Topics tagged with 'Transport'
Capital plugs in to fast-charge e-car stations
29 Mar 2016
Wellington has its first high-speed electric car charging stations.
Black-out Bridges keeps us in the dark on e-cars
23 Mar 2016
Transport Minister Simon Bridges is refusing to release advice officials have given him on encouraging New Zealanders to switch to electric vehicles.
Electric cars the answer for NZ, says report
22 Mar 2016
Switching to electric vehicles will do more to prevent climate change than installing solar panels will – even if the electricity to power the cars comes from burning fossil fuels, says a new report.
Carbon creeps up as minister talks ETS changes
17 Mar 2016
Carbon has gone to $11 on the back of Climate Change Minister Paula Bennett’s latest comments on carbon prices.
Clean energy is a win-win for the US
16 Mar 2016
Simply implementing its Paris climate conference commitments on reducing greenhouse gas emissions could save the US billions of dollars – and save hundreds of thousands of lives.
Air NZ's looking at biofuels again ... but will they work?
15 Mar 2016
Air New Zealand is investigating biofuels again – but an international expert says it is unlikely to do much to cut the greenhouse gas emissions.
Customers want clean transport, says KiwiRail
10 Mar 2016
The Emissions Trading Scheme should be strengthened to help to shift freight on to more climate-friendly forms of transport, KiwiRail says.
Electric car sales worldwide are powering ahead
10 Mar 2016
Improved technology and falling costs are moving electric car sales into the fast lane as manufacturers are now able to achieve significant economies of scale.
Greens lament lost e-car opportunities
9 Mar 2016
Government inaction contributed to the disappearance of the cheapest new electric cars from the New Zealand market, the Green Party says.
Aviation losing emissions battle, say academics
8 Mar 2016
Climate-damaging emissions from aviation will continue to rise despite the best efforts of the airline industry to make air travel sustainable, a new study co-authored by a University of Otago researcher suggests.
Government on verge of e-car action
3 Mar 2016
The Government is about to announce a policy on electric cars - and it might include support for setting up a national system for charging the cars.
It's time to look at energy goals, says minister
3 Mar 2016
The Government says it is looking at setting national energy targets to “send a strong signal to businesses about what New Zealand’s energy future should look like”.
Will self-driving cars make the world a better place?
29 Feb 2016
By ZIA WADUD.- I started learning to drive only three years ago and – inevitably – failed my first test. Naturally, I was disappointed: but then it occurred to me that I could avoid the whole issue, if only I could get my hands on a driverless car.
2040 will see electric-car sales in the millions, says report
26 Feb 2016
A quarter of the vehicles on the road in 2040 will be electric, forecasters say in a new report.
Urban sprawl is threatening Sydney’s foodbowl
26 Feb 2016
Sydney loves to talk about food, and the housing market. But rarely does the city talk about the threat that housing poses to the resilience of Sydney’s food system.
We're streets ahead on renewables, says Mighty River
23 Feb 2016
Mighty River Power says it has gone “beyond 100 per cent renewable” generation.
British power stations burning biomass from America
23 Feb 2016
Last year, 6m tonnes of wood pellets harvested from forests in Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Virginia were shipped across the Atlantic, to be burnt in renewable biomass power plants.
New aviation rules will just delay the heavy lifting
15 Feb 2016
There appeared to be some rare good news this week for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft.
Useful waste offers win-win energy benefits
9 Feb 2016
An unsung success story in the switch to renewable energy is the use of waste to produce gas – and a valuable by-product.
Could a levy on air and shipping fuel sink emissions?
2 Feb 2016
Global agreements to aim for “well below” 2deg warming are nice enough, but now it’s time to develop some detailed policies to help us to get there.
High-tech power lines seen as solar solution
2 Feb 2016
Wind power and solar power are ways to reduce carbon emissions, but these generation sources are dependent on the vagaries of the weather, which means neither wind nor solar can produce electricity on-demand at all hours of the day.
