Topics tagged with 'Transport'
Australia debates leaving petrol out of ETS
23 May 2008
A major debate is underway in Australia on leaving petrol out of its emissions trading scheme.
Cullen quizzed on multi-billion ETS surplus from sale of credits
23 May 2008
The Government will make a net revenue gain from the emissions trading system of up to about $159 million a year between 2013 and 2018 - $795 million over five years - and "perhaps" $1b to $1.5 b a year out to 2030.
PM visits cutting edge Hyundai research and development centre.
23 May 2008
Prime Minister Helen Clark visited the Hyundai research and development centre in Namyang, South Korea, on Saturday, 16 May.
BP: We've slashed emissions 24% below 2003 levels
23 May 2008
BP says it has cut its GHG emissions 24% below their 2003 level.
Business-as-usual Budget for climate change
22 May 2008
Today’s Budget will not be the big-bang for the environment that Australians experienced with their Budget last week, but will contain some steady-as-she-goes policy continuation.
Luxury travel gathering said to be NZ's biggest carbon neutral event
22 May 2008
The countdown is on to New Zealand’s biggest tourism event, which is also New Zealand’s biggest carbon neutral event – TRENZ 2008 – kicking off in Rotorua on Monday 26 May.
Investment in coastal shipping welcomed
22 May 2008
The Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Federation (CBAFF) has welcomed Transport Minister Annette King’s announcement of $36 million funding to help revitalise coastal shipping in New Zealand.
Rural internet use jumps 97% in April as fuel prices rise
22 May 2008
Rural people are increasingly turning to the internet in response to rising fuel costs, according to rural broadband provider Farmside.
Major move to shift 30% of inter-regional freight to sea
21 May 2008
The Government has announced a $36 million investment to revitalise coastal shipping, to slash land transport fuel use and emissions.
Pacifica: Funding boost will stimulate coastal links
21 May 2008
The Government's $36 million coastal shipping development programme couldsee new ships used and former coastal shipping routes re-opened.
Now its "go vege" and save the planet?
21 May 2008
A vegan group is now proclaiming a link between diet and climate change, and urging New Zealanders to "go vegie" and save the plant.
Coastal shipping revamp to play major role in emissions cuts
20 May 2008
The Government today will announce plans to more effectively link rail and coastal shipping and to make it easier for port companies to access government funding for infrastructure development.
ETS will trim Kyoto bill $909 million, pushes Key further out on policy tightrope
16 May 2008
The emissions trading scheme will avoid a 15 to 50 million tonne rise in emissions between 2008 and 2012, Climate Change Issues Minister David Parker has told Parliament, in what appears to a ground preparing statement ahead of National leader John Key’s ETS policy announcement this Sunday.
NZ energy-miser motor could lead the world
16 May 2008
A revolutionary New Zealand-designed electric motor with the potential to save huge amounts of energy and carbon has won $1.75 million of government research funding.
Emissions trading scheme must proceed
16 May 2008
The Emissions Trading Scheme must proceed, as it is an essential system for New Zealand to adjust to a carbon-constrained future and live up to our clean green image, says Dr Jan Wright, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
Airships' potential not just hot air, says entrepreneur
15 May 2008
Fancy cutting transport costs by half and saving the environment at the same time? Airships might be just the ticket.
Greens leader slams Rudd’s budget boost for climate change
15 May 2008
The Rudd government's first budget, which earmarked $2.3 billion for climate change action, has not impressed Australian Greens.
Angry Greens ask Government: Is it us or them?
14 May 2008
The Government is in the firing line from both National and the Greens over its performance on the emissions trading scheme.
Select committee probing fate of refrigeration gases in ETS
14 May 2008
The select committee considering the emissions trading bill is looking into “significant issues” including how to treat synthetic greenhouse gases.
Environment minister drives home the message in Canberra
14 May 2008
Australian members of parliament are being shuttled around Canberra during Budget week in hybrid vehicles under an initiative to trial environmentally friendly vehicles for the Commonwealth fleet.
Electric sports car going on to world market
14 May 2008
Ecology-minded performance junkies outside the US now will have the chance to buy the Telsa electric sports car that can zip from 0-100km/h in less than four seconds.
