Topics tagged with 'Transport'
Keeping slim good for the planet, say scientists
21 Apr 2009
Maintaining a healthy body weight is good news for the environment, according to a study which appears today in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
Forest owners in plea for more tree-planting
17 Apr 2009
The state of New Zealand’s net greenhouse gas emissions reinforces the need for the Government to do more to encourage new forest planting to avoid future problems, says the Forest Owners' Association.
China gears up for green cars push
17 Apr 2009
Chinese auto makers have accelerated efforts to develop electric cars and take a leadership role in the next generation of vehicle technology.
NZ joins international climate change initiative
17 Apr 2009
New Zealand is becoming a founding member of the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute, Energy Minister Gerry Brownlie announced yesterday.
How New Zealand can learn from “Towards a Global Green recovery”
17 Apr 2009
The Council for Socially Responsible Investment endorses a recently released report prepared on behalf of the German Foreign Office for discussion at the G20 London Summit which highlights key measures in seven strategic areas that G20 members need to take to tackle the economic crisis and re-orient development towards sustainable, low-carbon growth.
French power plant first to run carbon capture
14 Apr 2009
The world's first retrofit of a power plant with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology will begin operating this month in the south of France.
Honda wins green car of the year award
14 Apr 2009
The Honda FCX Clarity, a hydrogen-fueled fuel-cell vehicle, has won the 2009 World Green Car award at the New York auto show.
Timber mill train decision clears roads
14 Apr 2009
A shift by a major timber mill from road to rail will mean around 2000 fewer truck movements a year, KiwiRail says.
Blame transport, not animals, says energy expert
3 Apr 2009
World Bank and World Watch Institute renewables expert Dr Eric Martinot says that inefficient transport, not animals, is New Zealand’s major emissions problem.
Airlines fear failure of global climate talks
3 Apr 2009
Major airlines have warned that failure to agree on a global approach to emissions trading in climate change talks could hurt their industry by leading to increased taxes and regulation.
ARC sees back-to-the-future transport solution
31 Mar 2009
The Auckland Regional Council is recommending a back-to-the-future approach to fixing Auckland’s transport woes in the light of the Government’s recent transport infrastructure funding announcements.
Experts seek ways to make tourism eco-friendly
27 Mar 2009
More than ever, global tourism must play its part in sustainable development and poverty alleviation, according to experts at an international symposium in Toronto.
Biofuels and e-car experts in capital talks
24 Mar 2009
Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee will open EECA’s fifth biofuels and electric vehicles conference in Wellington this morning, kicking off a programme strong on international perspectives.
Coal turned to gold for British millionaire
24 Mar 2009
British millionaire Sir Robert Ogden’s ocean going yacht La Masquerade, which has been cruising New Zealand waters in recent weeks, is testimony to the great fortunes that can be made from coal.
Honda tackles Prius in US after wowing Japan
24 Mar 2009
The road will get a little more crowded for the Toyota Prius today when Honda offers American consumers what it bills as “the world’s first affordable hybrid.”
Infratil happily waits for Tasman emissions schemes
20 Mar 2009
Hesitation on both sides of the Tasman over implementing the emissions trading regimes, along with the falling price of crude oil, is a problem for what many view as the most imaginative investment by Infratil.
World Bank appeals for water investment
20 Mar 2009
The global economic crisis threatens to shrink investment in water infrastructure, an already underfunded sector vital to growth and public health, the World Bank says.
World leaders to be given green new deal facts
20 Mar 2009
Investing 1 per cent of global GDP, or around $750 billion, into five key sectors could be the key to a Global Green New Deal.
Capital acts to reduce carbon footprint
17 Mar 2009
Greater Wellington's Regional Sustainability Committee has implemented what it describes as a new regional greenhouse gas emissions inventory - a plan to reduce the region's overall carbon footprint.
Opposition ups ETS pressure on Rudd government
17 Mar 2009
The Australian Government yesterday faced mounting pressure to make radical changes to its carbon trading plans to get the scheme passed by parliament.
Angry EU farmers oppose livestock-gas tax
13 Mar 2009
Proposals to tax the flatulence of cows and other livestock have been denounced by farming groups in the Irish Republic and Denmark.
Three make final of world green car award
13 Mar 2009
The Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the Honda FCX Clarity, and the Toyota iQ are the top contenders in the prestigious World Green Car of the Year competition.
Biofuels bad news for third world, ecologists warn
10 Mar 2009
Having large numbers of motorists switch to biofuels would be “bad news for the planet and for many millions of third world people suffering through the expansion of agrofuels to feed the rich world's cars", warns the Pacific Institute of Resource Management.