We need fearless leaders, says Clark
25 Jan 2016
Former Prime Minister Helen Clark is calling for “fearless leadership” to get global agreements implemented – including the recently negotiated Paris Agreement on climate change.
What is a garden city – and why is money being spent on building them?
25 Jan 2016
The British government is investing more than £300m ($NZ659m) in building what Chancellor of the Excheque George Osborne has described as the first “proper” garden city in nearly a century, near Ebbsfleet, Kent.
Out-of-touch traffic modelling drives policy madness
25 Jan 2016
According to all the data, urban car use has peaked, but official traffic modelling forecasts a remarkable reversal.
Are electric vehicles really the best option?
18 Jan 2016
Jaguar Land Rover has become the latest car manufacturer to announce its entry into the world’s first fully electric racing series – the FIA Formula E World Championship.
Science opens routes to energy recycling
18 Jan 2016
From turning carbon dioxide into a fuel to enabling cars to run on water, scientific researchers worldwide are unlocking the potential of new energy sources.
Meet the fossil fuel firms paying for Paris
15 Dec 2015
In their recent book Climate Change, Capitalism, and Corporations: Processes of Creative Self-Destruction, Christopher Wright and Daniel Nyberg argue that “the reputation risk that flows from an association with greenhouse gas pollution has become increasingly relevant for corporations amid growing public awareness of climate change”.
Energy game-changers look to future
7 Dec 2015
Innovative new research into clean energy technology shows there are viable alternatives to fossil fuels – provided there is enough political will and investment.
Oil-hunter Key calls for end to fossil fuel help
30 Nov 2015
Prime Minister John Key today will lead a high-powered call for an end to fossil fuel subsidies – despite the fact his Government is subsidising fossil fuel exploration.
Breakthrough ushers in era of guilt-free gas
30 Nov 2015
The UK government is giving no sign that it intends to replace fossil fuels with renewables, so the only way to avoid the carbon emissions from burning natural gas and oil is the widespread use of carbon capture and storage technology to extract CO₂ from the exhaust gases.
Toyota dealers save on energy costs
30 Nov 2015
Toyota dealers around the country have saved a total of $125,000 in energy costs as part of a drive to get Enviro-Mark Gold certification.
Groser hints at boost for carbon prices
23 Nov 2015
The Government has given the clearest signal yet that it intends to push carbon prices up as part of a package to meet the expected $30 billion cost of New Zealand’s 2030 emissions reduction target.
Business speaks out: There's no other choice
16 Nov 2015
Business has a clear plan for how it will lead on climate change over the next five years, according to the Sustainable Business Council.
TPPA acknowledges carbon emissions
9 Nov 2015
The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement envisages countries working together to build a low-carbon economy.
Greens show green light to electric vehicles
9 Nov 2015
A Green Party government would give tax breaks to companies using electric vehicles and giving staff public transport passes to get to and from work.
Entries open for sought-after EECA Awards
9 Nov 2015
Entries are open for the EECA Awards 2016, acknowledging businesses and organisations demonstrating excellence in energy efficiency and renewable energy.
How ‘dragon water’ could power the planet
9 Nov 2015
The quest is on to develop new technology that can tap the intense heat deep below the Earth’s surface and supply the whole world with electricity.
Industrial waste could offset climate emissions
9 Nov 2015
More than a billion tonnes of potentially toxic, bleach-like waste is produced and piled in landfills every year, with often devastating effects. And yet most people haven’t even heard of these ‘alkaline wastes’.
Get smart, get e-cars, Peters urges Government
2 Nov 2015
New Zealand needs a smarter government to accelerate the uptake of electric vehicles, says New Zealand First leader Winston Peters.
Lexus launches hydrogen 'bomb'
2 Nov 2015
Lexus’ hydrogen-powered LF-FC sedan has been unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show.
Cities are the key, says Auckland mayor
27 Oct 2015
Cities will lead the drive on climate change, says Auckland Mayor Len Brown.
