Includes global news relevant to NZ and also retrospective additions
16 May, 2025
NZ Food Safety proposes increasing residue limits of insecticides, pesticides in food - RNZ
"Friday is the final day for the public to have its say on the proposed changes to the maximum residue limits of insecticides, pesticides and animal medicines that end up in our food. New Zealand Food Safety proposed a raft of changes to these maximum residue limits (MRLs), including those of the world's most common herbicide, and here in New Zealand too, glyphosate, which is the active ingredient in weedkillers such as Round Up. The MRL was proposed to increase 100 times the current 0.1 milligrams per kilogram in pre-harvest weed control of wheat, barley and oat grains to 10 milligrams per kilo. Another proposed increase was 6 milligrams per kilogram as a pre-harvest drying agent for pea crops.
Federated Farmers' arable vice-chairman Andrew Darling of South Canterbury, said glyphosate was an "incredibly useful tool" for the whole farming sector, as well as arable. But he said it was not used "willy-nilly" due to its cost, and farmers adhered to good agricultural practices around its use and followed manufacturer suggestions too. However, he said most farmers did not see the need for levels to jump so high. "The current MRL limit on glyphosate, for example, was probably just a default setting," Darling said. "And some survey samples were done about five years ago, I mean the majority were under that 0.1 percent of what it currently is at, with only a handful being over. "We're well below international MRL rates, so a small lift wouldn't be a problem," he said. "But from a Federated Farmers point of view, we struggle to see why it needed to be increased to 100 times what's been from 0.1 percent to 10 percent when we're well underneath that." "
14 May, 2025
Farmers in ‘impossible’ situation if rule quashed, court hears - Newsroom
Canterbury’s regional council raises concerns about costs and consent backlogs if a water pollution rule is invalidated
" “Eight years is simply too long.”
Canterbury’s regional council, ECan, spent much of the second – and last – day of a High Court hearing explaining to Justice Cameron Mander why a judicial review, taken by Environmental Law Initiative, shouldn’t succeed. But if it did, for reasons of delay and prejudice an important “discharge” rule relied on by farmers shouldn’t be quashed, the council argued. Lawyer Lucy de Latour, for ECan, said the pertinent section of the land and water regional plan at the centre of this case had been operative since 2015, and the delay, as her quote above suggests, had been too long. “Why? Delay and prejudice are intertwined. At the end of day, things have moved on.”
The Law Initiative’s case is that rule 5.63 of Canterbury’s regional plan is unlawful because ECan, and the independent hearing commissioners who made recommendations to the council, didn’t assess the likely effects under section 70 of the Resource Management Act. That section – also the focus of a controversial Court of Appeal decision involving Southland’s regional council – is designed to protect waterways from so-called diffuse discharges, which work their way from land into groundwater. It says before farming-related discharges are made a permitted activity, meaning farmers don’t need a resource consent, a council has to be “satisfied” significant adverse environmental effects on aquatic life aren’t likely to arise."
12 May, 2025
Govt mulled, then scratched, home solar incentive - Newsroom
Then-energy minister Simeon Brown pushed back against efforts to introduce new climate policies in ministerial discussions last year, new documents reveal
"Incentives to boost the uptake of rooftop solar by homeowners and decarbonisation agreements with big emitters were among the policies considered by the Government last year, as it sought to bridge the gap between business as usual and New Zealand’s ambitious climate targets. Documents released by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment show Climate Change Minister Simon Watts wrote to then-energy minister Simeon Brown in September, asking him to search for more policies beyond the Government’s Electrify NZ plan and new carbon capture regulations. Those two policies, already announced by the Government at that stage, were projected to reduce energy emissions by just 0.3 percent over the second half of the decade. A number of new policies were considered by officials and ministers after Watts’ letter. Only one made it into the final draft of the Government’s emissions reduction plan, however: “a domestic ministerial woody bioenergy taskforce to identify strategic opportunities for bioenergy”, or burning wood for energy."
12 May, 2025
Ministers continue to make decisions on fast-track projects after parties take donations linked to applicants - RNZ
"Ministers Shane Jones and Chris Bishop continued to make decisions about several fast-track projects despite their respective parties receiving donations linked to the applicants. One political scientist says such donations could be perceived as a conflict of interest and erode public trust in government. However, both ministers said that donations to parties were not considered to be a conflict. "The long-standing approach of the Cabinet Office to donations to political parties is that they are not generally treated as resulting in a pecuniary conflict of interest for individual Ministers belonging to the party," a statement said."
09 May, 2025
Watchdog warns of ‘grave danger’ if science reform botched - Newsroom
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment insisted on the preservation of existing databases, an interdisciplinary approach to research and funding for fundamental science
"The country’s highest environmental authority has escalated his concerns over science sector reforms to the Prime Minister, warning of a “major step backwards” if the Government ignores the advice of its own commissioned report. Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton sent a series of letters to Minister for Science Innovation and Technology Shane Reti. In a rare occurrence, unsatisfied with Reti’s response, Upton elevated his concerns to the Prime Minister. He warned that the Government’s economic growth-driven goals as well as a basic understanding of New Zealand’s physical situation were at stake if environmental datasets and research were lost in the move to a new public research system. Upton’s correspondence largely focused on the role of foundational research, a concern consistently brought up by the scientific community when discussing the sector’s overhaul.
Auckland University’s Professor Frédérique Vanholsbeeck called this research “the spring end of the river”, and told Newsroom, “If you don’t have the source, if you don’t have the knowledge, there is no innovation.” The system overhaul includes merging the seven Crown Research Institutes into three Public Research Organisations, with the addition of a fourth new one focused on advanced technology. Vanholsbeeck’s field – optics and biophotonics – would fall into this new field. Upton said that while he could see the need to simplify the sector, sorting these groups incorrectly would cause “grave damage” to New Zealand’s national research capabilities. He was concerned about the appropriateness of placing Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research into the agribusiness-focused bioeconomy Public Research Organisation."
06 May, 2025
Law change protects vulnerable roads and mines from skinks, geckos and frogs - Newsroom
Resources Minister Shane Jones says the best argument for stopping goldmine is that vibrations will disturb the mating of endangered frogs – and that’s not a good enough reason
"Cabinet has agreed to excuse road builders, developers and mining companies for the incidental killing of native wildlife, legislating over the top of a High Court judgment. Under the Wildlife Act, there had been a longstanding Department of Conservation practice of retrospectively authorising deaths, as long as construction companies had jumped through all the agreed hoops to minimise risk to animals in the path of their projects. But that came to a head when the Environmental Law Initiative took the department to court over the NZ Transport Agency’s construction of state highway 3 around Mt Messenger in North Taranaki
n March, to the dismay of ministers and infrastructure firms, Justice Jason McHerron ruled the law was being wrongly applied. Conservation Minister Tama Potaka has said the decision could delay other approved projects including new solar and wind farms, plantation forests, and powerline maintenance essential for supporting a growing economy. It would also affect other conservation work, for example pest control. So he’s moved quickly to overrule the judgment, introducing a law change this week that’s expected to get projects such as a new fast-track OceanaGold mine back on track, despite concerns about the Waihi mine’s impact on the endangered Archey’s frog. Environmental Law Initiative legal director Dr Matt Hall says the changes appear to be designed to give the NZ Transport Agency immunity from prosecution for any Wildlife Act offences committed at Mt Messenger."
06 May, 2025
Crown drops charges against three Passenger Rail protesters - RNZ
"Charges have been dropped for three Passenger Rail protestersfacing a retrial in Wellington District Court. Four members of the group were charged with endangering transport, related to climate protests that brought rush-hour traffic to a halt in Wellington, in October 2022. On 10 March, jurors found Andrew Sutherland not guilty, but after more than three days of deliberations they were unable to reach a verdict for Michael Apathy, Thomas Taptiklis and Te Wehi Ratana. The jury was dismissed and a retrial ordered. But on Tuesday the Crown confirmed it would not be pursuing the case and asked that the charges be withdrawn."
All four defendants faced charges of endangering transport- which carried a maximum 14-year jail term - related to three protests in October 2022 that called for passenger rail services to be restored."
01 May, 2025
Hydrogen and biofuel setbacks force Air NZ to chart new emissions course - Newsroom
An Air NZ-Airbus initiative to build a 100-seater hydrogen plane has stalled, coming just after Meridian shelved its big Southern Green Hydrogen project
As rising gales force the red “cancelled” message to flash up on airport departure boards this week, Air NZ is facing its own perfect storm. Delays to the delivery of eight more fuel-efficient Boeing 787 Dreamliners and difficulty obtaining affordable sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) have combined with Airbus pausing the development of hydrogen-fuelled planes that were touted as the future of domestic travel. At the same time, Meridian has quietly announced that it’s shelved its big Southern Green Hydrogen project, saying the economics don’t work to produce green hydrogen at scale.
Proponents have argued that hydrogen fuel cells would enable heavy trucks, ships and planes to decarbonise; the Labour government invested at least $62 million in hydrogen projects, and the coalition Government put in $30m last year for the more broadly-focused Low Emissions Heavy Vehicle Fund. The Government’s hydrogen action plan, released just before Christmas, aims to enable private investment in low-emissions hydrogen through supportive regulation, reducing barriers for consenting, and supporting access to international investment and markets. But MBIE’s energy markets sector director Peter Bartlett says there needs to be more affordable and secure electricity if hydrogen is to be viable. “Addressing the cost of electricity – one of the major barriers to hydrogen projects – is a key focus for the energy portfolio right now.”
Rio Tinto’s deal to continue operating its power-hungry Tiwai Point aluminium smelter was a big factor in Meridian indefinitely pausing its hydrogen production plans in Southland; they would have been fighting over the same hydro electricity. And there are supply chain questions about how large volumes of hydrogen would be piped, trucked or shipped to places where it would be needed, like the country’s major airports. Air NZ’s American development partner Universal Hydrogen was wound up last year, after failing to secure further funding to develop its hydrogen fuel cell powertrain. Such setbacks contributed to the “uncertainty” that’s led Air NZ chief executive Greg Foran and chief sustainability officer Kiri Hannifin to water down the national carrier’s 2030 emissions reductions target."
30 April, 2025
New RMA’s ‘chilling effect’ on councils threatened with court action - Newsroom
Local councils could decide to pursue advanced environmental protection measures, but they’ll have to compensate landowners
"Under the proposed replacement for the Resource Management Act, ratepayers would foot the bill for any environmental protections their council sets beyond the national minimum. The new system would have local councils define and justify protections beyond the national standards, but they would have to pay compensation to any landowners whose property was rendered less valuable or less usable as a result. The Environmental Defence Society warned this would have a “chilling effect” on councils with thin budgets, who may see the prospect of widening protections as not worth the hassle."
29 April, 2025
New fleet of electric double-decker buses launched in West Auckland - 1News
Twenty-six new electric double-decker buses have been launched in West Auckland, part of the city's desire to fully replace its diesel fleet within the next decade.
"On Sunday, the new double-deckers, part of a 44-strong electric bus rollout, began service on the Western Express bus line, WX1, from Westgate to the CBD. Passengers would experience a smoother and quieter ride with less external air pollution. The new electric fleet also includes buses equipped with wireless phone charging pads for passengers and protection shields for drivers. Auckland Transport (AT) fleet specification manager Edward Wright said there was a 2030 target for all buses entering the city centre to be electric. Auckland now has 224 electric buses, which AT said meant it operated more electric buses than any other city in Australasia. "Each of these new double-decker electric buses can fit 100 passengers, and we have boosted capacity on the WX1 service by an additional 7333 seats every weekday, and 51,000 seats every week," Wright said. "We’re adding another 31 electric buses to our fleet by the end of June. By August next year, we will have a fleet of 450 electric buses, which is around a third of the 1350 buses that operates AT’s services. "Longer term, we have plans in place for Auckland’s bus fleet to be fully electric by 2035." "
28 April, 2025
Why the climate commission says more carbon credits are needed - Newsroom
The Government could auction 13.6 million carbon units for $1.1 billion more over the remainder of the decade, the climate commission said
"The independent Climate Change Commission has surprised commentators and the carbon market by recommending the Government increase the number of carbon credits it sells in the coming years. In its annual advice on Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) settings, the commission advised the Government it could auction a total of 13.6 million units between 2028 and 2030 for at least $1.1 billion, above what current settings would allow. Each unit permits the release of a tonne of carbon dioxide-equivalent greenhouse gases. On price controls, the other component of carbon market settings, the commission recommended only technical changes. It said the Government’s proposal last year to drop the price floor had “contributed to volatile and low unit prices and to declined NZ ETS auctions” and warned that “any new signal that the [floor] might be lowered would be likely to further damage market confidence”.
28 April, 2025
Ministers rejected advice to review climate grants - RNZ
"Ministers rejected advice to take a hard look at hundreds of millions of dollars in climate grants to the likes of NZ Steel, Methanex, Rio Tinto, and Fletcher Building. Inland Revenue and Treasury told the government there was no proper evidence that yearly subsidies to some of the country's biggest carbon polluters were needed. Their recommendation for a thorough review was met with a no thanks from Minister Simon Watts. "The fact that the Minister blocked this is disappointing," said Alex Johnston of the Don't Subsidise Pollution campaign. "It's raising the question of whether this is an expensive system that's inconsistent with our carbon targets, but might not actually be based on any evidence of real risk."
The free carbon credits were meant to be a transitional measure to shield firms from unfair competition from countries without carbon prices and climate targets. The scheme mainly benefits five firms deemed to be exposed to trade competition: Methanex, Fletcher Building, the Tiwai Point smelter, Ballance, and NZ Steel, which is owned by Bluescope. Together, these producers of methanol, concrete, aluminium, fertiliser and steel receive hundreds of millions of dollars a year in the form of free carbon credits, which the government could otherwise sell. Inland Revenue and Treasury said a review might show a cheaper scheme would achieve the object, meaning the government could re-allocate some of that money to other priorities. The subsidies were meant to be a transitional measure, running from 2010-2030, but they have been extended. At the current rate of phaseout - of 1 percent a year, rising to 3 percent in the 2040s - the government could still be subsiding heavy emitters in 2060. That is despite the government having a goal of being carbon neutral in 2050."
26 April, 2025
Winning essay: Deliberating on a future for democracy in NZ - Newsroom
Anzac Day commemorates those who fought for our democracy. Now, Mika Hervel, the winner of the inaugural Rod Oram Memorial Essay Prize asks, is it time to reconsider how we do democracy?
Mika Hervel, 23, is the inaugural winner of the Rod Oram Memorial Essay Prize, celebrating Oram's search for solutions to help us live better in Aotearoa New Zealand and in a changing world.
"Comment: Democracy globally is in crisis. Around the world we are seeing the rise of nationalism and declining trust in democratic institutions. Politicians, even in Aotearoa, undermine the authority of core institutions like the media and the courts, which are critical for a functioning democracy. To live well together, in Aotearoa and globally, requires re-examining and strengthening democracy. To tackle pressing social, environmental and political issues such as climate change, economic inequality and political polarisation requires devolving political decision-making power into the hands of ordinary citizens using citizens assemblies. This is deliberative democracy, and it can help humanity overcome our problems and build a new, stronger democracy. But how can failing democracies be fixed by more democracy? To answer that question requires a look at what deliberative democracy is, how it works, and what outcomes it produces.
Deliberative democracy involves selecting a random group of citizens, informing them about a particular topic and allowing them to discuss it and decide together. Good representation and quality deliberation are core principles of deliberative democracy. Factors such as age, socio-economic status, education, religious background and ethnicity are accounted for to ensure the group is diverse and broadly represents the wider population. Multiple facilitated workshops are held where the citizens hear from experts and engage with evidence about whatever the decision is about. Once citizens have had a chance to be informed about the topic at hand, they engage in discussion, considering one another’s perspectives and available evidence. Based on evidence, consideration of different perspectives brought by the diverse range of participants and rational discussion, the participants submit recommendations for the decision-maker to implement. Deliberative democracy aims to seek consensus among participants, although voting can still be used when necessary to come to a decision. Deliberative democracy of this sort works similarly to a jury and can be used at every level where multiple people need to make a decision, from suburb, town, city, region or to make nationwide decisions. ....."
26 April, 2025
Kiwi citizens’ assembly succeeds in ‘experiment’ to find climate solutions - Newsroom
As democratic institutions struggle to deal with crises like climate change, some are looking to alternative, deliberative forms of decision-making
"A citizens’ assembly of 100 Porirua locals has provided the city council with more than a dozen recommendations about how to tackle climate change and make sure the region is resilient to worsening extreme weather events. Ranging from expanding access to renewable energy and incentivising the planting of native trees through to the establishment of a Youth Council and creating a marae resilience programme, the recommendations go beyond just the environment to social and economic considerations as well. Ngāti Toa Rangatira chief executive Helmut Modlik, who helped create the Porirua Assembly, hails it as a successful demonstration of the power of deliberative democracy."
A looming 2025 deadline to switch to more sustainable packaging was removed by the environment minister, who plans to work with the packaging industry on alternative options
Plans to phase out all polystyrene and PVC food packaging have been indefinitely pushed out by the coalition Government as part of its new waste strategy. Single-use plastics have been phased out in two tranches so far under plans developed by the last government, but Cabinet decided to postpone the final one in December 2024. In Minister for the Environment Penny Simmonds’ new waste strategy, a formal removal of the deadline was notified. According to Simmonds, the delay was all about working with the packaging industry to find better solutions, even though the industry had already spent three years preparing for the incoming bans.
In 2021, Consumer NZ participated in a multi-national survey of recycling practices. The results showed 57 percent of plastics consumed in New Zealand were not recyclable in practice, second-worst only to Brazil. A three-phase targeted solution to the nation’s recycling problem was announced months later by then-environment minister David Parker to be administered by the Ministry for the Environment. Shaun Lewis, the ministry’s general manager of waste system and operations, told Newsroom the purpose of the plastic phase-outs was to “increase the recyclability of plastic packaging by reducing the use of hard-to-recycle plastics, and eliminate unnecessary single-use plastic items to reduce harm from litter and micro-plastics”. "
12 April, 2025
Glaciers have lost volume equivalent to a third of Lake Taupō since 2005 - 1News
New Zealand glaciers have lost the equivalent of over a third of Lake Taupō in volume since 2005, updated official statistics show.
"Stats NZ said total glacier ice volumes in Aotearoa New Zealand shrank by 42% between 2005 and 2023. That was a 22 km3 decrease, equal to 37% of the volume of Lake Taupō. The World Meteorological Organization has said that at current rates of melting, many glaciers in western Canada and the United States, Scandinavia, central Europe, the Caucasus and New Zealand "will not survive the 21st century". Changes in glacier volumes are important indicators of climate change," Stats NZ environment statistics spokesperson Tehseen Islam said. Melting glaciers raise sea levels as well as changing rivers flows and hydro dam inflows in the South Island. Between April 2022 and March 2023, ice volumes dropped 6.5%, or 2.1 km3, said Stats NZ."
07 April, 2025
Many native New Zealand species face threat of extinction, report finds - The Guardian
A three-yearly environmental update issues stark warning over biodiversity – and reports air pollution has improved in some areas
"A major new report on New Zealand’s environment has revealed a worrying outlook for its unique species and highlighted declining water health, while also noting some improvements in air quality. The ministry of the environment’s three-yearly update, Our Environment 2025, collates statistics, data and research across five domains – air, atmosphere and climate, freshwater, land, and marine – to paint a picture of the state of New Zealand’s environment. James Palmer, the ministry’s secretary for the environment, said the findings in the report were a “mixed bag”. “It does highlight the real risks to people, communities and places, which left unaddressed threaten our livelihoods and our quality of life for generations to come,” Palmer said. “But the report also shows that there are reasons for optimism.”
The report painted a sobering picture for New Zealand’s indigenous animals, with 76% of freshwater fish, 68% of freshwater birds, 78% of terrestrial birds, 93% of frogs, and 94% of reptiles threatened with extinction or at risk of becoming threatened. “New Zealand’s unique biodiversity has a high proportion of threatened or at-risk species – one of the highest amid the global biodiversity crisis”, the report said, noting that land use, pollution, invasive species and climate change can all have an impact on biodiversity. The report also found the most widespread water quality issue affecting groundwaters was the presence of E coli – a bacteria found in the guts of animals and humans that can cause serious illness and has been linked to farming and cities in New Zealand."
12 March, 2025
Greenpeace accuses government climate panel of only listening to 'vested interests' - RNZ
"Greenpeace is accusing a government climate panel of only listening to "vested interests" when preparing a major report into New Zealand's methane targets. A government-appointed panel was asked to review the science of methane, which makes up 43 percent of New Zealand's emissions, according to government figures. The review came about after heavy lobbying from farmer groups such as Federated Farmers and Groundswell, which opposes any form of price on farming's greenhouse gases. The panel only met with two groups when it was preparing its findings, one of which was a group affiliated with Groundswell called the Methane Science Accord. The group questions whether global heating is anything to worry about and says farmers are not measurably heating the planet.
... Greenpeace received details of submissions and the panel's meeting process under the Official Information Act.
... The panel confirmed to RNZ that it met with only the Accord and a technology investor called Agrizero. Asked why those two were selected, chair Nicola Shadbolt said the panel was not required to meet with stakeholders as part of its Terms of Reference.
... "An attempt was made to meet with the PCE, however calendars did not allow for this to happen. While the Panel received some additional requests from submitters to talk to their submission, the process allowed for submissions of evidence and not meeting with each submitter." "
03 March, 2025
Fossil fuel advocate who slammed clean energy grants joins energy agency board - RNZ
"An oil and gas lobbyist was appointed to the board of the country's main energy-saving agency, despite having slammed the agency's clean energy grants as harming the fossil fuel industry. Former Energy Minister Simeon Brown added John Carnegie to the board of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) in December 2024. Carnegie had criticised one of the agency's functions - giving out grants helping companies get off coal and gas - because it was shrinking demand for fossil fuels. He was speaking as head of New Zealand's peak fossil fuel lobby group Energy Resources Aotearoa, a role he still holds.
In a July interview on online channel The Platform, Carnegie called grants for moving to electric boilers "state-subsidised demand destruction". Host Michael Laws asked him about energy security for winter 2025, calling winter 2024 "one of the coldest on record". Meteorological record shows winter 2024 was the third-warmest on record. Carnegie was asked how the oil and gas industry could feel confident searching for more oil and gas when government policy kept changing. He replied: "The question I'm being asked, and it will be the first question the new minister is asked, is what can he do to avoid a policy flip flop in, let's be optimistic, nine years time, maybe six years time," he said [if voters elected Labour]."
20 February, 2025
Two-thirds of the Earth’s surface experienced record heat in 2024. See where and by how much – visualised - The Guardian
"In oceans and on land, from the north to the south pole, records were smashed for the monthly average temperature. Two-thirds of the world’s surface was scorched by a month or more of record-breaking heat, Guardian analysis of satellite data can reveal. In oceans and on land, from Colombia to China, and from the north to south pole, records for the monthly average temperature were smashed time and time again last year – in some cases, by as much as 5C (9F) hotter than the previous record. The Guardian took the average temperatures for each month in 2024, as recorded by the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), and compared them with the hottest month since 1979. Anywhere coloured in yellow through to red on the map broke a temperature record – something that scientists have warned represents “the widespread, accelerating impact of human-induced climate change”."
20 February, 2025
New Zealand's glaciers have shrunk by 29% since 2000 - 1News
A New Zealand glacier expert sounding the alarm on climate change feels like she is yelling into the void as yet another study shows our glaciers are rapidly shrinking.
"The grim news - published in scientific journal Nature today - showed glaciers were retreating world-wide at an increasing pace, with New Zealand's ranking third highest in percentage of glacial mass loss since the start of the century. Researchers analysing glacier data sets from across the globe between 2000 and 2023 found the speed of retreat increased in the past 10 years compared to the decade prior. Since 2000, New Zealand's glaciers had shrunk by 29%, while glaciers in Central Europe had diminished by as much 39% and in the Middle East by 35%.
