Topics tagged with 'Transport'
Auckland Council in the dock over its transport emissions plans
26 Apr 2022
A case claiming Auckland Transport and Auckland Council’s transport plans fail to deliver any meaningful reductions in emissions gets underway in the Auckland High Court this morning.
Hydrogen cars nothing but greenwash: expert
22 Apr 2022
By Jeremy Rose | For Professor Susan Krumdieck it’s a case of déjà vu: Japanese car giant Toyota, with much fanfare, showcases its latest hydrogen cars. Cars that in the expert opinion of Krumdieck make neither economic nor environmental sense.
Vehicle CO2 emissions fall in 17 Europe markets
22 Apr 2022
Volume weighted average CO2 emissions in some Europe markets fell from 117.7g/km in 2020 to 99g/km last year, following introduction of the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP).
Transport emissions rose 12% in three months in Australia
22 Apr 2022
Transport emissions rose more than 12 per cent in the last three months of 2021 as lockdown restrictions eased across the country, while Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions decreased as renewable electricity generation continued to grow.
On a wing and a prayer: efforts to cut aviation’s carbon footprint
21 Apr 2022
If you jump on your bike and ride out to Christchurch airport for a coffee you can rest easy in the knowledge that your caffeine hit comes with little or no carbon footprint – if on the other hand you arrive or depart on a plane it’s a different, carbon intensive, story.
MTA says leave your car at home
21 Apr 2022
Media Release - The Motor Trade Association has some simple advice for Earth Day tomorrow: leave the car at home.
Riding bikes for climate a life-changer
19 Apr 2022
By Liz Kivi | Christchurch man Simon Kong has gone from non-cyclist to self-described cycling evangelist. Within the space of a year he sold his car, has clocked up 6,683 km cycling, and says he lives “98%” of his life on a bike.
US EV tax credits might increase emissions
19 Apr 2022
The US approach to incentivising electric vehicle adoption may actually increase emissions in the long run, a new study finds — because the wealthy people who are among the only ones able to take advantage of EV tax credits don’t drive their green cars enough to make up for the heavy emissions impact of manufacturing them in the first place.
The quest to build a tiny Bolivian EV
19 Apr 2022
Bolivian startup Quantum Motors makes tiny EVs aimed at the Latin American masses. Will they buy it?
Return of inter-city rail welcomed
13 Apr 2022
The Save Our Trains Campaign says the return of key passenger services is a major win, but the government needs to do more to rebuild passenger rail throughout New Zealand.
Wellingtonians back light rail
13 Apr 2022
Light rail was by far the preferred option for a new mass transit system for the capital among those who submitted to last year's Let's Get Wellington Moving public consultation.
CarbonClick partners with Lima Airport
24 Mar 2022
Media Release - New Zealand enviro tech company CarbonClick welcomes Lima Airport as a partner in the global mission to enable more climate-friendly travel.
No carless days on horizon
23 Mar 2022
Minister of energy Megan Woods has ruled out an International Energy Agency (IEA) proposal for car free Sundays.
A third of drivers eyeing up EVs and hybrids as fuel prices skyrocket
22 Mar 2022
One third of respondents to a Consumer poll said they were considering switching to a hybrid or EV in response to increasing fuel prices.
Free public transport for Simplicity Kiwisaver employees
21 Mar 2022
Simplicity Kiwisaver has given its staff free public transport in an effort to cut the company’s carbon footprint.
High energy costs intensify debate over Europe's carbon plan
18 Mar 2022
A European Union plan to charge fuel suppliers for the CO2 emitted by cars and heating buildings is emerging as the most contentious element in a raft of climate change policies the bloc’s member states are negotiating this year.
3 ways to reimagine public transport for people and the climate
16 Mar 2022
The coronavirus pandemic hit public transport hard. Global ridership tanked initially by as much as 80%, and transit was still at around just 20% of pre-pandemic ridership at the end of 2020. There is serious concern that people will increasingly opt for private vehicles, should public transport not recuperate.
UK ministers urged to promote e-bikes to tackle health and climate crises
14 Mar 2022
Ministers should consider subsidising e-bikes as they do electric cars, campaigners have urged, after a study found that mass use of such bikes could create more than £2bn in health benefits and cut a million tonnes of emissions annually.
Wellington to roll out 166km of cycleways
11 Mar 2022
The Wellington City Council yesterday voted to proceed with a 166km connected cycleway network.
How climate change is disrupting the global supply chain
11 Mar 2022
The Covid pandemic has rightly received most of the blame for global supply chain upheavals in the last two years. But the less publicized threat to supply chains from climate change poses a far more serious threat and is already being felt, scholars and experts say.
Tesla is a complete climate embarrassment: report
9 Mar 2022
A new report grades companies on their efforts to meet the Paris Agreement goals. Microsoft leads the pack while Tesla is bringing up the rear.
U.S. EPA proposing rules to cut emissions from heavy trucks
8 Mar 2022
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday said it was proposing new rules to cut smog-forming and greenhouse gas emissions from heavy duty vehicles.
