Are Tax Cuts Jeopardising New Zealand’s Climate Progress?
Robert McLachlan, Massey University and Ian Mason, University of Canterbury Photo by Andrew Roberts on Unsplash It may have been largely overlooked in the election debates, but New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions are finally on the way down. Annual emissions...
Can New Zealand’s Public-Private Partnerships Lead Climate Innovation?
Kevin Trenberth, University of Auckland Photo by American Public Power The announcement of a partnership between the government and the world’s biggest investment manager BlackRock in a NZ$2 billion climate infrastructure fund suggests the company is expecting...
Gaining steam or just hot air: What is the role of hydrogen in decarbonising New Zealand’s economy?
By Bronwyn Wilde To make hydrogen competitive with fossil fuels, the Government would need to use a combination of investment, incentivisation and regulation but these benefits should only apply to certified green hydrogen, produced with renewable energy. The history...
How can we limit destruction from oil pollution in the transition to renewables? 🔊
On October 22, 2021, evidence of a major oil spill off the coast of California was reported. A pipeline spilt an estimated 30,000 gallons of oil into the ocean and onto the beaches. This oil spill caused significant environmental, ecological, and economic damage. What...
How can New Zealand reach 100% renewable energy?
By Ralph Sims Renewable energy sources currently supply around 40% of total energy demand in New Zealand. Increasing this share is critical to reducing the current level of greenhouse gas emissions to meet our international obligations and the 2050 net zero target...
How much of the world’s energy comes from fossil fuels and could we replace it all with renewables?
By Robert McLachlan How are fossil fuels formed, why do they release carbon dioxide and how much of the world’s energy do they provide? And what are the renewable energy sources that could replace fossil fuels? Fossil fuels were formed over millions of years from the...
Can we use bio-fouling organisms to help extract energy from waves?
By Craig Stevens, Louise Kregting & Vladislav Sorokin Power from the ocean: can we use bio-fouling organisms to help extract energy from waves? People living near the coast are familiar with the power of ocean waves. What we see when a typical wave breaks on a...
Is natural gas really cheaper than renewable electricity?
By Ralph Sims The government wants us to phase out fossil fuels. Yet natural gas is much cheaper for households to buy per kWh than electricity. Why? Natural gas is often touted as a transition fuel to use while we move away from coal and oil and as renewable energies...
Cleaning up: Can electricity replace fossil fuels in time?
By Jen Purdie As New Zealand gets serious about climate change, can electricity replace fossil fuels in time? As fossil fuels are phased out over the coming decades, the Climate Change Commission (CCC) suggests electricity will take up much of the slack, powering our...Subscribe by Email
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