The study found global glacier mass loss was about 18% larger than the loss of ice from the Greenland Ice Sheet and more than twice that from the Antarctic Ice Sheet - and the world was facing continued and potentially accelerated glacial melt until the end of this century. According to University of Canterbury associate professor Heather Purdie, New Zealand's glaciers could be considered the canary in the coalmine for climate change, due to their size and proximity to the ocean. She said being comparatively small and surrounded by warm seas meant New Zealand's glacier's were particularly vulnerable to global temperature increases, therefore "responding the first and fastest to climate change". Purdie said the study was yet another one validating what scientists had been beating their drum about for decades and confirmed what glaciologists were seeing from the top of the Southern Alps to the bottom - glaciers were shrinking and the rate of melt had increased in recent years."
"NZ companies have been quietly abandoning their climate targets without mentioning that fact to the public, says an expert in sustainable business. Air NZ made headlines last year when it announced it would not meet its much publicised 2030 target. The airline had set its target under the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTI), a global non-profit that independently verifies company targets as being in line with collective efforts to keep the planet under 1.5 degrees heating.
But Associate Professor Pii-Tuulia Nikula of the Eastern Institute of Technology said several New Zealand companies had dropped out quietly without any announcement, after publicising joining the scheme. "There are currently business in the SBTI database from New Zealand that have expired commitments, so basically they have made a commitment but then failed to actually set a target within the deadline. At least one of them is still promoting their target without mentioning that it has actually expired," she said. Other companies had set and even met their initial targets, when the scheme was easier to join, but quietly exited after finding progress too tough, she said.
Despite facing criticisms of being too lenient, SBTI is widely seen as the gold standard for certification, because of its global reach and independence. The net-zero validator started removing companies who did not meet its requirements in 2023. Its new standard requires companies to tackle supply chains emissions as well as direct emissions. Some companies dropped out after realising they had not thought through whether they could actually set and meet an ambitious target, said Nikula. RNZ approached three companies who have been removed or withdrawn from the scheme. None wanted to be interviewed, but they each sent emailed statements in reply."
20 January, 2025
Trump signs order to withdraw US from Paris climate agreement for second time - The Guardian
On first day back as president, Trump signs letter giving notice to UN of US exit from treaty seeking to curb climate crisis effects
"Donald Trump on Monday moved to withdraw the US, the world’s second biggest emitter of planet-heating pollution, from the Paris climate agreement for a second time, and put the United Nations on notice. On his first day back as president, Trump signed an executive order on stage in front of supporters at an arena in Washington DC which he said was aimed at quitting what he called the “unfair one-sided Paris climate accord rip off”. He also signed a letter to the United Nations giving it notice that the US was exiting, which starts the formal process of withdrawal from the world’s main effort to mitigate the worst impacts of the climate crisis. It will take about a year for the withdrawal to be formalized. When enacted, the US will join Iran, Libya and Yemen as the only countries outside the global agreement, which Joe Biden had rejoined in 2021 after Trump confirmed he would exit it in his first term in 2017.
... Trump has also pledged to reverse Biden’s efforts to grow the US’s clean energy sector, which Trump has called “the green new scam”, promising in his inauguration address to “drill baby drill” and remove all limits on America’s booming fossil fuel industry. The fossil fuel industry is expected to expand further during Trump’s second presidency despite already producing record amounts of oil. Under Biden, the country became the world’s biggest gas producer and last year saw a record 758 oil and gas drilling licenses issued. One estimate before Trump won last November’s election calculated his return to the White House could add 4bn tonnes to US emissions by 2030."
19 January, 2025
The Guardian view on development’s paradox: the rich benefit more than the poor Editorial - The Guardian
The global south needs a fairer deal than this one, in which it funds the lifestyle and wealth of the global north
"The World Bank calculated last month that the rich world earned more than $1.4tn (£1.15tn) in loan repayments from the developing world in 2023, with the sums likely to top $2tn a year by 2030. Rich countries have in effect become the world’s bankers, squeezing debtors in the global south. Poorer nations are forced to borrow in rich-world currencies to pay for their energy and food, while their exports consist mainly of low-value goods compared with their imports.
Colonial patterns of extraction plainly did not disappear with the withdrawal of troops, flags and bureaucrats. Whether a debt crisis in the developing world occurs depends on decisions beyond its control. The risk increases if US interest rates rise and if poor nations’ exports – often priced by commodity speculators or wealthy-world buyers – fail to generate enough dollar reserves to stabilise their exchange rates.
Developing countries struggle to break out of a trading and financial system skewed against them because the global north’s economic growth still depends on extracting their resources and labour. A 2022 study calculated that from 1990 to 2015, wealthier nations “drained” the poor world of $242tn (in 2010 prices), worth roughly a quarter of global-north income. The authors argued this shift takes place subtly and almost invisibly, without the overt coercion of the colonial apparatus and therefore without provoking moral outrage. However, “unequal exchange” was behind global inequality, uneven development and ecological degradation."
18 January, 2025
NZ’s climate credentials on the line in 2025 - Newsroom
In February alone, New Zealand will set a new Paris emissions target and repeal a ban on offshore oil and gas exploration
"Two key events in February will set the direction of New Zealand’s clean, green reputation for the rest of the year – and perhaps even many years to come. First, the Government must announce its next emissions reduction target under the Paris Agreement by February 10. Then, later in the month, the Crown Minerals Amendment Bill will come up for final consideration in Parliament. When passed, the legislation will repeal the previous government’s ban on new offshore oil and gas exploration and potentially prompt diplomatic reprisals.The Paris target will be closely scrutinised. Only one other developed country, the United Kingdom, has announced its new target so far. That was a commitment to cut climate pollution 81 percent by 2035.However, a Newsroom analysis in November found it would be extremely difficult for New Zealand to make the same commitment. Even a 60 percent cut would require New Zealand to purchase 79 million overseas carbon credits between 2031 and 2035, at a likely cost of well over $100 per credit.
New Zealand’s heavy reliance on overseas credits comes for two reasons. One, we’ve got few tools to cut pollution from livestock, which makes up half of our emissions, and aren’t using the ones we have. Instead, we’re relying on future technologies to save the day, but they may not come online. In the interim, we’ll have to buy credits to offset those emissions. Two, we’re not even doing a particularly good job of cutting the rest of our emissions. The Government’s new climate plan released in December, for example, will reduce annual transport emissions by just 0.016 percent over the five years to 2030. Overall, the policies in the plan cut emissions by 1 percent."
14 January, 2025
Nobel and World Food Prize Winners Call for ‘Moonshot’ Effort to Curb Global Hunger - Ecowatch
"An open letter calling for efforts to increase food production to avert a world hunger catastrophe has been signed by more than 150 winners of the Nobel and World Food Prizes. The signatories made a plea for political and financial backing to come up with “moonshot” technologies in the next quarter century, a press release from the World Food Prize said. The laureates warned that humans were “not even close” to meeting the global food needs of the future. The letter predicted that, by mid-century, humanity would be faced with an “even more food insecure, unstable world,” unless international efforts to support the latest research and innovation were ramped up."
11 January, 2025
2024 was the world's warmest year in recorded history - 1News
Earth recorded its hottest year ever in 2024, with such a big jump that the planet temporarily passed a major climate threshold, weather monitoring agencies announced.
"It's the first time in recorded history that the planet was above a hoped-for limit to warming for an entire year, according to measurements from four of the six teams. Scientists say if Earth stays above the threshold long-term, it will mean increased deaths, destruction, species loss and sea level rise from the extreme weather that accompanies warming. And that would come on top of a year of deadly climate catastrophes — 27 billion-dollar disasters in the US alone in 2024 — and as 2025 begins with devastating wildfires in southern California.
Last year's global average temperature easily passed 2023's record heat and kept going. It surpassed the long-term warming limit of 1.5C since the late 1800s that was called for by the 2015 Paris climate pact, according to the European Commission's Copernicus Climate Service, the United Kingdom's Meteorology Office, Japan's weather agency and the private Berkeley Earth team.
... "The primary reason for these record temperatures is the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere" from the burning of coal, oil and gas, said Samantha Burgess, strategic climate lead at Copernicus. "As greenhouse gases continue to accumulate in the atmosphere, temperatures continue to increase, including in the ocean, sea levels continue to rise, and glaciers and ice sheets continue to melt."
... Scientists were quick to point out that the 1.5 goal is for long-term warming, now defined as a 20-year average. Warming since pre-industrial times over the long term is now at 1.3C. "The 1.5C threshold isn't just a number — it's a red flag. Surpassing it even for a single year shows how perilously close we are to breaching the limits set by the Paris Agreement," Northern Illinois University climate scientist Victor Gensini said in an email.
... Scientists remain split on whether global warming is accelerating. There's not enough data to see an acceleration in atmospheric warming, but the heat content of the oceans seem to be not just rising but going up at a faster rate, said Carlo Buontempo, Copernicus' director. This is all like watching the end of "a dystopian sci-fi film," said University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann. "We are now reaping what we've sown." "
10 January, 2025
Wealthiest 1% Have Used Up Their Share of World’s Carbon Budget in Just 10 Days, Analysis Finds - Ecowatch
"According to a new analysis by the nonprofit organization Oxfam Great Britain (Oxfam GB), the wealthiest 1% of people in the world have already exhausted their annual share of the global carbon budget. One’s annual share of the carbon budget is the amount of carbon emissions per person that can be added into the atmosphere while remaining within the target for no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming compared to pre-industrial times. The richest 1%, which includes 77 million people such as billionaires and millionaires, surpassed their share of the carbon budget in just the first 10 days of 2025. By comparison, someone in the poorest 50% of the global population would use up just their share of the annual global carbon budget in 1,022 days. “The future of our planet is hanging by a thread, yet the super-rich are being allowed to continue to squander humanity’s chances with their lavish lifestyles and polluting investments,” Chiara Liguori, senior climate justice policy advisor for Oxfam GB, said in a statement. “Governments need to stop pandering to the richest polluters and instead make them pay their fair share for the havoc they’re wreaking on our planet. Leaders who fail to act are culpable in a crisis that threatens the lives of billions.”
The carbon budget that Oxfam GB used in the analysis is based on the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), which noted that maintaining under 1.5 degrees Celsius warming would allow for a median of about 24 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO2e) by 2030, at which time population is estimated to be around 8.5 billion. As Oxfam GB reported, this total divided by the 8.5 billion people gave the estimated carbon budget per person per year to be around 2.1 metric tons. Not only are the ultra-wealthy using well beyond their share of the carbon budget, but the ways that they are emitting are not providing economic benefits to society."
18 December, 2024
‘Dark day for New Zealand’: outcry as bill to fast-track controversial mining projects is approved - The Guardian
Critics and opposition parties vow to oppose major projects they fear could damage the environment
"A new law that could see controversial mining and infrastructure projects fast-tracked for approval across New Zealand has sparked protests in parliament and vows from critics and opposition parties to stop proposals that they fear will wreak havoc on the environment. The coalition government’s Fast-Track Approvals legislation passed into law on Tuesday, despite thousands of public submissions opposing it. “The passing of this law is a dark day for New Zealand,” said Richard Capie, a spokesperson at conservation organisation Forest and Bird. “It slashes environmental protections, silences local voices, and is an affront to good law-making.”
The law creates a “one-stop shop” consenting regime for regionally and nationally significant projects, to help rebuild the economy, said two of the ministers responsible for the law, Chris Bishop and Shane Jones. “For too long New Zealanders have had to put up with overly restrictive planning rules that stifle much-needed economic growth,” infrastructure minister Bishop said in a statement. The law will allow some projects – including mining, roads, marine farms and renewable energy – to access fast-track consent, which could bypass existing environmental protections and consenting methods.
The government has selected 149 projects for referral to an environment committee, which will then approve or reject an application. The list of projects includes 44 housing developments, 43 roading, rail and public transport projects, 22 renewable energy projects and 11 mining projects.
... Possible conflicts of interest and industry interests were regularly flagged, including roughly $500,000 in donations to the parties from companies or shareholders connected to some of the projects. Bishop and regional development minister Shane Jones told RNZ that perceived or actual conflicts of interest were managed during the selection process for projects to be included in the bill. The government’s initial plan to give three ministers unprecedented power to approve applications had to be watered down after a strident backlash, while issues of transparency over the projects were highlighted by the ombudsman.
The potential threats to the environment have generated heated opposition, with thousands marching in protest and nearly 30,000 public submissions on the bill, one of highest numbers ever submitted about a piece of legislation. Bishop told media in June that looking after the environment was “extremely important” but the government had a mandate to grow the economy. “There’s no doubt that we are changing the balance away from a sole focus on environmental effects and management of those effects towards development.” "
16 December, 2024
NZ swims against Pacific currents at global climate case - Newsroom
New Zealand’s arguments before the ‘World’s Court’ look progressive but ultimately align with polluters and developed nations, a law lecturer says
"New Zealand has argued states shouldn’t be bound by international human rights law to reduce their climate pollution, in its submission to a landmark climate case being heard by the International Court of Justice. While New Zealand supported the bid from Pacific youth and the Vanuatu government to ask the court to issue an advisory opinion on the obligations of nations to combat climate change and protect future generations under international law, it has come down on the side of developed and polluting nations before the court. These countries have argued through two weeks of hearings that the existing UN climate change treaty and the Paris Agreement are sufficient and that international law doesn’t place significant additional obligations on countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Island nations and other vulnerable countries have pushed a different interpretation, in their submissions to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), insisting polluters have violated international law and must be held accountable, including through paying compensation.
Global attention has turned to the at-times arcane legal arguments before the court in the Hague after a disappointing result for developing and vulnerable nations at the COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan. “The commitments made in Baku – the dollar amounts pledged and the emissions reductions promised – are not enough. They were never going to be enough. And even then, based on our experience with such pledges in the past, we know they will not be fulfilled,” Vanuatu climate envoy Ralph Regenvanu said after the COP conference concluded. “The limitations of the UNFCCC [UN climate] process motivate our case at the International Court of Justice. The ICJ advisory opinion has the potential to strengthen the Paris Agreement framework by clarifying the legal obligations of states under international law to act on climate change – obligations which have been disregarded for too long.”
Activists and countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change hope a strong ruling from the court will light new fire under the COP process. Such a finding could also have impacts at home, Victoria University of Wellington senior lecturer in climate change law Bjørn-Oliver Magsig told Newsroom. Climate litigants will have another precedent in their arsenal to point to when pushing the Government to do more to cut emissions. “What does it mean domestically? It means that, if the advisory opinion says it’s not only Paris, it’s not only the UNFCCC, your obligations are a bit wider, then the Government telling us they’re ticking boxes under the Paris Agreement, it’s not fast enough but it’s as much as they can do, that won’t be good enough,” he said.
... In the court, nations are making legal, not political arguments. And while there may be some window-dressing that looks progressive – many countries including New Zealand have acknowledged the devastating impacts of climate change on nations like Vanuatu – the statements themselves are clear about the country’s positions and interests. On the key questions, New Zealand has adopted a narrower view of the application of international law to the climate responsibilities of states than its Pacific neighbours. In its written submission, New Zealand writes clearly that: “New Zealand does not consider that international human rights law imposes a generalised obligation on states to mitigate climate change through emissions reductions and removals”. "
11 December, 2024
Govt’s final climate plan relies on unproven technology - Newsroom
Policies included in the new climate plan actually cut emissions by less than in the draft plan released months ago
"Analysis: The Government’s new climate plan relies on unproven methane-busting technology and partially disproven carbon capture schemes for as much as half of its promised greenhouse emissions reductions.
The final version of the second emissions reduction plan, which outlines the Government’s climate policy for 2026 to 2030 as it seeks to meet carbon budgets covering that period as well as 2031 to 2035, was released on Wednesday morning. It features eight key policies which together meet the second emissions budget (2026-30), albeit by a whisker, but fail to achieve the third budget (2031-35). In an improvement from the draft released in July, the policies now put New Zealand on track for net zero in 2050. However, they fall well short of the updated targets – including a 2050 carbon negative goal – recommended by the independent Climate Change Commission last week.
... A ninth policy, the limitation of farm conversions to forestry, was quantified but found to have no impact on emissions.
The nine quantified policies represent a very limited approach to Government involvement in reducing emissions. The first emissions reduction plan, released under the Labour government, quantified the impacts of 20 policies or policy packages, including two of those included in the new plan. Major emissions sources, particularly transport, are almost entirely unaddressed. Transportation is the fastest growing source of climate pollution in New Zealand. The Government’s sole policy in this area, building more electric vehicle chargers, is expected to reduce the sector’s emissions by 0.08 percent in the second budget period.
... The other significant change in the Government’s plan is one of wording. The draft committed the Government to a “least cost” approach. That has now been switched to “cost-effective”, after the feedback suggested the phrase was being viewed more as “least ambition” than “least cost”. "
10 December, 2024
‘The window has closed on tree-planting’ – Rod Carr - Newsroom
The former climate tsar discusses opposition from ‘vested interests’ in the fossil fuel sector and the opportunity New Zealand is at risk of squandering
"New Zealand is at a crossroads: We can either get on with the low-carbon transition “or be overwhelmed by it” says former Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr. In a post-exit interview with Newsroom on Monday, Carr discussed the frustrations and successes of his five years at the helm of the independent advisory body, which came to an end at midnight on Sunday.
... If this transition is so inevitable, however, why is it so halting? Well, to begin with, Carr says, some things have gone far better than expected when the Zero Carbon Act was passed and he was appointed to the commission in 2019. “The work of the commission over the last five years has proven there are achievable, affordable pathways to get to [net zero].
... Who’s standing in the way of us achieving these really desirable outcomes of the low-emissions, thriving, climate-resilient society? Sadly, it’s people who are making a shitload of money out of the current fossil fuel sector.”
Asked about his greatest frustration, he says it was the commission’s inability to hit back against “misinformation and disinformation” spread by critics with “vested interests in obfuscation and delay”. “It really isn’t the commission’s mandate and we don’t have the resources to call out those bad actors. We are there to advise governments, not to run a street fight,” he says..”
... A far more transformational aspiration is also needed, Carr believes. Tinkering around the edges or aiming for a society that looks just like the present one but electric isn’t a realistic pathway to net zero.
… Current Government plans, released in draft form in July, aren’t sufficient to realise that transformation, Carr says. He’s looking forward to the final emissions reduction plan to see a more ambitious course forward.
... Over the commission’s first five years, it has worked tirelessly and found exactly this: That there are options for agriculture, that reducing the emissions in this sector is possible – and that it can be done without reducing dairy profits. This, Carr says, is what he’s proudest of in his time at the commission. Not just the agricultural findings, but all of it.
... That pride isn’t diminished, either, by the frustration Carr has experienced. It’s something he’s reflected on; the difficulty of getting cut through on some of the most important messages, the stubborn opposition from the fossil fuel lobby, the advice and warnings unheeded by successive governments.
... “I’m just absolutely convinced now that, particularly in the energy sector, for a small island nation to have the possibility of being energy independent in my lifetime, you know, that didn’t exist when I was born. Those technologies weren’t there even 10 years ago at an affordable price. And here we are now and the infrastructure commissioner said we’ve got the potential to generate three times the amount of electrical energy we’re likely to need this century from wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and some biomass. “What an amazing opportunity for a country.” "
02 December, 2024
'Do not drink': Warning over nitrate levels in Waimate water - INews
A do not drink notice has been issued for consumers of the Lower Waihao rural water supply, including Waikakahi East, after nitrate levels breached the maximum acceptable value for drinking water.
"In a statement this afternoon, the Water Services Authority – Taumata Arowai said it had been advised by the Waimate District Council that nitrate levels in the source water for its Lower Waihao rural water supply had breached the maximum acceptable value for drinking water of 50mg/L. As a result, a do not drink notice was issued. "An exceedance of the MAV for nitrates poses an immediate risk to some people's health, particularly pregnant women and babies if they consume the water," the Authority's head of operations Steve Taylor said. The elevated levels of nitrate differ from the maximum acceptable value for arsenic, which has been a recent issue for the Waikato and Auckland regions over the past week. The risk for arsenic was based on long-term exposure. Taylor said the Waimate District Council was responding to the situation and was using "all available communication methods" to inform consumers that they shouldn't drink the water or use it for cooking. He also said boiling the water would not make it safe to drink."
02 December, 2024
All of Govt’s 2024 coal earnings spent treating damages at a single mine - Newsroom
Historic acid mine drainage has devastated rivers near the Stockton coal mine, which would see its licence extended by 25 years under the fast-track
"New Treasury figures show last year the Government spent more than $3 million treating damage caused by coal mining at a single site on the West Coast – more than it collected in royalties for all coal mining nationwide the same year. The Stockton mine is the country’s largest open-cast coal operation, and a fast-track listing would see its licence continue for another 25 years. Remediation efforts for historical mining are still underway. Despite efforts by the mine’s operators to restore the health of nearby waterways, acid mine drainage poses a lingering and considerable threat to the freshwater ecosystems. According to the company’s annual report, DNA data appears to show “spectacular recovery” in nearby waterways. But publicly collected data from the surrounding area paints a different picture."
01 December, 2024
If New Zealand wants to tweak its methane targets without increasing its contribution to climate change globally, steeper emissions reductions will be required in other areas, the Climate Change Commission says - 1News
"New Zealand's domestic 2050 target currently requires all greenhouse gases to reach net zero emissions, except for biogenic methane where only reductions from a 2017 baseline are needed. As part of the National-ACT coalition agreement, the Government agreed to "review the methane science and targets in 2024 for consistency with no additional warming from agricultural methane emissions". The findings of the review are expected by the end of the year.
Outgoing Climate Change Commission chairperson Rod Carr told Q+A that the phrase "no additional warming" was essentially a question about how New Zealand wanted to count methane's warming impact domestically. From there, New Zealand needed to determine whether it would effectively mean its contribution to warming internationally would increase compared to what was implied by the current 2050 target, he said. "It would depend on whether New Zealand was to go negative in long-life gas sequestration. More trees. More speculation about alternative technologies to withdraw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. More ambitious reductions in gross emissions. "To square the circle of having more methane is to do some or all of those things, which is to say… we need to go further than net zero," Carr said. But relying more heavily on forestry removals was risky, he added. "The gases that arrive from burning fossil fuels are removed by forests. But the emissions are permanent and the forests are, at best, temporary." "
25 November, 2024
UK to slash climate pollution by 81%. Could NZ do the same? - Newsroom
The Government’s decision to slam the brakes on climate policy sets New Zealand up for an expensive or embarrassing new Paris target
"Analysis: New Zealand must set its next Paris climate target within the next two months, but it looks unlikely the Government will be able to commit to anything nearly as ambitious as other developed nations.
The second round of climate target-setting will see a key element of the Paris Agreement kick into gear. Under the climate accord, countries had committed to set an emissions reduction target covering 2021 to 2030 and then five-year targets after that, ratcheting emissions steadily downwards. Only a handful of countries have already announced their new targets – among them the United Arab Emirates (the host of last year’s COP), Brazil (next year’s host) and the United Kingdom. The latter pledged to reduce emissions by 81 percent below 1990 levels by 2035.
... Targets are due by February 10 next year. While some countries and blocs, including the European Union, Peru and Colombia, have said they won’t meet the deadline for submission, New Zealand will, according to the office of Climate Minister Simon Watts. Actually matching the commitment made by the UK would be a tall order for New Zealand, however. There are a number of reasons for this, but the primary one is that the UK is making significant progress on cutting emissions in this decade as well, while New Zealand will meet most of its 2021-30 Paris target through buying offshore carbon credits. New Zealand’s 2030 target is a 50 percent cut from 2005 levels. But that headline figure obfuscates some of the creative accounting that has gone into setting the target."