Airlines could have planes seized under emissions rules
6 Mar 2009
Britain’s Environment Agency is to be given powers to seize planes from airlines which break the rules of a new scheme to limit flights' carbon emissions.
UN drives roadmap for halving car emissions
6 Mar 2009
With the world's car fleet expected to triple by 2050, a roadmap to halve greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles by that date was laid out by United Nations at the Geneva Motor Show.
CTU pushes for environment and social projects
3 Mar 2009
The Council of Trade Unions is calling on the Government to set up a major programme of environmental and social projects as part of its package to kick start the economy.
Think concrete, lobby tells government roadmakers
3 Mar 2009
The Cement and Concrete Association is promoting to the Government the sustainability of cement instead of bitumen for roads.
Rocket carrying space carbon-spy crashes into sea
27 Feb 2009
A rocket carrying a satellite to track the chief culprit in global warming crashed into the ocean near Antarctica after launch, dealing a major setback to NASA's network for monitoring Earth and its environment from above.
Electric car on trial, but price still a mystery
24 Feb 2009
New Zealanders won’t know how much they’ll have to pay for Mitsubishi’s iMiEV electric vehicle until at least June.
Stern warns of ‘extended world war' over climate
24 Feb 2009
If countries don't deal with climate change decisively, "we're talking about extended world war," eminent British economist Lord Nicholas Stern has warned.
Britons beat the petrol price thanks to fish and chips
24 Feb 2009
As he has done frequently over the past 18 months, a man drives his blue diesel Peugeot 205 on to a farm near Nuneaton, England, where signs pointed one way for “eggs” and another for “oil.”
China about to roll out new electric buses
24 Feb 2009
Battery-powered buses that can cover 188 miles on one charge and recharge in 20 minutes will hit the road in China in June.
Beijing Olympics raises bar on green sporting events
20 Feb 2009
Last year's Beijing Olympics set new records for eco-friendly mass spectator sporting events by raising the bar on many of the high environmental standards it set itself, according to a new UN report.
Airlines: Who must pay carbon price to fly into Europe
13 Feb 2009
All airlines using European airports will be regulated under the European Emissions Trading System from January 2012.
Ford first to offer battery-powered commercial van
13 Feb 2009
Ford has become the first of the big three car makers to announce plans to market a pure battery electric-powered light commercial vehicle in North America.
Coast Guard prepares as Arctic shipping lanes melt
13 Feb 2009
Global warming could be a boon for international shipping if vessels eventually use the Arctic Ocean to cut transit routes in half between Europe and Asia.
Tasman Eco Village attracts international attention
13 Feb 2009
Mention "development" and you have the attention of every environmentalist in ear-shot. Such attention is not normally something developers relish, but not so a home-grown eco-village project in Motueka Valley within biking distance from the town.
First bio-oil plant offers boost for foresters
10 Feb 2009
New Zealand’s first wood-to-bio-oil plant will open next month – and backers say it has the potential to vastly increase forest profitability while saving the climate.
Mitsubishi and Meridian launch electric car trial
10 Feb 2009
Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand and Meridian Energy today launched a trial of the first mass produced new generation electric vehicle to come to New Zealand - the Mitsubishi iMiEV.
Banks key players in low-carbon future, says Stern
3 Feb 2009
Britain’s banking industry might be crippled and reviled, but it is likely to become one of the nation’s key assets in dealing with climate change, according to influential economist Lord Stern.
There’s still some hope for the American car
3 Feb 2009
It’s not news that Detroit is in the ditch, battered by both a frightful economy and self-inflicted woes.
Time to charge full-steam-ahead with electrification
3 Feb 2009
The Green Party says now is the time to charge full steam ahead with electrifying Auckland's rail network.
Capital moves car-pool targets closer to city
27 Jan 2009
The Wellington Regional Council has calibrated its pending car-pooling scheme to appeal to residents who live too far away from work to walk, but not far enough away to benefit from public transport.
US domestic airline offers offset as you go
27 Jan 2009
Passengers flying with Virgin America can offset the environmental impact of their journey while they are travelling.
Greens issue 'new deal' challenge
27 Jan 2009
The Green Party has presented the Government with a series of ready-to-go policies that it says can help New Zealand’s economy, people and the environment at the same time.
UN hails green stimulus plans by Japan and Korea
23 Jan 2009
The decisions of Japan and the Republic of Korea to invest billions of dollars in environmentally smart projects to create jobs and spur economic growth has been applauded by the United Nations.
