Topics tagged with 'Transport'
Kyoto Forest owners say they need ETS passed
26 Aug 2008
The thousands of New Zealanders who invested their own savings to plant trees in the 1990s need the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) legislation to be passed in order to secure the estimated $1.6 billion of carbon credits promised to them by all parties in Parliament, the Kyoto Forestry Association (KFA) has told the Green Party.
ETS CRUNCH TIME: Shaky, but Greens pact might swing the deal
22 Aug 2008
It’s crunch time for the emissions trading scheme, but concessions the Green Party has won on the allocation of free units might be enough to swing the deal for the Government.
City-centre green village signs Telecom as anchor tenant
22 Aug 2008
Telecom has become the anchor tenant of Wellington’s Willis Central scheme, confirming the designer's claim that it will be the nation’s first genuine Green inner-city mixed-use development.
Carbon sequestration has its problems, warns report
15 Aug 2008
Burying carbon dioxide from coal-fired plants could increase other pollutants, warns a new study.
BMW joins hydrogen cars on trail to nudge politicians
15 Aug 2008
The BMW Hydrogen 7 - the first hydrogen-powered luxury sedan – has hit the roads of the United States in an unprecedented cross-country journey.
Escape Rentals offsets emissions
15 Aug 2008
Escape Rentals, a major niche player in the campervan rental market – well-known for its distinctively painted vehicles - has contracted Carbon South to offset in-house emissions. Escape will also offer offset packages to its clients.
Caygill, Cayford new members on EECA
12 Aug 2008
Energy Minister David Parker has announced three appointments to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority Board.
Flower growers face threat from EU emissions scheme
12 Aug 2008
Kenya’s horticulture industry is facing a new market access threat as the European Parliament prepares to vote on a new law that would see aviation included in the continental emissions trading scheme.
Nuclear power definitely not an option: Greens
12 Aug 2008
Green Party Co-Leader Jeanette Fitzsimons describes Matthew Hooten as ‘indulging in some wishful thinking’ in the Sunday Star Times this week.
Pioneer system changes hydrocarbons to hydrogen under the bonnet
8 Aug 2008
Mobil is developing an under-the-bonnet system that converts conventional hydrocarbons, such as petrol or diesel, into hydrogen within the engine.
New UN report suggests how to boost cities’ resiliency to climate change
8 Aug 2008
With eight of the world’s 10 most populous cities situated near rivers or seas and already being exposed to such hazards as flooding, earthquakes and typhoons, a United Nations-backed report just released offers suggestions on how to enhance resiliency to threats emanating from climate change
Unhappy Argent questions future of NZ biodiesel industry
5 Aug 2008
Argent Energy, which last week announced it is pulling out of plans to invest $100 million in biodiesel in New Zealand, is questioning the future of the industry.
Airlines under pressure to reduce freighter flight emissions
5 Aug 2008
The question of just how big a carbon footprint air cargo creates and what can the industry do to lessen its impact on the environment are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
Patience a virtue when Prius battery supply chains go flat
5 Aug 2008
Waiting lists for the Toyota Prius have expanded sharply as demand outstrips the Japanese carmaker's capacity to build the petrol-electric hybrid vehicles.
Eco-efficiency cuts waste by 20 per cent, says Fonterra
5 Aug 2008
Fonterra's New Zealand manufacturing sites and offices have recycled more than 5000 tonnes of plastic, cardboard and paper and cut total waste by 20 per cent over the past year, the dairy co-operative says.
Lonely dinosaur seeks white elephant
5 Aug 2008
News that the National Party plans to borrow billions and gut the RMA so it can fast track new motorway projects is evidence that National is living in the past, Green Party Co-Leader Russel Norman says.
Biofuels player pulls $100m plug on New Zealand plant
1 Aug 2008
A British biofuels company is pulling its $100-million investment out of New Zealand, blaming the Government’s Biofuels Bill.
Words in the House over ETS support talks
1 Aug 2008
So how are the support talks going to get votes to pass the emissions trading bill?
BREAKING NEWS: Government calls for tough CDM regime
29 Jul 2008
New Zealand is calling for tougher rules around carbon credits and investments, saying that governments should be required to monitor and enforce minimum requirements for clean development mechanisms.
California comes down hard on ships’ diesel exhaust emissions
29 Jul 2008
Foreign-flagged and US ships sailing off California will face the world’s toughest rules on marine fuel-use under new regulations just adopted by the state’s Air Resources Board.
