Topics tagged with 'Carbon News world'
US banks slash fossil fuel financing as market forces outweigh politics
Wed 20 Aug 2025
Wall Street’s six largest banks have cut their financing to oil, gas and coal projects by 25% year-on-year through August 1, 2025.
Sydney records most rain since weather station opened in 1858
Wed 20 Aug 2025
Sydney's wettest August in 27 years has tipped the city's recent climate into uncharted territory.
‘No future in oil’: Greta Thunberg and 200 activists block Norway oil refinery
Wed 20 Aug 2025
Some 200 climate activists including Greta Thunberg of Sweden blocked Norway's largest oil refinery on Monday in a protest demanding an end to the country's oil industry.
There’s no such thing as a ‘coolcation’ — you’ll be sweating buckets on your Arctic getaway
Wed 20 Aug 2025
There used to be places to go to escape the heat on our summer vacations but the Arctic’s icy grip is loosening as the planet warms, and these cool, far-flung destinations are becoming increasingly vulnerable to heat waves.
China's fossil-fuelled power rises to 11-month high in July
Tue 19 Aug 2025
China's fossil-fuelled power generation, mostly from coal, rose in July to the highest level since August 2024, official data showed on Friday, as record-breaking heat pushed power demand to record highs across large swathes of China.
Carbon credits: The dark heart of the climate ‘solution’ that simply does not work
Tue 19 Aug 2025
No amount of wishing or hoping for an imaginary carbon unicorn will make it true.
Will we still eat beef in 50 years?
Tue 19 Aug 2025
Beef production contributes to numerous global crises, from climate change to habitat destruction to biodiversity loss.
Earth’s climate is approaching irreversible tipping points
Tue 19 Aug 2025
The build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has raised regional temperatures, worsened droughts and increased the risk of fires.
EU wants to pay poor countries to cut emissions. It never studied the plan’s impacts.
Tue 19 Aug 2025
The European Commission released a controversial plan to offshore millions of tons of greenhouse gas cuts, but admitted it did not analyse the policy’s impact.
Pakistan rescuers recover bodies after monsoon rains kill at least 340
Tue 19 Aug 2025
Rescuers were struggling to retrieve bodies from debris after flash floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains across northern Pakistan killed at least 340 people in the past 48 hours.
2024 saw a record-breaking number of dangerously hot and humid days
Mon 18 Aug 2025
As the planet heats up, the atmosphere is holding more moisture – and this is resulting in more days with weather conditions close to the limits of survivability.
Global plastic talks collapse as countries remain deeply divided
Mon 18 Aug 2025
Global talks to develop a landmark treaty to end plastic pollution have once again failed.
Why our broken food system remains a climate disaster: ‘broiling the planet to stuff our faces’
Mon 18 Aug 2025
Our system of producing food is in a relative stone age when it comes to the climate crisis.
As Canada wildfires choke US with smoke, Republicans demand action. But not on climate change
Mon 18 Aug 2025
The sternly worded statements and letters are filled with indignation and outrage: Republican U.S. lawmakers say Canada has done too little to contain wildfires and smoke that have fouled the air in several states this summer.
Can the EU be a climate leader and boost its economic competitiveness?
Mon 18 Aug 2025
A recent proposal by the European Commission to set an emission reduction target of 90% by 2040 compared to 1990 level is being criticised by European lawmakers, member states and environmentalists alike.
Smoke from boreal wildfires could cool the Arctic
Mon 18 Aug 2025
But the damage such blazes cause outweighs their benefits
Wildfires fanned by heatwave and strong winds rage across Europe
Fri 15 Aug 2025
Wildfires caused by arsonists or thunderstorms and fanned by a heatwave and strong winds wreaked destruction across southern Europe on Wednesday, burning homes and forcing thousands of residents and tourists to flee.
Trump’s climate report includes more than 100 false or misleading claims
Fri 15 Aug 2025
A “critical assessment” report commissioned by the Trump administration to justify a rollback of US climate regulations contains at least 100 false or misleading statements, according to a Carbon Brief factcheck involving dozens of leading climate scientists.
