Topics tagged with 'Transport'
Relying on the invisible hand of the carbon market to reduce emissions
19 Dec 2023
By Jeremy Rose | The new government is in the process of incinerating every climate change mitigation policy other than the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Campaigners “alarmed” by lack of govt investment in rail infrastructure
18 Dec 2023
Rail campaigners say the government’s decision not to invest in critical rail infrastructure is potentially “disastrous,” and puts New Zealand’s social, economic and environmental future at risk.
Wellington emissions now below COVID lockdown levels
18 Dec 2023
Wellington’s emission are down by 10% since 2020 and 1% below the levels achieved during the Covid lockdowns of 2019.
Bill passed to repeal Clean Car Discount
15 Dec 2023
The Government has passed legislation repealing the Clean Car Discount, which it nicknamed the “Ute tax,” for all vehicles registered after 31 December 2023.
Climate Change Commission doubles down on ETS criticism
13 Dec 2023
The Climate Change Commission has doubled-down on its long held view that the ETS is not fit for purpose when it comes to driving down emissions, in its latest advice to government.
Climate friendly transport: Why Air New Zealand needs to get onboard with passenger rail
29 Nov 2023
By Paul Callister and Robert McLachlan | Air New Zealand has a problem. The national airline needs to be profitable and, traditionally, this has involved increasing passenger numbers.
Call for incoming government to allow micro-cars on our roads
20 Nov 2023
By Jeremy Rose | Long-time micro-car advocate Toa Greening is calling on the incoming government to change road regulations to allow microcars - increasingly popular in Asia and Europe - on New Zealand roads.
Ministry for the Environment emissions up by 70%
17 Nov 2023
The Ministry for the Environments emitted 752.33 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in the 2022/23 financial year - a 69.84% increase on the previous year.
Majority of New Zealanders want public transport discounts to stay
16 Nov 2023
Press release - A new poll has found that 71% of New Zealanders want to keep the current public transport discounts. 50% strongly agree the discounts should be kept.
Power between the tracks
31 Oct 2023
The gap between New Zealand’s more than 4000 kilometres of rail tracks could one day be home to solar panels generating up to 0.78 terawatt hours of electricity or 3% of the electricity produced by hydropower last year.
Sustainable Business Network calls on incoming govt to step up
18 Oct 2023
The Sustainable Business Network is calling on the incoming Government to keep up action on sustainability.
Former IPCC lead author calls for a “Go Slow” campaign
13 Oct 2023
By Jeremy Rose | Former IPCC lead author and internationally recognised transport emissions expert, emeritus professor Ralph Sims, is calling on Waka Kotahi to start a “Go Slow” campaign.
Mainfreight releases climate related risks report
12 Oct 2023
Transport company Mainfreight has released its first climate related risks report, saying its position is “net positive” in terms of climate risks and opportunities.
Shifting gears on transport emissions
10 Oct 2023
Business vehicle fleets are still lagging on emission reductions, EROAD’s latest Sustainability Survey shows.
The bumpy road to transport carbon neutrality
3 Oct 2023
By Jeremy Rose | The road to climate hell is a brand spanking new, asphalt paved motorway.
E-scooters get another five years of regulation exemption
2 Oct 2023
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has extended the legal exemption for e-scooters as they say their contribution to the transport system outweighs the complaints about them.
Climate action could boost Auckland economy by $22 billion by 2050
29 Sep 2023
Decisive climate action could deliver $22 billion to Auckland’s regional economy by 2050, while lack of action could cost the region $800 million over the same period.
Labour announces “climate manifesto”
26 Sep 2023
The Labour Party has released a “climate manifesto” promising to set separate targets for gross emissions and carbon removals, develop a voluntary carbon market framework, and limit exotic afforestation, if it wins the election next month.
Kāpiti Council sets up climate change and resilience community ‘think tank’
26 Sep 2023
Media release - Kāpiti Coast District Council is setting up a think tank to help develop a climate change and resilience strategy, and is looking for applicants from the community.
China gives EV sector billions of yuan in subsidies
25 Sep 2023
China's generosity to the electric vehicle sector when it comes to handing out subsidies has come under fresh scrutiny since the European commission announced an investigation into the matter.
NZ’s climate emissions at historic low
20 Sep 2023
New Zealand is set to announce its lowest emissions this century, Climate Change minister James Shaw told the Climate Change and Business Conference in Auckland yesterday.
Growth of EV sales stalls
12 Sep 2023
By Jeremy Rose | The number of new EVs sold in New Zealand dropped from a historic high of 8249 in the month of June to 4104 last month.
China car sales grow in August, Tesla nearly doubles EV share
12 Sep 2023
China's passenger vehicle sales returned to growth in August year-on-year, as deeper discounts and tax breaks for environmentally friendly and electric vehicles boosted consumer sentiment even as economic growth remains weak.
Netherlands police use water cannon, detain 2,400 climate activists
12 Sep 2023
Police deployed water cannons to disperse thousands of climate activists protesting on a highway in the Netherlands to demand an end to government subsidies for the fossil fuel industry.
NZ must improve how it puts together plans for emissions reductions: Environment Commissioner
8 Sep 2023
Make it coherent and have the Prime Minister take the lead: Those are two pieces of advice the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment wants the incoming government to take to heart when formulating plans to cut emissions.
