New Zealand: All stories
World's forests losing ability to absorb carbon due to climate change
28 Feb 2023
A recent study published in the Nature journal has found that the world's forests are losing their ability to absorb carbon due to the increasingly 'unstable' conditions caused by human activities.
National Party leader Christopher Luxon slams govt’s climate change record
27 Feb 2023
National Party leader Christopher Luxon slammed the government’s track record on climate change in a speech over the weekend but failed to propose a single alternative policy.
Converting Huntly would take mass amounts of biomass
27 Feb 2023
Fuelling the Huntly power station with wood pellets will require building a domestic supply chain which would dwarf current global supply of the specialised product Genesis Energy would need.
A looming El Niño could give us a preview of life at 1.5C of warming
27 Feb 2023
The last three years were objectively hot, numbering among the warmest since records began in 1880. But the scorch factor of recent years was actually tempered by a climate pattern that slightly cools the globe, “La Niña.”
Remove exotic forests from ETS until completion of inquiry: Pure Advantage
24 Feb 2023
Pure Advantage is calling on the government to remove exotic trees from the Emissions Trading Scheme until the results of its inquiry into forestry are known.
Green Party launches petition opposing cuts to Auckland climate programmes
24 Feb 2023
The Green Party has launched a petition to stop proposed cuts to Auckland’s climate and environmental programmes.
Best by the rest...
24 Feb 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Lillian Te Hau-Ward tells E-Tangata that in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle "now is the time for mana motuhake."; Parker’s office says slash an issue for Nash; and bike lanes and cycleways may be parked in race to complete government climate funded projects.
Government co-funding helps businesses switch to clean and clever energy
24 Feb 2023
Partner content - Emissions from our energy and industry sectors make up 27% of our total emissions, so they represent a big opportunity for decarbonisation.
Carbon price drives rising waste disposal fees
23 Feb 2023
Masterton District Council is the latest in a long list of councils raising waste disposal fees and citing the cost of carbon.
Genesis biomass trial could lead to 90% reduction in Huntly’s emissions
23 Feb 2023
Genesis has completed a biomass burn trial as it looks at alternative fuels for Huntly Power Station, which could reduce emissions from the coal-fired plant by 90%.
Genetically modified trees are taking root to capture carbon
23 Feb 2023
A start-up has created poplar trees that are genetically engineered to grow larger and suck up more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than standard trees do. This month, workers planted rows of these poplars in southern Georgia, kicking off the company’s plan to revolutionize forestry.
Parliament unites to stop gifting of carbon credits to big emitters
22 Feb 2023
Parliament has unanimously supported the first reading of an amendment bill that puts an end to the over-allocation of carbon credits to trade-exposed industries. The current system of “industrial allocation” has seen some of the country’s biggest emitters receiving a $60 million annual windfall.
UN climate resolution tabled
22 Feb 2023
New Zealand was among a group of 19 countries that tabled a resolution at the United Nations General Assembly, yesterday, asking the world’s highest court to clarify what international law requires of States in the face of the climate crisis.
Commissioner for the Environment doubts govt’s resource management plans are fit for purpose
21 Feb 2023
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton has told a select committee that two key pieces of legislation in its climate change adaptation plan are unlikely to provide an enduring framework that protects the environment.
Scrapping the biofuels mandate is short-term thinking during climate crisis
21 Feb 2023
By Paul Bennett | OPINION: The Government’s decision to halt the biofuels mandate may ease concerns about looming price hikes at the petrol pump but it’s a political can that can’t be kicked down the road forever.
Women and girls are disproportionately affected by climate change
21 Feb 2023
The adverse effects of climate change have impacted numerous areas of human health and well-being. In most parts of the world, women are least able to mitigate such changes, so they are an appropriate focus in a recent research paper.
Rationing: A fairer way to fight climate change?
21 Feb 2023
World War II-style rationing could be an effective way to reduce carbon emissions, according to new research from the University of Leeds.
Clear-felling forest must stop in Tairāwhiti, expert says
20 Feb 2023
Clear-felling is inappropriate for fragile East Coast land - and Indigenous voices must lead the change, an expert says.
Counting the cost in the wake of Gabrielle
20 Feb 2023
Energy & Environment | Part of the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle will be counting the cost and a long hard rethink about aspects of energy and environment policy.
Nearly 30 dangerous feedback loops could permanently shift the Earth’s climate: scientists
20 Feb 2023
Dangerous climate feedback loops are increasing global warming and risk causing a permanent shift away from the Earth’s current climate, according to a new study.