Global oil markets face record supply glut next year, IEA says
Fri 15 Aug 2025
Global oil markets are on track for a record surplus next year as demand growth slows and supplies swell, the International Energy Agency said.
Climate change made Nordic heat wave 2 degrees warmer
Fri 15 Aug 2025
The chances of reaching dangerous temperatures are only growing as the planet keeps warming up because of climate change, scientists warn.
African $60 billion high-speed rail project takes shape
Fri 15 Aug 2025
One of the largest infrastructure projects in Africa has received a new update that could see construction begin soon.
Forget net zero. We need ‘real zero’ – and these companies prove it’s profitable
Fri 15 Aug 2025
OPINION: Three huge global companies – IKEA, Lendlease and Fortescue Mining – are heading towards real zero. If they can do it, so can everyone.
Climate crisis risks to Aus economy and environment ‘intense and scary’, unreleased govt report
14 Aug 2025
Sources say delayed risk assessment includes modelling of effects of climate crisis in ways that have been little discussed in political debate so far.
Alaskan glacier ice dam releases floodwater toward downstream homes
14 Aug 2025
A huge basin of rainwater and snowmelt dammed by Alaska’s Mendenhall Glacier has started to release, and officials on Tuesday urged residents in some parts of Juneau to evacuate ahead of what could be a record surge of floodwater downstream.
Why China is still building new coal – and when it might stop
14 Aug 2025
Last year, China started construction on an estimated 95 gigawatts (GW) of new coal power capacity, enough to power the entire UK twice over.
US to retaliate against IMO members that back net zero emissions plan
14 Aug 2025
The U.S. rejected the "Net-Zero Framework" proposal by the International Maritime Organization, which is aimed at reducing global greenhouse gas emissions from the international shipping sector, and threatened measures against countries that support it.
Plastic treaty talks nearing collapse as nations remain deadlocked on production
14 Aug 2025
Environmental organisations warn that without urgent compromises the session could fail to produce a treaty capable of tackling the scale of the crisis.
Four laws that could stymie the Trump EPA’s plan to rescind the endangerment finding, central to US climate policies
14 Aug 2025
The Trump administration’s plan to unravel many of the nation’s climate policies hinges on rescinding what’s known as the endangerment finding. But its strategy for doing that appears to run afoul of several federal laws.
Climate scientists criticise Ireland over new ‘temperature neutrality’ proposal
13 Aug 2025
Climate scientists have criticised Ireland over proposed measures that would weaken the country’s commitments to reducing methane emissions.
Australia can hit an 85% emissions cut by 2035 – if government and business seize the moment
13 Aug 2025
Discussions are hotting up over Australia’s 2035 emission reduction target, which the federal government is due to reveal by September this year. It will be a crucial announcement, for several reasons.
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.
Brazil's Lula vetoes parts of environment bill pushed by the opposition that could harm the Amazon
13 Aug 2025
Brazil’s president has vetoed parts of a controversial congressional bill that sought to loosen the country’s environmental licensing rules.
How could the UN climate talks be reformed?
13 Aug 2025
This year marks a decade since nations successfully negotiated the Paris Agreement, a landmark treaty that has been the guiding force for international climate politics ever since.
A mineral mining boom is not ‘critical’ for the green transition
13 Aug 2025
New research shows renewable energy goals could largely be met with the amount of minerals produced today – but the military industry wants more.
Why insurers worry the world could soon become uninsurable
11 Aug 2025
Top insurers fear the climate crisis could soon outpace industry solutions, effectively threatening to make entire regions around the world uninsurable.
What an ‘ambitious’ 2035 electricity target looks like for China
11 Aug 2025
China’s power sector is both the world’s largest emitter and the largest source of clean-energy growth, making it essential to global climate efforts.
Great Barrier Reef suffers biggest annual drop in live coral since 1980s after devastating coral bleaching
11 Aug 2025
Researchers warn reef may reach tipping point where coral cannot recover fast enough between major catastrophic events
German minister flags risks to tenders as offshore auctions draw no bids
11 Aug 2025
Germany's Economy Minister Katharina Reiche warned that flawed site selection and shifting market dynamics were undermining offshore wind tenders, as the country's latest offshore auctions received no bids.