New members for GIAB announced
29 Jul 2008
Twelve new members representing some of New Zealand's leading businesses and research organisations have been appointed to the government's Growth and Innovation Advisory Board
Oil dependency takes its toll, say Greens
29 Jul 2008
Yesterday's new trade deficit figures showing a massive increase in the cost of importing petrol and other oil products dramatically illustrate why the Government must reduce New Zealand’s dependence on oil, the Green Party says.
We'll fight for our forest rights, owners warn ETS policy-makers
25 Jul 2008
Kyoto Forest Owners say they will wage war if either major political party reneges on promises over carbon credits worth millions of dollars.
Our politicians ignoring peak oil impact, says forum
25 Jul 2008
Politicians are failing to deal with the impact of peak oil, imperilling New Zealand’s economic future says the Sustainable Energy Forum.
Kyoto foresters seek assurances on Labour and National's carbon credit promises
25 Jul 2008
The Kyoto Forestry Association (KFA) is seeking assurances from the Labour and National parties that their 2007 promises to post-1989 forest owners, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, can continue to be relied upon.
Holden's Commodore top polluter - and the costliest
22 Jul 2008
ONE of the most popular cars in Australia and New Zealand, the Holden Commodore, has topped a new Federal Government list of bad environmental performers.
Maori Party sticks to polluters-should-pay stance on ETS fuel plans
18 Jul 2008
The Maori Party is unlikely to push for an Australian-style buffer against the effects of increased fuel prices under New Zealand’s proposed emissions trading scheme.
Biofuel subsidies waste of money, says OECD report
18 Jul 2008
Government subsidies for biofuels are not helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new OECD report.
Australia announces all-gases and almost-all sectors ETS
16 Jul 2008
Australia has announced a proposal for a broad emissions trading scheme that covers all six greenhouse gases and every sector except agriculture.
Green economy good for jobs and business, says union expert
15 Jul 2008
New Zealand can be cautiously optimistic that shifting to a green economy will be good for jobs and business, as a new report in Australia predicts up to three million new jobs will be created under a green economy.
Waste-to-biofuel developer wins $12m in state funding
15 Jul 2008
A New Zealand company with plans to turn industrial waste gases into biofuel will receive $12 million of Government science funding.
Petrol shock: $8 a litre within 10 years, says Aussie report
11 Jul 2008
Petrol prices could hit $A8 a litre within 10 years, adding 31 cents to the price of a loaf of bread and pushing weekly household fuel bills as high as $220 a week, the Australian research institute CSIRO is warning in a report out today.
Frustrated scientists hammer home the climate change message
11 Jul 2008
New Zealand scientists have gone on the offensive over climate change, issuing a 1700-word statement setting out the evidence that the climate is changing because of human activity.
Green cars - Honda's Civic GX pick of the bunch
11 Jul 2008
Honda’s Civic GX comes out on top of an American list of what’s hot in the world of environmentally friendly cars.
Garnaut review releases draft report
8 Jul 2008
Australians are facing risks of damaging climate change. Without strong and early action by Australia and all major economies we are likely to face severe and costly impacts on Australia’s prosperity and enjoyment of life, according to the Garnaut Climate Change Review’s Draft Report, released on Friday.
India shapes up as second-biggest emitter, says report
8 Jul 2008
India, with a rising demand for crude oil and coal, is likely to overtake the US as the second-largest emitter of carbon from energy use by 2050 after China, a new study says.
Will we see the chequered flag for Ferrari hybrid?
8 Jul 2008
The days of a battery-powered or hybrid Ferrari winning a grand prix might not be too far away if the plans of the famous Italian marque come to fruition.
Dissenters will support ETS if it's law, minutes show
4 Jul 2008
Heavy emitters have revealed privately they will "fall in behind" the emissions trading scheme if it is passed into law.
No horse trading on other issues in Govt - NZ First ETS negotiations
4 Jul 2008
Winston Peters has revealed his negotiating position over the emissions trading bill does not involve any other issue.
Landslide buries climate change link
4 Jul 2008
New findings by three University of Canterbury researchers could pour cold water on evidence that climate change is happening simultaneously around the world.
Paperless air freighting for New Zealand
4 Jul 2008
Willie van Heusden, President of the Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association, has welcomed the announcement that New Zealand will adopt paperless air freighting by 2009.
Australia’s west votes $6m to fight greenhouse gases
1 Jul 2008
The Western Australia State Government will inject $6 million to develop more innovative energy technologies to help to reduce greenhouse gas emission.
