Topics tagged with 'Transport'
New civic building the 'greenest' in NZ
19 Feb 2010
Christchurch’s new Civic Building has today been awarded the highest possible rating for environmental design by the New Zealand Green Building Council.
Tyres meet tough chemical safety rules
19 Feb 2010
Companies keen to be on the right side of carbon regulations can move to the Bergougnan tyre range that meets tough new European chemical safety restrictions.
How green policies could move UK out of the red
12 Feb 2010
Britain could slash its deficit by £12bn a year by scrapping tax breaks for carbon-intensive industries and halting investment in projects that will increase carbon emissions, according to a new study.
Firms to pioneer employee cap and trade scheme
5 Feb 2010
A small group of UK firms is poised to trial an innovative personal carbon trading scheme that promises to slash employees' carbon emissions by offering the greenest members of staff financial bonuses.
Copenhagen - a letter from Gordon Brown
5 Feb 2010
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown reflects in an open letter to Labour MP Alan Williams on the way forward after the Copenhagen climate change conference - including financing the green economy.
New work under way on Phase II of RMA reforms
29 Jan 2010
New Zealand needs to do better with its planning of urban development and associated infrastructure, Environment Minister Nick Smith says.
Denmark lures e-car owners with $40,000 tax break
4 Dec 2009
Is saving $40,000 at the showroom enough to get drivers behind the wheel of an electric car?
ETS changes mean tomorrow's NZers will pay 84 per cent of Kyoto costs, says council
23 Nov 2009
The Sustainability Council is sticking by its claim that amendments to the emissions trading scheme will mean that tomorrow’s New Zealanders will have to pay for today’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Forum: Taking agriculture forward with the Emissions Trading Scheme
20 Nov 2009
Climate Change Issues Minister Nick Smith speaks to the Federated Farmers National Council Meeting in Wellington yesterday.
Turnbull feels heat over sceptics remark
13 Nov 2009
Australian Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull has shrugged off a senior colleague's suggestions that the party is dominated by climate change sceptics.
What happens when the Age of Oil comes to an end
13 Nov 2009
The race for the world's remaining oil reserves could get very nasty.
All aboard the climate train to Copenhagen ...
30 Oct 2009
A one-time train link between Kyoto and Copenhagen opens up next week - a UN-sponsored one-month, 9000-kilometre journey symbolically joining the site of the last global warming pact with what is hoped to be the birthplace of the next major treaty to combat climate change.
Australia gives e-cars a three-month workout
30 Oct 2009
A road trial of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, which could one day end up in every Australian driveway, is under way.
Australia readies for key climate debate next week
23 Oct 2009
The Australian Government’s last bid to have a carbon trading scheme in place before the Copenhagen climate talks kicked off yesterday with the reintroduction of carbon reduction legislation into parliament.
Tourism could be climate victim, UN warns
23 Oct 2009
Rising sea levels could inundate coastal holiday spots while melting snow caps could spell an end to ski resorts, the UN World Tourism Organisation has warned.
Oceans vital in climate change fight, says report
16 Oct 2009
Preventing the destruction of marine life, from plankton to seagrasses and mangrove forests, could help to offset between 3 per cent to 7 per cent of current fossil fuel emissions, a UN environment report says.
Airlines confident of reaching emission goals
16 Oct 2009
The airline industry will reach some ambitious emissions reductions goals, despite severe financial setbacks faced by airlines across the globe, says International Air Transport Association chief Giovanni Bisignani.
Domestic NZUs price likely to settle at $23 a tonne, says trader
2 Oct 2009
The domestic market for New Zealand Units is likely to settle around $23 a tonne if the Government’s cap on prices goes ahead, says a leading trader.
BMW to Government: get your vehicle policies right
2 Oct 2009
BMW’s New Zealand leader has called on the Government to deliver consistent policies on motor vehicle standards.
OPINION: The ETS and your business
2 Oct 2009
Kensington Swan energy and resources team leader Bryan Gundersen looks at the implications of proposed amendments to the ETS:
Labour grizzles as ETS changes go through House
23 Sep 2009
National’s changes to the emissions trading scheme moved a step closer yesterday amid threats that a Labour Government would throw them out again.
Back our bill, pleads 'proud' climate minister
23 Sep 2009
Climate Change Issues Minister Nick Smith says that National has delivered on its election promise to amend the emissions trading scheme.
Airlines plan to halve emissions by 2050
23 Sep 2009
The world’s airlines have unveiled plans to halve emissions by 2050, to fend off calls for new taxes on flying and criticism that they are failing to act quickly enough in the fight against climate change.
Shipowners back expensive global trading net
23 Sep 2009
Shipowners are backing a global carbon trading scheme that could add as much as £5.4 billion in extra cost on to maritime transport and push weaker shipping companies out of business.
