced today.
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.
On a wing and a prayer: Air NZ’s net zero plan
8 Dec 2021
By Jeremy Rose: Covid-19 has shown that it's possible to dramatically slash the carbon emissions of airlines by simply flying less but reducing the amount we travel by air isn’t among the options floated in Air New Zealand’s just released Sustainability Report.
NZ Green Investment Finance partners with NZ Post to accelerate EV transition
7 Dec 2021
Media Release - New Zealand Green Investment Finance (NZGIF) and NZ Post have signed a $20 million financing agreement to accelerate the transition of the NZ Post fleet and its delivery contractors’ vehicles, to electric vans (E-Vans) or low emissions vehicles (LEVs).
Study sees rail move to battery-electric propulsion as feasible, cost effective
6 Dec 2021
A new study says railroads could save $94 billion over 20 years by reducing air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions — and help avoid health impacts including an estimated 1,000 premature deaths each year — by retrofitting diesel-electric locomotives with battery power.
Coastal shipping will help keep New Zealand’s supply chain buoyant
6 Dec 2021
Media Release - Transport Minister Michael Wood has welcomed the release of the Coastal Shipping Investment Approach State-of-Play report as an important step towards a more sustainable coastal shipping sector, which will further diversify New Zealand’s supply chain.
UN shipping body agrees voluntary measures to cut black carbon in the Arctic
30 Nov 2021
Ship operators have been urged to switch to cleaner fuels in the Arctic, under a resolution to cut black carbon emissions at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) last week.
UN shipping talks fail to speed up faster carbon exit
29 Nov 2021
Further shipping talks are scheduled for next year after delegates at a U.N. agency meeting that sought to speed up decarbonization of the sector failed to make progress, officials said on Friday.
MBIE seeks feedback on making the display of clean vehicle information compulsory
26 Nov 2021
A consultation document outlining four options for how Clean Vehicle information should be displayed to consumers was released by The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) yesterday.
Timaru’s on-demand public transport hits 200,000 ride milestone
26 Nov 2021
Media Release - Timaru’s on-demand public transport hits 200,000 ride milestone Innovation has paid off in Timaru as the city’s new on-demand public transport service goes from strength to strength.
Free green services can reduce harmful emissions
25 Nov 2021
New research led by the University of Leeds has found that using carbon tax revenue to fund free green electricity and public transportation could significantly reduce households’ greenhouse gas emissions. Providing green services for free can help decrease home energy emissions by 13.4 percent and motor fuel emissions by 23.8 percent.
Every battery is a treasure box
22 Nov 2021
Each wooden box is as big as a grand piano. Employees in gray T-shirts open the strong hinges, remove safety foils and loosen the fixings. Now they can lift the heavy battery system out with a crane and carefully maneuver it onto the forklift.
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.
Growing calls for fully subsidised public transport
18 Nov 2021
The Helen Clark Foundation has thrown its weight behind calls to make public transport free to young people and Community Service Card holders, in a discussion document released today.
Like basic income, but for transportation
17 Nov 2021
Several U.S. cities are piloting “universal basic mobility” programs that subsidize bus rides, e-bikes and scooters in the hopes of sparking an economic boost.
How the world’s militaries hide their huge carbon emissions
12 Nov 2021
Climate change leadership requires more than stirring speeches. It means facing up to hard truths. One truth that governments around the world are struggling with is the immense contribution their militaries are making to the climate crisis.
New Zealand’s first zero emissions truck trial
12 Nov 2021
Media Release - Auckland Transport (AT) welcomes New Zealand’s first trial of 100 per cent electric trucks.
Emissions up by 4.8% in June quarter
11 Nov 2021
An increase in the use of coal fired electricity is largely responsible for emissions in the electricity, gas, water, and waste services industry hitting an all time high in the June quarter.
Urgent Couriers replaces Auckland car fleet with electric cargo bikes
11 Nov 2021
Media Release - Certified carbon zero courier company Urgent Couriers will take 40 to 50 tonnes of carbon emissions a year out of inner-city Auckland by replacing its city fleet of cars with electric cargo bikes.
NZ’s biggest GHG emitters ranked
10 Nov 2021
For the first time the Environmental Protection Authority has published a list of the country’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters
Greenpeace Germany sues Volkswagen for ‘fuelling climate crisis’
10 Nov 2021
A young German climate activist and the heads of Greenpeace Germany have sued Volkswagen (VW) in a German court for “fuelling the climate crisis”, accusing the carmaker of failing to do its part to combat global warming.
