Topics tagged with 'Carbon News world'
Plastic production accounts for much larger carbon footprint than previously thought
14 Dec 2021
Plastic production accounted for 96% of the particulate matter health footprint, according to a new study led by ETH Zurich, a public research university. Half of this was attributed to combustion of coal
Germany approves billions for climate, modernisation fund
14 Dec 2021
The German government on Monday approved 60 billion euros (NZ$114 billion) in funding to be used for combating climate change and modernizing the country, a move that the new finance minister described as a “booster” for Europe's biggest economy.
How Bangladesh’s poor are paying the costs of climate damage
14 Dec 2021
When Cyclone Yaas slammed into her home in southwest Bangladesh in May, destroying it and sweeping away in the floodwaters the small amount of cash she had saved, Amina Begum had few options.
‘2.4C is a death sentence’: Vanessa Nakate’s fight for the forgotten countries of the climate crisis
14 Dec 2021
She started a youth strike in Uganda – then just kept going. She discusses climate justice, reparations, imperialism and why the global north must take responsibility
The politics of climate change and ESG are about to get ugly
14 Dec 2021
2022 will bring another election in the United States, a blessing bestowed upon Americans every 24 months. We’ll hear about the economy, jobs, immigration, wages, vaccines, health care, housing, guns, abortions and — wait for it — climate change and ESG.
Europe's big meat and dairy firms accused of climate 'greenwash'
14 Dec 2021
Greenhouse gas emissions from Europe's biggest meat and dairy firms continue to increase, according to a new report Monday (Dec 13), which found many firms are polluting "with impunity".
Aussie carbon price outpacing house gains
13 Dec 2021
On Woomargama station 50 km north of Albury on the NSW-Victorian border, Clare Cannon is excited about the future.
When carbon credits drive people from their homes
13 Dec 2021
The Mayo River begins in the tropical cloud forests of Northeastern Peru. Where the Andean foothills meet the Amazonian plains, bromeliads, ferns, and mosses grow under palms, tropical hardwoods, and the liana vines that climb their trunks.
Who will be the judge of countries' climate plans?
13 Dec 2021
Countries have until the end of next year to ensure their climate commitments meet the Paris agreement's cap on global warming. But who will check that their promises really do stack up?
U.S. pulls the plug on new overseas fossil-fuel investments
13 Dec 2021
The United States has announced an immediate end to federal investment in charcoal and other carbon-intensive projects overseas, as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to fight climate change and boost renewable energy.
Mapped: Europe’s fossil fuel-backed hydrogen lobby
13 Dec 2021
Behind the push for hydrogen lies a sprawling network of lobby groups, PR firms and consultancies, many of them funded by oil and gas companies.
Security Council to vote on historic climate change resolution
13 Dec 2021
The UN Security Council is expected to vote on a draft resolution on climate change and security today which was co-authored by Ireland and Niger, the co-penholders on the climate file.
How close are we to price parity between EVs and ICE vehicles?
10 Dec 2021
The price of the batteries that power electric vehicles has fallen by about 90 percent since 2010, a continuing trend that will soon make EVs less expensive than gasoline vehicles.
Carbon prices, long in the dumps, surge in U.S. and Europe
10 Dec 2021
Carbon bulls are on the ride.
Carbon market asymmetry: time to put power in the hands of people on the ground: opinion
10 Dec 2021
Eric Wilburn, the co-founder of the Carbon Cooperative, argues there's an asymmetry between those buying carbon credits and the often small-scale projects doing much of the heavy lifting when it comes to offsetting.
The millions of tonnes of carbon emissions that don't offically exist
10 Dec 2021
How a blind spot in the Kyoto Protocol helped create the biomass industry.
Boost for Tuvalu's economic, social and climate resilience
10 Dec 2021
Tuvalu will receive a significant boost with the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approving a US$17.5 million commitment to support its ongoing climate adaptation efforts.
