The Green Party launched a campaign today to stop the proposed construction of a new gas-fired power plant in South Waikato that would increase greenhouse gas emissions, causing climate change. Nova Energy has applied for resource consents to build a gas-burning power plant near Otorohanga. The Green Party is asking Environment Minister Nick Smith to “call in” the application on the grounds that burning more fossil fuels will affect New Zealand’s obligations under the Paris Climate Change Agreement, and then...

National needs to commit to the full electrification of the Main Trunk Line between Auckland and Wellington so KiwiRail can upgrade to new clean-energy electric trains, the Green Party said today. KiwiRail is expected to reveal on Monday whether it will replace its existing fleet of electric locomotives with new electric ones, or revert back to diesel locomotives. “It would be ridiculous to revert back to dirty diesel trains, particularly given National’s promise to move away from climate-polluting fossil fuels...

The Green Party today welcomed the Government's campaign to raise the profile of electric vehicles (EVs), but warned that the absence of any plan to make them affordable means EVs will be out of reach for most New Zealanders. The comments follow the release of Treasury advice which said that the Government's only electric vehicle incentive (an exemption from Road User Charges until 2021) would be an ineffective subsidy and cost the country $40 million. Treasury also described the Government’s...

John Key needs to show leadership and commit to resettling people from Pacific nations that are at serious risk of being displaced by climate change, the Green Party said today.

The National Government needs to provide much more dedicated aid to help Pacific countries adapt to climate change, rather than simply rebranding its economic development assistance, the Green Party said today.

The Government's announcement that it will ratify the Paris climate agreement this year is a small victory for the tens-of-thousands of people who marched for stronger action on climate change in December, the Green Party said today. “It's a small step in the right direction from this Government, and is significantly better than its original plan to wait five years before ratifying the Paris agreement," said Green Party Co-leader James Shaw. “The climate crisis requires immediate action from all countries...

The Green Party is calling on the National Government to trade good carbon credits for bad ones, to ensure the integrity of our global commitment to cut climate pollution. A Morgan Foundation report released yesterday highlighted the New Zealand businesses that made heaviest use of fraudulent emission reduction units purchased from Russia and the Ukraine to offset their climate pollution. “The Government needs to clean up its act on the climate and trade real carbon credits for past fraudulent ones,”...

Massive coastal inundation in Kapiti and Waitara this weekend is yet another reminder to the Government that it has a responsibility to address the problem of rising sea levels caused by climate change, the Green Party said today. High tides and stormy weather caused significant damage to sea defences and roads around Kapiti this weekend, and threatened exposed coastal properties in the Taranaki town of Waitara. Residents and councils in both areas have struggled to agree on how to address...

New research shows that taking strong action to reduce climate pollution could boost New Zealand's economic growth and allow for tax breaks for ordinary New Zealanders, the Green Party said today. New research by University of Auckland economists shows introducing a carbon tax, and raising the carbon price to $75 a tonne, could reduce emissions by 14.2 percent, and increase GDP by 2.2 percent per year – raising enough tax revenue to allow for a 2.5 percent cut in GST. “Our...

A new report on solar power and electric vehicles is further evidence that the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) isn’t working, and that the National Government needs to fix what’s holding New Zealand back from making the most of clean-energy technologies, the Green Party said. The report was produced by independent energy economists at Concept Consulting. “This report shows that National needs to join the 21st century and set up the right market structures to encourage new clean-energy technologies,” said Green...