International: United Nations
Shaw commits NZ to leading on climate challenge
17 Nov 2017
New Zealand has just committed itself on the world stage to being carbon-neutral by 2050 and being a Pacific leader on climate change.
NZ signs up to cut methane and black carbon
17 Nov 2017
New Zealand has signed up to a plan to cut methane and black carbon emissions from agriculture and waste.
Global pledge to phase out coal gets full backing of NZ
17 Nov 2017
New Zealand is part of a new alliance launched at the Bonn climate talks that hopes to signal the end of coal.
Carbon markets back in vogue at Bonn
17 Nov 2017
Carbon markets have become a vital piece of common ground for defenders of the climate. The tool is gradually extending around the world, bringing with it higher revenues.
Indigenous groups win greater climate recognition
17 Nov 2017
Indigenous groups claimed a victory at the Bonn climate talks in Bonn as governments acknowledged for the first time that they can play a leadership role in protecting forests and keeping global temperatures at a safe level.
MERKEL MESSAGE: Climate change decides our destiny
16 Nov 2017
“Climate change is an issue determining our destiny as mankind – it will determine the wellbeing of all of us,” the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, has told the world’s nations gathered at the Bonn climate summit.
Bonn protesters savage Trump's coal push
15 Nov 2017
The Trump team was heckled and interrupted by a protest song at the UN’s climate change summit in Bonn after using its only official appearance to say fossil fuels were vital to reducing poverty around the world.
It's about to get a whole lot worse, say scientists
14 Nov 2017
The world has been given a stark warning by some of its leading scientists: there is much worse climate change on the way.
Alternative American group wants seat at the table
14 Nov 2017
The United Nations should give a “seat at the table” to a powerful group of US states, cities, tribes and businesses that are committed to taking action on climate change, Michael Bloomberg has urged.
CLIMATE CRISIS? No need to fear, the Cote d'Ivoire is here
14 Nov 2017
Just over 19,000 delegates and officials are attending the UN climate talks in Bonn. The largest party - 493 - comes from the Cote d'Ivoire.
ETS changes win us an award at Bonn talks
10 Nov 2017
Changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme have won New Zealand a Carbon Pricing Champion Award at international climate negotiations in Bonn.
Fonterra to talk farming at Bonn climate talks
9 Nov 2017
Fonterra will strut its stuff tomorrow at international climate talks in Bonn.
Africans call for US to be kicked out of Bonn talks
9 Nov 2017
African campaigners have called for US negotiators to be barred from climate talks under way in Bonn.
US now only country saying it won't be part of Paris Agreement
8 Nov 2017
Syria has decided to sign the Paris agreement on climate change, the world's final functioning state to do so.
Do it differently to ensure markets do their job
8 Nov 2017
Carbon markets need to do things differently to avoid the mistakes of the Kyoto Protocol, a market watchdog says.
New Zealand's team in Bonn
7 Nov 2017
New Zealand will be represented at international climate negotiations by climate minister James Shaw and Pacific minister Aupito William Sio.
UN climate summit means business
6 Nov 2017
This year’s annual UN climate summit, the twenty-third Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (https://cop23.unfccc.int/) in UN jargon (or COP23 for short), starts on 6 November – and for once it may have an unusual spring in its step.
India readies for clashes with developed world at Bonn
6 Nov 2017
SEVERAL AREAS of unfinished business mean talks in Bonn could ignite as developing nations seek concessions from the industrialised world
5 things MFAT wants you to know about COP23
6 Nov 2017
INTERNATIONAL NEGOTIATIONS to put meat on the bones of the Paris Agreement start in Bonn today, with Fiji in the presidency.
Market forces can go further, faster and cheaper to cut emissions
3 Nov 2017
Government delegations gathering in Bonn for the start of annual UN climate talks on Monday need to ramp up efforts, says the International Emissions Trading Association.
Fiji announces $100m ‘climate bond’ ahead of climate talks
20 Oct 2017
Fiji aims to raise $100 million ($NZ68m) to build resilience to climate change and support a shift to 100 per cent renewable energy.