21 November, 2024
NZ downgraded in global climate rankings - Newsroom
The Government’s backtracking on climate policy has been noticed globally, with New Zealand now ranking 41st out of 63 nations on climate policy performance
"New Zealand has dropped seven places to 41st in the global Climate Change Performance Index, which ranks countries based on their emissions, deployment of renewable electricity, overall energy use and climate policy. The announcement of the latest update to the index, which has been running since 2005 and is considered an authoritative evaluation of the climate performance of 63 nations, came at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan on Wednesday. The top three slots in the index were left blank, to reflect that no country is ticking all four boxes evaluated. “Countries really, at the end of the day, are not doing enough. That is the message of the CCPI,” Janet Milongo, from Climate Action Network International, said at the announcement of the index.
... New Zealand’s drop in the rankings takes it from ‘medium’ to ‘low’ performance, behind countries like the United Kingdom and South Africa, but still ahead of some of the world’s largest fossil fuel producers, like Australia and Saudi Arabia. On renewable energy, New Zealand outperformed the average, coming in sixth place with ‘high’ performance. But it was dragged down by a ‘very low’ rating on energy use, ranking 49th, and landed just 12th from the bottom on climate policy. “A new Government was elected in October 2023, and the CCPI country experts note that it has taken significant backwards steps in climate policy. It is unclear how New Zealand will meet its international climate obligations or its 2050 emissions reduction target,” the index reported."
15 November, 2024
NZ to restart oil and gas exploration one month after COP - Newsroom
Pacific Island countries have called on NZ not to restart drilling, with legislation set to pass by the end of the year
"While New Zealand diplomats at the COP29 climate summit are pushing for a global phase-out of fossil fuels, legislators at home plan to repeal the 2018 ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling within a month of the conference’s end. A spokesperson for Resources Minister Shane Jones confirmed the legislation, which partly moved through Parliament under urgency with the public given just five days to submit, will pass fully before the end of the year. The move has prompted concern from environmentalists in New Zealand and overseas, as well as Pacific Island nations
“It is the most backwards step of our generation. We cannot be climate or environmental leaders if we continue to produce the very thing that got us into the current crisis,” Tiana Jakicevich, a climate activist and campaigner for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, told Newsroom in Baku. “If this bill goes through, our credibility across indigenous communities, across international fora, is going to be taken away. People are already looking at New Zealand like it’s not a leader anymore.”
... Pacific Island leaders have vocally called on the Government not to restart drilling for nearly a year. At the Pacific Islands Forum last November, Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister Ralph Regenvanu said, “We call on them not to do it. To be in line with Paris, the 1.5 degree target, the science says you cannot do new fossil fuels.”
... Bill Hare, the CEO of policy institute Climate Analytics, told Newsroom the restarting of offshore drilling also went against the clear science on climate change. “This move by the New Zealand Government is, to put it bluntly, gobsmackingly stupid, in the face of increasing global climate chaos, when global renewables are going through the roof, and the [International Energy Agency] is clear the world needs to be off fossil gas by 2040 – and no new fossil fuel production is needed at all,” he said. The agency isn’t alone in this assessment. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the International Institute for Sustainable Development have both agreed that, to keep global warming to 1.5C, no new oil, gas or coal sources need to be developed. Even a majority of known reserves need to be kept in the ground, the panel said last year."
14 November, 2024
Global carbon budget will be used up in six years - Newsroom
The world is running out of time to limit warming to 1.5C, with the findings upping the pressure on countries to commit to ambitious new climate targets
"The annual carbon budget report from the Global Carbon Project dropped on Wednesday morning, reminding diplomats at the COP29 climate summit in Baku exactly what they were there for. Contrary to some hopes that carbon dioxide emissions have now peaked, the report estimates 2024 will set a new record for fossil CO2 emissions of 37.4 billion tonnes – a 0.8 percent increase on last year. The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is projected to reach 422.5 parts per million this year. That’s a 52 percent increase on preindustrial levels and the fastest rate of increase in the 66 million year climate record.
University of Exeter lecturer Mike O’Sullivan, one of the study’s 120 authors, told reporters at a press conference in Baku that emissions had flattened in the past decade, due in large part to the deployment of renewable technology. “In terms of emissions peaking, we don’t really see that yet. In 2024, we’re estimating an increase in carbon dioxide emissions,” he said. “It’s a new record, it’s a new high value. It’s not the good news we were hoping for.” If the predictions are validated, that shrinks the remaining carbon budget – or amount of emissions that can be released before a certain temperature threshold is surpassed – for a 50 percent likelihood to keep warming to 1.5C to 235 billion tonnes. That leaves less than six years of emissions at 2024 levels before the 1.5C carbon budget is used up."
06 November, 2024
‘A wrecking ball’: experts warn Trump’s win sets back global climate action - The Guardian
Election of a ‘climate denier’ to US presidency poses ‘major threat to the planet’, environmentalists say
"Donald Trump’s new term as US president poses a grave threat to the planet if it blows up the international effort to curb dangerous global heating, stunned climate experts have warned in the wake of his decisive election victory. Trump’s return to the White House is widely expected to result in the US, yet again, exiting the Paris climate agreement and may even remove American involvement in the underpinning United Nations framework to deal with the climate crisis. While campaigning for president, Trump has called climate change “a big hoax”, scorned wind energy and electric cars and vowed to gut environmental rules and the “green new scam” of the Inflation Reduction Act, a major bill passed by Democrats to support clean energy projects.
Trump’s agenda, analysts have found, risks adding several billion tonnes of extra heat-trapping gases to the atmosphere, further imperiling goals to stave off disastrous global heating that governments are already failing to meet. Michael Mann, a climate scientist at the University of Pennsylvania, said that the US is now a “failed democracy” and that “we now pose a major threat to the planet.” The election result will send shockwaves through annual UN climate talks that start in Azerbaijan on Monday. “The election of a climate denier to the US presidency is extremely dangerous for the world,” said Bill Hare, a senior scientist at Climate Analytics, who warned a Trump administration would likely “damage efforts” to keep the world from heating by more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, a Paris target that now appears even further out of reach."
15 September, 2024
Simeon Brown pushed emissions standards to meet industry deadline - 1News
Transport Minister Simeon Brown pushed through weaker carbon emissions standards in time to meet the car industry's preferred deadline, documents show.
His own officials wanted to give Cabinet another month to decide, to allow more consideration of options. Other emails released by the Ministry of Transport showed environment officials tried at the last minute to warn Cabinet the move risked blowing the country's climate targets. However, they were told they were too late to get the advice in a Cabinet paper.
Importers bring in hundreds of thousands of new and used vehicles every year. According to the Productivity Commission, New Zealand and Australia were the last developed countries to introduce tailpipe emissions standards on imports, aside from Russia. The rules were designed to stop New Zealand becoming a dumping ground for high-emitting gas guzzlers that other countries no longer wanted, by requiring importers to bring in a mix of utes and heavy high-emitting cars along with smaller models, electrics and hybrids. A benefit/cost analysis in 2019 estimated the standards would save New Zealanders $1.2 to $4.7 billion over 20 years, including about $7000 a year per vehicle in fuel savings. The rules were designed to get stricter over time, eventually catching up with leading jurisdictions in Europe and elsewhere. A concerted lobbying effort by major car industry groups failed to stop the standards being brought in, but the industry succeeded in getting them weakened this year after National promised to "recalibrate" them. New Zealand's standards will now lag Europe by about five years and the United States by about two years. They will align with Australia, where incoming rules were also weakened after car industry pushback."
13 September, 2024
Budget’s climate impact equal to 100,000 more cars on the road - Newsroom
Environment officials were shut out of the emissions calculation process, leading to a last-minute scramble to inform ministers of the climate impacts of the Budget
"Just a week before the reveal of this year’s Budget, Cabinet was informed of the significant climate impact of cuts and new policies: 2.8 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions out to 2050. Newly released documents show officials at the Ministry for the Environment who usually vet the climate effects of new policies were shut out of the process instead, the Treasury and an interdepartmental board which coordinates the climate response were responsible for the calculations. They show significant new climate pollution will arise from the construction of new school buildings, and emissions that would previously have been avoided in the energy and waste sectors will now occur after policies there were defunded. The 2.8 million tonnes of emissions is about 5 percent of New Zealand’s annual total. It’s also the equivalent of 100,000 additional cars on the road or 16 months of nonstop coal-burning by the Huntly Power Station."
13 September, 2024
Supreme Court rules for fishery sustainability over industry interests - Newsroom
Forest and Bird and Seafood New Zealand each logged a win in a long running case with major environmental implications
A five-year legal saga over tarakihi catch limits has come to the end, with the country’s highest court ruling that biodiversity is more important than commercial interests. The Supreme Court’s decision, released yesterday, ruled a bob each way for both Forest and Bird and fishing industry group Seafood New Zealand. However, Forest and Bird said the Supreme Court had ultimately upheld its core challenge that overfished stocks need to be rebuilt within a period that is based on the stock’s biology and environmental conditions.
... The ruling meant the period to rebuild fish stocks had to be set using scientific factors, with other considerations only influencing the way and rate at which the rebuild happened – not the timeframe. This meant the minister could only vary the timeline and size of catch sizes to protect social, cultural or economic considerations if it is consistent with the scientifically-based timeline for restoring fish stock.
... Forest and Bird’s lawyer Sally Gepp KC said “The decision confirms that when a fishery is overfished, as it has been in this case – the length of time to rebuild depleted fish stocks must be based on science, not driven by economic interests. That science-based period then influences the total allowable catch of tarakihi, and drives catch reductions where necessary.” "
12 September, 2024
Govt’s carbon capture policy to lead to more gas emissions - Newsroom
Official advice shows carbon capture would lead to more gas production and higher emissions, even with optimistic assumptions about the unproven technology
"The Government’s new regulatory regime for carbon capture and storage will incentivise new offshore gas production and ultimately lead to more emissions from the petroleum industry, officials have found. In an assessment of the climate implications of the policy, which is part of the Government’s approach to emissions reductions, officials found 1.3 million tonnes of greenhouse gas would be sequestered during gas production, but 1.4 million tonnes would be emitted due to the increased production from the Māui East gas field.
... Energy Minister Simeon Brown said the policy was still worthwhile because New Zealand needed more gas and it would have an overall positive impact on the climate. “As we have seen in recent weeks, natural gas plays an important role in New Zealand’s energy security and is the natural partner to enable our largely renewable electricity system when the lakes are low, the sun isn’t shining, and the wind isn’t blowing,” he said. “Carbon capture and storage can potentially lower the net cost of producing gas, adding to our energy security, while also increasing the range of options that New Zealand has to achieve emissions goals.”
But 350 Aotearoa campaigner Adam Currie said it showed carbon capture was a pipe dream. “We’ve seen $6 billion invested in carbon capture and storage over the last year. It’s been around for decades, with billions invested around the world, and it’s never worked. It’s no surprise that officials don’t think it’s going to reduce emissions here either,” he said. “You look at [Australian gas field] Gorgon, for example, the world’s biggest CCS venture, emissions have risen 50 percent. Despite getting approvals based on burying 4 million tonnes of carbon a year, it’s now capturing less than half of that and emitting another 8 million tonnes on top.”
... According to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, “not one single CCS project has ever reached its target CO2 capture rate”. Officials at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment said CCS would capture 100 percent of emissions from the Kapuni and Māui East fields. The institute, however, said no existing project has consistently captured more than 80 percent of carbon. Its review of five natural gas fields found capture rates ranged from 10 to 78 percent.
“We’ve got a wealth of evidence about how useless CCS has been,” Green Party energy spokesperson Scott Willis said. “We should not try and excuse our prolific use of fossil fuels through using unproven – or proven to be ineffective – technology.” "
11 September, 2024
Govt rules out subsidies for offshore wind - Newsroom
The first permits under a new offshore energy regime could be issued as soon as 2026, with wind farms operating by the middle of the next decade
"Offshore wind developers are broadly supportive of the Government’s new permitting system for offshore energy, even though it won’t involve any financial support from the Crown. The system largely resembles what was consulted on by the previous Labour government in August 2023 and will be implemented through legislation due to be introduced by the end of the year. The first round of applications could open as soon as late 2025, with permits distributed in 2026.
... One of the major decisions was to rule out any form of Crown subsidy or incentive for offshore wind. Overseas, countries have deployed a wide range of financial instruments to support the development of offshore wind farms, but Energy Minister Simeon Brown wrote in a paper to Cabinet in July that New Zealand wouldn’t follow in their tracks. “Such a mechanism would be a material departure from the market-based electricity model in New Zealand. I intend to signal clearly that the Government expects offshore renewable energy projects to compete on the same commercial basis as other electricity generation. The Government’s focus is on enabling the market to deliver by creating an enabling regulatory environment,” he wrote.
... At issue is the higher cost per megawatt hour of offshore wind, compared with onshore wind and solar power. However, offshore wind farms often have longer lifetimes and struggle less with intermittency than onshore renewables. Costs are also continuing to fall."
08 September, 2024
NZ economy better off by ditching fossil fuels - report - 1News
The average New Zealand household could save nearly $1500 a year by installing rooftop solar and batteries, and switching out gas and fuel for electric appliances and cars, according to a high-powered report.
"Renewable energy advocate Saul Griffith has published a report that finds New Zealand can save $95 billion by 2040 if it electrifies its economy and moves away from fossil fuels. Among the report's co-authors is Reserve Bank chief economist Paul Conway. "The traditional narrative of climate is it's too expensive to solve climate change. But we have here a clear case for a big portion of the economy that you can't afford not to."
03 September, 2024
Seabed mining permit area nearly quadruples - Newsroom
Regulators quietly approved the application to expand the seabed mining area by more than 17,000 hectares in July, jeopardising the nascent offshore wind sector and other marine industries
"The seabed mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has successfully applied to almost quadruple the size of its mining permit, from 6600 to 24,300 hectares. The granting of the expansion application comes after the firm abruptly pulled out of environmental hearings earlier this year, pinning all of its hopes on the upcoming fast-track consent process. Trans-Tasman executive chairman Alan Eggers told Newsroom the company welcomed the granting of the permit, which now covers the iron sands it had previously discovered. “The iron sands contain iron ore, vanadium and titanium that are needed in the transition to clean energy. [Trans-Tasman Resources] supports the phasing out of fossil fuels, and recognises critical minerals are needed to achieve renewable goals,” he said.
TTR applied for the expansion of its permit in 2022, which was granted in July 2024. John Buick-Constable, the national manager at the industry regulator New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals, said he approved the application because it met the tests under the Crown Minerals Act.
... Would-be offshore wind developers have also previously raised concerns about seabed mining, saying in an open letter earlier this year that the two industries were not mutually compatible.
... Turbines and transmission infrastructure will not be able to coexist in zones that are actively being mined, but even adjacent areas will face consenting difficulties because developers will be responsible for the cumulative impact on the environment of the seabed mining operation and their own facilities.
... Taking into account the expanded permit, offshore wind capacity in South Taranaki has now more than halved from 2-3GW down to just 1GW, Caleffi said. Buick-Constable said he wasn’t allowed to consider offshore wind when granting TTR’s permit application. “The proposed offshore energy regime is not a relevant consideration under the [Crown Minerals Act] and cannot lawfully be taken into account when making decisions.” "
02 September, 2024
Cabinet hardened fast-track with ministerial over-ride, before u-turn - Newsroom
New ministers’ bold attempt to claim final decision-making authority back-fired, and they were forced to revert to NZ First’s original proposal
"Ambitious and controversial attempts to remove iwi and environmental voice from fast track panels and give ministers the final say were not just a government back-down – they were a u-turn. It’s emerged that last week’s changes to the fast-track bill bring it back in line with an 18-page draft originally proposed by New Zealand First, in coalition talks last year. In the seven pages dealing with fast-tracking, activities prohibited under the Resource Management Act would have remained ineligible, as would projects on Treaty settlement land. The expert panel would have been mandated to include te ao Māori and environmental expertise – and there was no mention of ministerial over-ride of the panel’s recommendation. The rest of the draft bill was dominated by targeted reforms to environmental provisions – with an emphasis on coal mines and aquaculture. The draft of the fast-track bill was built by New Zealand First members during their time as private citizens following the 2020 election. Regional development minister Shane Jones told Newsroom his party “spent the guts of three years” working on it. The sum of this work was presented to coalition partners during coalition negotiations, ahead of the government forming."
02 September, 2024
Walking and cycling funding halved in Govt's transport programme - 1News
The National Land Transport Programme for the next three years has a hard focus on more state highways, road maintenance, and greater public transport in the country's main cities.
"Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced the programme alongside the New Zealand Transport Agency in Wellington on Monday afternoon, and didn't mince his words on the coalition's new focus. "There's less money going into cycleways, and I think New Zealanders are sick and tired of the amount of money going into cycleways." He said the move away from prioritising public transport was in the coalition agreement with New Zealand First — with the new focus being put on "economic growth and productivity".
Brown said National campaigned on 17 roads of national significance, which were being delivered on. NZTA chief executive Nicole Rosie acknowledged it would be "challenging to deliver everything within the confines of our budgeted funding" but that the agency was "up for the challenge". The programme has $32.9 billion of investment, which has four key priorities:
… Brown said New Zealanders "rejected the previous government's transport policies which resulted in non-delivery, phantom projects, slower speed limits, and an infestation of speed bumps". "The Government is turning this around with record investment in transport projects that reduce travel times, improve public transport options, and build and maintain our roading network to the safe and reliable standard Kiwis expect. "I'm pleased to see that this NLTP adopted by the NZ Transport Agency board, which boosts funding by 35% compared to the last three years, strongly reflects our government's priorities of economic growth and productivity, increased maintenance and resilience, safety, and value for money."
26 August, 2024
Govt to ease barriers for liquefied natural gas terminal - 1News
The Government says it will address steep electricity prices by acting "with urgency" to reverse the ban on offshore oil and and gas exploration, as well as removing regulations impeding the construction of facilities to import liquefied natural gas "as a stop gap".
"The decisions were made in Cabinet today, along with other moves aimed at addressing what the Government says is a "serious risk to New Zealand's energy security and affordability". Energy Minister Simeon Brown said the country currently had an energy shortage. “The lakes are low, the sun hasn’t been shining, the wind hasn’t been blowing, and we have an inadequate supply of natural gas to meet demand.“That has led to New Zealand currently having the highest wholesale electricity prices of any of the countries we normally compare ourselves to. "It is devastating for our manufacturing and export sectors, and is sadly leading to firms reducing production or closing entirely. “New Zealand needs abundant, affordable energy. That's why the Coalition Government is taking a series of immediate actions to restore confidence to our energy sector and remove regulatory barriers that have stopped firms generating electricity or bringing in the fuel that Kiwis need.”
... Green Party energy spokesperson Scott Willis said fossil fuels were a "sinking ship" New Zealand could not afford to tie its future to. "Investing in fossil fuels in the middle of a climate crisis is like buying stocks in the Titanic. “We can build a more sustainable and affordable energy network that puts people and planet before the profits of our gentailers. “Resorting to fossil fuels will delay the transition we so desperately need and instead turn up the temperature on the already raging climate crisis." He said profits from gentailers should be re-invested into enhancing energy efficiency and bolstering renewable energy supply. "Delaying this is partly why we’re in this situation now - but it's not too late to turn this ship around.
Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins said the Government's announcement made today "the day the Government officially gave up on tackling climate change". He said renewable energy was abundant in New Zealand and that should be ramped up. "Billions of dollars have been invested in ... exploration in New Zealand for new oil and gas - it has not found any." He said the problem was that gentailers had prioritised maximising profit over reinvestment in renewable electricity generation. "Fossil fuels are not our future, renewable energy is." "
23 August, 2024
Lurching towards constitutional impropriety - Newsroom
The constitutional law expert and former Prime Minister takes a deep, concerned look at the risks this Government is taking with hasty law changes
"Comment: New Zealand is in danger of lurching towards constitutional impropriety. The Luxon government is driving a number of controversial issues rapidly through Parliament. Some of these policies are unfit for purpose, legally suspect, contrary to the public interest and inappropriate. As a former Prime Minister of this country, I am concerned that our democracy is being weakened by the methods this Government is using to achieve its goals. This is a time when we should be strengthening our democracy, not forcing through policies which destabilise it and threaten our nation’s sense of social cohesion.
... Democracy around the world is under challenge. The number of democracies is decreasing and many of those that remain have deteriorated in democratic quality. They veer toward autocracy. There is less openness of decision-making. Rot and decay set in. This reduces the trust of the population in the institutions of government. New Zealand is one of the world’s oldest democracies and on the evidence advanced here it seems we are now suffering from decay.
As Professor Quentin-Baxter wrote in 1982 “A constitution is a human habitation. Like a city it may preserve its life and beauty through centuries of change. It may on the other hand, become a glorious ruin from which life has departed, or a dilapidated slum that no longer knows the great traditions of its builders.” Has that now begun to occur in New Zealand?
The combination of substantive policy issues and legislative methods discussed here offer a potent method of changing established constitutional norms fast. And it is exceedingly difficult to get to the bottom of how it being accomplished. Or what will happen next. Driving measures through the House of Representatives by excessive use of urgency demeans Parliament and damages our democratic fabric. Some of the chosen policies seem calculated to cause splits and divisions in society. What has been done is not wise. And I suggest it is not an ethical use of political power.
Sir Geoffrey Palmer Former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer QC is a Distinguished Fellow at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, Faculty of Law, and co-author of Democracy in Aotearoa New Zealand."
20 August, 2024
Government moves to raise carbon price, says petrol will only rise 3c a litre - RNZ
"The carbon price is expected to rise on news the government is slashing the number of tonnes of planet-heating emissions for sale by more than half. Climate Change Minister Simon Watts said advice he has received suggests the impact on household bills should be "minimal", adding only 3-4c a litre to petrol by 2029. "We need the carbon price to encourage businesses and individuals to reduce their emissions to meet our climate targets," he said. The coalition is hoping that by selling fewer permits-to-pollute, it will flush out stockpiles of carbon credits companies are holding onto. Tuesday's announcement means it will offer radically fewer units or permits than previously announced from 2025-2029. Each permit or unit gives the right to emit one tonne of carbon dioxide, and the government announces every year how many it intends to auction over the next five years.
Carbon prices have been in the doldrums following a series of confidence-shaking announcements by both Labour and National. Five of the last six quarterly government auctions failed to sell any permits - a sign companies already had plenty of units to cover their emissions and/or did not foresee the price rising steeply enough to buy more government prices of at least $63 a tonne. Watts said oversupply was jeopardising New Zealand's climate targets.
... The government will also give away a further six million tonnes next year to major exporters such as Methanex, Fletcher Building, Tiwai Point aluminium smelter and NZ Steel, each of which receives tens of millions of dollars worth of carbon permits free in a bid to shield them from losing business to overseas competitors who may not pay a carbon price. As a result of today's changes, the government will likely give away more permits than it sells at auctions every year from 2026. Watts said there were no plans to make any major changes to these freebies, although the government is continuing with updating the allocations so companies do not get more free credits than they should do, based on outdated emissions estimates."
20 August, 2024
Calls for carbon subsidy reform as polluters bank gains - Newsroom
Campaigners say the Government should stop subsidising carbon emissions by the end of the decade, rather than the current end date of 2060
"Major climate polluters like New Zealand Steel, Fletcher Concrete and the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter received tens of millions of dollars’ worth of excess carbon subsidies from the Government last year. The Glenbrook steel mill topped the list, receiving 680,000 more carbon credits than it is in theory meant to. Regulations to correct the phenomenon, called over-allocation, won’t kick in until next year and won’t address historic excess subsidies, leading to new calls for reform of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).
Under the scheme, large polluters that compete in global markets receive free carbon credits equal to a percentage of their climate emissions. This weakens the carbon price they face and ensures they don’t go out of business because their competitors don’t face a carbon price. The number of free units is calculated as a percentage – 87 percent for the 2023 calendar year – of their baseline emissions, but those baselines were last set more than a decade ago. This means NZ Steel reported 1.3 million tonnes of emissions in the 2023/24 year but received 1.8 million carbon credits. At the current market price of $53, the over-allocation alone would be worth more than $36 million.