Business needs to take a stand
21 Oct 2015
Business needs to take a clear stand on carbon pricing, says former Climate Change Ambassador Dr Adrian Macey.
Air NZ backs global carbon market call
12 Oct 2015
Air New Zealand appears to support a global carbon market for the aviation industry.
Worried health workers call for climate action
12 Oct 2015
Tens of thousands of New Zealand health workers are calling for New Zealand to take urgent action on climate change, which they say is a critical health issue.
Biofuel, e-cars and trees are the way we must go
5 Oct 2015
New Zealand needs to embrace biofuels, electric vehicles and energy forests, and get rid of coal and gas-fired industrial processes if it wants to meet its 2050 emissions reduction commitment, officials have told the Government.
Elephant grass could offer viable alternative to coal
5 Oct 2015
By adapting a tropical grass to grow in the British climate, scientists hope to be able to replace coal in power stations with biofuel.
Volkswagen budgets billions to stem cheating tide
28 Sep 2015
Volkswagen has set aside €6.5 billion to cover the costs of the growing scandal over cheating on emissions tests in the US.
How Groser battled for a 15% emissions cut
21 Sep 2015
Climate Change Minister Tim Groser wanted New Zealand to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 15 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030, a Treasury email shows.
No action on agriculture could cost us $13b
21 Sep 2015
Keeping agriculture out of the Emissions Trading Scheme could cost taxpayers $13 billion between 2020 and 2030, Treasury says.
Renewable energy flexes its muscles
21 Sep 2015
New Zealand’s emissions from electricity generation fell in the June quarter, as renewables take an increasing share of the load.
Carbon markets risk penalising Indigenous stewardship, researchers warn
Thu 5 Mar 2026
Carbon markets designed to reward environmental restoration may be unintentionally disadvantaging Indigenous communities who have long protected intact ecosystems, according to new research.
Grasslands and wetlands are being gobbled up by agriculture, mostly livestock
Wed 4 Mar 2026
A new study takes a first-of-its kind look at how farming converts non-forested areas and major carbon sinks into cropland and pasture.
Auckland Airport switches on giant heat pump system to cut gas use
Fri 6 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | While Auckland Airport’s switch from gas to heat pumps is welcome, the emissions savings are dwarfed by ongoing aircraft emissions, which are set to rise, according to a sustainable transport expert.
Air NZ joins Marsden Point SAF project
Tue 3 Mar 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Air New Zealand has quietly added its name to a consortium exploring the viability of green hydrogen production for sustainable aviation fuel at Channel Infrastructure’s Marsden Point energy hub.
Half of nations meet UN deadline for nature-loss reporting
Wed 4 Mar 2026
Half of nations have met a UN deadline to report on how they are tackling nature loss within their borders, Carbon Brief analysis shows. This includes 11 of the 17 “megadiverse nations”, countries that account for 70% of Earth’s biodiversity.
Govt’s own modelling shows LNG leads to higher electricity prices than other solutions
19 Feb 2026
By Christina Hood | COMMENT: According to modelling conducted by Concept Consulting for MBIE, either developing the Tariki gas storage facility or managing electricity demand would deliver lower wholesale electricity prices than the Government’s preferred solution of an LNG import terminal.
Unusual scarcity drives early 2026 NZU rally
Thu 5 Mar 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The New Zealand carbon price has recovered since its late 2025 collapse, although the rally is driven by scarcity rather than confidence in market settings.
Labour selects former UN climate official George Hampton for Christchurch Central
Today 11:45am
Media release | The Labour Party has selected senior United Nations climate official and business owner George Hampton as the candidate for Christchurch Central for 2026.
Bidders no-show at carbon auction – again
Tue 3 Mar 2026
By Liz Kivi | As predicted, today’s carbon auction yet again failed to attract any bidders, with NZUs currently trading hands on the secondary market at a 35% discount on this year’s auction floor price.