Biofuels move welcomed
18 Sep 2009
The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority is welcoming the biodiesel supply agreement announced between Environ Fuels Ltd and Explore NZ.
Smith: ETS revisions "balance" environment, economy
14 Sep 2009
The Government, with Maori Party support, will revise the Emissions Trading Scheme to reduce the costs to households and the impact on jobs while ensuring New Zealand takes a responsible approach to the global problem of greenhouse gas pollution and climate change.
Sarkozy sets carbon tax to 'save human race'
11 Sep 2009
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has vowed to lead the fight to "save the human race" from global warming, launching a carbon tax to encourage families and industry to cut their use of fossil fuels.
Prepare to pay extra $120 in airfare pollution charges to Europe
4 Sep 2009
Including aviation in the European ETS could mean a pollution charge of about $120 on long haul flights to New Zealand.
French carbon tax debate turns toxic for Sarkozy
4 Sep 2009
French President Nicolas Sarkozy's plan for a carbon tax on fuel has threatened to backfire as critics slammed it as unfair and his own camp fretted it will anger voters already hit by the crisis.
World airlines stung by European CO2 limits
28 Aug 2009
Thousands of airlines are set to face problems in flying into the European Union from 2012 unless they join the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, the European Commission has said.
Climate experts to brief young ambassadors
28 Aug 2009
Government and academic experts will share their expertise on climate change at the first of three NZ workshops preparing a group of young Kiwis for the international stage.
Loads-of-roads programme dinosaur thinking, say Greens
28 Aug 2009
The "loads of roads" National Land Transport Programme will mire New Zealand in an outdated 1950s approach to transport and do nothing to protect us from rising oil prices, climate change, or the obesity epidemic, says the Green Party.
BMW ready to market hybrid with heft
21 Aug 2009
German car maker BMW will introduce the world’s most powerful hybrid automobile at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month and begin selling it in the United States later this year.
How green Denmark got ahead of the pack
14 Aug 2009
In December, all eyes will be on Copenhagen as world leaders gather to negotiate a new international climate change agreement. But how green are the Danes themselves.
Greens: NZ to spend on emissions target when it could save
14 Aug 2009
The Government wants to take the most expensive route to its emissions target, telling the world it will purchase carbon credits rather than work to reduce New Zealand’s greenhouse gases, says the Green Party.
BUSINESS LEADERS: Target will have to rise later
10 Aug 2009
The Government’s opening offer to reduce New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions by 10 per cent to 20 per cent by 2020 will need to be improved during coming international negotiations, says the New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development.
Companies must take care with carbon-neutral claims
7 Aug 2009
Companies wanting to market themselves as carbon-neutral are being warned not to rely on the emissions trading scheme for their green credentials.
Law makes electric cars exempt from RUCs
7 Aug 2009
Legislation exempting light electric vehicles from road user charges until 2013 has been passed by Parliament.
FORUM: Nick Smith doesn’t get it
7 Aug 2009
The Green party has produced a plan which is says will help New Zealand reach an emissions reduction target of 40% by 2020.
How US can halve emissions from transport
31 Jul 2009
The United States can cut greenhouse gas emissions from transportation in half by 2050 with strategies ranging from cutting speed limits to imposing road pricing, according to a new report.
Timber tops for environmentally friendly buildings - report
31 Jul 2009
Increasing the amount of timber used in large-scale commercial buildings can decrease some environmental impacts of the building, according to a Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry study.
'Wood miles' stack up in New Zealand's favour
31 Jul 2009
It can be just as environmentally friendly to ship timber from New Zealand to distant markets than it is for those markets to use timber sourced more locally, a new study shows.
ETS in place by December, says Smith
31 Jul 2009
The Government aims to have an amended emissions trading scheme in place by December.
Minister’s political games on climate are off target, say Greens
31 Jul 2009
The Green Party has accused the Government of playing politics with the most significant threat ever to our economy and our environment while ignoring the obvious practical solutions.
Sustainability report a useful step towards accurate reporting
31 Jul 2009
Business NZ has welcomed steps towards accurate reporting on sustainability.
Coal pushes NZ's emissions up
24 Jul 2009
New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions have risen again, with coal the biggest culprit.
Forum: Excluding agriculture from ETS neither principled nor smart
24 Jul 2009
New Zealand asking to exempt agriculture from the scheme to replace the Kyoto Treaty, is as credible as Saudi Arabia asking for the exemption of oil.
Better timing would help, says airport company
24 Jul 2009
Christchurch International Airport says that timing is crucial in managing the competing demands of new infrastructure projects and emissions reduction.
Government misreading public mood for free ride for agriculture?
24 Jul 2009
There appears to be little public tolerance for a freer ride for agriculture under New Zealand's ETS, despite a Ministerial claim to the contrary.
Companies link to hasten biofuel production
24 Jul 2009
Two New Zealand companies are joining forces to clean up water and produce biofuel.
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.
