Topics tagged with 'Transport'
Wal-Mart to demand eco-labels on all products
24 Jul 2009
United States supermarket giant Wal-Mart has rolled out an ambitious plan to require manufacturers to put eco-labels on all items to show consumers the full environmental cost of production - from raw materials to disposal.
Maritime chiefs act to cut emissions from ships
24 Jul 2009
The International Maritime Organisation will issue a package of energy efficiency measures for new and existing ships to help to cut the industry’s rising greenhouse gas emissions.
Shift heavy freight by rail, not juggernaut trucks
24 Jul 2009
Canon New Zealand is preparing for the third annual eDay – the community initiative designed to raise awareness of the benefits of recycling computers and of the hazardous nature of sending electronic waste to landfill.
New emissions tool for exporters
24 Jul 2009
Airshed and Catalyst R&D have launched the launch of a new Greenhouse Gas emissions calculation tool for sea freighted container cargo.
Low carbon: How Britain plans to do it
17 Jul 2009
In its low carbon transition white paper, the British government sets out how it intends to meet its binding carbon budget across all sectors.
High-speed rail part of UK carbon strategy
17 Jul 2009
High-speed rail, incentives for low-emission transport and investment in offshore wind and marine energy are at the heart of the British government plans announced yesterday to bring down the country’s carbon emissions.
Exxon to invest millions in fuel from algae
17 Jul 2009
Oil giant Exxon Mobil, whose chief executive once mocked alternative energy by referring to ethanol as “moonshine,” is about to venture into biofuels.
Gull supports Greenpeace emissions reduction stand
17 Jul 2009
Gull New Zealand, a leader in biofuel and alternative energy, says that it supports Greenpeace’s recommendation that the New Zealand government make a strong commitment in setting its greenhouse gas emissions target for 2020.
Small miner puts case for use of coal
14 Jul 2009
Otago miner Kai Point Coal Co is using mass and boutique retail marketing techniques to sell its product.
Un-baa-lievable ... Scottish sheep are shrinking
7 Jul 2009
Along with polar icecaps and sandy beaches, sheep on a remote Scottish island are gradually shrinking as a result of global warming, say reasearchers.
Split targets on agenda of Nats-Labour ETS talks
3 Jul 2009
Splitting New Zealand’s domestic emissions reduction target is on the table in talks between Labour and National for an emissions trading scheme deal.
Sweden: Learn from our climate change miracle
3 Jul 2009
Sweden plans to use its “climate change miracle” to convince China and the United States to sign up to tough cuts in greenhouse gases at the Copenhagen summit to find a successor to the Kyoto Protocol.
ExxonMobil still funds climate change sceptics
3 Jul 2009
ExxonMobil, the world’s largest oil company, is continuing to fund researchers who cast doubt on global warming, despite public promises to cut support for climate change sceptics.
EPA allows California to regulate car gases
3 Jul 2009
The US Environmental Protection Agency has granted California's request to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from cars and light trucks as the Obama administration implements measures to increase fuel efficiency and reduce the impact on global warming linked to these gases.
Same trucks, less carbon, says Gull
3 Jul 2009
Gull says that it supports the Government's announcement to increase the load carrying capacity of trucks on New Zealand's roads.
Greens push split-emissions cuts targets
30 Jun 2009
The prospect is emerging of New Zealand setting separate reduction targets for carbon and methane.
'Green capital' to show off zero-emissions vehicle
30 Jun 2009
Palmerston North is consolidating its reputation as New Zealand’s green capital with the pending roll out of a locally designed and built zero-emissions vehicle.
Ford gets $6 billion loan for green vehicles
30 Jun 2009
The United States Energy Department will lend $5.9 billion to Ford and $2.1 billion to Nissan and Tesla, making the three automakers the first beneficiaries of a $25 billion fund to develop fuel-efficient vehicles.
California cracks down on windscreens
30 Jun 2009
Climate-conscious California is increasing pressure on the automobile by getting tough on windscreens and upping its incentives for owners of clunker cars to get them off the road.
Europe keen to show us how to insulate
26 Jun 2009
The European Commission is keen to acquaint New Zealanders with its new portal designed to share information on building insulation and other methods of reducing energy demands in buildings of any size.
New York sees world’s smallest car
26 Jun 2009
The world's smallest car, the Peel 50, debuted this week at Ripley's Believe it or Not museum in Times Square, New York.
Brazil seeks millions in cattle compensation
23 Jun 2009
Brazilian authorities investigating illegal deforestation have accused the suppliers of several UK supermarkets of selling meat linked to massive destruction of the Amazon rainforest.
Report: How climate change will affect business
23 Jun 2009
United States businesses have been warned that climate change could mean shipping delays, more insured losses, constrained energy supplies and a decline in some tourism-based activities.
Green hotel top choice for eco-conscious corporates
23 Jun 2009
A new Auckland hotel says that it is fast becoming a popular destination for eco-conscious dignitaries and business travellers wanting to lower their carbon footprints.