Rio Tinto joins 'capital strike' game, says union leader
13 May 2008
Rio Tinto’s threat to close the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter is the latest move in a “capital strike” campaign by heavy greenhouse-gas emitters to get their own way over the emissions trading scheme, says EPMU national secretary Andrew Little.
Forest owners tell ETS body: Our burden is unfair
13 May 2008
The forestry industry’s displeasure at being the only sector left in the early stages of the emissions trading scheme reached Parliament yesterday.
Little point in NZ carbon trading currency, says business group
13 May 2008
A second major business group is suggesting that New Zealand should be using international carbon instruments instead of creating its own currency.
US planes emit less greenhouse gases, despite flying more
13 May 2008
The US aviation industry has cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 13 per cent since 2000, even as the amount of flying has reached record levels, government data shows.
Most Kiwis believe big emitters running the climate change show
12 May 2008
Most New Zealanders think that big greenhouse-gas emitters are calling the shots on the country’s climate change policy, and a Labour-Green coalition is seen as the best combination to manage change, according to a new poll.
Can National really make the tough calls on climate change?
12 May 2008
ANALYSIS – National may be showing it really doesn’t want to act on climate change.
Celebrity chef could cook up a storm for our food exporters
12 May 2008
Suggestions by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay that British restaurants should be fined for having imported food on their menus are a sign of the misguided Northern Hemisphere perception of the environmental impact of the international food trade, and are potentially damaging to New Zealand, says Horticulture New Zealand chief executive Peter Silcock.
China says Beijing Olympics 'basically' carbon neutral
12 May 2008
The Beijing Olympics will be "basically" carbon neutral thanks to a series of energy saving measures such as the use of solar power and an afforestation programme, a senior Chinese official says.
New poll: Kiwis like ETS delays but want heavy emitters to pay now
9 May 2008
New Zealanders approve of the Government’s billion-dollar decision to delay bringing transport into the emissions trading scheme – but think that heavy emitters should be facing the cost of their emissions now.
Transport delay seen as threat to carbon currency
9 May 2008
The viability of the proposed New Zealand carbon currency, NZU, is threatened by the Government’s decision to delay bringing transport into the emissions trading scheme for another two years, says the Sustainability Council.
Climate change: Aussies aware but reluctant to act
9 May 2008
AUSTRALIANS see climate change as the nation's biggest problem but appear unwilling to change their lives to reduce their large environmental footprint, an international survey has found.
First zero-carbon city to rise out of the desert
9 May 2008
One of the world's largest oil producers has begun construction on the first zero-carbon city, powered entirely by renewable energy.
EXCLUSIVE: Top Fletcher officers played key role in ETS policy switch
8 May 2008
Highly reliable sources have told Carbon News that two senior Fletcher Building executives, Jonathan Ling and Hans Buwalda, were the key players in successfully lobbying Climate Change Minister David Parker for major changes to the emissions trading scheme, announced on Tuesday.
Capital developer creating ‘first true green building’
8 May 2008
Leading restoration developer Ian Cassells is highlighting New Zealand’s “phony” approach to green building by developing the country’s first office-as-a-village, which will eliminate car emissions by having people live, work and play in the same place.
Greenpeace: Don't subsidise polluting industries
8 May 2008
Don't subsidise polluting industries at the expense of ordinary New Zealanders and the planet.
Government confused over transport – Sustainable Energy Forum
8 May 2008
The Government doesn’t know which way to jump on transport, says Tim Jones, convenor of the Sustainable Energy Forum.
Government ETS moves will batter forestry Kyoto credit values
7 May 2008
Forest owners expect the value of their hard-won Kyoto carbon credits to plummet as a result of yesterday’s announced changes to the emissions trading scheme, with the likely result that few new forests will be planted.
Pandering, polluting, unprincipled – and popular
7 May 2008
ANALYSIS – The Government yesterday gave control over New Zealand’s transport fuel emissions to the offshore oil markets.