Bioenergy Association says forestry slash could help drive our heavy transport fleet
17 Feb 2023
The Bioenergy Association says the forestry slash causing havoc on the East Coast could have been slashing the country’s carbon emissions.
New Zealand must build back better: Insurance Council
17 Feb 2023
Aotearoa must build back better after the catastrophic extreme weather of the past two weeks, the Insurance Council of New Zealand told the Environment Select Committee yesterday.
Best by the rest...
17 Feb 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Are the government’s latest energy policies music to the ears of multinationals? climate change minister James Shaw laments “lost decades” of climate action; and commentators ask whether the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle will at last shake New Zealand out of its stupor on the climate crisis.
Storm conditions predicted to last till May, thanks to climate change: expert
16 Feb 2023
Hotter oceans, warm air, La Niña conditions, and climate change have all combined to create the strong cyclones that have battered the North Island in the past few weeks, with these conditions - and the possibility of more storms - lasting until May, according to experts.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand respond to meat lobby financing academic research claims
16 Feb 2023
Beef + Lamb New Zealand respond to a Carbon News story about its support for a tour of New Zealand by US academic Dr Frank Mitloehner who the New York Times has reported receives millions of dollars in funding from the meat industry in the United States.
Outcry as scientists sanctioned for climate protest
16 Feb 2023
More than 2000 researchers from around the world have signed a letter asking the American Geophysical Union (AGU) to reverse actions it took against two scientists who briefly protested at its annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois, in December.
These startups hope to spray iron particles above the ocean to fight climate change
16 Feb 2023
Within the next 18 months, a Palo Alto–based startup wants to begin releasing a small quantity of iron-rich particles into the exhaust stream of a shipping vessel crossing the open ocean.
Global inequality must fall to maintain a safe climate and achieve a decent standard of living for all: researchers
16 Feb 2023
Energy consumption is essential for human well-being, but there is enormous inequality in energy use worldwide. The top 10% of global energy consumers use roughly 30 times more energy than the bottom 10%.
Time to start planning for managed retreat: EDS
15 Feb 2023
“We live in a climate changing world. Weather-related disasters are becoming increasingly commonplace.” As far as opening lines goes it not the most gripping or urgent one ever written.
$2.5 million in government grants for decarbonising maritime industry
15 Feb 2023
EECA is offering $2.5 million, in the 8th round of its Low Emissions Transport Fund, for projects that can demonstrate emissions savings in the maritime industry.
Kiwis want climate action - but also want car parks
14 Feb 2023
Most New Zealanders think that building new homes in Auckland without car parks and removing car parks for businesses in Auckland is unfair - but nearly half still want faster climate action.
UK climate activist George Monbiot speaking at NZ EDS conference
14 Feb 2023
The Environmental Defence Society’s upcoming conference will feature the UK’s bestselling climate change author and environmental activist George Monbiot, as well as speakers from across New Zealand’s political spectrum.
Supporters of a controversial climate solution say it could be key. Critics believe it is the path to catastrophe
14 Feb 2023
When US startup Make Sunsets released two weather balloons into the skies above Mexico's Baja California peninsula last year, it kicked up a fierce debate about one of the world's most controversial climate solutions.
Controversial researcher touring NZ with Beef + Lamb sponsorship
13 Feb 2023
NZ Beef + Lamb are sponsoring a tour of New Zealand universities by a researcher the New York Times has reported receives millions in funding from the meat industry in the United States.
The curious case of the DOC mining bill report
13 Feb 2023
Reports that the Government was to introduce a bill banning new mines on conservation land came as a surprise to many.
Councils seeking youth engagement on climate change
10 Feb 2023
By Liz Kivi | Councils are calling for more youth engagement on climate change, with Tauranga City Council hosting a youth climate forum this weekend, and Queenstown Lakes District Council seeking interest for a rakatahi (youth) seat for its climate reference group.
Best by the rest...
10 Feb 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: The government is prioritising cheap petrol over combatting the climate crisis; what was the role of climate change in the Auckland floods? and how the rocket industry is threatening the ozone layer.
Carbon emissions from fertilisers could be reduced by as much as 80% by 2050
10 Feb 2023
Researchers have calculated the carbon footprint for the full life cycle of fertilisers, which are responsible for approximately 5% of total greenhouse gas emissions—the first time this has been accurately quantified—and found that carbon emissions could be reduced to one-fifth of current levels by 2050.