Tens of thousands evacuated as torrential rains drench China
11 Aug 2025
Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated as heavy rains batter southern China, flooding homes and triggering landslides.
How the meat industry uses environmental groups to make beef seem climate-friendly
11 Aug 2025
The meat industry may have enlisted environmental groups to persuade people to “feel better” about eating beef, despite the sector’s ballooning emissions of climate-heating pollution.
'Cali Fund’ for nature still empty as emails show industry hesitation
8 Aug 2025
A major fund for biodiversity remains starved of resources more than five months after its launch – with no money yet put forward by the large companies who could contribute.
Trump moves to shut down NASA missions that measure carbon dioxide and plant health
8 Aug 2025
The Trump administration wants to end two NASA missions that monitor a potent greenhouse gas and plant health.
Africa needs $3 trillion to meet climate goal
8 Aug 2025
The continent needed over $3 trillion to meet its climate goals, as climate finance is a matter of survival for Africa, according to the African Union.
Stop saying 'the clean energy revolution is inevitable'
8 Aug 2025
OPINION: The phrase has been everywhere since Trump’s re-election.
By changing our diets now, we can avoid the food chaos that climate change is bringing
8 Aug 2025
Climate change is pushing up the prices of the food we buy and changing what we eat.
France wildfire is 'catastrophe on an unprecedented scale', says PM
8 Aug 2025
French Prime Minister François Bayrou says a huge, deadly wildfire sweeping through the south of France is a "catastrophe on an unprecedented scale".
China’s solar panel exports fall 3% in June, report shows
7 Aug 2025
Chinese photovoltaic panel exports declined three percent in June from the previous month, mainly because of shrinking demand from the Asia-Pacific region.
Fines and jail time coming for big polluters in South Africa
7 Aug 2025
South Africa will seek jail time, fines and higher taxes for breaches of proposed rules to govern carbon emissions that will apply to almost all sectors of the economy.
A new report shows how local climate activism leads to ‘remarkable’ gains
7 Aug 2025
Efforts to pass laws and advance clean energy projects can significantly reduce emissions, and at a low cost.
What is net zero and is the UK on track to achieve it?
7 Aug 2025
The political consensus around the UK's net zero policies has collapsed, with opponents now branding them too difficult and expensive.
What happens to net zero if the trees don’t survive?
Wed 20 Aug 2025
When climate change undermines the climate plan.
Will we still eat beef in 50 years?
Tue 19 Aug 2025
Beef production contributes to numerous global crises, from climate change to habitat destruction to biodiversity loss.
NZ Post drops science-based climate target
8 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | NZ Post has dropped its science-based emissions reduction target of 42% by 2030 with no plans to replace it.
Why plane turbulence is becoming more frequent - and more severe
6 Aug 2025
As climate change shifts atmospheric conditions, experts warn that air travel could become bumpier: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are expected to increase the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.
Certainty crucial to emissions cuts – Watts
Wed 20 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says that policy certainty is the Government’s primary lever for unlocking private capital and meeting climate targets, telling a carbon forestry conference that ETS settings are 'locked' through 2030.
Media round-up
Fri 15 Aug 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Australia could be about to leapfrog New Zealand on climate targets; 'strangled' rivers are fighting back; and 10 rangatahi will join Aotearoa New Zealand’s delegation at the United Nations' major climate conference in Brazil.
Govt opts for status quo for ETS auctions
Tue 19 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has chosen not to increase auction volumes in the Emissions Trading Scheme, a decision applauded by carbon market insiders and climate campaigners alike, despite it contradicting the Climate Change Commission’s advice.
Forestry the source of all ETS risk, says top economist
Fri 15 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Forestry is the source of all of the risk in New Zealand's Emissions Trading Scheme and it's inevitable that the scheme has to be reformed, according to Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment chief economist Geoff Simmons.
Activists facing intimidation tactics at Bathurst mine
Tue 19 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate Liberation Aotearoa activists suspended 80m high in a coal bucket at a the Stockton mine on the West Coast say coal mining company Bathurst Resources is using ‘hostile’ tactics to try and remove them.