Climate threats are multiplying in the Horn of Africa
10 Dec 2021
Jutting out from the second-largest continent, the Horn of Africa is one of the world’s regions most vulnerable to climate change. The four countries on the peninsula—Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia—are warming more quickly than the global average, with dangerous implications for unrest and conflict within and across their borders.
Why climate lawsuits are surging
9 Dec 2021
Activists are increasingly suing governments and companies to take action against climate change – and winning. Could this be a turning point?
Germany’s new climate minister aims for green economic miracle
9 Dec 2021
Once again, a German minister is planning to revolutionize his country’s economy in the face of crisis.
African Union urged to bring political clout to Egypt climate talks
9 Dec 2021
Africa has been trying for years to get its special needs and circumstances officially recognised in UN climate talks, without success. The bloc left Glasgow last month disenchanted once again.
The ‘idea’: Uncovering the peatlands of the Congo Basin
9 Dec 2021
The notion seemed straightforward: A massive swamp in the Congo Basin relatively unknown to most of the world, apart from a few human communities and a bewildering array of wildlife, could be the ideal spot for a carbon-rich soil known as peat.
Jonathan Pie: The World's End (COP26 short film with George Monbiot, Caroline Lucas & Ed Miliband)
9 Dec 2021
As all the environment correspondents are sick with COVID, reporter Jonathan Pie gets sent to the UN Climate Conference in Glasgow (aka COP26) despite knowing very little about the climate crisis. But he reckons he can wing it.
Plants buy us time to slow climate change—but not enough to stop it
9 Dec 2021
Because plants take up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it into food, forests and other similar ecosystems are considered to be some of the planet's most important carbon sinks.
UK government set to step in as carbon price mechanism is triggered
8 Dec 2021
The UK government could intervene in the carbon market to reduce the costs big polluters have to pay for emissions permits, according to The Times.
Benchmark EU carbon price hits record high at 85 euros a tonne
8 Dec 2021
The Benchmark European carbon price hit a record high yesterday, climbing to 85 euros a tonne for the first time since the European Union's carbon market launched in 2005.
2021's weather disasters brought home the reality of climate change
8 Dec 2021
From punishing heat in North America to record-breaking floods in Europe and Asia, this year’s weather showed us what it looks like to live in a world that has warmed by 1.1 degrees Celsius over the past century.
A giant 'black box' will gather all climate data for future civilizations to learn from
8 Dec 2021
Every time new climate research is published, news headlines are posted or tweets are shared, a giant steel box perched on a granite plain in the Australian state of Tasmania will be recording it all.
Scientists join Swiss hunger strike to raise climate alarm
8 Dec 2021
In early November, as politicians promised more climate action in their opening speeches at the United Nations climate talks in Glasgow, Guillermo Fernandez started a hunger strike in Switzerland’s Federal Square, saying he wouldn’t eat again until the Swiss Federal Assembly agreed to a climate science briefing.
Wealthy people cause climate change much more than poorer people do: report
8 Dec 2021
The disparity in greenhouse gas emissions between rich and poor countries — and rich and poor people within countries — is just as extreme as economic inequality, a new report finds.
Carbon trading gets a green light from the U.N., and Brazil hopes to earn billions
7 Dec 2021
Carbon emissions trading is poised to go global, and billions of dollars — maybe even trillions — could be at stake. That's thanks to last month's U.N. climate summit in Glasgow Scotland, which approved a new international trading system where companies pay for cuts in greenhouse gas emissions somewhere else, rather than doing it themselves.
India not a climate villain: opinion
7 Dec 2021
India has somehow emerged as the villain of last month’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), blamed for resisting cuts to coal consumption even as toxic air envelops its capital, New Delhi. Shashi Tharoor argues that's unfair.
World's largest carbon capture pipeline aims to connect 31 ethanol plants
7 Dec 2021
Iowa-based Summit Carbon Solutions, an offshoot of Summit Agriculture Group, is behind the $4.5 billion Midwest Carbon Express project, with the goal of sending 12 millions tons of CO2 annually to western North Dakota, where it can be stored underground. It would be the largest carbon capture project in the world.