Change in policies and pace call after Kyoto bill breaks billion dollar barrier
6 May 2008
Government is being urged to more quickly adopt emission-cutting policies, like public transport and home insulation, to help avert part of the now billion dollar Kyoto climate change bill, while National is calling for "a new direction".
Water, water everywhere … but it’s running out
6 May 2008
Water one day will be a commodity traded as oil is today and already supply shortages are becoming a problem of global proportion.
Europe-US biodiesel row heats up
6 May 2008
European biodiesel manufacturers have filed an official complaint to the European Commission regarding "unfair" US biodiesel subsidies, substantiating expectations that biofuels could be at the heart of the next large-scale trade spat at the World Trade Organisation.
US airlines face $9 billion carbon bill by 2020
5 May 2008
Proposed US emission-trading legislation could leave its airlines with a crippling $9 billion annual bill in carbon costs in just over a decade.
'Enemies' unite in plea for leadership on climate change
2 May 2008
Two lobbyists usually found on opposite sides came together last night in a call for national leadership, co-operation and unity on climate change for the sake of all New Zealanders.
Exporter: Food miles ploy major threat to UK halal meat trade
2 May 2008
Meat exporter Dr Haj Mohamed Samy Abdel-Al believes that the food miles syndrome underpins criticism in Britain of halal foods from New Zealand.
NZIER sets cat among political pigeons
1 May 2008
Two days after being revealed exclusively by Carbon News, the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research’s (NZIER’s) report into the costs of the Government’s planned emissions trading scheme (ETS) is sending shock-waves through Parliament.
Cheaper for government to pick up greenhouse-gas tab
1 May 2008
A private research company says that it would be cheaper to have the Government paying for greenhouse-gas emissions than using an emissions trading scheme.
Government's plan to reduce emissions will hurt economy - NZIER
1 May 2008
The Government’s proposed Emissions Trading Scheme, intended to ensure New Zealand plays its part in helping reduce global emissions of greenhouse gases, is likely to hurt the economy more than necessary, says a report issued today by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (Inc).
Vehicle exhaust emissions to be put to the test
1 May 2008
Testing will begin today to ensure all vehicles entering New Zealand meet tough new exhaust emissions standards.
Poor households’ carbon bill: It’s all about location
30 Apr 2008
The location of poor households in Australia will be an important factor in how much a price on carbon emissions eats into their household budgets with the introduction of an emissions trading scheme, says research released by the Brotherhood of St Laurence.
Pacific Islands call for fossil fuel phase-out, NZ hangs back
Thu 23 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Pacific Islands nations have launched a landmark declaration for a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific, calling for a Fossil Fuel Treaty and urgent phase-out of fossil fuels, however New Zealand isn’t rushing to join the call.
Extreme heat threatens global food systems, UN agencies warn
Thu 23 Apr 2026
Extreme heat is pushing global agrifood systems to the brink, threatening the livelihoods and health of more than a billion people, according to a new report by the U.N.'s food and weather agencies.
$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.
Europe has 'maybe six weeks of jet fuel left', energy boss warns
Mon 20 Apr 2026
Stocks would reach a tipping point in June if Europe was unable to replace at least half of its imports from the Middle East, the organisation said in a report this week.
Environment ministry straining under pressure of reforms and potential disestablishment
15 Apr 2026
The ministry responsible for New Zealand’s most significant resource management reform in a generation is doing so under institutional strain, compressed timeframes, and an uncertain future – including its own potential disestablishment.
Burning wood for power worse for climate than gas equivalent, report finds
Tue 21 Apr 2026
Research casts doubt on plans by the UK government to offer subsidies for carbon capture attached to the power source.
Carbon price rises as lack of forestry credits hint at tightening supply
Tue 21 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Prices on the secondary carbon market have rallied to their highest point in 2026, recovering to levels last seen in November last year, just before the Government announced it was unlinking the Emissions Trading Scheme from international climate goals.
Environmental groups sue Trump administration over approval of new ultra deep-water drilling project
Thu 23 Apr 2026
Environmental groups sued the Trump administration on Monday over its approval last month of oil company BP’s ultra deep-water drilling project in the Gulf of Mexico.