Heavy emitters fire more salvoes on ETS
27 Jun 2008
The battle over the emissions trading scheme continues, with big business today launching another salvo aimed at persuading politicians to delay the scheme.
Toyoto NZ believes it still has the ‘green’ advantage
27 Jun 2008
Toyota New Zealand still feels it has the edge when it comes to ‘green’ vehicles, despite recent claims by some luxury car manufacturers.
EU to include airlines in emissions-trading scheme
27 Jun 2008
Airlines will have to start paying for the amount of carbon dioxide they emit as of 2012, European Union officials agreed in principle yesterday in what politicians hailed as a landmark move.
Airlines should pay tax on emissions, Branson says
27 Jun 2008
Aviation is a dirty business and airlines should be willing to pay for the damage they cause to the environment, Virgin Group chairman Richard Branson has told a forum on climate change in Geneva.
NZ biodiesel market big enough for everyone, says Solid Energy
24 Jun 2008
Biodiesel produced from a variety of sources has every opportunity to find a market in New Zealand, says Andy Matheson, Solid Energy’s general manager for renewable energy.
Electric cars to play big part in UK renewable energy plans
24 Jun 2008
Electric cars could play a major role in the shift to environmentally friendly transport in Britain, the government will reveal this week
Green labels will show California cars’ environmental impact
24 Jun 2008
All new cars sold in California after this year will be required to have labels that clearly inform consumers of the vehicle's environmental impact, according to a new regulation signed into law this week.
Sustainable biofuels likely to reduce fuel prices - Minister
24 Jun 2008
The introduction of a biofuels sales obligation will help New Zealand move away from our dependence on imported oil and is most likely to lessen, not increase, the cost of transport fuel, Energy Minister David Parker says.
Local govt bill 'completely misses the point,' passes first reading
Today 11:00am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government’s bill making changes to the Local Government Act to "refocus" councils on their core functions passed its first reading in Parliament last night, with critics saying it will set back climate resilience.
Expert rejects farmers call to ditch green investment framework
Thu 17 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Scrapping a proposed 'green' finance taxonomy before work on it is even finished would risk New Zealand being left behind in the transition to more sustainable systems, according to an expert.
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
Today 11:00am
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”.
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”.
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.
‘Ideological sludge’: How NZ is quiet quitting climate action
Thu 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.
EU seeks 'fair competition' with China on green energy
Today 11:00am
The European Union is seeking "fair competition" with China and not a race to the bottom in wages and environmental standards, the bloc's vice president for the clean transition told AFP in Beijing on Monday.
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.
EU wants to see China take more ambitious climate action
Tue 15 Jul 2025
The world needs China to show more leadership on climate action, highlighting the importance of cutting planet-heating emissions and reducing the Chinese economy's reliance on coal.
NZ voluntary carbon market’s sad state
Mon 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.
Common low-grade clay strengthens low-carbon concrete
5 Jun 2025
Media release | Engineers at RMIT University have converted low-grade clay into a high-performance cement supplement, opening a potential new market in sustainable construction materials.
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.
Carbon price grinds higher - where to from now?
30 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | The carbon price has continued to grind slowly higher since this month’s failed auction, with prices at their highest since March, although still languishing well below this year’s auction floor price.
Importing LNG is feasible, but is it plausible?
Today 11:00am
Importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a form of energy supply insurance is technically feasible, but an industry-commissioned report raises questions about whether it is financially plausible.
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.
Media round-up
Today 11:00am
In our round-up of the latest climate coverage in local media: with parts of the country still reeling from flooding exacerbated by climate change, debate heats up over who will pay for managed retreat from at-risk areas.
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.
Illegal loggers profit from Brazil’s carbon credit projects
Thu 17 Jul 2025
How a system designed to protect the world’s biggest rainforest is funding businesses with a track record of illegal deforestation.
Climate backtracking could impact trade relationships: Labour
9 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | Labour Party Energy spokesperson Megan Woods says the government needs to be upfront about how its energy policies will impact trade relationships, following revelations New Zealand was warned by other governments that backtracking on climate policies jeopardised its membership of an international alliance.
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.
Farmers slam proposed guidelines for sustainable finance
Wed 16 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | Federated Farmers is calling on the government to scrap its proposed framework for ‘green’ finance, saying it is ideologically driven, unworkable, and risks harming rural communities.
Does Aussie court ruling hold lessons for NZ?