Environmental groups say govt decision to drop biofuels mandate "enormous relief"
9 Feb 2023
Environmental groups, motoring and fossil fuel lobbyists, and opposition parties have all welcomed the government's decision to drop the biofuels mandate.
Legal challenge to clear-felling forests on erosion-prone land
9 Feb 2023
The Environment Court is being asked to rule that allowing the clear felling of forestry on erosion-prone land is unlawful under the Resource Management Act.
Using wealth to insulate yourself from climate change
9 Feb 2023
While the days of overt climate denial are mostly over, there's a distinct form of denial emerging in its stead. PhD candidate Hannah Della Bosca, from the Sydney Environment Institute, explores the phenomenon of implicatory denial
Genesis announces NZ’s biggest solar farm
8 Feb 2023
Genesis Energy has announced plans for New Zealand’s biggest solar farm - with power from the Canterbury site expected to start flowing from next year.
In a cost of living and climate crisis, let’s ditch reward schemes
8 Feb 2023
By Paul Callister and Robert McLachlan - Planetary Ecology | We face both a climate crisis and cost of living crisis. But the pain is not being spread evenly on either front. Some families find it ever harder to put food on the table, some wonder how to pay the mortgage, while others are scarcely affected.
Twice as much land in developing nations will be swamped by rising seas than previously projected
8 Feb 2023
Rising seas will swamp farmlands, pollute water supplies and displace millions of people much sooner than expected, scientists say.
Climate crisis drives more days of extreme wildfire risk in NZ
7 Feb 2023
As Aotearoa approaches the height of wildfire season, climate change means increasing forest fire risk – for at least an extra 30 days a year as the air gets thirstier, according to the latest science.
Carbon trader calls on government to reverse ETS decision
3 Feb 2023
A carbon trader has opened a parliamentary petition calling on the government to accept all the Climate Change Commission’s recommendations relating to the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Best by the rest....
3 Feb 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: RNZ asks four experts for their big ideas on what Auckland can do to prepare for the next flood; Balmoral Intermediate students investigate the polyester-packed school uniforms; and, Lyttleton Port says no to biofuel.
Water crises due to climate change: More severe than previously thought
3 Feb 2023
Climate change alters the global atmospheric circulation, which in turn alters precipitation and evaporation in large parts of the world and, in consequence, the amount of river water that can be used locally.
Fossil fuel companies contribute to 43% of global methane emissions: study
3 Feb 2023
After carbon dioxide, global methane emissions are the second-largest contributor to global warming. Despite having a brief atmospheric lifetime of only 12 years on average, the gas has a much higher warming potential during that time.
An El Niño is forecast for 2023. How much coral will bleach this time?
3 Feb 2023
Scientists remember the years between 2014 and 2017 as a particularly bad time for coral reefs. Elevated temperatures fueled by an El Niño climate pattern harmed about three-quarters of the world’s reefs in both hemispheres, forcing corals to release their life-sustaining zooxanthellae and turning them ghostly white in a process known as coral bleaching.
Govt promises ‘earlier action’ in response to Commission’s warning climate targets at risk
Fri 17 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government says it will “explore opportunities for earlier action” ahead of the third Emissions Reduction Plan, and has committed to looking at ways to stop the system of free carbon credits for industrial polluters from disincentivising industrial decarbonisation.
Transpower tracks more than 100 new grid projects
Tue 14 Oct 2025
Transpower’s latest connection data show more than 100 generation, storage and load projects in its pipeline, reflecting the rapid pace of electrification across the country.
All carrot, no stick for farmers on methane
Fri 17 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: The abandonment of methane emissions pricing and the adoption of a weaker target is effectively the last nail in the coffin of the historic cross-parliamentary consensus embedded in the Zero Carbon Act 2019.
Govt releases updated emissions projections
Mon 13 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Ministry for the Environment has released updated emissions projections to 2050, which show significant differences to the Climate Change Commission's recent projections for the same period.
Air NZ inks deal for its first internationally verified carbon credits
9 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Air New Zealand has committed to buying 8000 tonnes of carbon removals by 2030, in partnership with local native forest investment platform My Native Forest.
Emails show forestry lobby fought Gisborne crackdown as slash clean-up drags on
26 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Sustainable land use advocates are accusing Eastland Wood Council of stonewalling efforts to tighten forestry rules, after correspondence between the group and the local council was released under the Official Information Act.
Climate credibility gap widening for Aussie firms
1 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Australian public companies’ climate change commitments are in retreat, reflecting difficulty in achieving stated targets and increased fossil use, but not because of any pressure to make less effort, according to a study of major companies’ ESG reporting.
