Topics tagged with 'Transport'
Carbon pricing on the agenda at Marine Environment Protection Committe this week
7 Jun 2022
This week sees the 78th gathering of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a meeting that is likely to bring shipping closer to a global carbon levy.
Best by the rest...
3 Jun 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media: The farming lobby split over climate policy; the Reserve Bank takes on fuel prices; and Australia pledges climate action in the Pacific.
Carbon offsets may ease your flight guilt, but they aren’t saving the planet
3 Jun 2022
Book a flight and you’ll usually get the option to pay to offset your carbon emissions. In essence, your contribution funds tree planting and other projects intended to counterbalance the carbon you emit.
Auckland's billion-dollar climate budget
2 Jun 2022
Auckland Council's billion-dollar package to help tackle the climate crisis is a step closer, with the proposed annual budget for 2022-2023 released yesterday.
Canterbury cuts its planting programme
1 Jun 2022
Canterbury’s regional council is cutting nearly $3 million from its planting programme, almost two-thirds of the planned spend over 2 years, in a bid to reduce a predicted 24% rate rise.
Public transport missing from NZ California climate MOC
30 May 2022
The New Zealand California climate change memorandum of cooperation, signed over the weekend, makes no mention of public transport unlike an earlier deal between Japan and California.
Best by the rest...
27 May 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media: How will the country meet emissions budgets? Different approaches to mode shift; and the disastrous effects of rising sea temperatures are already being felt.
Partnership aims to decarbonise NZ fleet
26 May 2022
Electric vehicle financer Carbn Group is joining forces with New Zealand fintech PowerFinance, in a partnership they say will accelerate Aotearoa’s transition to sustainable transport.
Government investment to boost coastal shipping
25 May 2022
The New Zealand Shipping Federation has welcomed a $30 million government boost to coastal shipping, which will lead to lower emissions per ton of freight compared to road and rail.
UN body makes ‘breakthrough’ on carbon price proposal for shipping
24 May 2022
Countries have agreed on the need to put a carbon price on shipping emissions after more than a decade of resistance, which campaigners have hailed as a “major breakthrough”.
Waka Kotahi $15 million innovation fund aims to cut emissions
20 May 2022
Waka Kotahi has launched a $15 million innovation fund aimed at reducing emissions, encouraging mode shift, and making the provision of transport more equitable.
10 YEARS AGO...
20 May 2022
Ten years ago, insurer Sovereign was the first company in New Zealand to buy the world’s first mass-produced, fully electric, zero-emission vehicle - the Nissan Leaf.
Will swapping out electric car batteries catch on?
19 May 2022
Without even a touch of the steering wheel, the electric car reverses autonomously into the recharging station.
New JOLT EV charging network for NZ
18 May 2022
Australian company JOLT is partnering with Mitre 10 to roll out a network of free, fast electric vehicle (EV) chargers around New Zealand.
Wellington’s flying fish soars above expectations
13 May 2022
Wellington’s first fast EV ferry is still making waves after two months in service, proving lighter, faster, and more energy efficient than its creators anticipated.
Best by the rest...
13 May 2022
In our Weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media: Congestion charges coming to major cities; climate politics, both here and across the ditch; and how the climate crisis is disproportionately impacting Maori.
What comes after London’s congestion charge?
11 May 2022
When it was introduced in 2003, London’s congestion charge made history: The UK capital was the first major city after Singapore to introduce road pricing for vehicles entering the urban core.
Just one of 50 aviation industry climate targets met: study
11 May 2022
The international aviation industry has failed to meet all but one of 50 of its own climate targets in the past two decades, environment campaigners say.
Native forests cannot realistically compensate for flying
10 May 2022
By Paul Callister - Planetary Ecology blog | Submissions have now closed on a potential law change that would shift the emphasis from fast growing pine and other exotic forests to permanent native forests to absorb our emissions. These are complex debates involving forest ecology, economics, as well as ideology. The decision will have a major impact on long-term land use, especially with regard to marginal farmland. This, in turn, will affect farmer and Mâori landowner decisions on how to...