Biden administration chose incremental change over sweeping climate action
7 Dec 2021
On the Friday after Thanksgiving—a day the federal government notoriously reserves for dropping politically inexpedient information—activists were blindsided by a long-anticipated report from the U.S. Department of the Interior. The document was a review of the agency’s oil and gas leasing program, which manages fossil fuel extraction on federal public lands and waters.
Climate migration will worsen the brutality in the Mediterranean: opinion
7 Dec 2021
In July 2018, an Italian-flagged oil supply ship called the Asso Ventotto that was crossing the Mediterranean Sea encountered a stalled rubber raft carrying 101 desperate migrants.
Free tree for every Welsh household in climate initiative
7 Dec 2021
Some will plant a modest fruit tree in their small back garden while those with more space might plump for a sapling that will, hopefully, grow into a mighty oak.
James Hansen calls bullshit on contemporary climate change claims
6 Dec 2021
Scientist James Hansen is often credited with alerting the world to the dangers of climate change, now he's calling bullshit on much of what's being said on the topic.
Study sees rail move to battery-electric propulsion as feasible, cost effective
6 Dec 2021
A new study says railroads could save $94 billion over 20 years by reducing air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions — and help avoid health impacts including an estimated 1,000 premature deaths each year — by retrofitting diesel-electric locomotives with battery power.
Study finds US$278 billion investment could eliminate steel industry carbon emissions
6 Dec 2021
The steel industry currently accounts for 7% of greenhouse gas emissions as the world reckons with climate change.
Major bank boss’ pay could be linked to climate targets
6 Dec 2021
The pay of bank chief executives could be linked to climate change targets in the future, analysts predict, as lenders face growing investor scrutiny over their role in shifting the economy away from fossil fuels.
Corporations are turning to forest credits in the race to go 'carbon-neutral.' Advocates worry about 'greenwashing.'
6 Dec 2021
In the forests of Guatemala, China and Scotland, oil giant Royal Dutch Shell is planting tens of thousands of trees that suck greenhouse gas out of the air, allowing customers who buy its fuel to claim their driving is carbon-neutral — at least on paper.
4 new myths about climate change—and how to debunk them
6 Dec 2021
Ten years ago, it may have seemed like climate change denial was an ordinary, if not misinformed, opinion shared among loads of people. Nowadays, with climate disasters plaguing most everywhere in the world, it’s not so practical to live in denial. As of September 2021, only one in every 10 Americans thinks climate change isn’t happening, but around three out of every four believes it is.
UN Security Council considers first ever resolution on security implications of climate change
3 Dec 2021
The United Nations Security Council may be about to pass its first-ever resolution on the implications of climate change for peace and security. The council has talked about climate security since 2007, and it has acknowledged that environmental challenges such as droughts and degradation of farming land can fuel conflicts in regions like the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. But it has not laid out a systematic approach to assessing these risks or responding to them.
Compressed air energy storage proposed
3 Dec 2021
A Canadian company wants to use compressed air to store energy in California.
Climate modeling confirms historical records showing rise in hurricane activity
3 Dec 2021
When forecasting how storms may change in the future, it helps to know something about their past. Judging from historical records dating back to the 1850s, hurricanes in the North Atlantic have become more frequent over the last 150 years.
These Portuguese kids are suing 33 European countries to force them to cut emissions
3 Dec 2021
Sofia and André Oliveira, siblings and teen climate activists, did not expect much from the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow.
Scottish farmers cautioned over selling carbon credits
3 Dec 2021
SCOTLAND'S FARMERS have been urged to be cautious of selling off their carbon credits – because they may be needed to offset their own emissions in the future
As climate worsens, environmentalists grapple with the mental toll of activism
3 Dec 2021
By Emily Henderson - While growing up in the ’90s in Johnson County, Kansas, in a suburb of Kansas City, I had a friend, Kevin Aaron, who was a dedicated environmentalist.