How London plans to make the entire city an Ultra Low Emissions Zone
8 Mar 2022
Three years ago, London was the first city to introduce an “Ultra Low Emissions Zone,” or ULEZ, which charged the most polluting vehicles a fee to enter—something the BBC called one of the most radical anti-pollution policies in the world at the time. The zone expanded last year. Now the government plans to expand it to cover the entire city.
Number of cars de-registered almost doubled in 2021
7 Mar 2022
A total of 424,328 vehicles weren’t re-registered in 2021 up from 217,610 in 2020.
Truck maker Hino Motors reveals it faked emissions data
7 Mar 2022
Leading truck maker Hino Motors Ltd. admitted to falsifying the results of tests for exhaust emissions and fuel economy of three types of engines over a number of years
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.
Southern Hemisphere's first electric ferry cuts emissions by 80+%
2 Mar 2022
The Ika Rere, the Southern Hemisphere's only electric ferry, carried its first paying customers yesterday and initial indications are it will cut carbon emissions by up to 85%.
10 YEARS AGO...
1 Mar 2022
Ten years ago, Kiwi carpooling start-up Jayride announced it was opening an office in London. (A quick check reveals the company still exists but is now limited to airport transfers.)
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."
10 YEARS AGO...
23 Feb 2022
Ten years ago, aviation was included in Europe's ETS. To start with airlines were given 85% of their allowances for free.
Award-winning businessman calls on government to subsidise commuter e-bikes
22 Feb 2022
AN award-winning designer of carbon fibre e-bikes says the government should look at offering a rebate on the country’s most environmentally friendly form of electric transport in the same way its subsidising EVs.
$54.46 million paid out in clean car rebates so far
21 Feb 2022
A total of $54.46 million was dished out to buyers of 8457 EVs and plug in hybrids under the government's clean car discount scheme in its first six months.
Trickle-down carbon savings celebrated with passing of Clean Car Bill
18 Feb 2022
Parliament heard yesterday that the Clean Car Discount Bill was a gift to low-income families, a tax on hardworking families, the cause of a massive uptick in the sales of high polluting vehicles and the means by which 12 megatons of carbon emissions will be avoided.
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.
German transport ministry opposes raising ambition in EU fleet emission target
15 Feb 2022
The German transport ministry wants to prevent attempts to step up the climate ambitions of the EU's future car fleet emission targets, reports Der Spiegel.
Wellington’s number two bus route goes electric
11 Feb 2022
Media Release - Noisy diesel buses are a thing of the past on the number two bus route, the first in Wellington to be fully decarbonised following the arrival of the capital’s 55th electric bus.
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.
Is climate law change a first nail in the coffin for Climate Commission?
Thu 6 Nov 2025
The Government’s sweeping overhaul of New Zealand’s climate laws has drawn sharp condemnation, with one expert predicting it's another step towards 'the beginning of the end' for the Climate Change Commission.
NZ off-track for 2030 methane target
Thu 6 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand is no longer on track to meet its 2030 methane target, according to the Ministry for the Environment.
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.
New Indigenous-led Climate Institute opens at Lincoln University
Thu 6 Nov 2025
Media release | Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki Lincoln University proudly announces a pivotal new chapter in climate resilience with the establishment of the Kāika Institute of Climate Resilience.
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.
Does NZ's 2035 NDC meet Paris Agreement obligations?
Fri 7 Nov 2025
By Christina Hood | COMMENT: New Zealand’s 2035 Paris Agreement Target needs strengthening, with multiple reasons the 51 to 55% emissions reduction target does not meet our obligations under the accord.
EU ministers agree to 90% emissions reduction target
Fri 7 Nov 2025
European environment ministers have reached an agreement on a contentious plan to cut the bloc's greenhouse gas emissions but with caveats.
Carbon market tanks off the back of Govt’s proposed climate law changes
Thu 6 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | Secondary market prices dropped 20% in early morning compliance carbon trading yesterday, as the market woke up to Tuesday’s late-breaking government announcement of proposed law changes to climate policy.
Scrutiny on energy security
Mon 3 Nov 2025
A special debate in Parliament put the Government’s energy security agenda under scrutiny, with parties splitting sharply over the role of gas, the place of an LNG import terminal, and how far to push market reform to ease pressure on power bills.
'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.
UN chief scolds nations for failing climate goals ahead of COP30 summit
Fri 7 Nov 2025
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tore into nations for their failure to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as Brazil hosted world leaders for a summit ahead of the COP30 climate conference in the rainforest city of Belem.
Why I’m not outraged at the Govt’s latest climate backsliding
Fri 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.
Govt gas expansion 'climate vandalism' – Greens
Fri 7 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Green Party has labelled the Government’s move to broaden the scope of its $200 million fossil gas investment fund as vandalism, accusing Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of breaking trust with New Zealanders.