Thu 17 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | A recent Australian court ruling should serve as a warning to New Zealand's decision-makers on how important it is to align climate targets and climate policies with the best available science, according to a climate litigation expert.
Methanex closure comes early this year
14 May 2025
The almost-now-annual closure of Methanex has come earlier this year, giving more confidence that the electricity system will get through the winter without a fuel shortfall.
Electric firebricks: decarbonising high-temperature industrial heat
13 Jun 2025
By Ian Mason | A new technology could offer a more cost-effective solution than hydrogen to decarbonise one ‘hard-to-abate’ sector of New Zealand’s economy, as well as having ample potential for demand response as the electricity grid becomes more renewable.
‘Significant gaps’ in proposed approach to climate adaptation
10 Jul 2025
A new report into climate adaptation doesn’t suggest how development in high-risk areas should be avoided - an issue that needs urgent action with thousands of homes still being built in hazardous areas, according to the Environmental Defence Society.
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.
Activists sue US development bank over $4.6bn loan to massive Mozambique gas project
Today 11:00am
Environmental groups claim loan is ‘unlawful’ in legal filing.
Clear-sighted view to trade-offs crucial to reimagining our relationship with the land
7 Jul 2025
By Nick Swallow | COMMENT: New Zealand could see a 70% drop in the value of dairy land if we pursue our emissions targets for agriculture, according to a new report.
Rio Tinto urges Albanese govt to reimpose carbon tax, boost green energy subsidies
Thu 17 Jul 2025
The mining giant has used it’s submission to the Productivity Commission ahead of the Albanese government’s economic roundtable to lobby for the re-imposition of a carbon pricing scheme and bolstered green energy subsidies.
Foresters seek time; end to using ETS as a land use tool
Wed 16 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Production and carbon forestry owners have begged the environment select committee to at least give the sector more time to come up with workable rules for legislation intended to cap forest planting on farmland.
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.
Millions of tons of tiny plastic particles are polluting the ocean, study finds
Tue 15 Jul 2025
At least 27 million tonnes of nanoplastics are estimated to be floating in the North Atlantic Ocean, weighing more than all wild land mammals combined.
'Back-to-basics' approach for councils ignores climate risk
11 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | While ACT is standing local government candidates to oppose councils' attempts to manage emissions and ministers are calling for local authorities to 'get back to basics' - or even suggesting scrapping regional councils altogether - one expert says this narrative is putting communities at risk in the face of climate change.
Markets aren't going to save us – Carr
9 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Consumerism is reaching its ecological and economic limits, and only systemic change - not market tweaks - can steer us away from climate catastrophe, according to former Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr.
Microplastics found in sand on dozens of NZ beaches
4 Jun 2025
Scientists have extracted microplastics from the sand of 22 beaches from the Far North to Banks Peninsula.
Feedback sought on national fuel security plan
Wed 16 Jul 2025
Media release - Beehive: The Coalition Government is seeking feedback on a draft Fuel Security Plan that provides a long-term strategy to ensure New Zealanders have reliable access to fuel in times of domestic and global disruption, Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones says.
UK: Thousands lobby MPs to demand climate action
10 Jul 2025
More than 5,000 people from across the UK arrived in Westminster on Wednesday to meet their MPs and demand urgent climate action to protect their communities.
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.
Germany's wind power expansion picks up, but targets still missed, says lobby
Today 11:00am
Germany's onshore wind power sector recorded its strongest half-year since 2017, but the expansion still falls short of the legally mandated targets, the BWE wind power lobby said on Tuesday.
Antarctica Scholarships 2025: Ocean detectives
Thu 17 Jul 2025
Media release – Antarctica New Zealand | Antarctica’s Southern Ocean is full of unanswered questions, and this year’s Antarctica New Zealand scholarship recipients are on a mission to help solve them.
Climate groups want UK wealth tax to make super-rich fund sustainable economy
Thu 17 Jul 2025
Growing number of campaigners urge government to ensure green investment is not done ‘on backs of the poor’.
Kiwi ‘smart panel’ startup aiming to reduce energy bills and emissions
4 Jul 2025
NZ start-up Basis this week launched an ‘intelligent’ panel to replace traditional electrical switchboards in homes, which it says can save the average home $1,200 NZD annually on bills and lead to lower 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.
Can you trust climate information? How and why powerful players are misleading the public
11 Jul 2025
The climate crisis is more urgent than ever, so why is there a disconnect between stated policies and actual practices?
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.