Is extending Huntly power station to 2035 in consumers’ best interest?
22 Jul 2025
By Simon Orme | COMMENT: Genesis Energy is proposing a cartel to keep high-emitting Huntly Power Station in business to 2035. If extending Huntly has economic benefits, is a cartel necessary?
What does 'drier' really mean in 'green' homes?
1 Aug 2025
Media release - Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland | Researchers say green-rating systems could improve clarity and effectiveness by explicitly defining ‘drier’ and using two measures of humidity.
RMA to speed up fossil fuel consents
Mon 18 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | An energy lobby group has welcomed a last-minute amendment to the RMA that puts fossil fuels on the same footing as renewables, however a sustainable energy expert says the move “beggars belief.”
NZ must strengthen energy system
Tue 19 Aug 2025
New Zealand must keep strengthening its energy system if it is to remain competitive on the world stage while moving towards net-zero emissions, according to a new benchmarking report from the BusinessNZ Energy Council.
Key orange roughy population on verge of collapse, govt considers closure
9 Jul 2025
Media release - Deep Sea Conservation Coalition | New data reveals that New Zealand’s main orange roughy fishery, accounting for half of the country’s total catch, is on the brink of collapse, with one model showing it may have reached that point already, and the government’s considering closing it.
Cyclone Gabrielle’s intense rainfall made landslides inevitable
Wed 20 Aug 2025
Cyclone Gabrielle was one of the most extreme landslide-triggering events ever recorded globally.
Latest trawl bycatch numbers 'a grim wake-up call'
24 Jun 2025
Media release – Greenpeace | The latest fisheries bycatch data paints a grim picture, with trawlers hauling up thousands of kilograms of coral and killing hundreds of fur seals and seabirds over a 12 month period.
Shane Jones on climate change – it’s real, but…
Fri 15 Aug 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand First deputy leader Shane Jones believes climate change is real, but is uninterested in what is causing it and primarily focused on adapting to it.
A modest geothermal strategy
31 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The Government has unveiled a far more modest geothermal energy strategy than its primary backer, Resources Minister Shane Jones, had sought.
Govt rejects Te Kuha coal mine fast-track bid
13 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The controversial Te Kuha coal mine on the West Coast has had its application for fast-track approval declined, after failing to meet seven of the application criteria.
Will reflective roofs help beat the heat?
Fri 15 Aug 2025
Media release - University of Auckland | About 500 roofs across four continents have been painted with a reflective coating, as part of research into tackling the health impacts of climate change.
How the meat industry uses environmental groups to make beef seem climate-friendly
11 Aug 2025
The meat industry may have enlisted environmental groups to persuade people to “feel better” about eating beef, despite the sector’s ballooning emissions of climate-heating pollution.
Watts talks big on energy reform, but barriers persist
29 May 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Energy and Climate Change minister Simon Watts says the government is doubling down on efforts to boost renewable energy generation, streamline regulation, and drive private sector investment as New Zealand faces mounting energy security and affordability challenges.
Hiringa eyes green methanol plant near Whanganui
29 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Green hydrogen pioneer Hiringa Energy is deep in planning to develop an “eight-to-nine figure” methanol plant near Whanganui, using a combination of biomass and hydrogen produced using renewable energy.
Why insurers worry the world could soon become uninsurable
11 Aug 2025
Top insurers fear the climate crisis could soon outpace industry solutions, effectively threatening to make entire regions around the world uninsurable.
Will NZ walk away from the Paris Agreement?
20 Dec 2024
By Geoff Bertram | COMMENT: Unless the government can find very cheap offshore mitigation, the temptation to walk away from its Paris Agreement obligations may well be too strong to resist for a coalition government focused on fiscal austerity.
Forestry sector could take legal action over ETS changes
14 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | The forestry sector is threatening legal action against the Government over changes to legislation intended to limit whole farm-to-forest conversions in the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Fund for low emissions transport winds up
31 Jul 2025
New Zealand’s Low Emission Transport Fund has officially wrapped up, ending a nine-year programme that put hundreds of millions of dollars towards accelerating the country’s shift to cleaner transport.