Norway wants people to park their EVs and ride the bus
10 May 2022
Norway has been incredibly successful at introducing electric vehicles. In 2021, nearly two-thirds of all new vehicle purchases there were EVs, and combustion sales there are set to end just three years from now in 2025. But there's a new problem for the Scandinavian nation: it needs people to stop driving their EVs so much and get on buses and trains.
Electric bus sales overtaking diesel
6 May 2022
Public transport is gradually making the switch to renewable energy, with electric bus imports overtaking diesel for the first time in the past 12 months.
Researchers pinpoint 12 tried-and-true ways to reduce cars in cities
5 May 2022
Cities can reduce the number of cars downtown by up to one-third through a series of carefully designed, layered policies, according to a new study.
Bay of Plenty council aiming for zero corporate emissions
4 May 2022
Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council has reduced its corporate greenhouse gas emissions by 15% since 2019, but still has a long way to go to reach its aim of being carbon neutral by 2050.
Major Japan railway now powered only by renewable energy
4 May 2022
Tokyo’s Shibuya is famed for its Scramble Crossing, where crowds of people crisscross the intersection in a scene symbolizing urban Japan’s congestion and anonymity. It may have added another boasting right.
US postal service sued over purchase of gas guzzling delivery trucks
2 May 2022
The US Postal Service is facing lawsuits from 16 states and several environmental groups challenging its decision to buy tens of thousands of gasoline-powered delivery vehicles instead of electric vehicles.
German carmakers have an uphill struggle to go green
2 May 2022
As Germany speeds up investment in renewables, the energy consumption of its automakers reveals just how reliant the country's most important industry is on fossil fuels, a Reuters analysis of environmental data shows.
German auto association calls for bicycle use to save energy
29 Apr 2022
Europe’s largest motoring association ADAC has called on its members to save fuel and take the bicycle wherever possible to help reduce the reliance on Russian oil imports
New ferries to electrify Auckland Harbour
27 Apr 2022
Two new fully electric ferries will launch in Auckland Harbour from 2024, with $27 million funding announced by the government yesterday. Megan Woods, Minister for Energy and Resources, says the ferries will each “displace” 1000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
Auckland Council in the dock over its transport emissions plans
26 Apr 2022
A case claiming Auckland Transport and Auckland Council’s transport plans fail to deliver any meaningful reductions in emissions gets underway in the Auckland High Court this morning.
Hydrogen cars nothing but greenwash: expert
22 Apr 2022
By Jeremy Rose | For Professor Susan Krumdieck it’s a case of déjà vu: Japanese car giant Toyota, with much fanfare, showcases its latest hydrogen cars. Cars that in the expert opinion of Krumdieck make neither economic nor environmental sense.
Vehicle CO2 emissions fall in 17 Europe markets
22 Apr 2022
Volume weighted average CO2 emissions in some Europe markets fell from 117.7g/km in 2020 to 99g/km last year, following introduction of the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP).
Transport emissions rose 12% in three months in Australia
22 Apr 2022
Transport emissions rose more than 12 per cent in the last three months of 2021 as lockdown restrictions eased across the country, while Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions decreased as renewable electricity generation continued to grow.
On a wing and a prayer: efforts to cut aviation’s carbon footprint
21 Apr 2022
If you jump on your bike and ride out to Christchurch airport for a coffee you can rest easy in the knowledge that your caffeine hit comes with little or no carbon footprint – if on the other hand you arrive or depart on a plane it’s a different, carbon intensive, story.
MTA says leave your car at home
21 Apr 2022
Media Release - The Motor Trade Association has some simple advice for Earth Day tomorrow: leave the car at home.
Riding bikes for climate a life-changer
19 Apr 2022
By Liz Kivi | Christchurch man Simon Kong has gone from non-cyclist to self-described cycling evangelist. Within the space of a year he sold his car, has clocked up 6,683 km cycling, and says he lives “98%” of his life on a bike.
US EV tax credits might increase emissions
19 Apr 2022
The US approach to incentivising electric vehicle adoption may actually increase emissions in the long run, a new study finds — because the wealthy people who are among the only ones able to take advantage of EV tax credits don’t drive their green cars enough to make up for the heavy emissions impact of manufacturing them in the first place.