Last of the coal to be mined at Kimihia project
19 Jun 2009
Solid Energy’s re-development of its Kimihia open-cast mine near Huntly is the last phase of an intensive and expensive environmental project that has turned earlier workings into a public recreational park.
Electric vehicles to be RUC exempt
19 Jun 2009
Transport Minister Steven Joyce says that the government will exempt light electric vehicles from paying road user charges for four years as a first step towards encouraging their uptake.
New bill will ignite local biofuel debate
12 Jun 2009
A new private member’s bill will spark an interesting debate about whether New Zealand-produced biofuel is disadvantaged compared with imported biofuel, says Gull’s New Zealand manager Dave Bodger.
Airline industry looks to global carbon solution
12 Jun 2009
The aviation industry needs a global solution in achieving carbon-neutral growth which will eventually lead to a zero carbon emission future.
Capital clearing way for e-car stations
9 Jun 2009
The Wellington City Council is evaluating all of its transport policies to remove anything that stands in the way of kerbside charging stations for electric vehicles.
Japanese green-car makers slip back into top gear
9 Jun 2009
After months of cutting output, closing plants and laying off staff as its car exports crashed, Toyota has resumed overtime work to ramp up production of its latest Prius hybrid.
Greens say transport plan is a win-win-win
9 Jun 2009
Green Party Co-Leader Dr Russel Norman has unveiled what he says is a bold plan to cut traffic congestion, reduce air pollution and help the economy.
Diesel-pusher VW signs with China hybrid builder
5 Jun 2009
Volkswagen, which usually spins its diesels as alternatives to green cars, is looking to partner China's BYD, maker of the world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid.
Cleanest 'Gypsy Day' ever, say farmers
5 Jun 2009
Farmers and transport operators deserve a big pat on the back for keeping stock effluent off the roads this Gypsy Day.
Dumped computers major headache, says lobby group
2 Jun 2009
Clean-up lobby Computer Access New Zealand has identified e-waste as overwhelmingly the “fastest growing” component of public waste.
Forestry owners plead for level playing field
2 Jun 2009
New Zealand forest owners say investment in forestry world-wide is being inhibited by policies designed to dampen the effects of the economic recession and to counter climate change.
Report accuses supermarkets over forest destruction
2 Jun 2009
British supermarkets are driving rapid destruction of the Amazon rainforest by using meat from farms responsible for illegal deforestation, according to a three-year investigation of the global trade in Brazilian cattle products.
Motor vehicle batteries spark new gold rush
29 May 2009
The Obama administration has set off a gold rush to power new environmentally friendly cars.
EU stands alone as world ponders carbon schemes
29 May 2009
Only the 27-member European Union has a legislated and operating emissions trading scheme to achieve the carbon pollution reduction targets it will sign up to at the United Nations climate change negotiations in Copenhagen in December, the Australian points out.
Business group's climate change voice remains hushed
26 May 2009
The Stephen Tindall–led Climate Change Leadership Forum’s bid to keep working seems to have sunk like a stone.
Our ETS already up and running, says law firm
26 May 2009
A publicly issued backgrounder on the emissions trading scheme by a top-tier law firm is being taken by some to represent a semi-official policy statement to the effect that the ETS is long past the point of no return.
Obama’s new green guru under fire for climate U-turn
26 May 2009
US Energy Secretary Steven Chu will fly to Europe this week to begin talks that will be crucial in the global battle against climate change.
Get from A2B on the world’s fastest e-bike
26 May 2009
The world's fastest electric bike, already hugely popular in China, is now turning heads in Britain.
New web firm aims to fill up the trucks
26 May 2009
A new web-based company that brings together road transport companies and freight providers online to eliminate empty truck running, improve freight efficiency and reduce unnecessary vehicle emissions has just been launched.
Government cans electric car think-tank
22 May 2009
A group of leading industry experts promoting the use of renewable energy in transport has been disbanded less than a year after it was set up.
Capital carpool operation hits the road
22 May 2009
Greater Wellington Regional Council’s carpool scheme is open for business
Government forces Kiwis into cars, say Greens
22 May 2009
The Government’s plan for transport spending shows no vision and leaves New Zealanders with no other choice but to drive, the Green Party say.
Kiwi boffin has her eyes on the stars
19 May 2009
New Zealand’s first astronaut could be Professor Karen Willcox of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Anxious car makers speed toward global pacts
19 May 2009
The breakdown of two of Detroit's Big Three is bringing a new urgency to the scramble among the world's car makers to forge alliances with former rivals, carve inroads into new markets and shop for well-known brands.
Crude oil lowers producers' input prices
19 May 2009
Producers' input prices, as measured in the Producers Price Index (PPI), fell 2.5 per cent and output prices fell 1.4 percent in the March 2009 quarter, Statistics New Zealand said this week.
GREENS 1: New Deal creates 42,000 jobs
15 May 2009
At least 42,000 jobs could be created under a Green New Deal proposal just released by the Greens.
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.