Brazil's Suzano CEO says $12-$13 carbon price could support forest regeneration
2 Dec 2021
Brazilian pulp and paper maker Suzano's (SUZB3.SA) chief executive Walter Schalka said on Wednesday that a market price of $12-$13 dollars per tonne for carbon could support the regeneration of one hectare of natural forest.
Solar and crop production research shows ‘multi-solving’ climate benefits
2 Dec 2021
Agrivoltaics researchers are finding that the multiple benefits from pairing solar power and crops production help increase citizen engagement and support.
Oxfam urges NZ to renew climate funding as Pacific projects face closure
Today 12:00pm
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Oxfam Aotearoa is calling on the Government to urgently renew New Zealand’s climate finance commitments, warning that vital projects supporting Pacific communities’ resilience are running out of funding.
Farmers rep loses seat on Taranaki environment committee
Tue 11 Nov 2025
By Craig Ashworth, Local Democracy Reporter | Federated Farmers has lost its seat on the Taranaki committee that monitors pollution and consent compliance and looks after rivers and streams.
NZ’s government wants tourism to drive economic growth – but how will it deal with aviation emissions?
22 Oct 2025
By Robert McLachlan, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University | Following a brief dip during the COVID pandemic, aviation is back in a growth phase.
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.
New national dataset to unlock blue carbon potential in NZ’s coastal wetlands
Today 12:00pm
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Ministry for the Environment and the Nature Conservancy have collaborated on a dataset to inform a framework to potentially include coastal wetlands into compliance and voluntary carbon credit schemes.
Govt launches strategy backing wood-based heat sector
23 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Forestry biomass could replace as much as 40% of fossil fuel-generated process heat by 2050, but access to supply, regulatory settings and business cases for converting to wood-based heat sources are required, the Government says in a series of documents released yesterday.
Carbon price’s dead cat bounce
Today 12:00pm
By Liz Kivi | The carbon price rebounded briefly in what looked like a ‘dead cat bounce’ last week, following the Government’s announcement it was unlinking the Emissions Trading Scheme from international climate targets.
Carbon market tanks off the back of Govt’s proposed climate law changes
Thu 6 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | Secondary market prices dropped 20% in early morning compliance carbon trading yesterday, as the market woke up to Tuesday’s late-breaking government announcement of proposed law changes to climate policy.
Regulator signs off on deal to retain Huntly capacity
Tue 11 Nov 2025
The Commerce Commission has authorised the Huntly Firming Option (HFO), allowing Contact Energy, Meridian Energy and Mercury NZ to pay Genesis Energy to keep one of its ageing Rankine units available as backup generation until December 2035.
'Little to be hopeful about' – NZ scientists caution ahead of COP30
31 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Record heat, worsening climate impacts and global backsliding on emission reduction commitments have left some New Zealand climate experts with little optimism as COP30 approaches.
$235 billion worth of NZ buildings exposed to flooding
30 Oct 2025
More than 750,000 New Zealanders live in locations exposed to one-in-100-year floods, according to a nationwide study which shows escalating flood risk.
COP30: Climate law changes mean NZ could retreat from its international obligations
Today 12:00pm
By Cathrine Dyer, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington | As this year’s UN climate summit (COP30) gets underway in Belém, Brazil, the New Zealand delegation will be attending beneath a cloud of scepticism about the government’s seriousness in addressing carbon emissions.
Why I’m not outraged at the Govt’s latest climate backsliding
Fri 7 Nov 2025
COMMENT: The Government’s latest climate rollbacks underline New Zealand’s long history of a lack of genuine desire to cut emissions, writes Geoff Bertram.
Clean energy could become a huge political winner
Today 12:00pm
Rising power bills quietly shaped this year’s races – and gave Democrats a new attack line on climate.
