Blackout threat to South Island
The Dominon Post 27/05/2004
The South Island faces a big uncontrolled power blackout unless there is an urgent plan to tackle transmission problems, new electricity regulator Roy Hemmingway says. He will meet electricity industry leaders in Christchurch today to begin drawing up a plan to avert large-scale blackouts. It is likely to centre on encouraging big users to defer production and cut electricity use.Morehttp://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2920385a10,00.html

Forward power contracts slide, spot up
NZPA 26/05/2004
New Zealand electricity forward contract prices were sliding due to increased confidence about adequate water supplies for power generation this winter, analysts and traders said on Wednesday. But spot New Zealand power prices were higher in the past week as rains eased and prices during the low demand overnight period increased. More& http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2920183a13,00.html

National good must be given more weight
The Dominion Post 26/05/2004
Not only power companies will be shaking their heads at the Environment Court's decision to uphold Whanganui River Maori's appeal against a 35-year resource consent for Genesis, The Dominion Post says in an editorial. Genesis, a state-owned electricity generation company, had previously been granted the consent to tap the headwaters of three rivers, including the Whanganui, to feed the Tongariro hydro scheme. More & http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2919012a1865,00.html

Methanex seeking further gas supplies for NZ plants
Bloomberg 25/05/2004
Methanex Corp., the world's No. 1 supplier of methanol, said it is seeking alternative gas supplies for its New Zealand plants following the loss of a contract with Todd Energy Ltd. The loss of the supply from Todd Energy's McKee and Mangahewa gas fields next year does not mean the closure of the company's New Zealand plants, Methanex New Zealand Managing Director Harvey Weake said in an e-mail to Bloomberg. More & http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000082&sid=afloIgXbJr1s&refer=canada

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Match cash with action: green firms
The Australian 28/05/2004
Solar, wind and gas generators have welcomed John Howard's proposal to spend $300 million on renewable energy, but say the Government should boost its renewable energy target to make a real commitment to the environment. Renewable energy firms and lobbyists also warned against over-funding coal-based programs, saying they do not combat greenhouse emissions. More & http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,9678671%5E30417,00.html

Government vote of confidence for solar water heating
Scoop.co.nz 26/052004
Governments increased recognition for solar water heating in its budget is a vote of confidence for all home owners to install a system, said the Chairman of the Solar Industries Association in support of the Governments increased funding for solar water heating installations. The Government has announced today that it is doubling to $400,000 the incentive funding for purchasers of solar water heating units. More & http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/BU0405/S00262.htm

NZ Windfarms plans IPO
The Press 26/05/2004
A spin-off wind generation company New Zealand Windfarms is preparing an initial share offering (IPO) with a view to listing towards the year's end. NZ Windfarms is a subsidiary of pioneering twin-bladed turbine manufacturer Windflow Technology, which is already listed on the New Zealand Exchange's alternative market. More & http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2918028a28,00.html

CLIMATE CHANGE

 Climate change impact on human health acknowledged by the Australian Medical Association
Medical News Today 27/05/2004
The Australian Medical Association acknowledges climate change impact on human healthAMA President, Dr Bill Glasson, said today that the AMA has adopted a formal position on Climate Change and Health, which acknowledges that global climate change will have a major negative effect on human health. More & http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/index.php?newsid=8752

Fast Arctic thaw portends global
Reuters 26/05/2004
Global warming is hitting the Arctic more than twice as fast as the rest of the planet in what may be a portent of wider, catastrophic changes, the chairman of an eight-nation study has said. Inuit hunters are falling more frequently through the thinning ice with habitats for plants and animals also disrupted. The icy Hudson Bay in Canada could be uninhabitable for polar bears within just 20 years. More & http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2918902a12,00.html

Climate change: Boom or bust for biodiversity?
Reuters 25/05/2004
Will climate change trigger mass extinctions or will new life bloom in its wake? Some of the scientific scenarios are apocalyptic and see a warmer world leading to the most profound changes since the demise of the dinosaurs. More & http://www.enn.com/news/2004-05-25/s_24213.asp

Blair committed to fight global warming
PointCarbon.com 26/05/2004
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair committed his Government yesterday to taking measures to tackle global warming one of the priorities for Britain's presidency of the G8 from January. "The long-term threat to the stability of the planet comes from the environment and from climate change - that's why we have made it a priority for us, along with Africa, at the G8 summit next year," he said, according to the Independent. More & http://www.pointcarbon.com/article.php?articleID=3780&categoryID=147