Carbon ‘stockpile’ up 9 million in March quarter
10 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | The ‘stockpile’ of pollution permits (NZUs) in private accounts has increased by just over 9 million to almost 145 million since the end of 2025, according to the latest figures from the Environmental Protection Authority.
Victorian Hydrogen announces Southland urea fertiliser project using coal
Wed 22 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Australian-based Victorian Hydrogen has announced it is developing a new 1.5 million-tonne-a-year urea fertiliser operation in Southland, which it will apply for under fast-track legislation.
Supply-side pressures and political uncertainty ahead for carbon market
7 Apr 2026
By Kristen Green | ANALYSIS: With failed auctions, a surge of new forestry registrations, and an election a few months away, the NZ ETS in 2026 will be subject to a mix of supply-side pressures and political uncertainty.
Latest emissions inventory: ‘Something has gone very wrong’
16 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2024 decreased by just 0.1% compared to 2023, in what an expert says is a “terrible result”, compared to faster progress in previous years.
What Magyar’s defeat of Orbán in Hungary means for climate and energy
Tue 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.
Climate pollution static but NZ still on track for first emissions budget, says MfE
17 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand is still on track to meet its first emissions budget, according to the Ministry for the Environment, despite the pace of emissions reductions slowing to a standstill.
Mercury signs major hydro upgrade programme with ANDRITZ
Thu 23 Apr 2026
Media release | Mercury has signed a contract with international technology group ANDRITZ as part of a $590 million upgrade of three of the nine hydro stations on the Waikato River.
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.
Storms hitting New Zealand every eight days
Thu 23 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Storms are now striking New Zealand nearly every week, with new data showing a sharp rise in frequency and intensity as the country reels from repeated flooding and extreme weather events.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transport pollution was the biggest contributor to an increase in New Zealand’s consumption-based emissions in 2023, with emissions from household travel up 12%, and consumption-based emissions totalling 58.3 million tonnes – up 1.6% from the previous year.
NZ cleantech could match forests in emissions cuts – but funding gap looms
Wed 22 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A handful of New Zealand cleantech startups could cut global emissions by 19.2 million tonnes a year by 2030, but a lack of capital is threatening to slow their scale-up, a new report shows.
Clean energy pushes fossil-fuel power into reverse for ‘first time ever’
Wed 22 Apr 2026
Renewable energy has overtaken coal to become the world’s largest source of electricity in 2025, according to thinktank Ember.
Going concern status flags depth of Methanex NZ's gas crisis
Tue 21 Apr 2026
Methanex's New Zealand operation is relying on financial support from its Canadian parent to remain a going concern after a second consecutive year of asset impairments left the business with negative equity.
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.”
Green Party calls for national electrification plan
Mon 20 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party is calling for a national plan to electrify homes, transport and industry using renewable energy, to reduce fossil fuel dependence in response to the Middle East crisis.
Self-interest should drive investment in overseas climate action, says former climate commissioner
13 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Wealthy countries – including New Zealand – aren’t doing nearly enough to fund climate mitigation in the developing world, with new research saying we need to "change the conversation" to spark action in this vital area.
Fonterra admits ‘100% grass-fed’ claim breached law in greenwashing row
2 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Fonterra has admitted its “100% New Zealand grass-fed” claims on Anchor butter were misleading and breached the law, settling a case brought by Greenpeace Aotearoa over packaging used between December 2023 and April 2025.
NZ prepares to join ‘gold rush’ for white hydrogen
25 Mar 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand may be close to commercialising the capture and use of naturally occurring ‘white’ hydrogen, with investment plans for developments in the Wairarapa region picking up pace in response to spiralling oil prices.
Media round-up
20 Mar 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Crown lawyers agree High Court could quash emissions plan if found unlawful; NZ is locked in 'disaster inertia'; and climate change is notably absent from new development laws.
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.
Judge dismisses Trump administration’s bid to block Hawaii climate lawsuit
Mon 20 Apr 2026
It was the second defeat for the Trump administration’s unusual litigation to stop states from acting on climate change.