... The previous government passed a law to amend allocation factors and baselines to put an end to over-allocation. New regulations are due by the end of the year and could come into effect for 2025, which means they would first be reflected on published returns in 2026. Alex Johnston, co-director of Common Grace Aotearoa and spokesperson for the Don’t Subsidise Pollution campaign, said ending over-allocation in the future wasn’t good enough. “These companies have built up a nice healthy stockpile of carbon credits worth hundreds of millions of dollars that they can use to blunt the meagre price incentive to decarbonise,” he said.
... The Climate Change Commission advises annually on the scheme’s settings and has taken the approach of recommending the Government reduce the number of credits available for auction to force polluters to draw down on their stockpile. While Johnston backs this approach for the general stockpile, he said companies that have specifically received over-allocation in the past should be “under-allocated” going forward to draw down their own personal stockpiles. It wasn’t fair for other polluters – and by extension the public – to pay for this historical over-allocation enjoyed by a select few big companies.
... Johnston said the Government needed to speed up the phase-out of the carbon subsidies – ideally reaching zero by the end of the decade but at least much faster than the current plan. Climate Change Minister Simon Watts said the Government has no plans to further change industrial allocations beyond the baseline update. “Industrial Allocation rates have not been updated for over ten years. The government is currently updating these rates to bring firms allocations more in line with their actual emissions with the intent of reducing over-allocation going forward,” he said."
19 August, 2024
A decades-old minimum standard for water health is set to be ‘amended’ by the Government in response to landmark pro-environment court decisions - Newsroom
"By amending a longstanding tenet of the Resource Management Act, the Government has fallen for lobbying and scaremongering from primary industries, critics say. Section 107 of the act governs discharges into freshwater. Recent court rulings reinforced the strength of this section, sounding alarm bells for industry bodies, which proceeded to lobby the Government to weaken it. But it wasn’t just industry groups; in April, to the chagrin of some of his councillors, Environment Canterbury Chair Peter Scott independently wrote a letter to Minister for RMA reform Chris Bishop explicitly requesting changes to section 107. His wishes, and those of many industry groups, were granted on Friday when Minister for Agriculture Todd McClay announced the Government’s plans to amend the section. These amendments would be the first to section 107 since the RMA was introduced in 1991."
19 August, 2024
NZ’s largest climate polluters revealed - Newsroom
The Government is passing legislation that will stop company-level data on greenhouse gas emissions from farms from being published
For the fourth year running, Fonterra is New Zealand’s largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions, according to data gathered by the Environmental Protection Authority.The dairy cooperative made up nearly a fifth of the net emissions reported at the company level under the Emissions Trading Scheme. While agriculture is not required to pay for its emissions via the carbon market, processors do report their annual climate pollution to the Environmental Protection Authority, alongside participants from other sectors.
Since 2020, the authority has publicly released this data. The latest tranche covers the 12 months from July 2023 to June 2024. It shows just six companies – Fonterra, Z Energy, Mobil, Silver Fern Farms, BP and Todd Energy – are collectively responsible for more than half of the emissions counted by the Emissions Trading Scheme. The 14 top polluters in New Zealand together produce three quarters of the country’s emissions.
... The Government is legislating to remove agriculture from the Emissions Trading Scheme and plans to end reporting requirements from processors as a result.
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick criticised the Government for this decision when it was announced. “It’s despicable. It’s just mind-blowing for a Government that’s crowed about certainty and transparency and market predictability for us to be taking not only a tiny step backwards but a gigantic leap backwards, not only in the public reporting but also in even having access to that data in the first place,” she told Newsroom at the time. Climate Change Minister Simon Watts said officials had provided options to retain the reporting requirements while otherwise removing agriculture from the ETS but that the Government had decided to proceed with the wholesale removal."
19 August, 2024
Fonterra accused of 'greenwashing' to impress big foreign buyers keen on 'regenerative agriculture' - RNZ
A grassroots movement has gone mainstream, with international food giants adopting 'regenerative agriculture' targets. But how robust are their criteria for what counts as regenerative - and is it greenwashing?
"In a soothing navy blue, the words "Regenerative Agriculture" unfurl across a bucolic scene of cows grazing. Tucked beneath is the presentation subheading, "Our natural advantage". Hovering in the top right corner is Fonterra's logo. The presentation says New Zealand farmers are already using practices - like grazing cows outdoors - considered to be part of farming regeneratively. But rather than soothe or inspire, the March presentation ruffled the feathers of regenerative agriculture and water quality advocates. "Utterly, utterly greenwashing," says Mike Joy, an academic well known for his freshwater advocacy. "We've kind of gone as far away from regenerative as possible." He goes as far as saying the presentation makes Fonterra look silly.
... Joy says regenerative agriculture is farming where the land regenerates itself. "You don't have to bring stuff in from the outside, it regenerates from within, so you have a closed loop."
... The growth of intensive dairying has pushed the ability of pastures to produce enough food for stock, Joy says. "The only way you can have that many cows on an area of land is by having lots of external inputs." The inputs he refers to include fertilisers to help the grass grow, such as synthetic nitrogen which is produced using fossil fuel, imported phosphate and additional food, such as palm kernel extract. Estimates of nitrogen applied to New Zealand's farmland in fertiliser skyrocketed from 62,000 tonnes in 1996 to 452,000 tonnes in 2019, a 629 percent increase in a little over two decades. In 2023, more than 1.7m tonnes of palm kernel extract was imported from Indonesia and Malaysia, where rainforests have been felled in favour of palm plantations. In 2022, more than $371 million worth of fertiliser containing phosphate was imported. "There's no way it can be regenerative if you're having to use fossil fuels to produce the energy inputs that go into your system. Likewise, if you're having to import from the other side of the world phosphate and palm kernel. With all the harm that goes with it there's no way any of those practices could be considered regenerative. It's the opposite," Joy says.
... Mike Joy says he finds the use of the regenerative agriculture term heartbreaking. "I just think this is a blatant greenwashing attempt by Fonterra. It just makes them look silly and actually harms the genuine regen farmers when they try to jump on this bandwagon and make out they are part of it when they are not at all." He would like to see Fonterra offer financial incentives to farmers who do not use synthetic nitrogen. "Pay them more and to get the extra money, take it off the ones who are doing badly - pay them less."
... Mark Anderson, the regenerative dairy farmer from Otago, has some advice. He runs off a list of things people could ask themselves to check if they are truly farming in a regenerative way. "Ask yourself, are our landscapes regenerating? Is our soil regenerating? Is our mental health and wellbeing regenerating? Is biodiversity regenerating? Are our bank accounts regenerating? Are our waterways regenerating? "The answer to that is probably no." "
16 August, 2024
Progress on climate adaptation lacking – Commission - Newsroom
New Zealand has been too slow to adapt to the impacts of climate change and must now act with urgency, the independent Climate Commission has found
"Analysis: Insufficient progress has been made on adapting to the impacts of climate change, the Climate Change Commission has warned in a new report that offers nine recommendations for improving the country’s resilience. The national adaptation plan, released under Labour in 2022, does not contain enough specific outcomes and has not been implemented as planned, the commission found. A new select committee inquiry into a climate adaptation law is an important step, according to the report, but New Zealand is running out of time to begin its adaptation journey."
15 August, 2024
Climate champ takes aim at Christopher Luxon, Air New Zealand - RNZ
British environmentalist Sir Jonathon Porritt says he was a "mug" to proudly chair Air New Zealand's sustainability panel and the airline is a "climate leader no more". In a LinkedIn post taking aim at the former Air New Zealand chief and now Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, whom he described as a "hypocrite", the high profile climate champion said he felt sorry for the airline's "brilliant sustainability team" and New Zealanders "watching the much-loved national carrier assiduously trashing its own reputation".
... Sir Jonathon previously described the airline as the world's "least unsustainable" for its bold plans to tackle its climate impact. He championed Air New Zealand's emissions-cutting plans after Luxon personally brought Sir Jonathon to the airline to lend credibility to sustainability moves.
... Sir Jonathon's post said when Luxon became prime minister, "All those serious sustainability challenges he'd faced into at Air New Zealand mysteriously disappeared".
,,, RNZ has approached Luxon's office for comment."
15 August, 2024
NZ Steel reports making 1.3m tonnes of carbon emissions, claims 1.8m tonnes of free carbon credits - RNZ
Australian-owned company NZ Steel was the biggest beneficiary of a government scheme to shield exporters from paying for their carbon emissions last year, followed by Methanex. NZ Steel reported to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) that it made 1.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from its Glenbrook Steel Mill in 2023. It claimed 1.8 million free carbon credits from the government in 2023, under a system called industrial allocation. Even at 2023's lowest carbon price of $37 a tonne, the free credits given to NZ Steel (owned by Bluescope) would be worth $66 million, based on its 1.8 million tonnes allocation.
The freebies under the Emissions Trading Scheme are designed to protect emissions-intensive activities such as steel, methanol production and fertiliser-making, that may be competing with overseas rivals who don't have to pay a carbon tax. The scheme is designed to stop these companies moving overseas in pursuit of laxer climate pricing or losing business to offshore rivals that don't pay the same price on pollution.
... Companies can sell any surplus carbon credits to other emitters at the market price (currently around $50 a tonne) or bank them for future use.
... The Climate Change Commission has warned that there are too many carbon credits floating around in the market, and the surplus could jeopardise the country's chances of meeting its climate targets. The free allocations are being reviewed this year to address problems which resulted in too many freebies being given out, because of outdated emissions assumptions."
02 August, 2024
Smelter sought assurances about $46m carbon subsidy before signing power deals - Newsroom
The Government won’t publicly disclose the subsidy figure it indicated multinational minerals company Rio Tinto could receive
"Government officials provided the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter with an indication of the increased carbon subsidy it could expect under new power contracts before multinational minerals company Rio Tinto finalised the deals. In a November briefing from the smelter’s chief executive Chris Blenkiron to Energy Minister Simeon Brown and Resources Minister Shane Jones, obtained under the Official Information Act, the smelter asked for free allocation of carbon units for its electricity usage to be restored. That allocation was set to zero by the previous government, when officials determined the price the smelter paid for power was so low that it did not pass on any carbon costs. At current carbon prices, the restoration of the subsidy to the level it received prior to that decision by the Labour government could be worth $46 million a year. Climate campaign group Don’t Subsidise Pollution worked out the total value of the new subsidy could be $2 billion between now and 2050. Climate Change Minister Simon Watts declined to release the indicative figure provided by officials to the smelter when asked by Newsroom, saying it was commercially sensitive. He also wouldn’t promise that Cabinet would follow official advice in setting new carbon allocation rates."
02 August, 2024
Farming lobby pushes to declaw ‘the meat of the RMA' - Newsroom
With allies in Government, industry lobbies are requesting changes to cornerstone environmental legislation governing nutrient discharge into waterways
"As the Government rolls out a suite of environmental and regulatory reforms, industry groups have written to ministers requesting changes to environmental laws governing when and how harmful discharges can be made into freshwater catchments. Three recent court rulings have restricted the ability to discharge nutrients into New Zealand’s unhealthiest waterways, a move these industry bodies say will be “fatal” to farming nationwide. Defenders of the court rulings say they represent legislation finally catching up to human and environmental needs, while critics say they will completely undermine the country’s ability to grow food."
31 July, 2024
Climate Commission issues a yellow card on emissions progress - Newsroom
Lack of policy to reduce livestock emissions and maintain electric vehicle uptake is putting NZ’s climate targets at risk, the independent commission has warned
"Almost all of the Government’s climate policy faces moderate or significant delivery risks, the Climate Change Commission has found in its first monitoring report on emissions reductions. Agriculture and transport sectors show the largest risks, the commission warned, with the Government offering almost no policy to reduce pollution from livestock and failing to maintain the electric vehicle uptake rates achieved under Labour. While New Zealand is on track to meet the first emissions budget, covering 2022 to 2025, this is “highly uncertain” and “there are significant risks to meeting the second and third emissions budgets and the 2030 biogenic methane target”.
The monitoring report is the first of an annual series, required under the Zero Carbon Act, in which the commission judges the sufficiency of the Government’s emissions reduction plan, measures progress against climate targets and determines what is needed to be on track for future goals. The commission said its report “provides an objective and impartial view of how Aotearoa New Zealand is tracking towards its goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions”. This report was based on policy as of April 1, 2024, meaning it incorporates the bulk of the Government’s decisions to scrap or gut Labour’s climate policies but does not include the effects of the seven policies proposed in the draft second emissions reduction plan released earlier in July. Even that document, however, did not have New Zealand on track for the third emissions budget or the 2050 net zero target."
30 July, 2024
Researchers call for immediate action to reduce methane emissions and avert dangerous escalation in climate crisis - The Guardian
Global emissions of methane, a powerful planet-heating gas, are “rising rapidly” at the fastest rate in decades, requiring immediate action to help avert a dangerous escalation in the climate crisis, a new study has warned.
Methane emissions are responsible for half of the global heating already experienced, have been climbing significantly since around 2006 and will continue to grow throughout the rest of the 2020s unless new steps are taken to curb this pollution, concludes the new paper. The research is authored by more than a dozen scientists from around the world and published on Tuesday. While the world “quite rightly” has focused on carbon dioxide as the primary driver of rising global temperatures, states the paper published in Frontiers in Science, little has been done to address methane, despite it having 80 times the warming power of CO2 in the first 20 years after it reaches the atmosphere. “The growth rate of methane is accelerating, which is worrisome,” said Drew Shindell, a climate scientist at Duke University and lead author of the study. “It was quite flat until around 20 years ago and just in the last few years we’ve had this huge dump of methane. It’s made the job of tackling anthropogenic warming all the more challenging.”
... Methane comes from the drilling and processing of oil, gas and coal, with a boom in fracking causing a rash of new gas projects this century. The gas is also emitted from livestock, primarily through the burps of cows, and increased animal agriculture, as well as to a lesser degree expanding rice production, has contributed. Meanwhile, rising global heat is causing the faster decomposition of organic matter in wetlands, thereby releasing more methane.
.... while CO2 can linger in the atmosphere for hundreds or thousands of years, unless removed, methane is a far shorter-lived threat. If all methane emissions were cut immediately, 90% of accumulated methane would have left the atmosphere within 30 years, providing a swifter way to reduce global heating than focusing just on carbon dioxide. “Methane is the strongest lever we can quickly pull to reduce warming between now and 2050,” said Shindell. “There’s just such a rapid response to cutting it. We’ve already seen the planet warm so much that if we are to avoid worse impacts we have to reduce methane. Reducing CO2 will protect our grandchildren – reducing methane will protect us now.”
"Air New Zealand has pulled the plug on its climate targets, saying the resources needed to meet them are unaffordable and unavailable. In a statement this morning, the airline said it was removing its 2030 carbon intensity reduction target and will withdraw from the Science Based Targets initiative. It said the new aircraft and alternative jet fuels were hard to get and are expensive. Chief executive Greg Foran said these supply chain issues and expenses could slow the introduction of newer, more fuel efficient aircraft into the fleet."
17 July, 2024
Govt’s climate plan does less with more - Newsroom
The new climate plan will either cost the same as Labour’s but achieve less – or cost more to achieve the same outcomes
"Analysis: The Government’s pursuit of a “least-cost” climate policy has left it with an emissions reduction plan that costs as much as its predecessor’s but that won’t meet New Zealand’s climate targets. New projections released alongside the Government’s consultation on the second emissions reduction plan show the country is no longer set to reach the 2050 net zero target. The figures are a marked departure from projections developed under Labour, which would have achieved net zero by 2041. That means New Zealand is backsliding on climate policy at a time when the rest of the world is aiming to increase its ambition.
How is it possible that the Government, debuting the next climate plan covering the second half of this decade, has managed to not only fail to improve on the status quo but actually impair it? The consultation document is frank, identifying a “risk that the NZ Emissions Trading Scheme alone does not encourage enough removals to achieve net zero by 2050”. That risk has arisen specifically because of the major change in tack under the new Government, from relying on a bevy of climate policies to very few.
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ climate plan includes just seven “key policies”, compared to hundreds of action items under Labour’s plan. While that earlier plan was criticised for the number of items which involved investigating or looking into different policies rather than actually doing anything, it still contained many more solid policies than the new Government’s proposal. The reason for the lack of policies in this climate is because the Government doesn’t think they’re needed. Where Labour put together a multi-billion dollar Climate Emergency Response Fund, the coalition has dismantled that to pay for tax cuts and written a chapter on how the private sector will fund and finance the transition to a low-carbon economy. Where Labour subsidised industrial decarbonisation and electric vehicles, the coalition has scrapped those policies and suggested cutting red tape for renewable power instead.
,,, The over-reliance on market mechanisms, and particularly the Emissions Trading Scheme, means New Zealand is no longer expected to reach net zero by 2050, let alone the 2041 date projected under Labour."
17 July, 2024
NZ's future climate targets in jeopardy, new calculations find - 1News
New Zealand's future climate targets are in jeopardy, unless new policies or technology come to the rescue by the end of the decade, according to calculations out today.
"The Government's draft emissions reduction plan was published on Wednesday morning, laying out how it will meet greenhouse gas budgets on the way to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The emissions picture is worse than it was a year ago, partly because the government has not announced enough new policies to counter the long-term impact of ditching Labour-era climate policies, and developments it doesn't control, such as Tiwai Point aluminium smelter staying open.
As things stand, the country is on track to comfortably meet its first emissions budget (2022-2025) and narrowly meet its second budget (2026-2030), though not as comfortably as it was on track for a year ago. The third budget (2031-2035) looks set to be missed by around 17 million tonnes of emissions, under middle-of-the-road assumptions about the economy and other things.
One tonne of carbon dioxide is equal to nine average car trips from Auckland to Wellington in a petrol car, and the country's total emissions are currently around 70 million tonnes annually. The projections have plenty of room for error, particularly looking further out, and were calculated differently than they were when Labour's plan was assessed a year ago. However a comparison table using the closest available figures suggests New Zealand was on track to over-perform on its third emissions budget a year ago, under policies in place as at July 2023. As of July 2024, it is projected to miss that budget by around 17 million tonnes. The Government said policies for meeting that third emissions budget would be the focus of the next Emissions Reduction Plan. According to today's documents, the Government's goal of having net zero carbon emissions by 2050 also appears to be at risk. Projections suggest, without more policy changes, net emissions might still be around 5 million tonnes in 2050, when they should be net zero."
16 July, 2024
Govt considers rolling back home insulation standards - 1News
Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk wants to roll back insulation standards that save a new home an estimated 40% on heating.
"Upgrades to insulation and glazing requirements in May 2023 were the first significant improvements to insulation standards in New Zealand in more than a decade. According to correspondence released to RNZ under the Official Information Act, government experts told Penk the old standards were "significantly lower" than other countries with similar climates, including relevant parts of Australia, the UK, Ireland, and the US. They told him upgrades had overwhelming support from the public and the building sector when they were brought in — and they reduced heating requirements in a new, four-bedroom home by up to 40%, at an estimated upfront cost increase of up to 2.8%. This did not persuade Penk, who told officials he had heard from builders and developers in Tauranga and the rest of Bay of Plenty that the standard, known as H1, added $40,000- 50,000 cost to a new home and created overheating issues.
... Before the change was introduced, 99% of public submissions during consultation supported raising insulation standards. When the changes were brought in, H1 had endorsement from the Master and Certified Builders Associations, the Insulation Association, the Institute of Architects, the Wood Processing and Manufacturers' Association, the National Association of Steel-framed Housing, Concrete New Zealand, the Window and Glass Association, BRANZ, the Green Building Council, and the Building Advisory Panel, MBIE told the minister."
[Comment by SCAN: The above news item does not address the fact that insulation not only slows down the rate of heat loss in winter, but also slows down the rate of heat gains in summer]
11 July, 2024
Climate impact of repealing oil and gas ban revealed - 1News
Undoing the oil and gas exploration ban will result in an extra 51 million tonnes of planet-heating emissions being pumped into the atmosphere in the years to 2050, according to a government analysis.
"That is almost as much as the whole of New Zealand produces in a year. The real impact might be lower if an increased flow of fossil gas means the country can burn less coal, which has higher emissions, the analysis found. The Ministry for Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) published the climate impact of reopening New Zealand waters to hunting for new oil and gas reserves on the same day the government announced its five-point climate strategy. The light-on-details strategy was widely panned by scientists as well as environmental groups, however the government has promised full details in a soon-to-be-released plan.
Between now and 2025, MBIE estimated moves by the government to encourage oil and gas extraction would add 14 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions to the country's tally, compared with keeping the ban in place - roughly the amount of greenhouse gas New Zealand's cars and trucks produce in a year. Officials said there might be climate benefits from reversing the ban, though they did not calculate these. The benefits were that having a higher supply of gas - if oil and gas companies had higher confidence to invest in extracting fossil fuels - might mean electricity companies and heavy industry could burn less coal.
... MBIE compared the current situation (where offshore gas fields' supplies are quickly dwindling) with a world where New Zealand has more gas, on the assumption reversing the ban will drive more gas production. Its report used different assumptions from ones previously used by the Climate Change Commission, because MBIE says gas supplies are running out faster than expected when the commission did its work."
... Environmental law professor Barry Barton of the University of Waikato said one of the key reasons oil and gas companies were cool on investing in exploration here was geology. "We should not expect a rush of companies to come to New Zealand because of these policy changes," he said. "Geologically, New Zealand has turned out to have more gas resources than oil. Commercially, the New Zealand market is a small and isolated one where a company would struggle to commercialise a large gas find. "The decline in gas reserves is largely due to difficulties with production from existing fields." Barton said gas should be kept for "niche" uses and not be used for baseload electricity generation. Expert reports, including one from the Climate Change Commission, have concluded gas has a role in supplying peak electricity demand out to 2050, but a shrinking one."
30 June, 2024
New Zealand's new-look approach to methane 'problematic', top climate scientist says - RNZ
"The government's goal of 'no added heating' from farming's methane is problematic, a top Australian climate scientist says. The government has just appointed a panel to spend four months reviewing the methane part of New Zealand's climate target, led by former climate change commissioner and former Fonterra board member Nicola Shadbolt. The panel is tasked with recommending a target consistent with causing 'no additional warming' to the planet from farming's methane emissions.
... The review aims to find a level of methane emissions consistent with the country's farm animals producing the same amount of heating in 2050 as they did in 2017 - but not reducing their impact. The Climate Change Commission has said that would lower New Zealand's climate ambition. The concept of 'no added heating' has strong support from Federated Farmers, which said the review was "well overdue".
But Professor Mark Howden, the director of the Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions at Australian National University, said basing a goal on 'no added heating' was "actually confusing". Howden is Australasia's top representative on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Asked if aiming for 'no added heating' could meet the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change, Howden said framing the target that way was "problematic". "It's a problematic way of expressing the goal, and a much simpler way of expressing the goal is simply proportional reductions." Howden said taking a "sensible" mid-point from various IPCC pathways, methane would need to fall by roughly 60 per cent by 2050 to meet global climate goals, though not all of that reduction needed to come from agriculture.
... Howden made his comments in the context of Denmark announcing what it claimed would be a 'world first' law to price agricultural emissions. "The barrier is about politics and agri-politics and who takes responsibility for emissions," he said. "If... agriculture and food gets off scot free, other sectors have to take (more) responsibility. Those other sectors will not be happy and it also doesn't generate the least-cost pathway for reducing emissions. "What the science says very clearly is we need to reduce methane emissions - and nitrous oxide emissions and carbon dioxide emissions - very significantly and very quickly if we're to keep within the band of temperatures we have agreed to under the Paris Agreement." "
27 June, 2024
Half a million New Zealanders without access to safe drinking water - RNZ
"Nearly half a million New Zealanders do not have access to safe drinking water, it has been revealed. Three reports published by water service regulator Taumata Arowai provided the country's first ever comprehensive overview of drinking water. The reports also outlined the challenges confronting the country's wastewater and stormwater networks. Industry group Water New Zealand said the reports demonstrated communities were still being supplied unsafe drinking water. The trio of reports also highlighted concerns about high E. coli levels and the high number of long-term consumer advisories, including 'boil water' and 'do not drink' notices, being issued by suppliers.