Carbon price underperforming: Environment secretary
13 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has been focussed on reducing the Emissions Trading Scheme ‘stockpile’ and carbon prices should rise soon, according to the Secretary for the Environment.
NZ's latest climate target 'weak' – Climate Action Tracker
24 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand's new international climate target to 2035 is weak, and could even allow for higher emissions than the 2030 target, according to a global scientific project that tracks government climate action.
Oil states accused of using scare tactics in bid to sink green shipping deal
12 Aug 2025
Saudi Arabia, Iran and other oil-reliant countries are campaigning to stop the adoption of the IMO’s Net-zero Framework in October.
Brazil issues last-ditch plea for countries to submit climate plans ahead of COP30
Wed 20 Aug 2025
Only 28 countries have submitted carbon-cutting proposals to the UN, with some of the biggest emitters yet to produce plans.
Backlash over govt conservation changes
4 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government’s proposed changes to the Conservation Act are the most significant roll back in conservation protections in a generation, according to the Green Party.
Failed plastic treaty 'significant disappointment'
Mon 18 Aug 2025
The failure of negotiations on a legally-binding global plastics treaty is a "significant disappointment," but no treaty is still better than a weak one, according to a New Zealand expert.
Adaptation under the spotlight at climate conference
Tue 19 Aug 2025
SPONSORED CONTENT: Our country has a long, indented coastline, highly mobile soils and is increasingly subject to devastating weather events. Most buildings and infrastructure are located in flood plains and/or near the coast.
A new report shows how local climate activism leads to ‘remarkable’ gains
7 Aug 2025
Efforts to pass laws and advance clean energy projects can significantly reduce emissions, and at a low cost.
Straterra has a new name: the New Zealand Minerals Council
16 Apr 2025
Media release | Straterra has been renamed as New Zealand Minerals Council, says chief executive Josie Vidal.
International scientists slam NZ govt's proposed approach to methane
13 Aug 2025
New Zealand's proposed approach to methane emissions has again been attacked by international climate scientists, with a new study saying the attempt to redefine climate target-setting by livestock-exporting countries undermines the transition to a sustainable and equitable food system
Climate groups want UK wealth tax to make super-rich fund sustainable economy
17 Jul 2025
Growing number of campaigners urge government to ensure green investment is not done ‘on backs of the poor’.
Heat pumps could cut household energy bills by $1.5 billion a year
12 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | Heat pumps could save Kiwi households hundreds of millions of dollars each year, as well as freeing up energy for industrial users, according to a new report.
Last minute change to oil and gas legislation over cleanup costs
31 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government is expected to repeal the oil and gas ban today, with a last-minute amendment handing discretionary power to two ministers over the controversial issue of decommissioning.
African $60 billion high-speed rail project takes shape
Fri 15 Aug 2025
One of the largest infrastructure projects in Africa has received a new update that could see construction begin soon.
'Yet another rate': Franz Josef ratepayers balk at $2.8m stopbank extension
4 Aug 2025
By Lois Williams, Local Democracy Reporter | Franz Josef ratepayers have given the thumbs down to plans for a $2.8 million stopbank extension to protect the town’s sewerage plant from the Waiho River.
Warmer end to winter but dry spell expected over southern lakes
5 Aug 2025
As hydro lake levels hover just below average levels, climate forecasts indicate that warmer than usual weather conditions will reduce demand, but there will likely be less rain over the southern hydro lakes as New Zealand moves towards spring and summer.
Record UK wildfires have burned an area twice the size of Glasgow in 2025
12 Aug 2025
Wildfires have scorched more than 40,000 hectares of land so far this year across the UK – an area more than twice the size of the Scottish city of Glasgow.
For the first time, China invests more in wind and solar than coal overseas
29 May 2025
China’s Belt and Road Initiative, long derided for its heavy carbon footprint, was dominated by wind and solar power projects for the first time from 2022 to 2023, according to a new analysis. But coal plants financed in earlier years are still coming online.
