New Zealand: All stories
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.
Finance sector's climate inaction
2 Feb 2023
New Zealand’s financial sector is lagging behind its counterparts in Europe and Australia in terms of climate action, according to a recent survey.
MIT study finds huge carbon cost to self-driving cars
2 Feb 2023
The widespread adoption of self-driving cars will create a major bump in carbon emissions without changes to their design, a study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has found.
Power storage for a renewable-based electric grid could be parked next door
2 Feb 2023
Electric vehicle batteries could be harnessed to provide all the battery storage capacity necessary to stabilize renewable-based electricity grids worldwide in the coming decades, according to a new study.
Why increasing soil carbon is overrated
2 Feb 2023
Dutch researchers have found that yield effects of increasing soil carbon are inconsistent, ranging from negative to neutral to positive.
Scientists now know why methane mysteriously surged during lockdowns
2 Feb 2023
The world largely came to a halt in 2020 when extensive COVID-19 lockdowns were issued, which temporarily caused a global decline in greenhouse gas emissions. Despite the slowdowns in highly polluting sectors like aviation and manufacturing, methane emissions mysteriously climbed.
Parliamentary Commissioner for Environment gives govt a hurry up
1 Feb 2023
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton, has told the government it needs to speed up plans for a whole-of-system energy strategy.
Earth is on track to exceed 1.5C warming in the next decade, study using AI finds
1 Feb 2023
The world is on the brink of breaching a critical climate threshold, according to a new study published on Monday, signifying time is running exceedingly short to spare the world the most catastrophic effects of global heating.
Solar farms put cow comfort and crop yield ahead of harvesting electrons
1 Feb 2023
Solar arrays that promise to generate happier, healthier cows and crops, while producing cheap electrons on the side, are being put into practice in France, following a series of government-led energy tenders with a difference.
Government looks to regulate offshore wind, defers decision on oil and gas exploration
31 Jan 2023
Some of the government’s last announcements of the political year in 2022 honed in on wind, oil and gas exploration, and critical minerals.
Hydrogen symposium to explore latest research
31 Jan 2023
The inaugural New Zealand Hydrogen Symposium, which starts tomorrow in Dunedin, will host international experts from Germany, the US, Chile, and Australia, as well as local hydrogen experts.
Price of NZUs drifting slowly lower
30 Jan 2023
NZUs closed on the Commtrade platform at the end of trade on Friday at $72.50, down from a high of $88.50 on the secondary market towards the end of last year.
Auckland floods: even stormwater reform won’t be enough – we need a ‘sponge city’ to avoid future disaster
30 Jan 2023
By Timothy Welch - The Conversation | We’ve built our cities to be vulnerable to – and exacerbate – major weather events such as the one we saw in Auckland on Friday. While almost no city in the world could fully escape the effects of four months’ worth of rain in 24 hours, there are many things that could have been done to avoid some of the worst impacts.
How supermarket freezers are heating the planet, and how they could change
30 Jan 2023
Climate-conscious shoppers may buy local food and try to cut packaging waste, but those efforts could be negated by potent greenhouse gases leaking from supermarket fridges.
Public support for cutting fertiliser and cow numbers: Greenpeace survey
27 Jan 2023
A new poll commissioned by Greenpeace shows growing public support for regulating the dairy industry to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and water contamination, as well as phasing out synthetic nitrogen fertiliser.
Best by the rest...
27 Jan 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Dame Anne Salmond on New Zealand’s “fatally flawed” climate strategy; a fact check of claims that Kiwi farms are the greenest; and why the country needs an e-bike rebate.
Govt brushes off 'damning' assessment of stalled emissions reductions
Thu 23 Jul 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government is downplaying the Climate Change Commission’s “damning” report on the country’s stalled emission reductions, while experts say policy changes since the Coalition Government came into power are squarely to blame.
Businesses told to plan ahead as energy risks mount
Thu 23 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Switching to electricity and improving energy efficiency are becoming increasingly attractive investments in the face of rising costs – and companies can no longer afford a "business as usual" attitude to energy, according to a new report.
Study outlines methane-cutting options for NZ livestock
Tue 21 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Breeding, feed and forage strategies could play a key role in reducing methane emissions from New Zealand's grazing livestock, with researchers concluding that a combination of approaches will be needed to achieve meaningful cuts.
'Terrible result': Emissions barely budged in 2024
5 Jun 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions were virtually unchanged in 2024, falling by 0.03%, despite the economy shrinking by ten times that amount during the same period, according to new data.
Weakening Clean Car Standard would hurt EV uptake, industry warns
7 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Electric vehicle advocates say weakening the Clean Car Standard would reduce access to new EV models, undermining New Zealand's place in global supply chains and slowing the country's transition to lower-emissions transport.
Seymour ‘imploring’ council to go easy on foresters is abuse of authority: EDS
7 Jul 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Environmental Defence Society says that Regulation Minister David Seymour’s attempt to influence Gisborne District Council to ‘go easy’ on forestry companies in enforcing environmental laws is a clear abuse of ministerial authority.
Business leaders say climate report ‘wake-up call’ for NZ
Thu 23 Jul 2026
By Liz Kivi | CEO-led organisations representing 42% of GDP are calling the Climate Change Commission’s latest report “a significant wake-up call for New Zealand.”