Commerce Commission warns over hybrid comparative advertising
23 Jan 2009
A car company has been warned by the Commerce Commission about comparative claims made in advertising for one of its hybrid vehicles.
Major US companies put plan to cut carbon emissions
20 Jan 2009
A group of major American companies has unveiled a plan to cut carbon emissions by 80 per cent to below 2005 levels by 2050.
US power company plans $2b coal-fired plant
20 Jan 2009
A United States company has formally filed an application with state regulators to build a $2 billion coal-fired power plant in Mississippi.
It could be a good move to hang on to that old Corolla
20 Jan 2009
It can be more eco-friendly to drive an older, well-maintained car that gets about 25 miles a gallon than to buy a new car that gets about 35 miles a gallon.
Politicians need to ‘get over themselves’ to reduce emissions
Fri 24 Jul 2026
New Zealand needs to face up to two big areas of climate emissions: transport and agriculture, says climate policy expert Bronwyn Hayward.
Greens promise to take forestry out of the ETS
Mon 27 Jul 2026
The Green Party launched its election manifesto at its AGM yesterday, promising action to reduce climate pollution and boost resilience, with an emphasis on Emissions Trading Scheme reform.
$30m airline fund risks ‘burning public money’ without lasting benefit – expert
20 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A $30 million government package to support regional air routes risks delivering poor value for money while increasing emissions, according to transport strategist Tim Adriaansen.
Media round-up
9 Jul 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: The Government re-wrote fast-track law after mining companies pushed for change; costs from inland flooding are expected to rise by up to 53% by 2075; and is there such a thing as a sustainable tourist?
National deer management strategy urgently needed to halt 'catastrophe' for native forests
Mon 27 Jul 2026
Scientists are calling for an urgent national deer management strategy, with deer numbers now at unsustainable levels and decimating native forests.
Biomass can free-up electrons to perform higher value roles – with multiple other benefits
Fri 24 Jul 2026
By Rob Mallinson | OPINION: New Zealand’s energy debate too often treats electricity as the universal solution.
Govt should bin draft voluntary market assurance and start again – expert
Fri 24 Jul 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government is consulting on its criteria for endorsing domestic nature and carbon markets, however market experts say the draft document falls short of what is needed to support trust in the market and stop low-integrity credits being sold.
This El Niño is set to be the largest on record by a ‘mind-blowing margin’
Mon 27 Jul 2026
Forecasters predict that the monster climate pattern will combine with global warming to push global temperatures in 2027 to new heights.
Red Stag boss questions $60m cement support as timber ETS reforms stall
Thu 23 Jul 2026
By Oli Lewis | The Government has granted $60 million to an emissions-intensive industry while dragging its feet on a proposal to allow firms making harvested wood products to earn carbon credits in the Emissions Trading Scheme, an industry leader says.
Coal is back in Australian Super’s portfolio. What happened to that net zero pledge?
13 Jul 2026
In 2020 Australia’s biggest super fund dumped its Whitehaven shares. Fast forward to 2026 and it is now the coalminer’s single biggest investor.
Politicians need to lead on climate: Carr
30 Jun 2026
As the election campaign heats up, former Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr has a list of actions he's hoping to see from our aspiring leaders, which includes confronting climate denial as well as refusing funds or policy advice from vested interests.
EMA pushes for steady hand on energy and regulation
13 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Employers and Manufacturers Association wants the next government to commit to a long-term energy plan and allow faster investment in renewable generation, at the same time as slowing the pace of policy change and providing businesses with greater certainty.
What Magyar’s defeat of Orbán in Hungary means for climate and energy
21 Apr 2026
Hungary has played a disproportionate role in EU climate and energy policy in recent years, by repeatedly vetoing climate action and by delaying the phaseout of Russian fossil-fuel imports.
Contact: New biodiversity goal may be 'highly problematic' for renewable projects
Fri 24 Jul 2026
By Oli Lewis | The goal of no net loss of indigenous biodiversity in the new resource management system may be highly problematic for renewable energy developments, Contact Energy says.
Environmental groups call for ETS reform
20 Feb 2026
Several environmental organisations are calling on political parties to make climate and biodiversity central to the 2026 election campaign, with reforming the Emissions Trading Scheme seen as a key priority.
Climate change exacerbating drought across Europe, scientists say
Mon 27 Jul 2026
Climate change is exacerbating drought this year in Europe as extreme heat evaporates water supplies, scientists said in an analysis published on Thursday, after low water levels disrupted shipping, farming and industries in countries including Romania and Greece.