Channel Infrastructure’s profit increases, looks to a future in jet fuel
8 Sep 2023
Channel Infrastructure reported increased profit and forecast higher dividends as it released its results for the six months ended 30 June 2023.
Mixed reactions to Nats EV charger proposal
7 Sep 2023
An energy expert is warning that the National Party’s plan to roll out a 10,000 strong network of public EV charges will be hindered by the current network structures and high fixed price of electricity.
IMF warns NZ at risk of failing international emissions obligations
29 Aug 2023
The International Monetary Fund says New Zealand must do more to meet its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for 2030, and is off track to meet its international obligations.
Govt cuts more than $200 million from climate funds to “tighten belts”
29 Aug 2023
The government is slashing funding to climate emissions reduction programmes as part of “belt tightening” measures, with more than $235 million in cuts to projects planned to reduce emissions.
Green Party announces climate adaptation fund
28 Aug 2023
The Green Party has announced a $750 million fund for councils to put in place nature-based solutions, aiming to cut emissions and protect communities from climate change impacts.
Bird of the Century? We have a suggestion
28 Aug 2023
With aviation emissions ramping up post-Covid, two climate policy experts are nominating a new species as "Bird of the Century": the jet aircraft.
Best by the rest...
25 Aug 2023
Is carbon forestry pushing farm prices out of reach? Auckland’s cyclone recovery funding deal; and why sustainability shouldn’t be just an afterthought in space exploration.
Greens slam govt’s transport plan as prioritising roads over climate
18 Aug 2023
The Green Party has slammed the government’s $20 billion transport plan, announced yesterday, saying the decision to prioritise new roads shows the Labour Party is not serious about climate change.
Canterbury regional council chair slams govt inaction on climate adaptation
15 Aug 2023
Ecan chair Peter Scott says central government needs to do more to protect Canterbury from “real and ongoing risks” exacerbated by the climate crisis.
Meeting the long-term climate threat takes more than private investment – 10 ways NZ can be smart and strategic
10 Aug 2023
By Kevin Trenberth | The announcement of a partnership between the government and the world’s biggest investment manager BlackRock in a NZ$2 billion climate infrastructure fund suggests the company is expecting renewable energy in New Zealand to increase its own profitability.
Sustainable tourism plan "short on detail": Environment commissioner
8 Aug 2023
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has criticised the government’s draft plan for sustainable tourism, saying it is short on detail, particularly around plans for decarbonisation.
NZ needs better emissions data: research
3 Aug 2023
New research shows that New Zealand isn't doing enough to keep track of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change mitigation, with lacking data and modelling capacity in some sectors.
National’s transport policy slammed for overlooking carbon emissions
1 Aug 2023
Environmentalists have slammed National’s plan to spend almost $25 billion over 10 years building roads across the country, including four lanes all the way from Whangārei to Tauranga.
Z’s parent company predicts “robust” fossil fuel demand for next 10 years
31 Jul 2023
Demand for petrol retailers will remain high into the 2030s in New Zealand – years after some countries have banned the sale of fossil fuel vehicles, an energy giant predicts.
Climate extremes make NZ’s supply chains highly vulnerable – it’s time to rethink how we grow and ship food
26 Jul 2023
By Alan Renwick | Supermarket customers around New Zealand are noticing gaps in the grocery aisles that have nothing to do with the global pandemic or Ukraine war.
Annual emissions fall
21 Jul 2023
Greenhouse gas emissions fell 3.1% (2,369 kilotonnes) for the year to December 2022, according to new figures from Stats NZ.
Govt funding for low-emissions marine and off-road vehicles
17 Jul 2023
The government has announced $6.4 million of funding towards low-emissions marine and off-road vehicles, which will lead to a further $18.2 million from businesses transitioning to clean energy transport.
Sustainable aviation fuel funding is govt “greenwash”: fuel expert
10 Jul 2023
By Liz Kivi | A former senior oil executive says that the government and Air New Zealand investing more than $2 million in research into sustainable aviation fuel is a blatant greenwashing tactic.
NZ has "unique opportunity" to decarbonise with rail
5 Jul 2023
By Liz Kivi | An international rail expert says New Zealand has a unique opportunity to become a frontrunner in transport decarbonisation with electric rail.
Should climate scientists fly?
3 Jul 2023
By Robert McLachlan | COMMENT: Have you ever thought a climate scientist hypocritical for flying to a climate change conference?
Emissions down 9% in Wellington region
28 Jun 2023
Greenhouse gas emissions in the Wellington region fell by 9% since 2019, according to a new report.
Drastic emission reductions from coal, gas, and electricity
15 Jun 2023
Greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation are at multi-decade lows, while emissions from oil, gas, and coal are all down from 2019 highs.
Could a rail link help Queenstown decarbonise?
13 Jun 2023
By Paul Callister and Michael van Drogenbroek | Queenstown Airport has recently released its masterplan. While other sectors of the economy are facing up to the need to decarbonise, Aotearoa New Zealand airports, including Queenstown, are proposing another growth spurt.
First marae goes electric with EV charger
17 May 2023
Penu (Rongo-i-te-Kai) Marae in Ruatoria is the first marae in Tairāwhiti, and possibly anywhere, to install an EV charger.
Sweden to pave world’s first permanent e-road for EV charging while driving
12 May 2023
As countries across Europe scale up efforts towards fossil fuel-free mobility, Sweden is working on the world’s first permanent electric road — allowing electric cars and trucks to charge while driving.
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.