Water New Zealand technical lead Lesley Smith said up to 489,000 people received drinking water from councils with inadequate protozoa protection and up to 25,000 people received drinking water from supplies without a bacteria barrier. The lack of a protozoa barrier was identified as a likely factor in the outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in Queenstown last year."
27 June, 2024
Govt will weaken methane target in defiance of Climate Commission – McClay - Newsroom
McClay’s comments directly contradicted what Climate Change Minister Simon Watts had told reporters just three minutes earlier
"Analysis: Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says the Government will reset New Zealand’s methane emissions targets in line with the principle of “no additional warming”, a move the independent Climate Change Commission has warned will lead to “higher emissions and an increased amount of warming than the current target”.
While the Government’s review of the methane target’s consistency with the “no additional warming” principle was announced in April, ministers had previously said they would await the results of the review before deciding whether to change the target. Just three minutes before McClay made his comments on Thursday afternoon, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts reiterated that any conflicts between the review panel and the climate commission would be resolved after the panel reports back later this year. McClay, however, said the Government would accept the advice of the review panel even if it conflicted with the commission’s advice. “We’ve charged them with going through the work of giving the Government advice and we’ll accept that advice,” he said.
... The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment also weighed in last year when farming lobby groups commissioned research on a “no additional warming” target. “This is not ‘new science’ and it leaves us exactly as I had previously stated the position to be – namely, that the sustained contribution to atmospheric warming that New Zealand makes through the emission of agricultural methane is a matter of choice, and choosing to maintain this warming at the current level is to claim a ‘right’ to a certain level of warming from agriculture indefinitely,” the commissioner, Simon Upton, wrote at the time.
...The {Climate Chnage] commission said there was no justification for weakening New Zealand’s climate targets.
The National Party has also previously separately cited figures which suggest a “no additional warming” target would more than halve the ambition of New Zealand’s current targets, aiming for a 3.3 percent reduction by 2030 and a 10 percent reduction by 2050."
26 June, 2024
‘Limited evidence’ for Govt’s approach to farm emissions – officials - Newsroom
Failing to reduce agricultural climate pollution will mean the rest of the economy is left to pick up the slack – and the bill – officials warned
"There is “limited evidence” that the Government’s chosen approach to preventing agriculture from entering the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will be effective, officials at the Ministry for the Environment and the Treasury concluded.
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts – alongside associate agriculture ministers Mark Patterson and Andrew Hoggard – announced earlier this month that legislation will be passed to remove a 2025 deadline for the sector’s entry into New Zealand’s carbon market. It means agricultural greenhouse gas pollution (which is behind 70 percent of the country’s contribution to global warming) will continue to face no price until as late as 2030.
A regulatory impact statement released when the Bill was introduced to Parliament last week shows officials provided ministers with two alternatives for how the deadline could be pushed back without completely removing agriculture from the ETS. However, ministers ultimately stuck with their preferred option of removing all references to agriculture from the legislation and regulation relating to the scheme, including nixing emissions reporting requirements which have been in place for large processors like Fonterra and Silver Fern Farms since 2011."
19 June, 2024
Five businesses emit as much carbon as half of New Zealand’s vehicle fleet and Christian climate campaigners want them to pay for it - Interest.co.nz
More than 6,000 New Zealanders have signed a petition asking Parliament to phase out the free carbon credits given to protect some high-emission industries.
".... The Emissions Trading Scheme limits the amount of climate pollution permitted in the New Zealand economy and requires emitters to purchase and surrender one unit per tonne of C02. It is intended to use market forces to find the most cost-effective ways to reduce emissions and meet internationally agreed targets, such as the Paris Accord. However, some free units are allocated to businesses in emission-intensive industries that are competing with overseas rivals not subject to a carbon tax. If emissions pricing pushed production into countries with looser rules and dirtier energy, New Zealand would lose economic activity and global emissions would increase anyway. The free industrial allocation aims to protect businesses and jobs that might not have cost-effective ways to decarbonisation their production processes.
... The campaigners, Don’t Subsidize Pollution, want this free allocation to be phased out over the next six years, instead of at the current rate of 1% per year. It then wants half those units to be used to reduce the total emissions cap and the other half to be added to the quarterly auctions to generate more revenue for other climate spending."
19 June, 2024
Conservation minister says saving every species may be too expensive - 1News
Opposition MPs were gobsmacked by Tama Potaka’s suggestion that it may be more cost-effective to let species go extinct
"Some endangered native species may have to go extinct because it would be too expensive to save them all, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka suggested at a select committee hearing on Tuesday.
... The minister was answering a question about how the department decides where to focus its biodiversity efforts when he went on a digression. “Whilst there may be a view – and that’s a very strong view and I get it on a regular basis, especially from some of our comrades in the environmental space – that we have to save every single species, I think that that actually is a very aspirational and ambitious objective, and it’s one that we may not be able to deliver on,” he said. “So we have to be very careful before we say every single species is going to be saved. We have to be very mindful that that comes at a cost which up until this point in time no one has figured out.”
Asked whether that meant he was comfortable with species extinction, Potaka walked it back, arguing it would be irresponsible to pledge to save all species without a detailed costing. He said he didn’t have that costing to hand, but it hadn’t been produced under the previous government either. “Well, the aim has been that you don’t have species going extinct,” Brooking replied. “Well that is true, but that doesn’t come cost-free,” Potaka responded. “There is a cost with maintaining species and ensuring that they don’t become extinct. And I don’t think anyone in the history of the Department of Conservation has costed that in a [meaningful], defensible and credible way – and if they have, please tell me.”
More than three quarters of New Zealand’s native birds, reptiles, bats and freshwater fish are threatened with extinction or at risk of becoming threatened. That includes 94 percent of reptile species, 82 percent of birds and four of our five native bats."
18 June, 2024
Govt aims to build infrastructure faster with law shakeup - 1News
Another law is set for a shakeup, as the Government moves to fast track infrastructure projects.
The Public Works Act allows Government agencies to force people and businesses to sell their land so big projects can be completed. 1News can exclusively reveal it's set for an overhaul — all with the aim of building infrastructure faster.
The Public Works Act first came along in the 1980s, it was all about thinking big to boost the economy. It helped build the Marsden Point Oil Refinery and Clyde Dam, both fast tracked by the introduction of the Act. It allows government agencies to legally acquire land from its owners. But it can take years, due to indecision over projects, and landowners challenging acquisitions. Land Information Minister Chris Penk told 1News: "We want to know ways that we can basically speed up the process, which will give much more certainty to land owners and of course get infrastructure built much more quickly."
... After 25 years with no changes, there will now be a short sharp eight week consultation on the act before the legislative process takes off."
18 June, 2024
Right to repair law could help curb throw away mentality, fix-it expert says - RNZ
"Some manufacturers actively discourage fixing electronics over replacing them and a right to repair law could help curb the throw away mentality according to a fix-it expert. Consumer NZ has launched a petition calling on the government to introduce repairability labels - so people will know how long the item they are buying is expected to last and how easy it is to fix. It would also require manufacturers to provide spare parts. So far more than 18,000 people have signed the petition. Consumer NZ said every year New Zealanders chucked out 97,000 tonnes of e-waste; enough toasters to fill Eden Park and the Sky Tower.
Alan Liefting is the managing director at Ecotech Services, which sells re-furbished electronics and he is also a volunteer at the Repair café - where broken and busted items are patched up. He told Checkpoint he had lots of examples of how he had found it hard to repair items, including how one manufacturer would only sell a part of a microwave oven for $500. ... Other items such as modern televisions with LCD screens were very delicate and breakable and they could not repair them because the LCD screen itself was not available as a spare part, he said. Liefting said there were a lot of things that were not being repaired, due to people upgrading technology. ... "It's quite depressing to see how much stuff can't be repaired for one reason or another, either changes in technology or lack of spare parts, or the fact that it is simply not economic because for one reason, or another labour or spare parts." Liefting said a right to repair law encouraging manufacturers to make things fixable should be introduced, however, manufacturers could not be blamed themselves. "Pretty much everybody, our governments, manufacturers and consumers all have a part to play in this," he said. "
13 June, 2024
Global demand for oil could peak soon – NZ’s plan to revive offshore exploration doesn’t add up - The Conversation
"This week’s announcement of the government’s plans to reopen New Zealand’s territorial waters to oil drilling comes as no surprise. All three coalition parties campaigned on reversing the 2018 ban on offshore oil exploration. But it flies in the face of projections that demand for oil could peak as early as this decade. Minister for Resources Shane Jones has confirmed the government plans to reverse the ban later this year and seeks to incentivise oil investors by paying them a bond in case their drilling rights are cancelled by future governments. The government is also considering weakening a law that requires oil and gas permit holders to pay for the decommissioning and clean-up of wells. This law was passed in 2021 in response to taxpayers having to pick up a NZ$400 million bill for decommissioning the Tui oil field after the financial collapse of the oil company. The government’s decisions go against projections by many sources, including the International Energy Agency, that demand for oil will decline soon as we electrify the global transport fleet. Consequently, investment in oil exploration is projected to decline too.
... The use of fossil fuels is due to decline this decade, according to several major oil companies. A 2023 report by Shell projects fossil fuel use dropping rapidly in coming decades, while BP thinks oil demand for combustion has already peaked. Many large organisations think peak oil demand will happen this decade or the 2030s. This includes the International Energy Agency (IEA), which has predicted demand for oil will peak before 2030.
... We have enough oil to make the energy transition. We’ve known for some time that remaining fossil fuels must stay in the ground to meet the Paris Agreement goal of keeping the world below 2°C above pre-industrial temperatures. The last UN climate summit – COP28 held late last year – agreed to “transition away from fossil fuels” and signalled the “beginning of the end” of the fossil fuel era.
... New Zealand should be enabling the energy transition. The world is moving very rapidly away from coal and oil, and eventually all fossil fuels. A growing number of countries require adherence to Paris Agreement pledges by their trading partners. The recently signed free trade deal between New Zealand and the EU imposes trade sanctions if Paris pledges are not met. New Zealand’s current emissions reduction policies take us on a track that is much less than our per capita global fair share to limit warming. New Zealand should be moving away from oil drilling and instead invest in the energy transition, including decarbonisation of industrial heat, subsidising low-emitting vehicles and charging high emitters, better public transport and bike lanes, increased EV charging infrastructure, and “urban mining” (recycling) of batteries and other technology currently filling rubbish dumps. "
09 June, 2024
Bill to resume oil and gas exploration set for later this year - RNZ
"The government will reverse its ban on oil and gas exploration, Minister for Resources Shane Jones has confirmed. Jones said New Zealand's natural gas reserves were declining and sustainable sources like wind, solar and hydro were too inconsistent. "Natural gas is critical to keeping our lights on and our economy running, especially during peak electricity demand and when generation dips because of more intermittent sources like wind, solar and hydro," Jones said on Sunday.
Offshore petroleum exploration was banned in 2018, but Jones said that restriction would be removed. "When the exploration ban was introduced by the previous government in 2018, it not only halted the exploration needed to identify new sources, but it also shrank investment in further development of our known gas fields which sustain our current levels of use. "Without this investment, we are now in a situation where our annual natural gas production is expected to peak this year and undergo a sustained decline, meaning we have a security of supply issue barrelling towards us." He said the act would also be amended to make it easier for companies to get permission for oil exploration.
... The Green Party said lifting the ban was a severe step backwards that would have serious consequences. "The Government is tipping oil and gas onto the climate crisis fire, lining the pockets of fossil fuel companies, while everyone else will pick up the bill," Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said in a statement. ... "The science is clear that fossil fuels must stay in the ground to limit global warming within 1.5C of warming. This government's actions are anti-science and show a flagrant disregard for international climate commitments which could lead to huge costs down the line."
... Labour energy spokesperson Megan Woods said climate change was the "number one issue facing New Zealand". "Minister Jones is hell-bent on ignoring options of energy that are future-proofed and up to global standards," she said in a statement. "This is a manufactured crisis. We know there are reliable and cost-effective energy sources available to New Zealand that can be used without destroying the country. New Zealand is being taken backwards. This government is being cruel to future generations, this will take decades to undo - if the damage can be undone at all." "
08 June, 2024
Thousands protest Fast-track Approvals Bill in central Auckland - RNZ
"Thousands of people gathered in central Auckland have been told that they must say no to the Fast-track Approvals Bill. The protesters - including former Green Party co-leader Russel Norman, Forest & Bird chief executive Nicola Toki and actress Robyn Malcolm - made their way down Queen Street as part of the March for Nature. The bill will see three ministers in charge of deciding on whether major infrastructure or development projects should go ahead.
In a speech to the crowd gathered in Aotea Square, Toki addressed Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. "This is your government, these are your ministers. Responsibility for this environmental nightmare rests with you." The former Green Party co-leader and Greenpeace executive director Russel Norman believes the bill will be bad for the environment. We must stop those who would destroy nature for profit. "The vast majority of New Zealanders - nine out of 10 people, when you survey them - say they do not want development that causes more destruction of nature."
... Protesters interviewed by RNZ said the bill was a "dumb" decision and would take New Zealand backwards. "It's putting ... the decision making into [the hands of] just a couple of people, " one said. "It feels like this government's taking us back to the 1950s. It's just dumb on so many levels," said another. "It's just old, archaic, dinosaur economics. It's old thinking that got us into this problem that we're in right now," another protester told RNZ."
04 June, 2024
Global rich must pay more to tackle climate crisis, says architect of Paris deal - The Guardian
Laurence Tubiana, one of experts behind 2015 agreement, calls for taxes or charges on consumption
"Rich individuals in all countries must pay more to tackle the climate crisis, whether through taxes or charges on consumption, one of the architects of the Paris agreement has said. There is a growing consensus on the need for some kind of global wealth tax, with Brazil, which will host the Cop climate summit next year, an enthusiastic supporter. Meanwhile, poor countries are struggling to raise the estimated $1tn (£785bn) a year of external finance needed to help them cut emissions and cope with the impacts of the climate crisis.
Another proposal is for a frequent flyer levy, as the richest people tend to take far more flights – in any year about half of the people in the UK do not fly, for instance. Laurence Tubiana, the chief executive of the European Climate Foundation, said a levy could be targeted at business class and first class seats. Other possible sources of revenue include a carbon tax on international shipping, which could raise billions without disrupting global trade, according to research from the World Bank. Levies on fossil fuels could also play a role.
The richest 1% of people in the world are responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than the 66% at the other end of the scale, yet they experience little of the vulnerability to climate shocks that are causing suffering and death, mainly among poorer people. Tubiana said: “This inequality is true not only between developed countries and developing ones, but within each country – the 1% of rich Chinese, or the 1% of very rich Indians, or the US citizen – they have a lifestyle which is very, very similar, in terms of overconsumption. That’s where your carbon footprint comes in.” Failing to address these inequalities could damage public acceptance of the measures needed to tackle the climate crisis, she said in an interview with the Guardian. “If you want to avoid a real conflict, we have to put the social justice element upfront. It’s legitimate to talk about taxation, with the immense elements of climate impact, and the need to mobilise more funding to respond to the transition [to a low-carbon economy] and adaptation [to the impacts of extreme weather].” "
31 May, 2024
Tiwai Deal Mustn’t Lead To A Multi-billion Dollar Subsidy To Pollute Being Granted To Rio Tinto - Scoop
"Close to a million free carbon credits per year could go back to Rio Tinto under the new electricity supply deal announced by New Zealand Aluminium Smelters and electricity suppliers today, if the government doesn’t urgently change the rules for big polluters to receive electricity-related industrial allocation. The previous government had shrunk Tiwai Point’s industrial allocation under their previous contract, removing a subsidy of around $60 million/year at the time while Tiwai was on an interim supply contract with electricity retailers. The deal announced today is silent on the passing on of electricity-related emissions costs to NZAS, but if reactivated at the same rate as the 2015 contract, would lead to the smelter receiving 15 million credits worth nearly $2 billion over the 20 year life of the contract. Common Grace Aotearoa co-Director and spokesperson for the Don’t Subsidise Pollution campaign Alex Johnston, said “Subsidising pollution during a climate crisis doesn’t make sense. When the government’s just put a billion dollars in the budget to recover and build resilience from climate-induced disasters, they risk seeing $2 billion dollars go back in the hands of Rio Tinto to keep polluting if nothing changes.” "
31 May, 2024
Tiwai Point aluminium smelter to stay open until 2044 - 1News
The Tiwai Point aluminium smelter has reached a long term power supply deal that will keep it open for another 20 years.
"Meridian Energy and New Zealand Aluminium Smelters (NZAS) have agreed a long-term fixed price power contract until 2044. The future of the smelter has been hanging in the balance for years as the expiry of the current contract at the end of this year loomed. Meridian Energy chief executive Neal Barclay called the agreement an "excellent result" after many years of negotiation. "This is a fantastic outcome for New Zealand and the Southland region. It's further proof that large industrial businesses can utilise New Zealand's renewable energy advantage and create low carbon sustainable products, high value jobs and export dollars for our country." "We are very pleased that the NZAS team have adopted a more flexible approach toward their operations." The smelter's owner, global mining giant Rio Tinto, has long complained about the transmission prices it has been charged, which it said alongside volatile world aluminium prices put a question mark over the smelter's viability and future.
The smelter opened in 1971 and is supplied by power from the specially constructed Manapouri power station. It uses about 13 per cent of the country's electricity, which it buys at rock bottom prices.
... The new agreement contained provisions for the smelter to cut power usage at times when there was peak demand but insufficient supply in the country. NZAS chief executive Chris Blenkiron did not comment directly on the decision to stay open, but said the demand response contract made the smelter the country's biggest storage battery. "Making up to a third of our supply available to help New Zealand is something we are happy to do to make sure that we play our part in the wider energy sector and help to keep the lights on. "When our demand response is called on, it effectively means New Zealand will have to burn less coal at Huntly, ultimately reducing New Zealand's carbon emissions."
... The smelter contributes about $406 million to the Southland economy, with annual export revenue of about $1 billion. About 1000 full time staff and contractors work at the smelter, with a further 2200 people employed indirectly."
28 May, 2024
International climate obligations questioned as Government renews coal commitment; Winston Peters did not seek advice - NZ Herald
Questions are being raised over whether the Government’s coal mining strategy breaches New Zealand’s international climate commitments.
"It has been revealed Foreign Minister Winston Peters did not ask for advice on how “cutting consenting red tape for coal mines” will impact our international standing or relationships. This is despite New Zealand being among the first nations to sign up to the Powering Past Coal Alliance - an agreement to transition from coal to clean energy. The deal was struck at the 2017 United Nations Climate Change Conference - COP23 - and now consists of 60 governments.
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick is particularly concerned, saying that Peters should have at the very least looked at how such a decision would impact New Zealand’s relationships and reputation on the world stage. “The Government has continued a relentless assault on people and planet,” she said. Swarbrick fears this goes against the way New Zealand has positioned itself globally as a leader in the Pacific, where island nations are at considerable threat from climate hazards, such as sea level rise.
... When asked in a parliamentary written question if he had requested advice on the impact of the policy on New Zealand’s international standing or relationships, Peters replied “no”. " He said the Government remains committed to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy production and therefore becoming a lower emissions economy. “New Zealand’s international standing with regards to addressing climate challenges will be shaped by delivering on the Government’s steadfast commitment to the Paris Agreement and other accords.”
... But Swarbrick said excavating and opening up more coal mines completely ignores the advice of the country’s independent expert Climate Change Commission, to transition away from coal as quickly as possible. The commission’s latest advice to keep New Zealand on track to reach its target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 is out for consultation. It recommends a steady and sustained shift away from coal, diesel and fossil gas - to electricity and biomass energy." Swarbrick said this goes against the Government’s own coalition agreement to be driven by data and evidence."
27 May, 2024
World has ‘moral responsibility’ to help small island states survive climate crisis – UN agency chief - The Guardian
Vulnerable economies must be supported with finance and practical aid to find long term solutions, says Jorge Moreira da Silva of Unops
"The world has a “moral responsibility” to support the fight for survival being faced by small island states, according to a leading UN agency chief. Ahead of the fourth annual conference of small island developing states (Sids) being held in Antigua and Barbuda this week, Jorge Moreira da Silva, the executive director of the (Unops), called for recognition of the problems faced by what he called “some of the most vulnerable economies in the world” who contributed less than 1% to global carbon emissions. “Because of their unique circumstances and vulnerabilities, Sids face higher levels of debt distress than other developing countries,” said da Silva. “Over 40% of Sids are now on the edge of, or are already grappling with, unsustainable levels of debt."
... da Silva emphasised. “Sids contribute less than 1% of global carbon emissions yet suffer disproportionately from climate change impacts. The people of Sids are at the forefront of a climate crisis they did not create. The international community has a moral responsibility to support their efforts to fight climate change and build a resilient and sustainable future." "
22 May, 2024
National accused of breaking election promise by delaying offshore wind rules - Newsroom
National promised a permitting system for offshore wind farms would be in place within a year, but that has now been pushed out to mid-2025
"New rules to enable the development of offshore wind farms won’t be in place until the middle of next year, despite a promise by the National Party during the election to finalise them within a year. A briefing to Energy Minister Simeon Brown, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, obtained by Newsroom under the Official Information Act, shows legislation for the rules won’t even be introduced to Parliament until December. “This is work that is critical to New Zealand’s future, it’s critical to our plans for how we decarbonise, but it’s also critical investment in New Zealand’s infrastructure as well,” Labour’s energy and climate spokesperson Megan Woods said. She added that she viewed it as a broken campaign promise from National.
When Woods was the Minister of Energy, the system of permits and space allocation for offshore wind farms was due to be completed in July this year. The Labour government consulted on a permitting system in August last year. She says that, as far as she knows, it was still on track when she left office in November. Just days before the election, the National Party released an offshore wind policy promising to “complete the development of offshore wind regulations including commercial permits within one year”. But the briefing obtained by Newsroom shows that while Cabinet decisions on the permitting system are due this month, legislation won’t be introduced until December and won’t be in force until mid-2025."
15 May, 2024
Carbon credit supply might need to be cut as efficient furnace comes online - RNZ
"A new steel-making furnace will reduce emissions so much that environment officials have floated the idea of reducing the whole country's supply of carbon credits to compensate. The Ministry for the Environment is asking the public - and emitters - how many tonnes of carbon dioxide the government should sell at auction from 2025-29, and at what range of prices. When NZ Steel's new electric arc furnace starts working in around 2027, hundreds of thousands of tonnes worth of permits to pump out carbon dioxide that the old furnace would have needed to cover its coal use will be up for grabs. These could be sold to other emitters, lowering pollution prices and lowering incentives for other companies to go cleaner, says the ministry."
15 May, 2024
New Zealand's latest population figures revealed by Stats NZ - INews
New Zealand's population has risen by more than 100,000 people in the past year, Stats NZ revealed today.
The year ended March 2024 saw New Zealand's population grow by 2.5%, or about 130,700 people, the agency said this morning. That figure stems from an estimated natural increase (births minus deaths) of 19,500 and an estimated net migration (migrant arrivals minus migrant departures) of 111,100 people. And New Zealand saw fewer births and deaths in the year ended March 2024 than the year before. The agency said there were 56,277 live births registered in New Zealand in the year ended March 2024. That's down from 58,707 in the year ended March 2023, a decrease of about 2500. And there were 37,623 deaths registered in the year ended March 2024, over 1000 less than the 38,835 deaths registered in the year ended March 2023. "The total fertility rate was 1.52 births per woman, down from 1.65," Stats NZ said. "The infant mortality rate was 3.8 deaths per 1000 live births, up from 3.5 per 1000, but down from 4.2 per 1000 in the year ended March 2022."