Australasia’s biggest ever electric bus order
9 Nov 2021
Media Release - AUSTRALAISA'S biggest electric bus order has been announced, in a partnership between Auckland Transport (AT) and NZ Bus.
Electric revolution for Christchurch’s Orbiter fleet
9 Nov 2021
Media Release - The popular Orbiter bus route has, from this week, seven new electric vehicles joining its ranks, as Christchurch’s fleet of electric and ultra-low emission vehicles grows.
Climate-friendly Let's Get Wellington Moving options revealed
2 Nov 2021
Media Release - Let’s Get Wellington Moving has officially unveiled four options to help transform the Capital, focused on mass rapid transit, improvements at the Basin Reserve and an extra Mt Victoria Tunnel as part of a multi-billion dollar plan to move more people with fewer vehicles, enable more housing, and help reduce carbon emissions.
Shipping drifts off net-zero course without carbon levy: study
26 Oct 2021
The global shipping industry is on course to see its greenhouse gas emissions rise by around a fifth by 2050 if action including introducing a carbon levy on fuel is not taken, new research backed by industry leaders shows.
With models under $5,000, China accounts for half the world's electric car sales
22 Oct 2021
Soaring sales of electric vehicles (EVs) in China are driving the global trend away from combustion engines, the latest figures show.
Majority of Kiwis believe there's nothing more they can do to cut emissions
21 Oct 2021
ONLY 40% of New Zealanders believe they could do more to cut down on their emissions to help tackle climate change.
E-bike delivery experiment reduced CO2 emissions by 30%
20 Oct 2021
For three months last summer, residents in one Seattle neighborhood received their packages via electric cargo bike rather than a delivery van, as part of a pilot program testing new innovations to urban delivery.
Govt proposes allowing more emissions in the short-term and steeper cuts in the future
13 Oct 2021
THE government is proposing increasing the emissions budget recommended by the Climate Change Commission for the 2022-25 period by 2 megatonnes carbon dioxide equivalents, followed by cuts of 5Mt CO2e for the 2026-30 period, and 11 Mt CO2e in the 2031 – 31 period.
Norway to hit 100% electric vehicle sales early next year
13 Oct 2021
Norway is on track to bid farewell to the sale of new petrol and diesel-powered cars by April 2022, according to new analysis released by the Norwegian Automobile Federation (NAF).
Why newer cars aren’t always better for the climate
13 Oct 2021
Is it better for the climate to go out and buy the latest, most fuel-efficient car, or keep driving the fairly decent car you already own for a little while longer? The answer is probably the latter, a new study suggests.
Trade can play pivotal role in tackling climate change: UN
13 Oct 2021
A new United Nations report has underscored an urgent need for economies in the Asia-Pacific region to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including to maintain their trade competitiveness as carbon taxes at borders become more likely.
KiwiRail signs deal for new locomotives
12 Oct 2021
KiwiRail says the 57 new locomotives they've just ordered from a Spanish firm could potentially cut fleet emissions by 20 - 25%.
Governments must vote in favour of moratorium on deep sea mining
Tue 29 Jul 2025
Media release - Greenpeace | The 30th session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has ended with Greenpeace saying governments are continuing to fall short in protecting the deep sea.
Does NZ need a national incentive scheme for wetlands?
25 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | An expert is calling for a national incentive programme to restore New Zealand’s wetlands and wants to stop schemes to drain these vital carbon-sequestering ecosystems.
NZ Post drops science-based climate target
8 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | NZ Post has dropped its science-based emissions reduction target of 42% by 2030 with no plans to replace it.
Airlines risk legal challenges by advertising jet fuel as “sustainable”, NGO warns
18 Jul 2025
Amid suspected fraud in the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a new report says the airline industry should stop calling all alternatives to kerosene “sustainable”.
Challenges persist in bid to mine the deep sea, even after boost from Trump
Tue 29 Jul 2025
After years of delay, the deep-sea mining plans of Canadian firm The Metals Company (TMC) now appear to be progressing as it pursues a controversial new path to securing a license to mine in international waters under U.S. jurisdiction.
Sustainability claims questioned as renewable diesel surges
14 May 2025
Critics are sceptical about industry claims of renewable diesel life-cycle greenhouse gas emission cuts and warn renewable diesel carbon releases will surge if sourcing is scaled up, triggering tropical deforestation as producers convert forests to energy crops, such as oil palm and soy.
Carbon prices slide as market awaits ETS decision
Fri 1 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | Volatility has returned to the secondary carbon market, with prices sliding again after plateauing in recent weeks, as the market waits for government decisions on Emissions Trading Scheme settings.