3,600 times faster: China is shaking up the steel industry
25 Feb 2026
For over a century, making steel meant coal, heat, and hours of waiting. A Chinese research team now reports collapsing that process into just three to six seconds; no coal, near zero emissions, and a vortex lance already moving toward commercial production. The technology is called flash ironmaking, and in February 2026, its implications are still unfolding.
LNG: a rational choice compared to unpalatable alternatives
10 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: By deciding to underwrite the private construction of a liquefied natural gas import facility in Taranaki, the Government has made a rational choice in favour of energy security and affordability.
Sustainable retail-office project breaks ground under new Green Star framework
19 Feb 2026
Construction is set to begin on a new retail-office development in central Auckland, which is targeting a 40% reduction in embodied carbon and 25% lower energy.
Opposition attacks Govt over fossil fuel phaseout backdown
2 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | Revelations that Resources Minister Shane Jones ruled out New Zealand signing up to a 'road map' away from fossil fuels at last year’s global climate summit show the National Party’s minor coalition partners’ undue influence over the Government, according to Labour leader Chris Hipkins.
Italy calls for suspension of EU carbon market
2 Mar 2026
The Italian Minister said the Emissions Trading System (ETS) has a "perverse effect" and is condemning European companies from being competitive with other countries, urging other member states to back the suspension.
The Last Empire: Why the Trump-Netanyahu war signals the fall of a civilisation
Today 11:45am
COMMENT: America is waging wars of expansion across two continents at the precise moment its energy foundations are giving way. The war on Iran is a stress test of a late-stage empire – and every indicator says it will fail.
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.
Almost $190k in relief funds help storm-hit Whangaruru coast
Today 11:45am
By Susan Botting, Local Democracy Reporter | More than two thirds of the $280,000 emergency relief fund set up to help weather-hit Whangaruru coast residents has been given out.
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.
The 15 foods destroying rainforests, in one simple chart
25 Feb 2026
It’s pretty much impossible to live a life free of environmental harm. But there is one thing you could do immediately that would help the planet a heck of a lot: eat less beef.
A gas shock – not an oil shock – from the Iran war looks more threatening
Wed 4 Mar 2026
Europe and Asia will take an economic hit if the supply of Qatari LNG is halted by the closure of the strait of Hormuz.
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.”
Gaps in adaptation taxonomies hinder climate finance in Asia: report
Thu 5 Mar 2026
Without clearer criteria and metrics in adaptation taxonomies, Asia risks widening its climate financing gap, warns a new report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).
Surviving on Trump's dangerous planet
2 Mar 2026
COMMENT: Yet another war, and yet another argument for an end to oil.
Five trees can’t offset a car: Lawyers accuse Mazda of greenwashing
Today 11:45am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Lawyers for Climate Action NZ is taking Mazda to the Advertising Standards Authority over its claims that a tree-planting programme will offset vehicle emissions.
Govt missing opportunity to slash electricity prices, says expert
11 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s fixation on eliminating the "dry-year risk margin" as a lever to reduce costs misses a much bigger opportunity to lower electricity prices, according to Christina Hood, head of Compass Climate.
Media round-up
13 Feb 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Senior UK ministers have asked their New Zealand counterparts to explain new climate policies, National’s LNG blunders are a warning ahead of election campaign, and what are the lessons New Zealand should take from another summer of weather disasters?
Wales council to buy and demolish homes prone to flooding
4 Feb 2026
A row of homes in a village in south Wales is to be bought by a local authority and demolished as they can no longer be protected from flooding caused by the climate crisis.
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.
EDS puts environmental lawmaking under the spotlight
26 Feb 2026
Media Release |The Environmental Defence Society has launched the first in a series of investigative pieces into how environmental laws are being made in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Climate 'dream team' launches foundation targeting 100 million tonnes in emissions cuts
25 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The New Zealand Climate Foundation, which has the ambitious aim of cutting 100 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, had its official launch on Monday.