The agency also released New Zealand's provisional national population statistics for the same period. "At 31 March 2024: New Zealand's estimated resident population was provisionally 5,338,900. "There were 2,680,900 females and 2,658,000 males. "The median age of females and males was 38.9 and 37.1 respectively. Today's release comes after Stats NZ's population insights analyst Rebekah Hennessey said in February that 2023 had seen the "lowest number of births registered in 20 years". "
12 May, 2024
‘Magical thinking’: hopes for sustainable jet fuel not realistic, report finds - The Guardian
IPS report says replacement fuels well off track to replace kerosene within timeframe needed to avert climate disaster
"Hopes that replacement fuels for airplanes will slash carbon pollution are misguided and support for these alternatives could even worsen the climate crisis, a new report has warned. There is currently “no realistic or scalable alternative” to standard kerosene-based jet fuels, and touted “sustainable aviation fuels” are well off track to replace them in a timeframe needed to avert dangerous climate change, despite public subsidies, the report by the Institute for Policy Studies, a progressive thinktank, found. “While there are kernels of possibility, we should bring a high level of skepticism to the claims that alternative fuels will be a timely substitute for kerosene-based jet fuels,” the report said. Chuck Collins, co-author of the report, said: “To bring these fuels to the scale needed would require massive subsidies, the trade-offs would be unacceptable and would take resources aware from more urgent decarbonization priorities. “It’s a huge greenwashing exercise by the aviation industry. It’s magical thinking that they will be able to do this.”
10 May, 2024
Government hypes gas crisis ahead of restarting drilling - Newsroom
Solar power is the cheapest form of energy in the Pacific but the Government says New Zealand’s only choices for keeping the lights on are gas or coal
"Analysis: Energy Minister Simeon Brown took the rare move of making a ministerial statement in Parliament on Wednesday, warning New Zealand could struggle to keep the lights on due to an unexpected shortage of gas supply in the latest regular update from the Gas Industry Company.
.... Presenting a situation of declining gas supply that has long been expected and is well-understood as a sudden crisis is an attempt to make the case for the Government’s pivot back towards fossil fuels for industrial uses and electricity production in New Zealand. The centrepiece of this pivot is the reversal of the ban on new offshore oil and gas exploration, which Jones has hinted could be accompanied by legislative changes to remove requirements around cleaning up discontinued wells or even government underwriting of major capital investments. Both Brown and Jones have therefore taken aim at the oil and gas ban as the cause of the current problems. However, there’s no direct connection between declining gas production from existing wells and the exploration ban which came into effect less than six years ago.
.... Since 2021, the International Energy Agency has found that no new oil and gas fields are needed to meet its net zero pathway. “The unwavering policy focus on climate change in the net zero pathway results in a sharp decline in fossil fuel demand, meaning that the focus for oil and gas producers switches entirely to output – and emissions reductions – from the operation of existing assets,” it wrote in a landmark report on net zero that year. The International Institute for Sustainable Development likewise concluded in 2022 that new oil and gas is “incompatible” with 1.5C. “According to a large consensus across multiple modelled climate and energy pathways, developing any new oil and gas fields is incompatible with limiting warming to 1.5C,” the 2022 report found. Finally, just last year, the influential Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found even keeping warming to 2C required keeping half of known gas reserves and a third of known oil reserves in the ground. “Significantly more reserves are expected to remain unburned if warming is limited to 1.5C,” the panel said. This implicitly means searching for new reserves is not consistent with either 1.5C or 2C."
09 May, 2024
Less than half of Kiwi businesses recycling e-waste — survey - 1News
More than half of Kiwi businesses say they haven’t recycled electronic waste in the last year, according to an e-waste recycling organisation.
"A survey commissioned by Echo, released today, found 61% of businesses were improperly disposing of e-waste. When asked why they didn’t recycle or dispose of their e-waste, 45% of business owners said they simply didn’t know what to do with their devices, while 35% said they don’t have the time to dispose of e-waste properly. E-waste was the fastest growing solid waste stream in the world, with 53.6 million tonnes produced globally in 2019, according to the World Health Organization. In Aotearoa New Zealand, 19.2kg of e-waste was generated per capita – above the OECD average of 17.1kg and more than 2.5 times higher than the world average of 7.3kg. Just 2% of this e-waste was diverted from landfill and recycled properly.
Echo CEO Patrick Moynahan said the results reflected the unsustainable habits of Kiwi business owners. "With so many businesses saying they haven’t properly recycled their e-waste over the last year, this signals a huge number of items potentially ending up in landfill rather than being disposed of responsibly," Moynahan said, in a statement.
... Moynahan said approximately 98,000 tonnes of e-waste ended up in landfills every year in New Zealand, highlighting a "major opportunity for sustainability improvement across the country". "
08 May, 2024
World’s top climate scientists expect global heating to blast past 1.5C target - The Guardian
Exclusive: Planet is headed for at least 2.5C of heating with disastrous results for humanity, poll of hundreds of scientists finds
‘Hopeless and broken’: why the world’s top climate scientists are in despair
Hundreds of the world’s leading climate scientists expect global temperatures to rise to at least 2.5C (4.5F) above preindustrial levels this century, blasting past internationally agreed targets and causing catastrophic consequences for humanity and the planet, an exclusive Guardian survey has revealed. Almost 80% of the respondents, all from the authoritative Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), foresee at least 2.5C of global heating, while almost half anticipate at least 3C (5.4F). Only 6% thought the internationally agreed 1.5C (2.7F) limit would be met.
Many of the scientists envisage a “semi-dystopian” future, with famines, conflicts and mass migration, driven by heatwaves, wildfires, floods and storms of an intensity and frequency far beyond those that have already struck. Numerous experts said they had been left feeling hopeless, infuriated and scared by the failure of governments to act despite the clear scientific evidence provided.
... The Guardian approached every contactable lead author or review editor of IPCC reports since 2018. Almost half replied, 380 of 843. The IPCC’s reports are the gold standard assessments of climate change, approved by all governments and produced by experts in physical and social sciences. The results show that many of the most knowledgeable people on the planet expect climate havoc to unfold in the coming decades.
... The 1.5C target was chosen to prevent the worst of the climate crisis and has been seen as an important guiding star for international negotiations. Current climate policies mean the world is on track for about 2.7C, and the Guardian survey shows few IPCC experts expect the world to deliver the huge action required to reduce that.
... The experts were clear on why the world is failing to tackle the climate crisis. A lack of political will was cited by almost three-quarters of the respondents, while 60% also blamed vested corporate interests, such as the fossil fuel industry. Many also mentioned inequality and a failure of the rich world to help the poor, who suffer most from climate impacts."
08 May, 2024
Genesis Energy to fire up coal imports amid dwindling gas supply - 1News
Genesis Energy is to resume importing coal, as reduced gas supplies and increased demand add to the problems of keeping the lights on in future years.
"The company said it currently had about half a million tonnes at its Huntly power station, which it expected to be well through after this winter, but would then replenish to maintain a stockpile of 350,000 tonnes, enough to meet its own needs. Chief executive Malcolm Johns said coal use was necessary as gas supplies were down a third on a year ago, hydro-lake inflows were 13% lower, and solar and wind power were intermittent. In addition, demand had risen about 4%.
... Meanwhile, the Government highlighted the fall in gas supplies and pointed the finger at the previous Labour administration for banning offshore exploration and putting obstacles in the way of investment. Energy Minister Simeon Brown and Resources Minister Shane Jones said it had been told that some large gas consumers were concerned about being able to secure gas contracts. "The previous government stifled investment confidence in the natural gas sector. We are now seeing the serious impacts of these decisions with significant reduction in gas being produced which is leading to significant supply constraints and higher prices for consumers," Brown said."
... Jones said the Government would bring in law changes to increase gas production. "New Zealand has abundant natural resources, including energy resources such as natural gas. It is a tragedy to leave this abundance in the ground while our manufacturers suffer and our industrial base moves overseas. We are going to fix it." “
07 May, 2024
Meridian Energy: no need to ‘engage’ locals ahead of fast-track applications - Newsroom
Meridian Energy’s submission on the Fast-Track Approvals Bill outlined several ways the public could gum up the process, rendering a ‘fast’ bill slow
"In its submission on the Fast-Track Approvals Bill, Meridian Energy has recommended an amendment “to ensure there is a lesser threshold of discussion before lodging a referral application”. This amendment embodied a major theme of the company’s submission, which was to restrict ways in which the public could engage with fast-track project applications. Early stages of consultation and specific provisions for dealing with significant impacts were seen as vulnerabilities that could be exploited by third parties, leading to a slowdown of a Bill designed specifically to be fast. In short, Meridian’s submission declared that “existing RMA ‘fast’ processes are, in fact, not fast”, and sought to make amendments that would hasten the company’s ability to provide Aotearoa with renewable energy."
01 May, 2024
1News poll: NZ split on Govt's Fast-track Approvals Bill - 1News
Just 40% of people support the Government's Fast-track Approvals Bill, while 60% don't, didn't know, or didn't want to say - according to a new 1News Verian poll.
"The Fast-track Approvals Bill is aimed at introducing a "fast-track, one-stop-shop consenting regime", to "enable faster approval of infrastructure and other projects that have significant regional or national benefits", according to its legislative statement. To access the fast-track approvals process, project owners would need to apply to three joint Ministers — Ministers for Infrastructure (Chris Bishop), Transport (Simeon Brown), and Regional Development (Shane Jones). A project would then be referred to an expert panel for assessment and recommendation to the ministers, who would ultimately determine whether the project proceeded.
It's been criticised as anti-democratic as it greatly reduces public say on fast-track projects. Some have also criticised the lack of precise definition of what constituted projects of "significant regional or national benefits". Submissions on the bill closed on April 19 and the Environment Committee will now prepare a report with recommendations to Parliament on it, before it faces a second reading.
In the 1News Verian poll, run between April 20 and 24, 1000 eligible voters were asked: “The Fast-track Approval Bill will allow some ministers to approve infrastructure projects without going through the current approval process, for example, getting resource consent.
"Do you support or oppose the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill?”
Of those who responded, 40% said they supported it, 41% said they opposed it and 19% said they did not know or preferred not to say."
23 April, 2024
Government reveals first changes to Resource Management Act - RNZ
Farming, mining and other industrial regulations are being scrapped or amended under the government's first changes to the Resource Management Act. The changes include revision of stock exclusion, winter grazing, Te Mana o te Wai, mining consenting, and suspension of Significant Natural Area requirements. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop announced the government's plan in a statement today, highlighting five changes the government expected to introduce in its legislation due to be introduced to Parliament in May and passed by the end of the year. He said the government was aiming to "reduce the regulatory burden on resource consent applicants and support development in key sectors, including farming, mining and other primary industries". The changes in this bill were focused on changes that could take effect quickly, and give certainty to councils and consent applicants, he said.
The five changes highlighted include:
▝ Repeal intensive winter grazing regulations.
▝ Remove low-slope map from stock exclusion regulations.
▝ Suspend requirement for councils to identify new Significant Natural Areas for three years..
▝ Resource consents will no longer need to demonstrate accordance with Te Mana o te Wai heirarchy of obligations, during the review of the National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management.
▝ Coal mining consenting pathways to be re-aligned with other mining activities in the National Policy Statements for Indigenous Biodiversity and Freshwater Management, and the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater.
The coal mining changes had already been announced by Resources Minister Shane Jones."
22 April, 2024
Fast Track Approval Bill: Government watchdogs seek substantial curbs on ministers' powers - RNZ
"Two government watchdogs are recommending changes to the new Fast Track Approval Bill so conflicts of interest can be managed and the natural environment can be better protected. In two separate reports, the auditor-general and the parliamentary commissioner for the environment have urged the select committee, which is currently reviewing the legislation, to consider changes to the decision-making process laid out in the new legislation. The bill in its current form would give three ministers the ability to green-light infrastructure projects like roads, dams and mines, regardless of the risk to biodiversity, or if they have previously been denied consents by the courts.
But the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton said the role of ministers as decision-makers should be scrapped. Rather than allowing any project to be eligible to be fast-tracked, Upton's report recommended "limiting eligible projects to those that provide significant public benefits". In addition, he recommended environmental considerations be elevated, and the role of the minister for the environment in the process be restored. It should also exclude previously declined or prohibited activities from the fast-track process. Currently, the bill would allow those decisions to be overridden. Meanwhile, the auditor-general is urging the select committee to change the bill to include requirements for better managing conflicts of interest."
16 April, 2024
Shane Jones announces easier coal mine consenting - RNZ
"Resources Minister Shane Jones has announced changes to coal mine consenting he says reduce barriers to extraction and bring it into line with other types of mining. The government's first Resource Management Amendment Bill, to be introduced next month, will make changes to the Resource Management Act, freshwater environmental standards, and the National Policy Statements for Freshwater Management and Biodiversity. It will remove additional controls for coal mining introduced by Labour that were set to end the consenting pathway for existing thermal coal mines from 31 December 2030.
Jones, in a statement, said the government's planned changes would ensure New Zealand's access to locally sourced coal so processors would "not be forced to rely on imported coal to meet their needs". He said the impacts of extracting coal were "similar, if not the same, as those occurring in mining other minerals" and the changes would enable a wider range of consent applications for coal mining. "Coal is a small but mighty part of New Zealand's productive output and makes a significant contribution to regional economies," he said."
09 April, 2024
Climate Change Commission lays down wero over methane targets - Newsroom
The commission has issued a stern and not-so-subtle warning that there is no reason to water down goals to slash climate pollution from livestock
"Analysis: On Saturday, the Government preempted nearly a year of work by the Climate Change Commission by announcing a separate review of New Zealand’s methane emissions targets, just 48 hours before the commission was due to publish its own analysis on the subject. Now, in that document, the commission has fired back with a stern and not-so-subtle warning that there is no reason the goals for reducing climate pollution from livestock and waste should be watered down.
Though the commission’s review of New Zealand’s methane targets (and the 2050 net zero goal) would have been fully completed well before the Government announced its own separate review, officials at the independent advisory body had clearly anticipated where the methane debate was heading. In part, this is because the farming lobby groups whose pleas for a review were picked up by the Government had also submitted their views to the commission.
At issue is whether the methane targets – a 10 percent reduction from 2017 levels by 2030 and a 24 percent to 47 percent cut by 2050 – need altering. The sector has advocated for them to be weakened ever since they were first announced, preferring an approach that would in effect “lock in” the agriculture industry’s contribution to climate change but constrain it from worsening the problem. When that advocacy fell on deaf ears in the Labour government, the industry turned to a new tactic: commissioning research it claimed provided new evidence for why the targets are too ambitious. That research again relies on the perspective of reducing New Zealand’s ambition to merely targeting “no additional warming” from methane.
... There is no mechanism under the Zero Carbon Act for amending the methane target if the Climate Change Commission doesn’t recommend changes. That doesn’t stop the Government from changing the legislation to let itself change the target if its separate review panel comes to a different conclusion from the commission, but it would highlight how the independent commission’s advice was being dismissed. It is now for ministers to choose to pick up the wero and accept the commission’s findings, or to ignore it and start the latest battle in New Zealand’s long-running war over agricultural emissions."
06 April, 2024
Independent panel to review 2050 methane target, government announces - RNZ
"An independent panel is to review the country's methane target, the government has announced. Climate change minister Simon Watts and agriculture minister Todd McClay announced the review on Saturday. They said a panel of experts would review the available agricultural biogenic methane science before reporting back to the government by the end of 2024. They would "provide evidence-based advice on what our domestic 2050 methane target should be, consistent with the principle of no additional warming", McClay said.
... The Green Party criticised the announcement. "Delay is the new denial when it comes to climate change," said Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. "There is already a legally required, independent review of emissions reduction targets this year - which two of the three governing parties voted for. Best case, this newly announced review is a shining example of the wasteful duplication the government says it rails against. Worst case, it's a smokescreen to delay climate action. "This substanceless review announcement gives us no terms of reference, no idea who the 'expert' reviewers are or where they would come from, and a vague timeline." "
28 March, 2024
EV, plug-in hybrid road user charges legislation passes in Parliament - 1News
The legislation requiring light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids to pay road user charges has passed its third reading in Parliament ahead of the scheme starting on Monday.
"The charges for plug-in hybrids will be cheaper than initially planned after the government decided to accept an amendment proposed by the opposition. The changes mean EV owners will pay $76 per 1000km driven - the same as diesel vehicles - and plug-in hybrid owners $38 - down from the $42 that had been proposed - on a pre-pay basis.
... Some submitters to the select committee had been frustrated by the cost of the new charges for EVs, saying it was unfair and a "penalty on a plug". The difference in tax paid between some similar-model petrol and electric cars was about $500 a year, with EV users paying about four times as much as the carbon price paid by the petrol car's driver, for carbon pollution, they said."
28 March, 2024
Climate scientist Dr Jim Salinger named New Zealander of the Year - RNZ
"Climate scientist Dr Jim Salinger has been named as the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Te Pou Whakarae o Aotearoa. Dr Salinger is recognised as one of the first scientists to address global warming and has dedicated almost 50 years to advancing climate science. Born in Dunedin in 1947, he completed a Bachelor of Science from the University of Otago in 1971, a Doctor of Philosophy from Victoria University in Wellington in 1981 and a Master of Philosophy in Environmental Law from the University of Auckland in 1999. Dr Salinger is currently an adjunct research fellow with the School of Geography, Environmental and Earth Sciences at Victoria University. He is an influential communicator on climate change and has addressed audiences nationwide.
20 March, 2024
Government earns $190m from first carbon auction of the year - RNZ
"The first carbon auction of the year sold the right to emit just under three million tonnes of greenhouse gas, earning the government $190 million, money it previously said would help fund tax cuts. Emitters paid $64 a tonne, the legal minimum the government can sell at, ending a run of failed auctions when no permits sold. Not all the units on offer sold. But the auctions can clear part of their total if every bid reaches the confidential reserve price - or in this case, the legal minimum price floor, which must have been at or above the reserve. The reserve price has to be set after looking at carbon spot prices, so it does not tank the secondary market for buying and selling permits.
Ahead of the auction earlier this week, a tonne of climate pollution on the secondary market was trading at $64.50. The government price settings were changed after a group of activist lawyers took former climate change minister James Shaw to court, challenging the Labour Cabinet's decision to reject advice from the Climate Change Commission on tightening supply, to reduce the stockpile of units companies are holding on to.
All four of last year's auctions failed, and the market was looking shaky this week, according to market commentators. By law, many big polluters need to buy enough units each year to cover their emissions. After being used, they go on a virtual scrap heap and cannot be used again. Big electricity company Genesis needed fewer units last year because of a wet year, meaning it could use more hydropower and burn less coal. But the climate commission has warned there is a broader issue of oversupply. Millions of units were cancelled last year after all four government auctions failed to sell any, a development which might have been expected to tighten supply."
15 March, 2024
Joint NASA, NOAA Study Finds Earth’s Energy Imbalance Has Doubled - NASA
Researchers have found that Earth’s energy imbalance approximately doubled during the 14-year period from 2005 to 2019.
"Earth’s climate is determined by a delicate balance between how much of the Sun’s radiative energy is absorbed in the atmosphere and at the surface and how much thermal infrared radiation Earth emits to space. A positive energy imbalance means the Earth system is gaining energy, causing the planet to heat up. The doubling of the energy imbalance is the topic of a recent study, the results of which were published June 15 in Geophysical Research Letters.
Scientists at NASA and NOAA compared data from two independent measurements. NASA’s Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) suite of satellite sensors measure how much energy enters and leaves Earth’s system. In addition, data from a global array of ocean floats, called Argo, enable an accurate estimate of the rate at which the world’s oceans are heating up. Since approximately 90 percent of the excess energy from an energy imbalance ends up in the ocean, the overall trends of incoming and outgoing radiation should broadly agree with changes in ocean heat content.
“The two very independent ways of looking at changes in Earth’s energy imbalance are in really, really good agreement, and they’re both showing this very large trend, which gives us a lot of confidence that what we’re seeing is a real phenomenon and not just an instrumental artifact, ” said Norman Loeb, lead author for the study and principal investigator for CERES at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. “The trends we found were quite alarming in a sense.” "
"The government has been urged to quickly shrink the number of carbon credits available for polluters to buy, after four failed auctions in 2023. The Climate Change Commission says there are too many credits on offer, the problem is getting worse and it won't fix itself. It also says the government needs to clarify what its plan is for meeting its climate targets, because uncertainty is affecting investor confidence. The next carbon auction is on 20 March.
The coalition government promised to use emissions pricing - not subsidies - to meet New Zealand's climate goals. But independent advice from its top climate body, out today, says it doesn't have the settings right to get there and its lack of clarity is undermining the market. The Climate Change Commission said the market (the Emissions Trading Scheme or ETS) was flooded with too many carbon credits. These are the units many large polluters must buy when they release planet-heating gases. The surplus created a "high risk" the country won't meet the emissions budgets written into law, the commission said. Last year, all four of the government's carbon auctions failed because of low demand for new units."
11 March, 2024
Advocates attack loss of climate change focus in transport policy - INews
Paul Winton does not mince his words: "The 60s have called Simeon Brown and they want their transport plan back."
"Winton is a trustee of All Aboard Aotearoa, a coalition of advocacy groups fighting for a more sustainable transport system. He said the Government's new draft policy statement on land transport, released on Monday, was a disgrace. "This is a transport plan that wouldn't have been out of place in 1955 in Los Angeles," he told Morning Report. "... back in the days, when they thought that building roads and suburbs as far as the eyes could see was something that would drive the economy and drive better lives for people. But 60 years later, we know that is not the case." Under the Government's draft statement, climate change was no longer a "strategic priority". That means, if implemented, the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and other decision-makers would not be required to consider emissions when making transport investment decisions. This was a U-turn from the previous government's position in the 2021 GPS, currently in effect.
... All Aboard Aotearoa, comprised of organisations such as Greenpeace, Lawyers for Climate Action and the Citizens' Climate Lobby, has relied on the climate change priority in the 2021 policy statement to bring court proceedings against Waka Kotahi and Auckland Council. They argued, albeit not entirely successfully, that these decision-making bodies failed to take the climate change priority into account. One of those cases regarded the Mill Road corridor project in Auckland, set to cost a $1.3 billion. The case was dropped when the previous government decided not to pursue the project. But it might rear its head again, with the proposal listed as a road of national significance in the new draft policy statement. Winton would not rule out further litigation down the line if this draft entered into force. "The wires are running hot with the various legal activists at the moment looking at how they can curtail this destructive approach to transport planning," he said.
... In addition to setting out broad, strategic priorities, the Government's policy statement also identified certain "activity classes" that it wanted to fund and how it planned to fund them. The previous government used these to direct capital to pedestrian corridors and cycleways, as well as public transport services. But this new draft appears to pull that right back. "Investment in walking and cycling should only take place where there is either clear benefit or increasing economic growth or clear benefit for improving safety and demonstrated volumes of pedestrians and cyclists already exist," the draft said. According to Winton, this flew completely in the face of what was needed to reduce New Zealanders' reliance on cars. "We know from around the world that the things that shift people to alternative and sustainable modes of transport is having those modes available," he said. "The biggest driver to adopting cycling as a means of getting around is being able to do it without fear of being hit by a car." "
06 March, 2024
The Māori climate activist breaking legal barriers to bring corporate giants to court - The Guardian
In a landmark case, Mike Smith has won the right to sue seven of the country’s biggest companies over their alleged contributions to climate change
" ...In a landmark decision in February, New Zealand’s supreme court unanimously ruled Smith has the right to sue seven New Zealand-based corporate entities, including fuel companies Z Energy and Channel Infrastructure, power and gas company Genesis Energy, NZ Steel, coal company BT Mining, Dairy Holdings and the country’s largest, and biggest emitting company dairy exporter Fonterra, claiming they contributed to climate change.