Tarakihi on verge of extinction: Stock collapse exposes major fisheries management failings
3 Jul 2026
Media release: Environmental Defence Society | Fisheries NZ is consulting on new sustainability measures for the country’s two tarakihi stocks.
Media round-up
Fri 24 Jul 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Labour leader Chris Hipkins floats the idea of a carbon border tax; two-way charging between the garage and the grid will slash power bills; and cost isn't everything when it comes to rooftop solar.
West Africa signs off $25bn mega gas-pipeline plan
Wed 22 Jul 2026
One of Africa's most ambitious energy infrastructure projects has finally been signed off at the highest level, with West African leaders formally endorsing the long-awaited Nigeria-Morocco Atlantic Gas Pipeline.
$3m Govt boost for Tauranga geothermal energy
14 Jul 2026
By Liz Kivi | Resources Minister Shane Jones has announced a $3 million grant for the Gas to Geoheat Tauranga Geothermal System Project as part of the Government's plan to double geothermal energy by 2040.
Will new UK PM’s green measures at home cause climate finance pain overseas?
Thu 23 Jul 2026
Andy Burnham will cut bus fares and household electricity tax in a boost for UK climate action – but this will be funded partly by switching international climate finance from grants to loans.
The thriving coral reef that ‘defeated time’ in West Africa
Wed 22 Jul 2026
A 60-year mystery has been solved as researchers discover a coral ecosystem on the Benin-Togo continental shelf that is still teeming with marine life.
‘Master class in greenwash’ as Ottawa unveils CCS deal
20 Jul 2026
A multi-billion-dollar plan to transport and store greenhouse gas emissions from Canada’s emissions-intensive oil sands has received a major boost, even though the highly-touted deal between Ottawa, Alberta, and the five oil major sands companies will only capture a tiny fraction of the oil sands’ climate pollution.
Lake Onslow pumped hydro consortium secures funding for consent push
26 Jun 2026
By Oli Lewis | The consortium behind Lake Onslow pumped hydro has secured funding to finalise its resource consent application, aiming to lodge it under the fast-track process before 2027.
Groundbreaking steel startup cuts production time while slashing emissions
Mon 27 Jul 2026
Startup CullBeck has raised a record $20 million to commercialise its new ironmaking technology, which replaces coal with hydrogen to eliminate carbon emissions from one of the world's most emissions-intensive industries.
Climate change keeps adding to the list of uninsurable assets, Allianz executive says
Fri 24 Jul 2026
Extreme weather events — such as the heat wave that just hit Europe — are making more and more assets too risky to insure, according to a director at Europe’s largest primary insurer.
Climate law change spanner in the works for Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry
19 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s controversial changes to New Zealand’s legal framework for climate policy have thrown a spanner in the works for a long-running Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry into climate change.
Greenpeace launches legal challenge against US$2.5bn expansion by Premier Beehive parent company JBS
Thu 23 Jul 2026
Media release | Greenpeace Netherlands has petitioned a Dutch court seeking to compel the world’s largest meat company JBS, to disclose information, in order to challenge its business policies in court. This includes its planned US$ 6 billion global expansion, of which almost half is earmarked for Nigeria.
NZ at risk of missing all its climate goals: Commission
Wed 22 Jul 2026
By Liz Kivi | Aotearoa New Zealand’s rate of emissions reduction needs to more than double, with progress stalling since 2024 after the Coalition Government took power, according to the latest report from the Climate Change Commission.
Planetary Facts dashboard aims to make environmental costs visible
15 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Consumers can now compare the environmental impacts of everyday products with a new online dashboard designed to do for sustainability what nutrition labels have long done for food.
Climate risks could reshape business finances, new guidance warns
15 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New guidance warns climate change is set to fundamentally reshape financial outcomes for businesses, including difficult-to-model climate “tipping points” – irreversible changes such as ice sheet collapse or ocean circulation shifts – which threaten severe and sudden financial impacts.
UN chief says fossil fuel industry must cut methane for warming “relief”
25 Jun 2026
UN chief António Guterres called for stronger action to cut emissions of planet-heating methane, taking aim at the fossil fuel industry’s practices and profits, and pointing to coal, oil and gas as the root of today’s climate and energy crises.
What’s next for Sams Creek after failed mining bid?
15 Jul 2026
Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | A controversial gold mining application at Sams Creek has been declined, leaving question marks hanging over the future of the land.
‘I can’t work in the farce of climate change cruise tourism anymore’: why Antarctic guides quit their dream jobs
Wed 22 Jul 2026
“You’d see massive glacier calvings, and you’d just want to cry. But all the guests would be cheering. And you’d be like … ‘can you not put two and two together?’”
