Climate change stories
Carbon-negative concrete could cut road-building emissions by as much as 70%, with one kilometre absorbing CO2 equal to 100,000 trees a year.
A new report warns rising temperatures, melting glaciers and sea levels could reshape the country unless emissions fall quickly.
A global push to cut plastic pollution would need at least one billion volunteers just for clean-ups, researchers warn.
New planning laws may still fail to fix housing shortages and infrastructure gaps unless councils and agencies get more capacity and funding.
Weak planning, funding and governance are leaving New Zealand unable to deliver the wider public outcomes it now says it wants.
Funding will still fall short of fixing decades of underinvestment, with experts warning roads and rail need more to meet safety and climate goals.
Even an ideal recycling system would cut plastics-sector emissions by only 14% by 2050, leaving major producers still far from net zero.
Cheaper freight and fewer truck trips are expected as the terminal links directly to the Port of Melbourne and cuts Monash Freeway congestion.
Lockdowns have boosted support for digital tools, wastewater monitoring and investment as utilities grapple with falling revenues and rising demand.
Experts say estuaries need stronger protections and better monitoring as pollution, sediment and sea-level rise threaten New Zealand’s waterways.
Sweeping planning and infrastructure reforms could speed housing and business land supply, although transport pricing still awaits progress.
Funding for 29 climate-protection projects is set to shield regions from flooding and erosion while supporting quarrying jobs.
Business leaders say the overhaul could speed up planning, cut costs and improve housing and infrastructure delivery, but local councils face uncertainty.
New Zealand’s shift away from fossil fuels has a dedicated national hub, as Ara Ake opens to test clean energy options for wider uptake.
New transmission upgrades and extra storage will be needed as the smelter’s exit frees up 12% of New Zealand’s electricity, experts say.
The site could draw USD $2 billion to USD $4 billion in logistics investment and ease freight congestion around Palmerston North.
Consumers faced an extra USD $80 million bill as the Electricity Authority found Meridian’s spilling also raised emissions and fossil fuel use.
Schneider Electric invests millions in machine learning tools and data science for AI-assisted energy and sustainability services.
Eaton is expanding its distribution partnership with EllisCo into Aotearoa New Zealand and the global brand announces carbon neutrality by 2030.
Schneider Electric reaffirms commitment to net-zero emissions as part of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency's Industry Energy Transitions Initiative.