The quest to build a tiny Bolivian EV
19 Apr 2022
Bolivian startup Quantum Motors makes tiny EVs aimed at the Latin American masses. Will they buy it?
Return of inter-city rail welcomed
13 Apr 2022
The Save Our Trains Campaign says the return of key passenger services is a major win, but the government needs to do more to rebuild passenger rail throughout New Zealand.
Wellingtonians back light rail
13 Apr 2022
Light rail was by far the preferred option for a new mass transit system for the capital among those who submitted to last year's Let's Get Wellington Moving public consultation.
CarbonClick partners with Lima Airport
24 Mar 2022
Media Release - New Zealand enviro tech company CarbonClick welcomes Lima Airport as a partner in the global mission to enable more climate-friendly travel.
No carless days on horizon
23 Mar 2022
Minister of energy Megan Woods has ruled out an International Energy Agency (IEA) proposal for car free Sundays.
A third of drivers eyeing up EVs and hybrids as fuel prices skyrocket
22 Mar 2022
One third of respondents to a Consumer poll said they were considering switching to a hybrid or EV in response to increasing fuel prices.
Free public transport for Simplicity Kiwisaver employees
21 Mar 2022
Simplicity Kiwisaver has given its staff free public transport in an effort to cut the company’s carbon footprint.
High energy costs intensify debate over Europe's carbon plan
18 Mar 2022
A European Union plan to charge fuel suppliers for the CO2 emitted by cars and heating buildings is emerging as the most contentious element in a raft of climate change policies the bloc’s member states are negotiating this year.
3 ways to reimagine public transport for people and the climate
16 Mar 2022
The coronavirus pandemic hit public transport hard. Global ridership tanked initially by as much as 80%, and transit was still at around just 20% of pre-pandemic ridership at the end of 2020. There is serious concern that people will increasingly opt for private vehicles, should public transport not recuperate.
UK ministers urged to promote e-bikes to tackle health and climate crises
14 Mar 2022
Ministers should consider subsidising e-bikes as they do electric cars, campaigners have urged, after a study found that mass use of such bikes could create more than £2bn in health benefits and cut a million tonnes of emissions annually.
Wellington to roll out 166km of cycleways
11 Mar 2022
The Wellington City Council yesterday voted to proceed with a 166km connected cycleway network.
How climate change is disrupting the global supply chain
11 Mar 2022
The Covid pandemic has rightly received most of the blame for global supply chain upheavals in the last two years. But the less publicized threat to supply chains from climate change poses a far more serious threat and is already being felt, scholars and experts say.
Tesla is a complete climate embarrassment: report
9 Mar 2022
A new report grades companies on their efforts to meet the Paris Agreement goals. Microsoft leads the pack while Tesla is bringing up the rear.
U.S. EPA proposing rules to cut emissions from heavy trucks
8 Mar 2022
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday said it was proposing new rules to cut smog-forming and greenhouse gas emissions from heavy duty vehicles.
New courses focus on climate action, activism and creating vision
Fri 12 Sep 2025
Media release | Dark Times Academy’s final lineup of courses for 2025, launching in mid-September, will focus on taking action on climate, learning about practical activism, and creating visions for the future.
Carbon price steady after failed quarterly auction
Tue 16 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | The carbon price has continued to trade in its familiar moribund range in the high $50s following last week’s failed quarterly auction, with ample supply still trading on the secondary market at about $10 below this year’s $68 auction floor.
NZ needs to be part of a regional SAF strategy: Z, Air NZ
9 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand needs to be part of a regional strategic approach to sourcing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with domestic production less the aim than ensuring access to the fuel from one of a number of strategically positioned bio-refineries around the world.
'Non-negotiable' – EU carbon pricing to hit Kiwi exporters, expert warns
Thu 11 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | High carbon exports will inevitably face a high carbon tax at the EU border, possibly in the next five years, and high methane agricultural products might not be exempt, an international expert told a local audience yesterday.
UK foreign aid for nature hits £800m record due to cash for carbon credits
Tue 16 Sep 2025
The UK’s climate-aid spending on “nature protection and restoration” reached record levels of nearly £800m last year, according to government figures obtained by Carbon Brief.