Panama Canal braces for El Niño, announcing first transit restrictions
Fri 24 Jul 2026
The probability of a severe El Nino has risen from 25% to 81% and the Panama Canal is preparing to restrict transits.
NZ First promises $1 billion for offshore oil and gas
20 Jul 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand First wants to “drill baby drill,” and has made an election campaign promise of $1 billion to survey New Zealand’s offshore basins to extract oil and gas, in an announcement at the party’s campaign launch on Sunday.
A real ‘intergenerational equity’ budget would address Australia’s unceasing environmental decline
15 May 2026
Labor has unveiled a budget designed to tackle intergenerational equity in Australia through bold tax reform.
UN plastics pact talks restart amid fears production curbs will be left out
2 Jul 2026
Diplomats reconvene a year after negotiations collapsed, but campaigners fear the agenda risks burying tricky discussions on key elements.
Greens bill aims to keep supermarket food out of landfill
Mon 27 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Green Party has introduced a member's bill that would require New Zealand's largest supermarkets to donate edible surplus food to food rescue organisations instead of sending it to landfill, saying the move would reduce waste, cut emissions and help tackle food insecurity.
Northern Thai residents march for action on polluted rivers. ‘This is an emergency’
9 Jun 2026
More than 600 residents of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces embarked May 31 on a roughly 68-kilometer, six-day ‘peace walk’ to demand the Thai government take action on the river pollution crisis that has seen Thai rivers polluted with heavy metals.
Swarbrick slams $50m critical minerals funding as 'Trump's war machine' subsidy
7 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Green Party has criticised the Government's investment into two West Coast critical minerals projects, claiming the funding could ultimately support the United States defence industry rather than New Zealand's clean energy transition, while Shane Jones dismissed opponents as "flat earth idiots".
China solar exports to South, Southeast Asia and Africa rise despite post-rebate slump
Wed 22 Jul 2026
China's solar exports to Southeast and South Asia as well as Africa rose year-over-year in June, customs data showed on Monday, though overall solar exports slipped for a second month after China removed an export tax rebate.
Resource management Bills 'not yet ready to be enacted', says Upton
Wed 22 Jul 2026
By Oli Lewis | The two Bills to replace the Resource Management Act are not ready to be enacted and there is no way of knowing how they will affect the environment, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment says.
Turning waste into climate-resilient soils for communities
Fri 24 Jul 2026
Media release: University of Canterbury | Christchurch’s Red Zone is being used as a test bed to see whether biological wastes (biowastes) can help transform contaminated soil into climate-resilient soil.
Green Party takes ‘electric election’ up a notch
21 Jul 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party is promising to cut power bills and establish a publicly owned company, ‘Kiwipower,’ to deliver affordable renewable energy.
Carbon trading schemes cut more emissions than carbon taxes, according to global study
20 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Carbon trading schemes are more effective than carbon taxes at reducing emissions, cutting fossil fuel use, and accelerating the shift to renewable energy, a global study has found.
Big tech joins big oil in ruining summer
20 Jul 2026
The industry has abandoned its climate pledges in favor of fossil fuel-powered AI data centers.
'Shocking' changes to RMA replacement further weakens environmental protections –EDS
21 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The select committee's report back on bills to replace the Resource Management Act fails to address the Environmental Defence Society's "massive concerns" with the legislation.
Experts call on Govt to withdraw ‘repugnant’ legislation to block climate lawsuits
13 Jul 2026
By Liz Kivi | Lawyers and climate policy experts are calling on the Government to withdraw legislation intended to block climate lawsuits, with an adaptation expert arguing that the legislation could worsen the insurance protection gap.
New funding round opens for Auckland zero waste projects – $500k available
Fri 24 Jul 2026
Media release | Auckland Council is inviting applications for the 2026 Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund (WMIF) with $500,000 available to support projects that reduce waste and increase recycling and reuse to help achieve Auckland’s goal of zero waste by 2040.
Greens announce water policy, including nitrogen fertiliser phase-out
7 Jul 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party announced its water policy yesterday, promising to phase out synthetic nitrogen fertiliser, as well as destructive fishing methods, if the party is elected in November.
Trump blames Canada for wildfire smoke affecting US
21 Jul 2026
A series of Republican “leaders” have started producing angry denunciations of Canada for polluting America’s air with their "thoughtless" fires.
Faster consenting, harder trade-offs
7 Jul 2026
Faster consenting is starting to produce results, but this week's decisions show speed has not removed the harder trade-offs around electricity security, conservation, ecology and climate liability.