KYOTO PROTOCOL

Pressure on Aust to ratify Kyoto after Russian agreement
ABC 25/05/2004
Australian environmental groups are urging the federal government to sign the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gases after Russia indicated it would fast track ratification of the treaty. Green groups say this puts pressure on countries like the United States and Australia, which refuse to sign the treaty claiming it will devastate their economies. More & http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2004/s1114407.htm

POLLUTION

Choking fog surrounds Christchurch
Stuff.co.nz 28/05/2004
Christchurch residents awoke to a choking fog yesterday morning as the city recorded its third night of high air pollution for the year. Environment Canterbury recorded an average concentration of 50 micrograms of fine particulates per cubic metre of air on Wednesday night. More &http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2921612a7693,00.html

Scrap dealer jailed for pollution offences
NZPA 31/05/2004
An Auckland scrap-metal dealer has been jailed in what is only the second prison term handed down by the Environment Court and the first for pollution offences. William Conway, of Otara, was jailed for three months and his firm, Cash for Scrap, fined $25,000 including costs. More &. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2924226a11,00.html

Budget confirms funding for Lake Taupo project
Scoop.co.nz 28.05/2004
The government has confirmed allocation of funding towards a programme to improve Lake Taupos threatened water quality, Environment Minister Marian Hobbs said today. In the first four years of the 15-year programme, the government will contribute $7.5 million. The total cost of the programme is estimated to be $81.5 million the government will contribute $36.7 million with Environment Waikato and Taupo District Council funding the remainder. More & http://www.beehive.govt.nz/ViewDocument.cfm?DocumentID=19867

WASTE

Auckland zero waste call needs Government support
Scoop.co.nz 28/05/2004
Green MP Mike Ward says his party's efforts to put teeth into New Zealand's waste strategy have received a major boost from a council committee recommendation that Auckland implement a zero waste strategy. The Auckland City Council's works committee has decided to adopt a 'long-term' zero waste philosophy, while acknowledging that it requires more Government money and action to be fully realised. More & http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0405/S00562.htm

Sludge disposal tricky issue for NZ councils
The Otago Daily Times 26/05/2004
Trash or treasure? That appears to be the central question local authorities around New Zealand are asking themselves when it comes to disposing of sludge, the smelly residue from waste-water treatment composed of human excrement, industrial waste, paper and the like. The Otago Daily Times contacted four councils yesterday to ask how they disposed of their sludge, and found some were seeking to turn it into fertiliser or soil-conditioner after treatment, and some were looking at its potential for power generation. More & http://www.odt.co.nz/cgi-bin/getitem?date=26May2004&object=JPB48A7559IM&type=html

AQUACULTURE

Mussel farm consents too long
NZ City 25 May 2004
Environmental groups in Marlborough are disturbed at plans to give mussel farmers 35-year consents.
The change comes in aquaculture reforms from new fisheries minister David Benson-Pope. Marlborough Environment Centre spokesman Steffan Browning says new things are being learnt about the oceans and seas every day, and there is rapid change in the information that is coming through.
More & http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/default.asp?id=39764

MAF allows farmers to harvest GE crops
NZPA 29/05/2004
Biosecurity officials say farmers who have planted maize contaminated with genetically-engineered seed will be allowed to harvest their crops.  But the farmers will be asked to comply with some additional conditions, including separate storage of the harvest, and post-harvest field inspections. More & http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2922854a7693,00.html

A clean, green holiday for $1.9b
New Zealand Herald 31/05/2004
Holidaymakers will soon be able to claim they are saving the planet, when they head to a Portuguese resort designed to pioneer environmentally friendly living. An unprecedented green giant tourist resort - with 30,000 beds but emitting little waste and none of the pollution that causes global warming - is scheduled to open in three years' time near Lisbon. More & http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/businessstorydisplay.cfm?storyID=3569441&thesection=business&thesubsection=general&thesecondsubsection=&thetickercode=

CONSERVATION

Watchdog group wants Waitakere Ranges law
The Western Leader  31/05/2004.
A national watchdog group is pushing for new laws to protect undeveloped land surrounding the Waitakere Ranges. The Environmental Defence Society says urgent action is needed to save the greater area from a development boom, also affecting similar natural features elsewhere in the country. More ... http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2925654a7693,00.html

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