... Smith argues the defendants’ activities – including directly emitting greenhouse gases, or supplying fossil fuels – amount to three forms of civil wrong or “tort”: public nuisance, negligence and a new form of civil wrong described as a “proposed climate system damage tort”. He alleges the companies together were responsible for more than one-third of the country’s total reported greenhouse gas emissions between 2020 and 2021. Smith alleges they have contributed to the climate crisis and damaged his whenua (land) and moana (ocean) in the small coastal settlement Mahinepua – five hours north of Auckland – including places of customary, cultural, historical, nutritional and spiritual significance to him and his whānau (family). A distinctive element to Smith’s case is his argument that principles of tikanga Māori – broadly, a traditional system of obligations and recognitions of wrongs – could inform his action and moreover, should inform New Zealand common law generally.
The companies applied to strike out Smith’s proceedings in the lower courts, arguing, in part, that Smith’s claim was “incoherent” and would damage the integrity of tort law. In 2021, the court of appeal agreed, believing the case doomed to fail and struck it out. But in a major reversal, the supreme court said a judicial pathway should be open and common law should be able to evolve. It acknowledged climate change was an “all-embracing” existential crisis and said the law should take into account the 21st-century context. In other words, Smith should be allowed to test climate change harm through the court."
02 March, 2024
New satellite monitors NZ methane emissions from space - 1News
In what is considered to be a New Zeeland first, our agriculture will now be monitored from space.
"In just a few days, satellite MethaneSAT will be launching from Florida's Cape Canaveral to keep a watchful eye on climate change. The satellite, which is primarily funded by the US Environmental Defence Fund, will help the Americans look for leaks from oil and gas production. New Zealand has contributed almost $30 million to the satellite. "It's something that's never really been done before — agricultural missions from space," NIWA carbon chemistry and modelling scientist Sara Mikaloff-Fletcher said. There are other satellites in space looking for methane emissions, but MethaneSAT is different from the rest: it scans 200km by 200km patches. This means the readings will have higher sensitivity readings and higher certainty data — which may help in the fight against climate change."
28 February, 2024
These are the projects environmental groups say shouldn’t be fast-tracked - Newsroom
A coal mine tops the list of projects conservationists fear will be pushed through without adequate scrutiny
"In April this past year, conservation group Forest & Bird made a plea to Stevenson Mining, the company behind plans to mine a forest-covered mountain ridge on the South Island’s West Coast. “It’s time for them to withdraw this climate-damaging proposal once and for all,” chief executive Nicola Toki said in a press statement. Her comments were prompted by the latest setback for the proposed Te Kuha open-cast coal mine, 10km south-east of Westport, as the Environment Court overturned a decision by commissioners to grant resource consent. The project has suffered several legal losses, including in the Supreme Court, in 2020, over access arrangements across a local reserve, administered by Buller’s council. Access across conservation land was declined by the previous government in 2018. Underpinning this was former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s pledge, in 2017, of “no new mines on conservation land”.
... there are fears Te Kuha could get a green light through the new Government’s proposed fast-track legislation. It comes after pre-Christmas comments in Parliament by Resources Minister Shane Jones that “mining is coming back”.
... Climate scientists say extracting more fossil fuels is antithetical to keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels – a figure enshrined in the Paris climate agreement. A 2021 article in the journal Nature said a 50/50 chance of keeping within a 1.5C carbon budget required nearly 60 percent of oil and fossil methane gas, and 90 percent of coal to remain unextracted. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres’ warnings about coal mining have become increasingly forceful. In 2021, he said phasing out coal in the electricity sector was the “single-most important step to get in line with the 1.5C goal”. The following year, he said it was “delusional” for governments to fund new fossil fuel exploration or production. This past year, Guterres said coal and other fossil fuels must be phased out to avert climate “catastrophe”. "
25 February, 2024
New Zealand’s 'build-first mentality' labelled a risk - 1News
The country’s focus on building new infrastructure instead of maintaining what’s already been built has been criticised by Te Waihanga New Zealand Infrastructure Commission.
"Te Waihanga recently released a research report titled Build or Maintain, looking into the country’s infrastructure asset value, investment and depreciation amounts from 1990 to 2022. Te Waihanga New Zealand Infrastructure Commission is a Crown entity, which was set up in 2019 to work on long term strategy and planning for infrastructure, as well as give advice for major projects.
In 2022, New Zealand’s infrastructure assets, excluding land, were valued at $287 billion. Nearly three quarters of these assets are owned by the Government and local councils. The inflation-adjusted value of New Zealand’s infrastructure assets rose from $32,900 per person in 1990 to $55,800 per person in 2022, meaning the country has 70% more infrastructure per person than one generation ago. Speaking to Q+A, Te Waihanga general manager of strategy Geoff Cooper criticised New Zealand’s “build first mentality” when it should be focusing on maintaining existing infrastructure."
25 February, 2024
Analysis: Climate change is fanning the flames of NZ's wildfire future - 1News
Analysis: New Zealand regions previously unaffected by “very extreme” wildfire conditions are now facing unprecedented threats, writes Nathanael Melia.
"Last week, wildfire burnt through 650 hectares of forest and scrub in Christchurch’s Port Hills. This is not the first time the area has faced a terrifying wildfire event. The 2017 Port Hills fires burnt through almost 2,000 hectares of land, claiming one life and 11 homes. It took 66 days before the fires were fully extinguished. It is clear New Zealand stands at a pivotal juncture. The country faces an increasingly severe wildfire climate. And our once relatively “safe” regions are now under threat. At all levels of government, New Zealand needs to consider whether our current investment to combat fires will be enough in the coming decades.
Our research integrating detailed climate simulations with daily observations reveals a stark forecast: an uptick in both the frequency and intensity of wildfires, particularly in the inland areas of the South Island. It is time to consider what this will mean for Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ), and how a strategic calibration of resources, tactics and technologies will help New Zealand confront this emerging threat."
15 February, 2024
‘They lied’: plastics producers deceived public about recycling, report reveals - The Guardian
Companies knew for decades recycling was not viable but promoted it regardless, Center for Climate Integrity study finds
"Plastic producers have known for more than 30 years that recycling is not an economically or technically feasible plastic waste management solution. That has not stopped them from promoting it, according to a new report. “The companies lied,” said Richard Wiles, president of fossil-fuel accountability advocacy group the Center for Climate Integrity (CCI), which published the report. “It’s time to hold them accountable for the damage they’ve caused.
Plastic, which is made from oil and gas, is notoriously difficult to recycle. Doing so requires meticulous sorting, since most of the thousands of chemically distinct varieties of plastic cannot be recycled together. That renders an already pricey process even more expensive. Another challenge: the material degrades each time it is reused, meaning it can generally only be reused once or twice. The industry has known for decades about these existential challenges, but obscured that information in its marketing campaigns, the report shows. The research draws on previous investigations as well as newly revealed internal documents illustrating the extent of this decades-long campaign."
12 February, 2024
Lobbyists are back at Parliament - with a new privacy measure hiding their identities - RNZ
"Gerry Brownlee [Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives] says the privacy of people with 'lobbying roles' should be protected, while officials have drawn up a new code of conduct. The identities of people allowed to freely come and go from Parliament have been made secret by the new Speaker.
Gerry Brownlee told RNZ he did not agree with the blanket ban on lobbyists having swipe card access and some discretion was needed. He had approved swipe card access for about four new people, who he said could be described as having lobbying roles. But they were not employed by professional lobbying firms and largely had jobs assisting parties in Parliament. He would not be "facilitating commercial activities" for lobbying firms. But in a departure from previous Speakers, Brownlee said he wouldn't publish the 'approved visitor list' of people with swipe card access to Parliament, in order to protect their privacy.
After RNZ's investigation into the lobbying industry (https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/ lobbying) last year then-Prime Minister Chris Hipkins asked Brownlee's predecessor, Adrian Rurawhe, to remove the swipe cards that gave about 80 lobbyists easy access to Parliament.
Isolated Indigenous people as happy as wealthy western peers - study - The Guardian
Interviews with people in remote communities challenge widely held perception that money buys happiness
"People living in remote Indigenous communities are as happy as those in wealthy developed countries despite having “very little money”, according to new scientific research that could challenge the widely held perception that “money buys happiness”.
Researchers who interviewed 2,966 people in 19 Indigenous and local communities across the world found that on average they were as happy – if not happier – as the average person in high-income western countries.
“Surprisingly, many populations with very low monetary incomes report very high average levels of life satisfaction, with scores similar to those in wealthy countries,” said Eric Galbraith, the lead author of the study which was published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). “I would hope that, by learning more about what makes life satisfying in these diverse communities, it might help many others to lead more satisfying lives while addressing the sustainability crisis.”
The study by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA..UAB), found that people in the 19 isolated communities reported an average “life satisfaction score” of 6.8 out of 10 “even though most of the sites have estimated annual monetary incomes of less than US$1,000 (£800) per person”. This is roughly the same as the 6.7 average life satisfaction score for all countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Galbraith, a researcher at ICTA..UAB and McGill University in Montreal, said four of the small communities reported average happiness scores of more than 8, which is higher than that found in Finland, the highest-rated country in OECD research, with an average of 7.9."
Former Climate Change Minister James Shaw will step down as the Greens' co-leader in March, but will stay in Parliament for the time being to support a members bill drawn from the ballot last year.
"The new co-leader is expected to be announced on March 10. Shaw, who the Green Party called the "architect" of the Zero Carbon Act, said it had been a privilege to serve as the Climate Change Minister for six years and the Greens' co-leader for nine. He also acknowledged current co-leader Marama Davidson, and Metiria Turei who preceded her.
Shaw's members' bill, drawn from the ballot in the last draw of the year last year, would change the Bill of Rights to include the "right to a sustainable environment". The Bill of Rights (Right to a Sustainable Environment) Amendment Bill was introduced to the House on December 19 and will face its first reading. As an opposition member's bill, it is not guaranteed to pass into law. If the bill progresses past its first reading to select committee and beyond it's possible Shaw will remain in Parliament for some months yet."
30 January, 2024
‘Smoking gun proof’: fossil fuel industry knew of climate danger as early as 1954, documents show - The Guardian
Documents show industry-backed Air Pollution Foundation uncovered the severe harm climate change would wreak
" "The fossil fuel industry funded some of the world’s most foundational climate science as early as 1954, newly unearthed documents have shown, including the early research of Charles Keeling, famous for the so-called “Keeling curve” that has charted the upward march of the Earth’s carbon dioxide levels.
A coalition of oil and car manufacturing interests provided $13,814 (about $158,000 in today’s money) in December 1954 to fund Keeling’s earliest work in measuring CO2 levels across the western US, the documents reveal.
Keeling would go on to establish the continuous measurement of global CO2 at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii. This “Keeling curve” has tracked the steady increase of the atmospheric carbon that drives the climate crisis and has been hailed as one of the most important scientific works of modern times.
The fossil fuel interests backed a group, known as the Air Pollution Foundation, that issued funding to Keeling to measure CO2 alongside a related effort to research the smog that regularly blighted Los Angeles at the time. This is earlier than any previously known climate research funded by oil companies." "
02 January, 2024
2023 in review: A year dominated by devastating weather - 1News
2023 left a trail of destruction in its wake, with many happy to say goodbye to the year while facing the "long road ahead".
"Off the back of an already soaked 2022 Kiwis were looking skyward for the sun, only to be pummelled by rain that broke records. NIWA declared January 2023 the "wettest month ever" for central Auckland with 539mm, smashing the previous record set in February 1869 by over 100mm. Then just as the water began to recede, before residents had even a month to catch their breath, Cyclone Gabrielle struck.
For only the third time in New Zealand’s history, a national state of emergency was declared , cementing Cyclone Gabrielle into history alongside the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and first Covid-19 lockdown. Four people died in the Auckland Anniversary floods and 11 others lost their lives to the force of Cyclone Gabrielle."
"... Smothered in silt and surrounded by slash, the unforgiving force of these weather events is still evident across the country today. Politicians have walked around the hardest-hit communities, pledging they won't be forgotten as the multi-generational clean-up effort began.
In May, Treasury estimated the damage from both Cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland Floods could range from $9 billion to $14.5b, second behind only the Canterbury earthquakes in terms of damage from natural disasters New Zealand has faced. Of this, $5b to $7.5b of damage is expected to relate to infrastructure owned by central and local government. The Government ploughed three-quarters of a billion dollars into fixing roads and railways across the country hit by January floods and Cyclone Gabrielle.
In July, the Government pledged a further $567 million for immediate repair works on state highways in Tairāwhiti, Wairoa, Hawke's Bay, Coromandel and Northland."
19 December, 2023
Planting pine or native forest for carbon capture isn’t the only choice – NZ can have the best of both - RNZ
"Analysis - New Zealand's per-capita contribution to carbon emissions is very high by international comparison. But so too is its potential to mitigate climate change by planting forests to quickly sequester large amounts of carbon. There is sometimes passionate debate about how best to do this. Should we continue establishing radiata pine plantations, or focus instead on planting New Zealand native trees? Arguments for and against each option exist - but there is also a third way that could achieve the best of both worlds: planting radiata pine forests that are not harvested, but instead transitioned over time into native forests through targeted management. We need to cut emissions drastically. But we also need to remove as much CO₂ from the atmosphere as possible, especially over the next 20 years. A transitional forest model is a powerful way to help achieve this."
18 December, 2023
Scientists' letter calls for freshwater protections to remain - RNZ
"Fifty freshwater experts and leaders from around New Zealand have sent an open letter to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon urging him not to touch the country's national freshwater policy.
The government announced on 14 December that "Cabinet has agreed to replace the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020". The letter calls on the government to retain the policy and its central decision-making framework, known as Te Mana o te Wai. It reads:
"New Zealand's rivers, lakes and aquifers are in a dire state. If you proceed with your proposals to undo the country's freshwater policy, they will only get worse."
"We call on you to listen to the wider community - not only the minority of voices who have asked you to undo the progress the country has made towards cleaner drinking water and healthier waterways.
"To remove, replace or rewrite our country's national freshwater policy at this time, so soon after it has been brought in, would be a terrible mistake."
The letter, addressed to Luxon, Minister for the Environment Penny Simmonds, Minister of Agriculture Todd McClay, and Chris Bishop the minister responsible for Resource Management Act reform, was signed by 50 prominent experts in freshwater from public health, ecology, business, planning and other disciplines together with iwi, hapū and Māori leaders, as well as regional community leaders engaged in freshwater issues."
17 December, 2023
Government quietly defunds transport climate work - Newroom
Simeon Brown won’t say whether the Government will completely scrap the targets for reducing private car usage
"The Transport Minister has told officials to stop work on policies that would provide transport alternatives to private cars. On Tuesday, Simeon Brown wrote to regional councils to advise them of changes he was making to speed limit regulations. He also put out a press release about the move and touted it in Parliament. But at the end of that letter, he also revealed he had ordered officials at the New Zealand Transport Agency, Waka Kotahi, to end work on programmes that would reduce the number of kilometres travelled by passenger cars through providing alternatives like public and active transport.
... As part of the previous government’s Emissions Reduction Plan, a national target was set to reduce total kilometres travelled by the light fleet in 2035 to 20 percent below baseline projections. This meant roughly flatlining the total distance travelled by passenger cars over the next 12 years, even while the population was expected to grow significantly. This would be done through setting specific targets for a reduction of vehicle kilometres travelled in major urban and provincial centres, which would be enabled through increasing the accessibility of walking, cycling and public transport as opposed to travelling by car.
... “The VKT programmes I [Simeon Brown] have asked NZTA to end work on were previous government policy and simply amounted to millions of dollars being spent writing endless reports with no funding allocated to any delivery. This was typical of the last government’s approach to transport,” he told Newsroom. “My focus will be on building and maintaining the roading network which is critical to having a safe, efficient and productive transport network.”
Brown didn’t answer when asked whether the Government was scrapping the kilometre reduction targets for the five big cities or the national 20 percent target. In January, officials estimated the collective impact on carbon pollution of achieving the targets would be 13.4 million tonnes of greenhouse gases. That’s 42 percent of the emissions reductions the entire transport sector needs to achieve by 2035 in order to meet New Zealand’s climate targets.
Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said Brown was “out of his depth”. “He doesn’t seem to understand that what he’s cancelling are projects that give people more choice. The ability to walk and cycle and take public transport,” she said. “Usually those options are lower cost and better for the environment and better for health and they’re what people want. People have consistently voted in cities for better public transport, so he’s actually taking away people’s choices with his zealous pro-car ideology.” "
14 December, 2023
Failure of Cop28 on fossil fuel phase-out is ‘devastating’, say scientists - The Guardian
Climate experts say lack of unambiguous statement is ‘tragedy for the planet and our future’
"The failure of Cop28 to call for a phase-out of fossil fuels is “devastating” and “dangerous” given the urgent need for action to tackle the climate crisis, scientists have said. One called it a “tragedy for the planet and our future” while another said it was the “dream outcome” for the fossil fuel industry.
The UN climate summit ended on Wednesday with a compromise deal that called for a “transition away” from fossil fuels. The stronger term “phase-out” had been backed by 130 of the 198 countries negotiating in Dubai but was blocked by petrostates including Saudi Arabia. The deal was hailed as historic as it was the first citing of fossil fuels, the root cause of the climate crisis, in 30 years of climate negotiations. But scientists said the agreement contained many loopholes and did not match the severity of the climate emergency.
“The lack of an agreement to phase out fossil fuels was devastating,” said Prof Michael Mann, a climatologist and geophysicist at the University of Pennsylvania in the US. “To ‘transition away from fossil fuels’ was weak tea at best. It’s like promising your doctor that you will ‘transition away from doughnuts’ after being diagnosed with diabetes.”
Dr Magdalena Skipper, the editor in chief of the science journal Nature, said: “The science is clear – fossil fuels must go. World leaders will fail their people and the planet unless they accept this reality.”
An editorial in Nature said the failure over the phase-out was “more than a missed opportunity”, it was “dangerous” and ran “counter to the core goals laid down in the 2015 Paris climate agreement” of limiting global heating to 1.5C (2.7F) above preindustrial levels. “The climate doesn’t care who emits greenhouse gases,” the editorial continued. “There is only one viable path forward, and that is for everybody to phase out almost all fossil fuels as quickly as possible.”
Sir David King, the chair of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group and a former UK chief scientific adviser, said: “The wording of the deal is feeble. Ensuring 1.5C remains viable will require total commitment to a range of far-reaching measures, including full fossil fuel phase-out.” There was a chasm between the stark statement of the emissions cuts needed and the action proposed to deliver those reductions, he said: “The Cop28 text recognises there is a need for ‘deep, rapid and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions’ to stay in line with 1.5C. But then it lists a whole bunch of efforts that don’t have a chance of achieving that.” The scientists said the loopholes included the call to “accelerate” carbon capture and storage to trap emissions from burning fossil fuels, an option that can play a minor role at best."
04 December, 2023
'Embarrassment': NZ wins 'Fossil of the Day' at climate talks - 1News
New Zealand has been afforded the dubious honour of "Fossil of the Day" at a major climate change summit - a result of the new coalition government's plans to reverse the ban on offshore oil and gas exploration.
"The Government says it is "committed to climate change" and plans to double renewable energy in New Zealand by 2050, the first steps of which are outlined in its 100 day plan.
The award was given by the Climate Action Network International, at the COP28 climate conference in Dubai.
Leader of the Opposition Chris Hipkins said the new government seemed to "want to reverse progress" on climate change which was "terrible news for the planet". Asked if it was hypocritical to criticise since the former Labour-led government also won the award, he said the National-led coalition "well and truly deserve the award".
Greenpeace Aotearoa head of campaigns Amanda Larsson said the new government had an "extremist" position on oil exploration and it risked New Zealand becoming a "Pacific pariah". She said the President of Palau had "slammed" New Zealand over it, and Vanuatu's Climate Change Minister had called on it to rethink the plan.
Germany's top climate diplomat spoke out to say reopening New Zealand to offshore oil and gas exploration would go against science and economics.
... World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) New Zealand chief executieve Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb said the new government was getting international recognition "for all the wrong reasons". "The science is unequivocal that fossil fuels need to stay in the ground. Reopening the door to offshore oil and gas exploration in the middle of a climate crisis is not only irresponsible, but makes us an embarrassment on the world stage." She said there were already concerns from Pacific nations about the move and predicted New Zealand's trading partners wouldn't "react kindly" if New Zealand didn't "play its part in the global response to climate change".
25 September, 2023
Shaw lauds climate change plan - Otago Daily Times Link
A PARTY leader has praised the Dunedin City Council for its longterm plan to adapt for climate change in South Dunedin.
"Green Party coleader James Shaw attended a street meeting for the South Dunedin Future work programme on Saturday. The joint initiative by the Dunedin City and Otago Regional Councils would help South Dunedin address flooding problems and adapt to climate change, Mr Shaw said. The programme had done a great job at consulting the community and listening to their concerns, he said. “This is probably one of the best case studies in the country of how a council is getting to grips with the process of engaging a community in a longterm plan for how to adapt,” Mr Shaw said. “I’m actually thrilled to see this because people have been talking about this for a really long time, for years, and I think the kind of plan they’ve got and the way they’ve engaged with the local community is superb.” "
“The Dunedin City Council has both adopted its zero-carbon plan and signalled a highinvestment scenario is favoured. Both the high and medium investment trajectories will go into the council's draft 2024-34 long-term plan for public consultation, and high investment will be listed as the preferred option.
The council voted 11-4 to adopt the plan. Against were Crs Bill Acklin, Kevin Gilbert, Lee Vandervis and Andrew Whiley. Adopting the plan but signalling a preference for a low-investment scenario, suggested by Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich, was rejected. That vote was 9-5
Discussion was then held about whether further work should be done on developing the high-investment option as the preference and looking at a medium-investment scenario as the alternative. The vote was carried 9-5. Cr Whiley abstained
… Mr Radich was in favour of improving public transport in the city to help curb carbon emissions. He was less sure better cycling infrastructure would get the desired results and said the most cost-effective methods would need to be pursued”
22 September, 2023
New Zealand not alone in failing to meet climate challenge - UN - 1News
A progress report from the United Nations shows many countries, including New Zealand, are falling behind on tackling climate change.
"It has been almost eight years since 195 countries signed the Paris Agreement and promised to cut their emissions. The United Nations measured their progress in its latest report, part of an overall 'global stocktake' that will form the basis of the COP28 summit later this year. University of Canterbury political science professor Bronwyn Hayward said the results were mixed. "This is telling us how the world is progressing, which is not well," she said. "Not as absolutely terrible as it could be, but we're still heading for a 2.5C warmer world." She said New Zealand was no exception. "Overall, New Zealand isn't tracking well. Making it happen takes government stepping up and constantly raising their aspirations and actually changing their actions." New Zealand had aspirations, she said, but not enough action. Ralph Sims, professor emeritus of sustainable energy and climate mitigation at Massey University, agreed. "New Zealand has a target to reduce emissions by 50% in the next seven years, which is going to be a huge challenge because we've only just really bent the curve," he said.
"... Hayward said political developments over the past eight years had pulled leaders' attention away from climate change. "The US pulled out of the Paris Agreement, then they came back," she said. "The UK was really leading the charge, now they've pulled back and they're dealing with their own internal economic issues." Shaw said the agriculture industry, the biggest contributor to New Zealand's emissions footprint, was a major roadblock. "We have these very powerful industries that have the ability to swing the political system in their favour and slow down progress." Sims said some farmers were making an effort to reduce emissions, but they were a minority. "There are some leading farmers who have changed their methods and are getting similar productivity with fewer animals, and they're moving in the right direction. The trouble of course is that 95 percent are yet to follow."