Air NZ declares surprisingly low SAF prices
3 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Air New Zealand is able to source sustainable aviation fuel at between 1.5 and 2.5 times the price of conventional fossil fuels used for flying, all sourced from the US.
No bidders front to carbon auction - again
10 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | Today’s quarterly carbon auction was a non-event yet again, making it the third consecutive auction this year with no bidders, with the secondary market price still limping along at nearly 20% below the auction floor.
US Securities and Exchange Commission chief threatens ban on European accounting rules
Tue 16 Sep 2025
Paul Atkins questions whether overseas companies should be barred from using International Financial Reporting Standards.
'Atrocious' and 'bizarre': experts slam Act Party's climate policy
3 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Act Party is promising to challenge New Zealand’s Paris Agreement climate target, while the coalition Government’s other minor partner, NZ First, also says it wants to reevaluate the country’s commitment to the international treaty.
Industry struggles with double-digit power price hikes
Mon 15 Sep 2025
As power prices surge by double-digit amounts for the second year in a row, industrial users can’t keep absorbing cost increases, the Major Electricity Users’ Group says.
The merchants of doubt are back
3 Sep 2025
OPINION: If you don’t follow climate policy closely, you might not know that the Trump administration is launching an effort to overturn one of the most fundamental pillars of American climate policy.
Milestone for NZ Steel electrification
10 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | NZ Steel has passed an installation milestone for its new electric arc furnace, which will reduce emissions from the Glenbrook steel mill site by as much as one megatonne (1Mt) a year.
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.”
Watts not considering removing electricity from ETS
Tue 16 Sep 2025
Energy and Climate Change Minister, Simon Watts, says he is “not currently considering” removing electricity generation from the Emissions Trading Scheme, as proposed by NZ First Minister Shane Jones.
Wind and solar power fuel over one-third of Brazil's electricity for first time
Mon 15 Sep 2025
Wind and solar power generated more than a third of Brazil’s electricity in August.
Declining sea-ice is altering Antarctic food webs
Thu 11 Sep 2025
A new study shows a significant change in Antarctic phytoplankton over time that could cascade through the marine food web and affect the ocean’s capacity as a carbon sink.
Rising seas will threaten 1.5 million Australians by 2050 – report
Tue 16 Sep 2025
One and a half million Australians living in coastal areas are at risk from rising sea levels by 2050, a landmark climate report has warned.
Marginal drop in last year's regional emissions
27 Aug 2025
Regional greenhouse gas emissions were down slightly last year, with a fall in gas supply leading to a big drop in Taranaki, but more coal burnt leading to higher emissions in Waikato, according to new figures from Stats NZ
Indigenous forest 'islands' could help transition exotic plantations to native bush
Thu 11 Sep 2025
Native forest 'islands' within exotic plantations might be the key to transitioning plantations from exotic to Indigenous, according to new research.
Australia’s biggest gas project greenlit to 2070 with ‘partial’ protection for Indigenous rock art
Mon 15 Sep 2025
Approval met with fury from conservation groups and the Greens, who called it a ‘betrayal’ of Australians who want climate action.
A modest geothermal strategy
31 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The Government has unveiled a far more modest geothermal energy strategy than its primary backer, Resources Minister Shane Jones, had sought.
Why mega-polluters have little to fear from the European Central Bank and its new climate policy
Fri 12 Sep 2025
The European Central Bank plans to raise borrowing costs for climate offenders – but a new FTM analysis shows that big polluters such as Shell will barely feel it.
La Niña set to prolong NZ hydro shortfall
9 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With La Niña favouring a drier-than-normal spring across much of the South Island, hydro lakes are unlikely to recover without substantial rain and late snowmelt – keeping national storage levels below average.
Media round-up
5 Sep 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: The great methane debate; law change scuppers legal challenge to irrigation scheme consent; and what are the energy and climate implications of the $7.5 billion Amazon Web Services data centre deal?
Coal imports up 650%
Fri 12 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams and Liz Kivi | Coal imports are up 650% as generators stockpile the most polluting fossil fuel ahead of next winter.
