International: Pacific
Global warming could speed up if the Pacific Ocean gets cranky
10 May 2017
Conditions in the Pacific Ocean over the coming decades will determine how fast we get to 1.5deg global warming.
World Bank presses NZ on climate refugees
9 May 2017
The World Bank says New Zealand should accept more migrants from the Pacific to pre-empt a flood of climate refugees.
Whales could help to save Pacific from carbon pollution
13 Apr 2017
If conservation efforts pay off, whales could help Pacific islands to meet their emissions reductions targets.
Tonga and ADB launch climate change fund
1 Mar 2017
The Tongan government and the Asian Development Bank have launched the island group's first climate change trust fund.
Look what they found 5000m down on the Pacific seafloor
14 Feb 2017
Scientists have discovered “extraordinary” levels of toxic pollution in the most remote and inaccessible place on the planet – the 10km deep Mariana trench in the Pacific.
How climate change plays havoc with Pacific weather
10 Feb 2017
Global warming has already increased the risk of major disruptions to Pacific rainfall, according to new research by Australian scientists.
PACIFIC PROBLEM: Carbon cuts will not settle seas
24 Jan 2017
Even supposing the world does make dramatic reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, the fate of the small island states remains uncertain.
Come see Pacific for yourself, MP tells Trump
21 Dec 2016
A New Zealand MP is challenging United States president-elect Donald Trump to come to the Pacific and see the impacts of climate change for himself.
Green Climate Fund gives millions to help Pacific
19 Dec 2016
The Green Climate Fund board has approved eight funding proposals worth $US315 million ($NZ452m) at a meeting in Samoa.
Dear Green Climate Fund, Samoa needs you
13 Dec 2016
The board of the Green Climate Fund this week is meeting in the Samoan capital Apia. Here, the country’s ambassador to the UN outlines his hopes.
Fiji turns beauty queen into climate queen
7 Dec 2016
Miss Pacific Islands 2016, 23-year-old law graduate Anne Dunn, has been appointed Fiji’s ambassador for climate change and the environment.
Tesla powers entire Pacific island using solar energy
25 Nov 2016
American automaker and energy storage company Tesla Motors has powered the Pacific island Ta’u almost entirely from solar energy.
Japan backs Apia climate change centre
28 Oct 2016
A Pacific Climate Change Centre, jointly funded by the Governments of Japan and Samoa as well as the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program, will be based in Apia.
Asia and Pacific must spearhead climate fight
13 Sep 2016
Asia and the Pacific has been rocked by intense and unstable weather, bringing into even greater focus the need to build resilience against climate change.
We're on the wrong tack in Pacific, says report
7 Sep 2016
New Zealand’s policy of helping Pacific nations to prepare for the impacts of climate change by financing renewable energy projects is under fire.
Cook Islands quietly does the climate business
5 Sep 2016
Three countries have just ratified the Paris Agreement on climate change – China, the United States and the Cook Islands.
Islands fail to agree on plan to protect tuna
5 Sep 2016
Pacific island states have failed to strike a deal to protect shrinking supplies of tuna and adopt cutbacks following a regional conference, officials said, sparking condemnation from conservationists.
How NZ could plug loophole in climate refugee law
31 Aug 2016
New Zealand is being urged to form bilateral arrangements with its Pacific neighbours to take climate refugees until a hole in international law is plugged.
Bennett: We can look after the Pacific
9 Aug 2016
The climate change minister says New Zealand’s post-2020 emissions reduction target is sufficient to help to protect Pacific nations from the impacts of climate change.
Fiji to spend millions on coastline protection
3 Aug 2016
THE World Bank says Fiji will spend close to $700 million by 2040 on climate change adaptation projects for the protection of coastline communities.
Can Nauru bounce back from mining boom and bust?
18 Jul 2016
When most of us hear of Nauru we tend to think of immigration detention, or perhaps of the environmentally ruinous legacy of the island nation’s ill-fated phosphate mining boom.
PACIFIC PLEA: NZ should join island nations' fight
15 Jul 2016
New Zealand should join forces with its island neighbours preparing to take bold action against fossil fuel producers, says Labour’s Pacific climate change spokesman.
Can kelp save the Pacific?