NZ goes for 'triple win' at Bonn climate talks
18 Oct 2017
New Zealand will push a “triple win” for agriculture at international climate talks in Bonn next month.
NZ fires first COP23 shots in Fiji today
17 Oct 2017
Acting climate minister Paula Bennett will deliver New Zealand’s opening statement at the pre-COP climate talks in Fiji today.
Nicaragua yes leaves US and Syria out in the cold
22 Sep 2017
President Daniel Ortega has announced that Nicaragua will sign the Paris Agreement, leaving the US and Syria the only two countries not taking part in the global accord.
Fiji’s COP 23 message: ‘We are all in the same canoe’
22 Sep 2017
Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has urged leaders in New York to look beyond narrow self-interest as he outlined his plans for the COP23 climate talks presidency.
Paris Agreement needs to be politically, not legally, binding
28 Jul 2017
Whether countries have the legal right to back out of their climate commitments is irrelevant. It’s up to defenders to make sure it hurts them politically.
PARIS PACT: We might have less time than we thought
27 Jul 2017
A new global temperature baseline casts doubt on humanity's ability to meet the Paris target.
IT CAN BE DONE: Net zero emissions possible by 2060
7 Jun 2017
Global emissions can be pushed down to net zero by 2060 to meet the climate goals of the Paris Agreement, says the International Energy Agency.
We could be better off if US does withdraw from Paris deal
25 May 2017
A United States withdrawal from the Paris Agreement could be the best outcome for international climate action.
Trump names May for decision on Paris pact
3 Apr 2017
President Donald Trump is planning to decide by late May on whether the US should stay in the Paris climate change agreement.
Only three EU states on track to meet Paris goals
31 Mar 2017
Only three European countries are on course to achieve the Paris Agreement targets, according to research which ranks the UK in fifth position on its progress towards the landmark climate treaty.
Antarctic sea ice sets record low temperature
6 Mar 2017
A new record warm temperature for Antarctica has been confirmed by the World Meteorological Organisation as sea ice surrounding the continent has shrunk to a record low.
Eye in the sky will spy on carbon cuts
2 Mar 2017
The world needs a way to verify that nations have made their promised carbon cuts in order to make the Paris agreement effective. And a sophisticated new satellite might be the answer.
Duterte signs Paris climate agreement
2 Mar 2017
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has signed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change putting the deal one step closer to ratification in the country.
Paris deal needs US, warns White House
30 Nov 2016
The world will not achieve its climate goals without an active US administration leading on greenhouse gas cuts, the White House has warned.
As envoys bicker, it’s time to focus on real climate action
29 Nov 2016
Countries have two years of arguing over the fine-print of the Paris climate deal ahead of them: it’s time to focus on what’s happening in the real world.
NZ doctor gives Marrakech a message
22 Nov 2016
A New Zealand doctor told world leaders gathering in Marrakech that human rights must be protected as the world takes action on climate change.
Marrakech marks the start of a new era ... but going where?
21 Nov 2016
As dusk fell over Marrakech on Friday, a chill gripped the fast-emptying pavilions that housed the 2016 UN climate summit.
Musings from Marrakech ...
18 Nov 2016
Green Party MP Dr Kennedy Graham, a former diplomat and veteran of international climate change negotiations, reports from the latest round, in Marrakech.
Three amigos launch beyond-Trump strategies
18 Nov 2016
The US, Canada and Mexico have joined Germany in releasing strategies for radically cutting their greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century.
Tokelau comes under the Paris Agreement umbrella
17 Nov 2016
New Zealand is extending its ratification of the Paris Agreement to include Tokelau.
World needs major emissions cuts by 2020, says report
17 Nov 2016
All key sectors– including commercial agriculture – must have major emissions cuts under way by 2020 if the world is to keep global warming within the Paris Agreement’s 1.5deg limit, a new report says.
Meet the man nobody wants at Marrakech
17 Nov 2016
An awful lot of people at the Marrakech climate talks would really like it if Benjamin Sporton went home and never came back.
