New Zealand just recorded its first-ever day of zero coal- or gas-fired electricity. In fact two days, 20 & 21 December. (Still some co-gen, about 1.8%.)

That makes me feel very good. As it happens I’m on my way from Cambridge to the France/Spain border (stopping off in Paris) and will soon have completed a second flight-free year. Oslo to Rome sounds pretty cool.

My 20-min talk on "Technological optimism", the absurd claim that tech change will solve all environmental problems. With "The Paradise Within Reach of All Men, Without Labour, By Powers of Nature & Machinery", Thoreau's reply, and the amazing Aerial Steam Carriage. www.youtube.com/watch

We need subsidies to support people to get batteries. And mandatory solar on new home builds

Although the winter months are not great for solar, the third quarter saw a terrific boost, especially in utility solar (farms) Utility solar 41.2 GWh in Q2, 62.9 in Q3 (+53%) Distributed 128 in Q2, 148.5 in Q3 (+16%) Total up 25% for the quarter, 64% yoy. Next two quarters will be sensational!

Always nice to get a scientific poll to remind us that TalkBack radio and the Facebook comment section are not actually representative of public opinion www.phcc.org.nz/briefing/pub...

What RNZ says: "Stats NZ data showed GDP rose 1.1 percent in the three months ended September, to be 1.4 percent higher than a year ago." www.rnz.co.nz/news/busines... What StatsNZ say: ??? @musicalchairs.bsky.social?

Like Simon Upton I am still hopping mad about the destruction of the Clean Car Standard. Thanks to Liz Kivi at Carbon News for opening up this article. www.carbonnews.co.nz/news/36339/n...

RNZ's report on the new glacier-loss study prompted me to check out the current state of Lake Tasman. Dramatic, especially from 2010-2012! Ironically RNZ use a file photo of tourists walking up the valley floor which is no longer possible. www.rnz.co.nz/news/environ...

Love to see NZ solar set record after record as we approach the summer solstice. 2114 MWh of utility solar on Sunday 14 December (enough for 63 million cups of tea, or 40 km of e-bike propulsion for everyone in the country), 99.6% renewable overall.

NZ emissions from fossil fuel burning, Q3 2025: Electricity emissions are down (it rained!) but oil, gas, and coal are up, leaving total emissions down 0.7% for the quarter. Annual emissions are down 6% for the year, but just 1.4% over two years.

This appears to be an equity issue, but it actually opens up speakers of marginalised languages to extractive practices that seek to siphon their culture and then sell it back to those users to benefit AI shareholders.

The NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is undertaking its triennial Strategic Foreign Policy Assessment. Read Heidi O’Callahan’s submission at blog.planetaryecology.org/2025/12/11/n.... Submit at www.surveymonkey.com/r/J7J8P9V until 5pm 24/12/25. Post yours in the comments.

Here is New Zealand's warming compared to the global average. We have more fluctuations (because smaller area) & possibly slightly faster warming recently. The estimate for 2025 does not include December which has already broken numerous records. See also: blog.planetaryecology.org/2024/08/28/g...

Wellington is a cycling city

Does weakening domestic action on climate change risk NZ being found in breach of international law? YES Could other states take legal action against NZ for failing to comply with its international obligations? YES By law scholar Karen Scott theconversation.com/nzs-rejectio...

Based on data from January to October, I estimate that 2025 will be New Zealand's 3= warmest year, similar to what is expected globally (2nd or 3rd). The 2020s are proving to be extremely hot here even relative to the rest of the 21st century.

Paywall lifted: A trove of briefings and Cabinet documents reveals the Govt was advised its new methane target is only consistent with warming of 2-2.7C (and possibly up to 4.5C). Climate scientists have said 2.7C would represent 'unprecedented peril'. newsroom.co.nz/2025/12/04/g...

I. Just. Can't.

OK so rates have doubled in real terms in 20 years... but look at house insurance! Now costs way more than rates for many people. Councils are really hurting with their own insurance, not to mention higher costs for disaster repair. If we're going to have price-fixing for rates, why stop there?

“Ko Tadhg toku ingoa. I've been working in te Tai o Poutini bush for 2 yrs now & know what needs standing up for 🌳 ⛰️ ⛏️ I helped block #BathurstResource coal cableway in April because I had already done everything to follow the proper process in submitting on & rallying against the Fast Track Bill."

Back to back in this week’s New Yorker: an exposé of luxury airport lounges and a story about vanishing ice on Greenland. A snapshot of our species insanity.