China has a new competitor? Kazakhstan reveals huge rare Earth deposit that could power the next tech boom
25 Feb 2026
China’s grip on rare earths might finally see some competition, and the world is already taking notice.
Carbon auction set to be another non-event
2 Mar 2026
By Liz Kivi | Tomorrow’s Emissions Trading Scheme auction – the first for 2026 – is set to be a non-event, with secondary market prices more than $25 below this year’s $71 auction floor price.
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.
Tiny, lost and constipated: what a baby turtle told Australian scientists about warming seas
Fri 6 Mar 2026
The arrival of loggerheads in New South Wales shows these ‘sentinels of climate change’ are being forced into unknown territory.
The world’s largest climate finance deal was built to flounder: why funding fails to reach the front‑line
Fri 6 Mar 2026
Adopted in December 2015, the Paris Agreement commits countries to keeping global temperature rise below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.
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.
‘They pushed so many lies about recycling’: the fight to stop big oil pumping billions more into plastics
24 Feb 2026
Plastic production has doubled over the last 20 years – and will likely double again. For author Beth Gardiner, metal water bottles and canvas tote bags are not the solution. So what is?
Rule changes could reshape corporate emissions strategies
Fri 6 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand organisations may need to rethink how they manage and report electricity-related emissions as proposed global accounting changes take shape, according to a new report.
Should we tax the rich to pay for climate costs? Poll says yes
Fri 6 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New polling has found most New Zealanders support higher taxes on the ultra-rich to help fund public goods such as healthcare, housing and climate action.
Media round-up
20 Feb 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: 'Every tonne matters': The climate scientist who wants to give you hope; Minister says managed retreat is an option; and climate change is here – is New Zealand ready?
Brazil and India agree to boost cooperation on rare earths
24 Feb 2026
Brazil and India sealed a deal Saturday on critical minerals and rare earths, enhancing cooperation on crucial resources between two major countries of the global south as they seek to diversify their trading relationships.
PPA template aims to cut transaction costs and accelerate renewable investment
Fri 6 Mar 2026
Media release – DLA Piper | An energy industry initiative led by BusinessNZ Energy Council, Zeale (formerly EVA Marketplace) and DLA Piper has released New Zealand’s first publicly available, standardised template for corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs), designed to reduce transaction costs and unlock more financing to accelerate renewable energy projects.
Global coastal sea-level risks may be underestimated, say scientists
Thu 5 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Coastal communities across the Pacific and Southeast Asia could be facing greater sea-level rise risks than previously estimated, researchers say.
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.
Claims that AI can help fix climate dismissed as greenwashing
18 Feb 2026
Tech companies are conflating traditional artificial intelligence with generative AI when claiming the energy-hungry technology could help avert climate breakdown, according to a report.
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.
Vanuatu moves forward with UN climate resolution despite Trump opposition
Today 11:45am
The Trump administration’s attempt to sink a UN resolution demanding countries act on the climate crisis has caused cuts to the proposal but hasn’t entirely killed it, according to the tiny Pacific island country spearheading the effort.
Infrastructure plan calls for ‘predictable approach’ to electrifying economy
18 Feb 2026
Aotearoa’s first National Infrastructure Plan, introduced to Parliament yesterday, calls for "a predictable approach to electrifying the economy" as one of ten priorities for the next decade.
Empty emergency reserve forces $6.1m flood repair loan
2 Mar 2026
By Kira Carrington, Local Democracy Reporter | A depleted emergency fund has forced Marlborough to borrow $6.1 million to repair damage from last year's floods.
Study finds warming world increases days when weather is prone to fires around the globe
20 Feb 2026
The number of days when the weather gets hot, dry and windy — ideal to spark extreme wildfires — has nearly tripled in the past 45 years across the globe, with the trend increasing even higher in the Americas, a new study shows.
Western Australian communities want mandatory payments from new renewable developments
Fri 6 Mar 2026
The West Australian government wants to make new wind and solar farms pay into community funds, but host towns say more work needs to be done to make sure the payments actually happen.