MARRAKECH MESSAGE: We've got enough clean credits
16 Nov 2016
New Zealand is likely to use 38.1 million tonnes of its surplus carbon credits to meet its next emissions reduction target and will not need access to international markets, climate change talks in Morocco have heard.
Obama’s climate envoys fight back
16 Nov 2016
US climate negotiators emerged from their post-election silence in Marrakech with a bellicose message that their legacy was beyond reach of Donald Trump.
Marrakech officials want hope for coal miners
16 Nov 2016
If the shift away from fossil fuels is not carefully managed, it will create left-behind communities and resentment, officials warn at COP22 climate talks.
Natural disasters push millions into poverty each year
16 Nov 2016
Earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and other extreme natural disasters push 26 million people into poverty each year and cost the global economy more than half a trillion dollars in lost consumption, the World Bank has said.
Marrakech nations wield carrots, not sticks
15 Nov 2016
Across the UN climate talks in Marrakech, countries are emphasising the benefits to the US of staying in the Paris Agreement.
Nations have one week to save Marrakech talks
14 Nov 2016
Climate diplomats in Marrakech are working furiously behind the scenes to send a message to Donald Trump that the world remains a place of pluralism and cooperation.
Other nations might obstruct Paris climate deal
14 Nov 2016
Concerns are mounting that Donald Trump’s victory could embolden some fossil fuel-rich countries to try unpicking the historic Paris climate agreement, which came into force last week.
Darwin methane leak ‘covered up’ by gas companies and regulators
Tue 2 Sep 2025
At the heart of the project that heralded northern Australia’s gas boom — Darwin’s first liquefied natural gas plant — was a storage tank that operators hailed as a major feat of engineering.
US warns nations to reject ship fuel emissions deal or face tariffs
Fri 5 Sep 2025
The United States has warned countries to reject a United Nations plan aimed at cutting fuel emissions from ships or face retaliation in the form of tariffs, port levies, and visa restrictions, according to U.S. and European officials.
China's carbon market to introduce absolute emissions caps from 2027
27 Aug 2025
China will tighten its carbon trading market by introducing absolute emissions caps in some industries for the first time starting by 2027.
EU drafting plans to prevent circumvention of carbon border tariff
Fri 5 Sep 2025
The European Commission will propose measures this year to prevent countries from dodging its carbon border tariff, as some in Brussels fear Chinese firms could reshuffle their trade to avoid the levy.
UK Conservatives pledge to get all oil and gas out of North Sea
Tue 2 Sep 2025
Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch has said her party will remove all net zero requirements on oil and gas companies drilling in the North Sea if elected.
Challenges persist in bid to mine the deep sea, even after boost from Trump
29 Jul 2025
After years of delay, the deep-sea mining plans of Canadian firm The Metals Company (TMC) now appear to be progressing as it pursues a controversial new path to securing a license to mine in international waters under U.S. jurisdiction.
India emphasises global south's rights in climate talks
Fri 5 Sep 2025
In a meeting with COP30 president-designate André Corrêa do Lago, India discussed “the global south’s rights” and ways to “advance work” on carbon markets and climate finance
Rise in dengue fever outbreaks across the Pacific driven by the climate crisis, experts say
13 Aug 2025
Samoa, Fiji and Tonga among the worst affected amid warning the disease and others will become ‘more common and more serious’ as the planet warms.
Iconic Antarctic species at risk amid 'regime shift', with 'rapid and self-perpetuating changes'
22 Aug 2025
Scientists say there is emerging evidence of abrupt and potentially unstoppable changes in the Antarctic environment.
Liberia has a new plan to protect its rainforests. Can it work?
Tue 2 Sep 2025
Half of West Africa’s remaining rainforests are in Liberia, but in 2024, it lost more than 38,000 hectares (94,000 acres) of humid primary forest, according to Global Forest Watch.
Brazil implores businesses to attend COP30 climate summit, despite 'second thoughts' amid Trump backlash
Fri 5 Sep 2025
November's COP30 summit comes at a precarious time for climate action, as companies back away from environmental initiatives, and attacks on green energy by President Trump.