We're going to need more bike lanes. www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/early... @cyclingactionnz.bsky.social

Clean car standard tinkering an incoherent misstep newsroom.co.nz/2025/11/28/c...

Introduce yourself with five concerts you've seen: 1. Billy Bragg 2. Leon Rosselson 3. The Bats 4. Zakir Hussein 5. Kronos Quartet

Loved this @rnzrss.bsky.social story this morning about TikTok creator Louis Davis. @aarnegranlund.bsky.social? www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro...

Decarbonising energy at a steady 0.7% per year while energy use is growing 1.5% per year... not impressive (Source: robbieandrew.github.io/GCB2025/)

Poos up 0.8%, wees up 1.0%, farts up 1.3% (Source: robbieandrew.github.io/GCB2025/)

Global air traffic already 9% above its pre-pandemic level.

New research in New Zealand finds the same result:

"try installing solar panels on your roof in the U.S. Americans pay a median price of $28,000 for a 7-kilowatt system. The typical Australian, meanwhile, spends just $4,000, and the German — after filling out a mere two-page application — pays $10,000 per project."

BREAKING It's been revealed that fossil fuel companies were given privileged, insider access to confidential drafts of legislation during a two-year campaign to weaken New Zealand's oil and gas regulation and overturn the offshore exploration ban.

After making some progress between 2019 and 2023, New Zealand's transport emissions are creeping up again. Transport is a big chunk (about half) of our fossil fuel emissions and of course it should be going down, not up.

Bikes = jobs. www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/mike-... @cyclingactionnz.bsky.social

Behold the awesome 2021 Cook Islands $3 banknote

The Clean Car Standard requires importers to improve the average emissions of the imported fleet over time, or pay a penalty. Turns out there was a third option: do nothing and lobby the government to delete the penalty. Well spotted @robertmclachlan.bsky.social

"Government to raise cost and damage of driving". First they weakened the fuel efficiency standards, now they're gutting the penalties for not meeting them. Basically a voluntary standard now. Penalty rates Aus: A$100/gCO2; EU: E95/gCO2; NZ: NZ$15/gCO2. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Iceland's international aviation emissions, first outgoing leg: In 2009: 1.0 tCO2/person In 2019: 3.7 t/person (cf world average 0.07t) crazy

As New Zealand Minister Hon. Simon Watts heads to #COP30, here's some remarkable new information from an Official Information Act response I received today. 1/-

This sounds like a case study in how to destroy community support for renewable energy. "Pahīatua Windfarm Ltd has not responded to the Manawatū Standard’s several requests for comment, nor has it updated its website or series of community newsletters since March." www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/3608...

I enjoyed this 9-minute film, "No One is an Island" based on the project "Living Well Within Limits" led by Julia Steinberger. Great animation and I liked how at the end, the "elephants in the room" were working happily in the park. myhero.com/no-one-is-an...

Here's the other problem: as @climateactiontracker.org point out in the report Gates' staffers either didn't read or chose to ignore - the shifting projections from 'bad' to 'less bad' STOPPED SHIFTING after covid and MIGHT BE SHIFTING BACK TOWARDS MORE BAD climateactiontracker.org/documents/12...

“very clearly, it has been shown that the National Party are happy to sign up to these things when they’re in opposition for the sake of looking as though they’re constructive, and when it comes to holding the reins of power, their word isn’t worth anything,” newsroom.co.nz/2025/11/06/g...

An excellent piece by @christinahood.bsky.social at Carbon News on New Zealand's 2035 NDC: Does it meet our Paris Agreement obligations? Per Betteridge's Law of Headlines, the answer is NO. www.carbonnews.co.nz/news/35982/d...

The NZ car industry has made no progress towards meeting the 2025 emissions standards. Are they even trying?

Bloomberg reporting on NZ's weakening climate ambition www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Wow, the NZ carbon market hates the Government's proposed changes to the ETS and Zero Carbon Act. Carbon price which had already dropped to $51.50 yesterday now down to $41 in intra-day trading. Just keep repeating "The ETS is our key tool to control emissions".

3 November 2025 saw two new NZ electricity records set: highest daily utility solar power generation (1.6 GWh, enough to make 50 million cups of tea), and the last day of an unprecedented 25-day run of zero coal power. There will be a lot more records like this to come.

NZ electricity reached 99.9% renewable on 25 October, I believe that is a record. And that's despite a tenth of geothermal capacity appearing to be out of action (maintenance?) since the start of October. Source: em6

Here's a video of it. www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1N7.... October 25. Wow!