8 Jul 2016
When it comes to ocean acidification, the Pacific Northwest is set to be ground zero for some of the most dire impacts — so it makes sense that scientists in Washington state would be on the forefront of research aimed at finding solutions.
Tuvalu gets millions for coastal work
5 Jul 2016
Tuvalu, under threat from rising seas, will get $US36 million from the Green Climate Fund for a coastal adaptation project.
Pacific Islands adopt new climate strategy
5 Jul 2016
A new climate change strategy has been adopted by small island states to ensure their concerns are addressed as part of the regional policy agenda.
Islands plead for migration with dignity
24 Jun 2016
Migration with dignity must be part of a climate change adaptation strategy, rather than relocation of people as climate refugees, says a Pacific leader.
Bennett reaffirms energy aid for islands
8 Jun 2016
Climate Change Minister Paula Bennett has repeated New Zealand’s commitment to helping Pacific communities to withstand the impacts of climate change, after witnessing them first-hand.
Vanuatu wants to be 100% renewable by 2030
18 May 2016
Vanuatu is planning to source 100 per cent of its electricity from renewables by 2030.
CLIMATE REFUGEES: G20 group wants clarification
9 May 2016
A G20 group is pushing for urgent clarification of the status of climate change refugees.
LOST ISLANDS OF THE SOLOMONS: Finally, scientists have the evidence
9 May 2016
At least five reef islands in the Solomon Islands have been lost completely to sea-level rise and coastal erosion, and a further six islands have been severely eroded.
Labour MP: Leaving overstayers here will help sinking islands
5 Apr 2016
New Zealand should let overstayers from Pacific countries which are becoming uninhabitable stay here, says Labour’s Pacific climate change spokesperson.
“It’s by stealth, isn’t it?” The multi-million dollar effort by Australian fossil fuel companies to get into schools
Thu 16 Jul 2026
Australian oil, gas and coal companies want to get into school to shape what kids learn about their industry and climate change. One group has been trying to map the scale of the problem.
Trump blames Canada for wildfire smoke affecting US
Today 12:00pm
A series of Republican “leaders” have started producing angry denunciations of Canada for polluting America’s air with their "thoughtless" fires.
China warming faster than global average as extreme weather intensifies, report says
6 Jul 2026
China is warming faster than the global average, while extreme heat, heavy rainfall and other severe weather events are becoming more frequent and intense as climate change accelerates worldwide.
Europe’s May and June heatwave deaths – and how they were counted
Today 12:00pm
Recent weeks have seen a flurry of reports from public health authorities and scientists that estimate the deaths caused by Europe’s record-breaking summer heatwaves.
UK's Burnham to maintain ban on North Sea exploration licences
Today 12:00pm
Andy Burnham will stick to Labour’s contentious ban on new exploration licences in the North Sea, dashing oil and gas industry hopes for a radical change in government policy towards fossil fuels.
Ontario seeks federal support for evacuations as wildfires devastate remote Canadian towns
Mon 20 Jul 2026
Ontario requested federal assistance to evacuate people from remote northern Canadian communities ravaged by wildfires on Thursday, as smoke brought poor air quality to Toronto and much of the Northeastern U.S.
India is adding biofuels to petrol – but many drivers are unhappy
Thu 16 Jul 2026
India's decision to increase the share of biofuels blended with petrol is facing ire from motorists who question its viability in a market where a majority of vehicles are not yet designed for it.
Antarctica’s west coast missing an area of sea ice the size of France as temperatures peak 20C above average
16 Jun 2026
A vast area of the Bellingshausen Sea should be covered by sea ice by now, with one expert calling the loss of ice ‘depressing’.
Africa secures $900 million in new clean cooking commitments
13 Jul 2026
African countries have secured $900 million in new financial commitments to expand access to clean cooking technologies, which replace polluting fuels with cleaner alternatives, said the International Energy Agency.
Under Lula, Amazon deforestation falls to lowest level in a decade
14 Jul 2026
Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest has fallen to its lowest level in a decade during the first half of 2026, according to official government figures.
COP31 president says electrification is ‘surest way to protect citizens’
14 Jul 2026
Last month, COP31 president-designate Murat Kurum launched a target for 35% of the world’s final energy to come from electricity by 2035. In an interview with Carbon Brief, Kurum says that the target was not a political choice, but instead reflects the latest evidence on “what is needed to keep 1.5C within reach”.