"... The UN's global stocktake would come to a head later this year when world leaders met in Dubai for COP28. Hayward was worried it would not go well. "I think COP28 is going to be really ugly, to be honest," she said. "There's already questions over the leadership of COP, there's worries that the fossil fuel industry has far too much influence. It's going to be very difficult to broker a diplomatic solution." Shaw agreed, expecting this year's summit would be a challenge. "There is a real battle being fought in conference rooms and zoom calls around the world. "Battle lines are being drawn, because we are moving towards the end of the fossil fuel era but those fossil fuel companies and fossil fuel countries are putting up a hell of a fight." "
29 August, 2023
Govt cuts further $236m from climate policies - Newsroom
Climate Change Minister James Shaw says he had no idea more than $200m in cuts to climate policies would be announced on Monday and hasn't received advice on the emissions impacts of the move.
"As part of a $4 billion savings initiative announced on Monday, the Government will cut $236 million from climate policies on agriculture, transport and forestry. One unusual aspect of the move is that climate funding is supposed to be ring-fenced solely for climate policies, but the savings will instead be returned to the general coffers.
Another unusual aspect is Minister for Climate Change James Shaw wasn't aware it would be happening. He told Newsroom he knew the Government was doing a savings exercise and evaluated a couple of policies he was responsible for, which didn't get cut. He was also briefed on a $10m cut to a waste policy. But he found out about the remaining $226m in climate cuts at the same time the public did."
19 August, 2023
Crown vs Cow part three: Why farming reneged on its deal to cut emissions - RNZ
Agriculture contributes more to global warming than any other industry in Aotearoa. Yet attempts to rein in the sector’s emissions have repeatedly fallen short. Kirsty Johnston investigates how a “world-leading plan” was born, and how it fell apart. This is part three: Backtrack. Why farming reneged on its deal to cut emissions.
"When it came time to launch the New Zealand farming sector’s scheme to combat global warming in June 2022, the industry’s plan was to present a strong, united front at a celebratory event in Wellington. A group of leaders from industry groups, the farming lobby, and Māori agriculture would sit in a row of stools on stage, facing the audience, and proudly announce that after nearly three years’ work they had created a “robust and credible” system to price farming’s greenhouse gas emissions. It was a big deal, a “world first”, they would say, and most importantly, everyone - even the staunch farmers’ lobby group, Federated Farmers - had signed in agreement on the report’s recommendations.
But on the day of the launch, things didn’t go to plan. The Federated Farmers logo was on the big screen, but its president, Andrew Hoggard, was not on stage. Hoggard, a dairy farmer from Manawatū, instead sat in the crowd as the launch played out, arms folded, only reluctantly leaving his seat to answer questions from media about whether Federated Farmers fully supported the proposal. “We’ve signed up to it,” Hoggard said. “I don’t think it’s quite perfect just yet. I think the bones are there. There’s more work that’s needed.” “Obviously, we would love that there wasn’t a price at all, but here we are.” Later, it turned out that Hoggard hadn’t wanted to sign the final report at all. At the time, the Federated Farmers board overruled him, confident the industry plan would be better than the alternative, which was for farmers to be put in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) alongside other polluting industries, and be subject to the market price for greenhouse gas credits."
"... A year on from that launch, the agricultural emissions pricing plan exists in name only, its future tenuous, at best. Environmentalists are despondent. Farmers are furious, both with regulators and the sector leaders who worked on the plan. Industry goodwill towards the government has largely been replaced with hostility and suspicion. And agricultural emissions are once again political grist for the electoral mill, with further delays likely, even as experts warn we don’t have time to waste. The plan’s failure marks the third time in 20 years that an attempt to regulate farming’s contribution to climate change has faltered. What went wrong? Were farmers ever on board at all? Was the Government simply naive to believe they would ever agree to regulation?
This RNZ investigation uses background interviews with industry insiders, officials, and experts, as well as documents obtained under the Official Information Act, such as cabinet papers, government reports and ministers’ diary entries to tell the inside story of how a once-promising idea fell apart. You are reading part three - you can go back to part one here and part two here."
18 August, 2023
Crown vs Cow part two: How agriculture and government fell out, and the climate lost - RNZ
Agriculture contributes more to global warming than any other industry in Aotearoa. Yet attempts to rein in the sector’s emissions have fallen short once more. In Depth reporter Kirsty Johnston investigates how a “world-leading plan” was born, and how it died. This is part two: Devil in the Detail. How agriculture and government fell out, and the climate lost.
"It took nearly three years before cracks in the shiny veneer of the Labour government’s partnership with the agriculture industry on climate change began to appear, and then just three months for the plan to crumble almost completely. The ‘He Waka Eke Noa’ deal had been launched as an “historic consensus” by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in late 2019, where the two parties would stand “shoulder-to-shoulder” on a programme to reduce emissions. “For too long politicians have passed the buck and caused uncertainty for everyone while the need for climate action was clear,” Ardern said. The “world leading” plan was that industry, with help from government agencies, would draw up a system to price and reduce agriculture’s climate pollution - the greenhouse gases created from farming cows, sheep and deer, which make up half of all New Zealand’s planet-warming emissions.
In those first years, it had seemed like the two parties were making progress, despite the huge task before them. Industry representatives spent hours on Zoom or in boardrooms with officials, trialing options and modelling impacts, trying to find the best solution. And by mid-2022, industry had launched its plan. But to the industry’s apparent surprise, ministers didn’t immediately accept their proposal. Soon, there were two competing plans, with industry distancing itself from the government version. By December, most of the farming industry had reneged on at least part of their commitment, and were urging everyday farmers to follow their lead and submit against the proposal they had helped create. In short: the love affair was over. But what killed the consensus? If the proposal came from a partnership, why were politicians so unhappy with the result? And more importantly - what about the climate?
This RNZ investigation uses background interviews with industry insiders, officials, and experts, as well as documents obtained under the Official Information Act, such as cabinet papers, government reports and ministers’ diary entries to tell the inside story of how a once-promising idea fell apart. You are reading part two - you can go back to part one here."
17 August, 2023
Crown vs Cow: The inside story of how we failed to regulate our worst climate polluter - RNZ
Agriculture contributes more to global warming than any other industry in Aotearoa. Yet attempts to rein in the sector’s emissions have fallen short once more. In a three-part series, Crown vs Cow, In Depth reporter Kirsty Johnston investigates how a “world-leading plan” was born, and how it fell apart. This is part one: Deny, deny, delay.
"... Ardern and 11 sector leaders from farming industry groups agreed they would work together to come up with a way to price climate change pollution from agriculture. It would be a world first, they said. But there was a kicker: instead of the agriculture industry paying for its emissions immediately, as Labour had proposed in its election campaign, farmers would get a five-year reprieve before pricing came in.
The plan’s announcement, when it came four months later, would prove a shock among farmers, environmental groups, and even government supporters. Farmers felt they were being sold down the road by their own leaders. Environmentalists were incredulous that agriculture had managed to delay regulation once again, and that a Labour government, of all people, had let them. And those who voted for Ardern were left wondering: What happened to the climate change action they were promised?
This RNZ investigation uses background interviews with industry insiders, officials, and experts, as well as documents obtained under the Official Information Act, such as cabinet papers, government reports and ministers’ diary entries to tell the full story of how the agriculture industry lobbied its way out of paying a climate tax, again."
A leading New Zealand climate scientist says limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius — the point at which extreme weather events will become more frequent, food and water insecurity increases, and adaptation becomes more difficult — is unrealistic.
"Victoria University professor James Renwick told Q+A he has accepted the planet will surpass the key target. "I'd love there to be some miraculous change and emissions reductions. But, really, I think we can't avoid 1.5 degrees," he said. "We will go through it globally in the next few years, and we'll be at that level — on average — within 10 years or so, and then going on from there." The risk the world will temporarily exceed 1.5C in warming when compared to pre-industrial levels continues to increase, according to modelling by the World Meteorological Organisation. Between 2017 and 2021, that likelihood was 10%. As of 2023, projections now put that figure at 66% by 2027.
Renwick said the lack of action on emissions reduction since 2015, when the Paris Agreement was signed, is "really dispiriting". At that climate summit, world leaders agreed to the legally-binding 1.5C target, down from an earlier goal of 2C. However, as of late 2022, a report from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found countries' climate action pledges remain insufficient to meet the target. While Jacinda Ardern famously declared climate change as her generation's "nuclear-free moment", Renwick told Q+A that her prime ministership didn't live up to the rhetoric."
27 May, 2023
Dairy farmer bridges cultural gap beside braided awa - RNZ
"With the help of a cultural land advisor, North Canterbury farmer John Faulkner is creating a diverse mahinga kai - Māori food gathering site - on his riverside property. "I've got the land, I've got the area..." That's what went through John Faulkner's mind while hearing about the efforts to regenerate rural land at a zone committee meeting. Now with the help of Makarini Rupene (Ngāi Tahu), Faulkner was restoring the biodiversity on his land.
Down from Faulkner's dairy support block, on the south bank of the Waiau Uwha River, tōtara, mānuka, kānuka, cabbage trees, and flax were nestled once again. "And approximately 50 or 60 rongoā māori species in here. They are all endemic of a five-kilometre radius, so they were here in the past."
Faulkner's 162-hectare dairy farm, a kilometre up the road, was integrated with the support block. In winter, the cows come down and graze on the 35h available to them. He wanted a restoration site based on traditional Māori values and usage of the land. After learning about mahinga kai, and furthermore, nohoanga sites, Faulkner believed he had the space to develop a contemporary version."
26 May, 2023
‘Damning’ govt report lays out freshwater failures - Newsroom
Supposed protections weren’t enough to stop sensitive lakes deteriorating, a Ministry for the Environment report says
"A long-awaited government report lays bare the disconnect between the realities of intensive farming and the illusion of environmental progress. The report, produced by the Ministry for the Environment and published on its website on Wednesday, dismantles the idea a cascade of plans, frameworks, national standards, and consents is leading to healthier water bodies.
Headlined ‘Lessons Learnt’, the report centres on the sensitive Ōtūwharekai/Ashburton Lakes – a network of wetlands and lakes in the Canterbury high country, the largest of which is Lake Heron. The report finds the freshwater management system, including audited and compliant environment plans for adjacent farms, fails to protect the lakes.
Too many nutrients from the surrounding land is the direct cause of decline in the lakes, which are generally shallow, and slow flushing. “Over 95 percent of [the nutrients] is due to leaching and run-off from land-use practices on the adjacent pastoral farms,” the report says.
… Environmental groups call the report damning, and evidence of systemic failure – a shot across the bow ahead of a national rollout of freshwater farm plans, similar to those used in Canterbury.
… Greenpeace campaigner Christine Rose says the report is damning of the system the government is relying on to fix freshwater. “This is really just the tip of the iceberg.” The system is broken, she says, and the report is evidence to suggest freshwater bodies across the country will become increasingly contaminated, and deteriorate further.
… Freshwater ecologist Dr Mike Joy, of Victoria University of Wellington, a member of the science and technical advisory group established in 2018 to oversee evidence for the Government’s freshwater reforms, says: “It’s reinforced or substantiated everything that I’ve been saying about the failure to protect freshwater.”
21 May, 2023
Govt's NZ Steel deal welcomed by climate activists - INews
"The Government's announcement today of a deal with NZ Steel to significantly reduce the emissions of their Glenbrook site has been largely welcomed by climate activists.
However, activists and opposition politicians alike have taken issue with what they see to be a "corporate welfare" approach to emissions reduction. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said the project, in which the Government would partially fund to the tune of $140 million an electric arc furnace, "dwarfs anything we have done to date" in emissions reduction. It would reduce NZ Steel's emissions by almost half and the country's by 1% or 800,000 tonnes annually.
India Logan-Riley, a climate activist from rangitahi-led climate action group Te Ara Whatu, said: "It is nice to get good news after the climate policy bonfire earlier in the year and very little for climate justice in the budget." But they raised concern over the fairness of the Government subsidising a high-profit, high-emissions industry. Companies that have profited from fuelling the climate crisis should not be looking to taxpayers to bail them out when they should be using their own profits to make the shift. "If the Government is going to make financial contributions then it would be sensible for the public to expect a degree of control or ownership of these corporations. "There has to be future accountability for these companies." "
09 May, 2023
Why the heat is on carbon offsets claiming to protect forest - Stuff.co.nz
"Some carbon offsets promise to reduce deforestation. There’s growing evidence these claims may not always stack up.
When ticking an airline's carbon offset box, you’re probably picturing your dollars creating green action: someone planting a seedling that will grow into a tree. But fairly often, you’ll be paying someone not to take action: to not chop down or burn existing trees.
People selling these offsets say forests lock away vast amounts of greenhouse gas that the world cannot afford to release. Rather than landowners making money by harvesting wood or clearing the land for farming, they can get paid to keep the trees, by selling offsets. But opponents say the concept opens a can of worms. It only works if the forest is at risk of being chopped or burned – and it’s tough, if not impossible, to calculate the precise amount at risk.
If it turns out the trees were never seriously at risk, the offset projects could become a sort of protection racket: with people threatening forest to secure cash. Meanwhile, the oil companies and airlines that buy credits can claim they’re taking climate action, while continuing to contribute planet-heating pollution."
09 May, 2023
Judicial review against Minister for Climate Change following failed ETS auction - Link
"Today Lawyers for Climate Action NZ Inc filed High Court proceedings seeking judicial review of the Climate Change (Auctions, Limits, and Price Controls for Units) Amendment Regulations 2022.
The Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) requires businesses in covered sectors to surrender one unit for every tonne of greenhouse gas emitted.
The ETS has an important role to play in meeting our domestic and international emissions reduction targets. In order to do this, the Climate Change Response Act 2002 requires volume and price settings to be made annually for the five years ahead. By law the settings must be in accordance with our emissions budgets, our nationally determined contribution under the Paris Agreement and the 2050 net zero target.
In December last year, Cabinet rejected the advice of the Climate Change Commission and the recommendations of the Minister of Climate Change about what the ETS volume and price settings should be. The effect of the Cabinet decision was to make available at low prices an additional 35 million units over the next five years. That is more than one year’s worth of emissions for sectors within the ETS.
LCANZI’s judicial review claims that in overriding the recommendations from the Commission and the Minister, Cabinet failed to address whether the settings were in accordance with the emissions budgets and the NDC. Instead the decision was driven by concerns that rising ETS unit prices would flow through to households. LCANZI seeks a declaration from the Court that the regulations are inconsistent with the Climate Change Response Act, and an order that the regulations be remade."
New Zealand too reliant on tree planting to meet net zero emissions targets, experts warn - The Guardian
"Climate commission draft guidance says country must take more action to directly cut pollution instead of relying on trees
New Zealand’s heavy reliance on planting trees to offset carbon pollution threatens to torpedo the country’s ambitious plans to reach net zero emissions by 2050, according to warnings from the body advising the government on its climate policy direction.
The independent Climate Commission published draft guidance on Wednesday that – when finalised later this year – must be considered by New Zealand’s leaders as they draw up their next suite of plans to meet the country’s greenhouse gas reduction targets.
The provisional document sounded renewed alarm about the government’s inclusion of carbon offsets through forestry in its calculation of emissions reduction, and a lack of clarity on how much meeting climate goals should be made up of real cuts to high-polluting activities.
New Zealand’s government “needs to make a choice about how far it will go” in directly cutting polluting activities versus simply planting trees to remove carbon, the report said. If it did not, New Zealand would fail to reach net zero emissions by 2050, the writers added. “Our current pathway of policies will not get us there,” the chair of the commission, Rod Carr, told reporters in Wellington on Wednesday"
27 April, 2023
Climate Commission warns of 'boom and bust' for forestry and emissions trading scheme - Stuff.co.nz
"The Government has been given a firm shake-up from the Climate Commission, with new advice warning it must urgently rethink the emissions trading scheme and its over-reliance on planting exotic forests.
The warning comes in the commission's draft advice for the Government's second emissions reduction plan, which will cover the years 2026 to 2030 and form part of the roadmap for how the Government will meet its net-zero carbon goal by 2050.
"The current pathway we are on seems to reward sequestration in forests above gross emissions reduction ...If we are on that pathway, the commission's conclusion is, we will not meet the target," chair Dr Rob Carr said. "Every time we offset an emission you or I make today with another hectare of forest, we are committing New Zealanders to maintain that forest cover for a very long time, so we are removing choices, options and opportunities from the future.""
26 April, 2023
"Luxon refuses to say if tax system unfair: 'Wealthy aren't the problem' - 1News
"Today, Inland Revenue (IRD) and Treasury released the findings from two inquiries looking at how much tax high-wealth individuals pay across all income sources, and another on what the general population pays.
... The IRD report gathered information on 311 of the country's wealthiest families - many of them with a net worth of more than $50m. The mean estimated net worth of the families surveyed was $276 million in 2021. Treasury found the general population pays an effective 20.2% tax rate across all income sources. The IRD found that high-wealth individuals, by comparison, pay about 9.4%.
Luxon was put on the spot by reporters this afternoon at Parliament who challenged him on whether he agreed with the report's findings.
... He refused to say whether rich Kiwis needed a tax hike. "The people that are being treated unfairly is the middle working class New Zealanders and they're the people that need a tax break." More tax cuts have been part of Luxon's economic policy since March 2022. But last year, the National leader was forced to sideline plans to effectively repeal the Government's 39% top tax rate on those making over $180,000 — citing inflationary pressure."
26 April, 2023
IRD report shows wealthy NZers pay much lower tax rates than other earners - Beehive.govt.nz
"Inland Revenue research released today reveals a large differential between the tax rates ordinary New Zealanders pay on their full income compared with the super-wealthy, Revenue Minister David Parker says. “This internationally ground-breaking research provides hard data showing that the wealthiest New Zealanders pay tax at much less than half the rate of other Kiwis,” David Parker said. “The data, based on full income information from 311 of our wealthiest citizens, shows that the average person in this group pays an effective tax rate of just 8.9% tax on their economic income – that is, income from all sources, including capital gains on investments. “In contrast, most New Zealanders pay tax at more than twice that rate. For example, someone earning a salary of $80,000, with no other income, pays 22% tax on that income, excluding GST. “The difference is mainly because the very wealthy earn only a small portion of their income from wages and salaries, unlike most New Zealanders.
“The differential is even larger when GST is included: for the wealthiest, their effective tax rate rises to 9.5%, but for the person on an $80,000 salary, it goes up to around 28 or 29%. That is because wealthy New Zealanders spend a much smaller portion of their income each year, compared with other earners.” The High Wealth Individuals Research Project is internationally significant because it uses real data, unlike other overseas studies which draw on surveys or scenarios, David Parker says."
11 April, 2023
Climate change: NZ could face $24 billion bill to hit 2030 international Paris Agreement targets in carbon credits, officials warn
"New Zealand could face a bill of $24 billion in the years leading up to 2030 in order to meet its international climate change targets, according to a Government report. That scenario is based on New Zealand not reducing its current greenhouse gas emissions trajectory, and a high international carbon price for offsetting any emissions above the country’s target - essentially paying other countries to account for the excess pollution. The report notes the high uncertainty around international markets, with a much lower carbon price reducing the bill to just over $3b. But a climate change expert says with competition for carbon credits likely to only increase, it is unlikely the price will stay low, and while domestic reductions might appear expensive in the short term, they might later be a “pretty good deal”.
New Zealand has committed internationally under the Paris Agreement to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 by 50 per cent below gross emission levels in 2005, part of global efforts to limit warming to below 1.5C. Essentially, to meet that target, New Zealand’s emissions between 2021 and 2030 must not exceed 571 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent gases (Mt C02e). For context, in the year to June 2021, New Zealand emitted 84 Mt CO2e, or just under one-sixth of the entire budget. If New Zealand does produce emissions greater than the budget, it must pay others to make up the difference, known as offshore mitigation, which involves purchasing carbon credits.
The report Ngā Kōrero Āhuarangi Me Te Ōhanga: Climate Economic and Fiscal Assessment 2023, published this month, was prepared by officials at Treasury and the Ministry for the Environment to collate the various future economic and fiscal implications of climate change for New Zealand. It includes the costs of adapting to the effects of climate change, the costs of taking action to reduce emissions and the costs of not making those international obligations. It highlights certain industries, such as agriculture and fisheries, that will be hard-hit by a changing climate, along with higher emissions costs. It also notes how a low-emissions economy and the physical risks of climate change will disproportionately impact lower-income households, with Māori particularly impacted. The authors state that achieving the 2030 target, or first nationally determined contribution, will “almost certainly require domestic and offshore mitigation”. The report explores different scenarios for the cost of offshore mitigation purchases required to meet that commitment. “These costs represent a significant fiscal risk under all scenarios considered,” the authors state."
04 April, 2023
Government’s proposed crackdown on lobbyists dismissed as too tentative - NZ Herald
"The government’s proposed crackdown on lobbyists has been dismissed as too tentative, and just about meaningless.
Following RNZ’s investigation into political lobbying, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has commissioned long-term work on regulating the industry - but in the meantime wanted lobbyists to develop their code of conduct, and is removing their swipe card access to Parliament.
… Hipkins wants advice on how to regulate lobbying long-term to report back next year. In the short-term, he has started by asking the Speaker to revoke lobbyists’ swipe card access to Parliament. Around 80 lobbyists - including people in unions, business, and the non-government sector - are currently on Parliament’s approved list.
… Hipkins’ attention to the issue was first raised following an investigation by RNZ two weeks ago. But the issue was last looked at in 2012, aer former Green Party MP Holly Walker introduced a member’s bill. It did not make it past the select committee stage."
26 March, 2023
Veteran scientist kicks up over climate – Newsroom
A knighted, nonagenarian scientist adds his voice to the call for a climate election in October. David Williams reports.
“A horror start to 2023 isn’t going to stop outspoken scientist Sir Alan Mark giving a serve to politicians about climate change. “Right now, we’re not doing anything beneficial to the global ecosystem with greenhouse gases becoming more and more threatening,” he says at his Dunedin retirement village. “And it seems like the politicians aren’t able to deal with the issue.”
… What do politicians need to do? “Act to reduce the production of greenhouse gases,” he says. Mark acknowledges the democratic process makes that difficult in New Zealand, because a party taking a strong line can be reined in by a smaller party, effectively acting as handbrake. His message is clear: “Humanity’s got to act to deal with the increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases, which are having a major impact.”
… Several climate-related policies were axed or slowed in Prime Minister Chris Hipkins’ latest policy purge. And as the projected cost of Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme, feted as a salve for New Zealand’s thorny dry-year problem, leaped to $15.7 billion, the Government admitted it was considering alternatives. Mark’s not impressed with political arguments against climate action. Yes, he says, the country earns a lot of money from farming – “that’s more reason why we need to do something to address the product of farming; the methane production particularly”. In saying that, it’s a difficult issue and farmers will need to be compensated. The argument New Zealand emits only a small amount of global greenhouse gases isn’t a reason for inaction, he says. “All of humanity has a responsibility to respond to global warming, which is going to ruin the planet if it doesn’t take action.”"
25 March, 2023
Lobbyists in New Zealand enjoy freedoms unlike most other nations in the developed world - RNZ
"The popular view of lobbying is based on perceptions of shadowy figures stalking the halls of power in Washington DC. But the industry here, in New Zealand, is far less transparent than in the US.
… Lobbying is big business in the US but it's highly regulated and relatively transparent. In the US, lobbyists can be jailed for five years for corruptly failing to comply with the Lobbying Disclosures Act 1995.
… Transparency International (TI) compared New Zealand's lobbying environment with Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and the United States and found us wanting. "The absence of independent oversight of, and personal gains from, lobbying in New Zealand is glaring," TI's New Zealand chapter said in a November 2022 report.
… In 2010, the OECD, the club of rich nations, produced a set of principles for lobbying https://legalinstruments.oecd.org/public/doc/256/256.en.pdf), in what it called the "first international instrument to address undue influence and inequities in the power of influence".
… The OECD report shows New Zealand is one of 18 countries where "lobbying activities are not subject to transparency regulations". At its most basic, the OECD says countries should define what lobbying is. New Zealand doesn't even make it to step one."