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
29 Aug 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Changes to road user charges will increase New Zealand's emissions; Climate Change Minister Simon Watts promises better access to hazard data for homeowners; and Kiwis borrow over $1 billion in ‘green loans’ for heat pumps and electric cars.
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.
Apple Watch not a 'CO2-neutral product,' German court finds
28 Aug 2025
Apple can no longer advertise its Apple Watch as a "CO2-neutral product" in Germany, following a court ruling on Tuesday that upheld a complaint from environmentalists, finding that the U.S. tech company had misled consumers.
Forest carbon stores massive blind spot - study
4 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Aotearoa New Zealand’s planted forests hold significant deep soil organic carbon — with over half of it stored below 30 cm, and much of it over 1,000 years old.
Invites-only fast-track for seabed mine slammed as 'rushed, awful'
Fri 12 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With the wider public shut out of submissions, critics including Te Pāti Māori, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining and Greenpeace say the process strips away robust scrutiny and risks setting a dangerous precedent.
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.
Endeavour Fund research to shape NZ’s future
5 Sep 2025
Media release - New Zealand Government | A project that looks to harness the potential of supercritical geothermal energy is amongst 19 ambitious science programmes the Government is backing, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones announced today.
Watts full-throated in National’s support for Paris
10 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Climate Change Minister Simon Watts came to this week’s Climate Change and Business Conference with nothing to announce.
Govt resilience plan 'dangerous fantasy' - thinktank
29 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | An independent thinktank, whose members include former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer and multiple academics, is warning that the government’s long-term resilience strategy ignores physical and energy realities and exposes Kiwi households and businesses to systemic failure.
‘Plastic Cup’ competitions are cleaning up rivers in Hungary
1 Sep 2025
Afloat on DIY boats, teams of volunteers have removed over 450 tons of plastic waste from the Danube and its tributaries.
'Reframe' climate conversations - focus on thriving together, says advisor
Thu 11 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand must mirror its Covid-19 response if it wants to get buy-in from the public on climate action, according to Ministry for the Environment chief advisor Heather Peacocke.
Climate scorecard launched for local elections
Tue 16 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Youth-led climate justice organisation Generation Zero has launched new candidate scorecards for this year’s local body elections, hoping to make climate a key issue.
Underestimating support for climate action limits political decision making, study says
8 Sep 2025
Research reveals huge disparity between perceived and actual willingness of public to contribute to fixing climate.
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.
Solar and battery systems to boost resilience at Tasman community facilities
Tue 16 Sep 2025
Media release: Tasman District Council | Ten community facilities across Tasman District will soon be equipped with solar panels and battery storage, following confirmation of co-funding from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA).
Polar geoengineering ideas 'dangerous'
10 Sep 2025
Geoengineering will not save the polar regions from catastrophic meltdown, according to an expert.
Climate groups want UK wealth tax to make super-rich fund sustainable economy
17 Jul 2025
Growing number of campaigners urge government to ensure green investment is not done ‘on backs of the poor’.
Ara Ake backs 13 projects to unlock NZ’s energy flexibility
Thu 11 Sep 2025
Media release | Ara Ake has approved over $600,000 in funding from the National Flex Discovery Fund for 13 flexibility service providers (FSPs).
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.
Hotter, longer, more frequent: NZ’s escalating heat risk
26 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Heat extremes in New Zealand will intensify faster than previously thought, according to a new study.
Echo Tech secures growth investment to tackle NZ's e-waste crisis
Mon 15 Sep 2025
Media release | Echo Tech Limited, New Zealand’s leading provider of e-waste recycling and IT asset recovery services, is proud to announce a strategic investment from growth equity firm Altered Capital.
Gisborne art show highlights weather impact on well-being
3 Sep 2025
By Zita Campbell, Local Democracy Reporter|A Gisborne artist and community researcher is turning a study on how severe weather impacts health and wellbeing into an art exhibition.
Record UK wildfires have burned an area twice the size of Glasgow in 2025
12 Aug 2025
Wildfires have scorched more than 40,000 hectares of land so far this year across the UK – an area more than twice the size of the Scottish city of Glasgow.
Which countries are scaling solar and wind the fastest?
Fri 12 Sep 2025
The leaderboard is quite different depending on what metric you look at.