The US is sitting out the most consequential climate summit in a decade. It may offer a victory to China
Fri 1 Aug 2025
The Trump administration fired the last of the US climate negotiators earlier this month, helping cement America’s withdrawal from international climate diplomacy. It may also have handed a huge victory to China.
Bearish sentiment lingers for carbon market
11 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The compliance carbon market could be set for a gradual upward trajectory, however unsold volume from the quarterly Emissions Trading Scheme auctions continues to act as ‘a price ceiling,’ according to an expert.
Coal use drove recent emissions increase
Fri 1 Aug 2025
Increased use of coal for electricity generation was a large driver for an increase in New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions in the last quarter.
Is extending Huntly power station to 2035 in consumers’ best interest?
22 Jul 2025
By Simon Orme | COMMENT: Genesis Energy is proposing a cartel to keep high-emitting Huntly Power Station in business to 2035. If extending Huntly has economic benefits, is a cartel necessary?
What does 'drier' really mean in 'green' homes?
Fri 1 Aug 2025
Media release - Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland | Researchers say green-rating systems could improve clarity and effectiveness by explicitly defining ‘drier’ and using two measures of humidity.
Cuts to climate finance put exports in jeopardy: Lawyers
23 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has halved international climate finance, a move aid organisations describe as “devastating,” and which lawyers say could put our Paris Agreement commitments and export market access at risk.
NZ voluntary carbon market’s sad state
14 Jul 2025
By John O’Brien | OPINION: A combination of scandals, challenging economic times, and cheaper offshore carbon credits, mean that the domestic voluntary carbon market in New Zealand remains absolutely tiny.
Bill to restart oil and gas exploration clears final hurdle
Fri 1 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government’s Crown Minerals Amendment Bill is set to become law after passing its third reading in parliament last night, with critics calling it humiliating for the climate minister and an embarrassment to New Zealand's international reputation.
Key orange roughy population on verge of collapse, govt considers closure
9 Jul 2025
Media release - Deep Sea Conservation Coalition | New data reveals that New Zealand’s main orange roughy fishery, accounting for half of the country’s total catch, is on the brink of collapse, with one model showing it may have reached that point already, and the government’s considering closing it.
Warmer than usual weather ahead, wetter in north and east, as La Niña signals strengthen
Fri 1 Aug 2025
Media release – Earth Sciences New Zealand | Seasonal Outlook Climate August to October 2025 suggests warm, damp weather, with La Niña’s possible return.
Latest trawl bycatch numbers 'a grim wake-up call'
24 Jun 2025
Media release – Greenpeace | The latest fisheries bycatch data paints a grim picture, with trawlers hauling up thousands of kilograms of coral and killing hundreds of fur seals and seabirds over a 12 month period.
Wilding pines threaten Molesworth Station
Mon 28 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Without increased support, the unchecked spread of wilding pines will continue to creep across Marlborough’s high country – putting iconic landscapes and one of New Zealand’s top five biodiversity hotspots at serious risk, according to an expert.
Last minute change to oil and gas legislation over cleanup costs
Thu 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.
A modest geothermal strategy
Thu 31 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The Government has unveiled a far more modest geothermal energy strategy than its primary backer, Resources Minister Shane Jones, had sought.
European Central Bank to consider 'climate factor' when lending to banks
Thu 31 Jul 2025
The European Central Bank will add climate change considerations to its lending operations from late 2026, raising pressure on banks to channel financing towards greener sectors as the euro zone seeks to reduce its carbon footprint.
NZ part of hidden global deep-sea network beneath the waves
25 Jul 2025
Media release - Earth Sciences New Zealand | A world-first study of marine life, including sea creatures found in New Zealand's dark, cold, pressurised ocean depths, has revealed that deep-sea life is surprisingly more connected than previously thought.
‘Ideological sludge’: How NZ is quiet quitting climate action
17 Jul 2025
New Zealand once stood out as a world leader on climate change. In June it became the first country in the world to abandon a commitment to phase out oil, gas and coal.
Watts talks big on energy reform, but barriers persist
29 May 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Energy and Climate Change minister Simon Watts says the government is doubling down on efforts to boost renewable energy generation, streamline regulation, and drive private sector investment as New Zealand faces mounting energy security and affordability challenges.
Hiringa eyes green methanol plant near Whanganui
Tue 29 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Green hydrogen pioneer Hiringa Energy is deep in planning to develop an “eight-to-nine figure” methanol plant near Whanganui, using a combination of biomass and hydrogen produced using renewable energy.