From nuisance to crisis: New report on pest wasps In Aotearoa
24 Sep 2025
Media release: Moths and Butterflies NZ Trust | Just published is the Final Report of the Pest Wasps Survey carried out by the Moths and Butterflies of NZ Trust (MBNZT) offering a comprehensive look at New Zealanders’ awareness, experiences, and attitudes toward wasps and the growing ecological, health, and social issues associated with them.
Solar geoengineering in wrong hands could wreak climate havoc, scientists warn
Thu 6 Nov 2025
Blocking the sun may reduce global heating – but ‘rogue actor’ could cause drought or more hurricanes, report finds.
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.
Govt delays will damage carbon market confidence, experts warn
Tue 4 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | Emissions Trading Scheme experts have warned the Government that its move to delay decisions on the country’s emissions budgets will further undermine confidence in an already weak carbon market.
“Dirty and expensive:” City of Sydney bans gas as it votes to electrify all new big buildings
Thu 6 Nov 2025
The City of Sydney has followed the example of the ACT and Victoria governments and voted unanimously to require all newly built residential buildings, medium to large commercial buildings, hotels, and serviced apartment buildings, to be all-electric.
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.”
Bank of England must better address climate risk to tackle inflation
Tue 4 Nov 2025
The central bank is being urged to take a series of actions to better respond to environmental risks.
No major banks have yet committed to stop funding new oil, gas and coal, research finds
24 Oct 2025
‘The objectives of the Paris agreement are slipping further out of reach,’ say researchers.
TotalEnergies loses in Paris court, marking a turning point for fossil fuel truth-in-advertising
Wed 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.
Media round-up
31 Oct 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: A controversial seabed mining project could lead to sediment flows knocking over rigs and damaging wind turbines; weather-related insurance claims climb; and is the government playing Russian Roulette with our future over methane targets?
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.
Z Energy settles greenwashing case over ‘quitting petrol’ claims
Tue 4 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Z Energy has settled a landmark greenwashing case over claims it misled the public about moving away from petrol – a result Lawyers for Climate Action NZ says delivers long-overdue accountability.
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.
Supermarket fast-track a ‘cynical ploy’, risks climate and environmental protections
Wed 5 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s “express lane for supermarkets” announcement has been met with fierce backlash, with critics calling the Fast-track Approvals Amendment Bill a Trojan horse that strips environmental protections, sidelines communities, and hands sweeping powers to ministers at the expense of democracy.
Undermining the ETS is poor policy – Mindful Money
Fri 7 Nov 2025
Politicising settings for the Emissions Trading Scheme creates uncertainty for investors at a time when we need clear and stable policy, says Mindful Money's Barry Coates.
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.
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.
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.
Judge says Greenpeace must pay $345 million in pipeline lawsuit, cutting jury amount nearly in half
31 Oct 2025
A North Dakota judge has ordered Greenpeace to pay damages of $345 million, reducing an earlier jury award after it found the environmental group and related entities liable for defamation and other claims in connection with protests of an oil pipeline nearly a decade ago.
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.
Here comes the sun: solar surge gathers pace
Tue 4 Nov 2025
More than $700 million of new solar investment advanced last week, underscoring the pace of the renewable buildout.
AgriZero backs first nitrous oxide solution with $1.2m investment
Thu 6 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A Kiwi ag-tech start-up developing a device for cows to wear to drastically cut nitrous oxide emissions has secured $1.2 million in government-industry funding.
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.
Climate scientists and republican lawyers are taking aim at Big Tech’s emissions
17 Oct 2025
Technology companies have long been one of the biggest investors in clean energy, but new accounting rules could upend that.
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.
Govt climate policy set by vested interests to delay emissions cuts - Carr
Thu 6 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | Rod Carr, former Climate Change Commission chair, says the Government’s move to unlink the Emissions Trading Scheme from our international climate target to 2030 undermines the credibility of emissions pricing as a tool for climate action – and is yet another Coalition Government policy designed to benefit vested interests rather than ordinary New Zealanders.
Fix it, don't ditch it: University of Auckland hosts first Repair Cafe
9 Oct 2025
Media release - Auckland University | The University's first-ever Repair Cafe is bringing students and staff together to give broken items a new lease on life, while promoting a culture of repair and reuse.
Council buys dairy farm to help clean up Lake Rotorua
21 Oct 2025
Bay of Plenty Regional Council has bought a 266-hectare dairy farm in the Lake Rotorua catchment and plans to retire it from production to reduce nitrogen entering the lake.
Adaptation plan at odds with public sentiment: survey
21 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s position on climate adaptation buyouts shows a disconnect with public opinion, according to survey findings from insurer Suncorp NZ.
‘Damp squib’ – Govt energy plan slammed for locking in fossil fuels
2 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Critics across business, climate groups and the opposition say the Government’s electricity reforms duck structural change, double down on LNG and gas, and offer little relief for soaring power prices – warning of an “expensive white elephant", deeper energy poverty and a missed chance to scale renewables.