Tehran will never cede control of Strait of Hormuz, senior Iranian politician tells BBC
Tue 21 Apr 2026
"Never." That's when a senior Iranian lawmaker says they'll be ready to give up their control of the Strait of Hormuz.
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.
Media round-up
17 Apr 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: The fuel crisis is a chance for government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, what would it take to tap into New Zealand's oceans energy, and which political parties would subsidise your rooftop solar panels?
Govt moving to two-yearly ETS updates
Wed 22 Apr 2026
The Government is moving to update ETS settings every two years, rather than each year as it does currently, as part of upcoming changes to climate legislation.
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.
Critical Atlantic current significantly more likely to collapse than thought
17 Apr 2026
The critical Atlantic current system appears significantly more likely to collapse than previously thought after new research found that climate models predicting the biggest slowdown are the most realistic
Kiwis overly optimistic about state of environment
27 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New research suggests many New Zealanders believe the environment is in better shape than it really is, with public perceptions often out of step with scientific evidence.
‘They pushed so many lies about recycling’: the fight to stop big oil pumping billions more into plastics
24 Feb 2026
Plastic production has doubled over the last 20 years – and will likely double again. For author Beth Gardiner, metal water bottles and canvas tote bags are not the solution. So what is?
Steel sector targets 90% emissions cut by 2050
Wed 22 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The steel industry has set out how it plans to decarbonise across the value chain, targeting a 90% cut by 2050.
Thousands protest in Germany urging faster shift to renewable energy, amid Iran war
Mon 20 Apr 2026
Thousands of people demonstrated across Germany on April 18, urging a faster shift to renewable energy and accusing conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition of putting the brakes on the transition.
China has a new competitor? Kazakhstan reveals huge rare Earth deposit that could power the next tech boom
25 Feb 2026
China’s grip on rare earths might finally see some competition, and the world is already taking notice.
Timaru’s buses go fully electric
Thu 23 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Timaru’s bus service is set to go fully electric with the rollout of 10 new vehicles, marking a major step in cutting emissions and advancing Canterbury’s low-carbon public transport network.
UC researcher shortlisted for $1m global planet prize
Thu 23 Apr 2026
Media release | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha University of Canterbury PhD candidate and research associate Daniel Hernández-Carrasco is one of 25 scientists worldwide recognised in the 2026 Frontiers Planet Prize for research helping humanity stay within Earth’s environmental limits.
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.
AI surge gives carbon capture a new push
15 Apr 2026
Technology that captures carbon emissions from power plants may finally get a breakthrough as deep-pocketed tech companies try to meet climate goals while powering the AI race.
Pacific climate response in question as NZ finance remains unclear
19 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With New Zealand's $1.3 billion international climate finance commitment set to end with no clarity on what follows, the Auditor-General says oversight of that funding remains patchy and long-term outcomes are unclear.
India walked away from its bid to host COP33 – here's why
16 Apr 2026
India has quietly abandoned its bid to host the UN's top-tier climate conference COP33, marking a shift from PM Narendra Modi's pledge in 2023. Experts and analysts explore what's behind the decision.
Infrastructure plan calls for ‘predictable approach’ to electrifying economy
18 Feb 2026
Aotearoa’s first National Infrastructure Plan, introduced to Parliament yesterday, calls for "a predictable approach to electrifying the economy" as one of ten priorities for the next decade.
Extreme weather in Wellington ‘a different beast’
Tue 21 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Climate scientist Luke Harrington says the small-scale but intense floods which have slammed the capital in recent days are the kind that intensify most rapidly in a warming climate – and are the hardest to predict.
AI tool predicts wildfire danger faster than current systems
26 Mar 2026
Media release | A wildfire forecasting system powered by artificial intelligence could help detect dangerous fire conditions earlier and reduce the cost of wildfire response, according to new research from Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury.
Record 165 GW of wind power capacity added in 2025, led by China, report says
Wed 22 Apr 2026
The global wind industry installed a record 165 gigawatts of new capacity last year, up 40% from 2024 and mostly driven by China, a report by the Global Wind Energy Council said, adding this still lagged the pace needed to hit a key climate goal.