Climate catastrophes are creating a ‘new market reality’ for insurance carriers
23 Jul 2025
Raging wildfires and severe storms contributed to record-high global insurance losses — totalling an estimated US$84 billion — for the first six months of the year.
Will NZ walk away from the Paris Agreement?
20 Dec 2024
By Geoff Bertram | COMMENT: Unless the government can find very cheap offshore mitigation, the temptation to walk away from its Paris Agreement obligations may well be too strong to resist for a coalition government focused on fiscal austerity.
Multi-day protest continues at coal mine
Wed 30 Jul 2025
Bathurst Resources has been forced to truck coal from its Stockton mine as climate activists occupy coal buckets at the mine for a third day.
Fund for low emissions transport winds up
Thu 31 Jul 2025
New Zealand’s Low Emission Transport Fund has officially wrapped up, ending a nine-year programme that put hundreds of millions of dollars towards accelerating the country’s shift to cleaner transport.
Urgent action needed to get on track for climate goals - commission
25 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand is making progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but more work is needed – urgently – to set up for future reductions, according to the latest report from the Climate Change Commission.
NZ's latest climate target 'weak' – Climate Action Tracker
24 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand's new international climate target to 2035 is weak, and could even allow for higher emissions than the 2030 target, according to a global scientific project that tracks government climate action.
Toxic algae are turning South Australia’s coral reefs into underwater graveyards
Tue 29 Jul 2025
Since March, a harmful algal bloom, fueled by a marine heat wave, has been choking South Australia’s coastline.
NZ govt’s fossil fuel plans could break international law
24 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government could be breaching international law with its plans to subsidise and expand fossil fuel extraction, following a ruling overnight from the world’s highest court.
Tipping points: Window to avoid irreversible climate impacts is ‘rapidly closing’
11 Jul 2025
In the midst of a record-breaking heatwave in Europe, the UK city of Exeter recently played host to the second international conference on “tipping points”.
‘Total infiltration’: How plastics industry swamped vital global treaty talks
Mon 28 Jul 2025
Petrostates and well-funded lobbyists at UN-hosted talks are derailing a deal to cut plastic production and protect people and the planet.
Activists sue US development bank over $4.6bn loan to massive Mozambique gas project
18 Jul 2025
Environmental groups claim loan is ‘unlawful’ in legal filing.
Straterra has a new name: the New Zealand Minerals Council
16 Apr 2025
Media release | Straterra has been renamed as New Zealand Minerals Council, says chief executive Josie Vidal.
Tilting at windmills? Trump’s claims about turbines fact-checked
Thu 31 Jul 2025
The US president has taken a swipe at wind power as the blades visible from his Turnberry golf course turn.
Ocean heatwaves may signal climate tipping point
25 Jul 2025
A recent study that tapped into satellite data has revealed that 2023 marked an unprecedented year for marine heatwaves, with record-breaking levels of duration, reach and intensity across the world's oceans.
Climate groups want UK wealth tax to make super-rich fund sustainable economy
17 Jul 2025
Growing number of campaigners urge government to ensure green investment is not done ‘on backs of the poor’.
Can robot taxis solve NZ's transport woes?
23 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Ministry of Transport has tested the idea of driverless taxis as a futuristic fix. But while new modelling explores how "robotaxis" could ease congestion and reduce car ownership, critics say it misses a crucial point – the country’s worsening transport emissions.
United Nations carbon market rules agreed but concerns remain
25 Nov 2024
New carbon market rules agreed at the fractious UN climate summit will be a relief to New Zealand and Singapore, who were leading the negotiations, but concerns about greenwashing and disadvantaging nature-based solutions remain.
The ICJ’s ruling means Australia and other major polluters face a new era of climate reparations
25 Jul 2025
By Harj Narulla | OPINION: Australia has found itself on the wrong side of history.
Waste Levy risks becoming ‘slush fund’ under proposed changes – Commissioner
5 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Proposed changes to New Zealand's waste legislation risk undermining public trust in the waste levy scheme, according to Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton.
The struggle for control of the Arctic is accelerating - and it's riskier than ever
11 Jul 2025
As the battle for one of the world’s coldest places heats up, an increasingly fragile security balance may be breaking down, leading to an escalating arms race.
UN University report warns against carbon credits from REDD, tree planting, and improved forest management
13 Jun 2025
But the report stops short of recommending banning the trade in carbon temporarily stored in trees.
For the first time, China invests more in wind and solar than coal overseas
29 May 2025
China’s Belt and Road Initiative, long derided for its heavy carbon footprint, was dominated by wind and solar power projects for the first time from 2022 to 2023, according to a new analysis. But coal plants financed in earlier years are still coming online.