DOC trims costs and winds down jobs for nature
Mon 10 Nov 2025
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is entering a new phase of tighter budgets and structural change as it winds down the pandemic-era Jobs for Nature programme and reshapes its operations to absorb long-term cost pressures.
Climate disasters displaced 250 million people in past 10 years, UN report finds
Today 12:00pm
Floods, storms and droughts have uprooted people across the globe as rising temperatures intensify conflict and hunger.
NZ marine heatwaves could double in intensity under high-emissions pathway
16 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show marine heatwaves will grow more intense around the North Island and more frequent around the South Island as the climate warms – raising risks for fisheries, aquaculture, coastal ecosystems and tourism.
Does NZ's 2035 NDC meet Paris Agreement obligations?
Fri 7 Nov 2025
By Christina Hood | COMMENT: New Zealand’s 2035 Paris Agreement Target needs strengthening, with multiple reasons the 51 to 55% emissions reduction target does not meet our obligations under the accord.
Govt gas expansion 'climate vandalism' – Greens
Fri 7 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Green Party has labelled the Government’s move to broaden the scope of its $200 million fossil gas investment fund as vandalism, accusing Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of breaking trust with New Zealanders.
RMA to speed up fossil fuel consents
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.”
Bank of England must better address climate risk to tackle inflation
4 Nov 2025
The central bank is being urged to take a series of actions to better respond to environmental risks.
How climate alters earthquake risk
Today 12:00pm
Media release | Falling water levels in one of Africa’s largest lakes, driven by changes in climate, led to a rise in earthquakes, according to research led by Dr James Muirhead of the University of Auckland.
TotalEnergies loses in Paris court, marking a turning point for fossil fuel truth-in-advertising
5 Nov 2025
TotalEnergies was found to have misled consumers about its role in the energy transition.
Lake Onslow battery project set for revival?
29 Oct 2025
A newly formed private consortium has emerged with plans to finance and build the massive Lake Onslow pumped-hydro project, despite the coalition government’s decision to abandon the scheme.
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.
Media round-up
31 Oct 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: A controversial seabed mining project could lead to sediment flows knocking over rigs and damaging wind turbines; weather-related insurance claims climb; and is the government playing Russian Roulette with our future over methane targets?
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.
Z Energy settles greenwashing case over ‘quitting petrol’ claims
4 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Z Energy has settled a landmark greenwashing case over claims it misled the public about moving away from petrol – a result Lawyers for Climate Action NZ says delivers long-overdue accountability.
Nelson commuters urged to ditch car once a week
22 Oct 2025
By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | Nelson has a bold carbon emission reduction target and residents are being encouraged to leave the car at home one day a week to help meet it.
Supermarket fast-track a ‘cynical ploy’, risks climate and environmental protections
5 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s “express lane for supermarkets” announcement has been met with fierce backlash, with critics calling the Fast-track Approvals Amendment Bill a Trojan horse that strips environmental protections, sidelines communities, and hands sweeping powers to ministers at the expense of democracy.
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.
Climate impacts hit NZ with increasing wild weather
23 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand is facing a triple whammy of climate impacts today, with severe winds and rainfall predicted for much of the country while some areas are still dealing with wildfires ignited earlier in the week.
It’s been a dangerous decade since the Paris Climate Agreement, but there’s still reason for hope
Tue 11 Nov 2025
A decade ago, the world got together and decided to fix the climate crisis by adopting the Paris Agreement.
Carbon Finance Program upscales efforts to close climate investment gap in climate vulnerable nations
22 Oct 2025
Media release | The Climate Vulnerable Forum and its V20 Finance Ministers (CVF-V20) will work with the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) to upscale the Carbon Finance Program in reach and impact, supporting more climate-vulnerable countries to host high-integrity carbon projects that yield tangible climate, nature, and sustainable development benefits.
Lobby group launches ‘blueprint’ for ocean management reform
18 Sep 2025
The Environmental Defence Society yesterday released its plan to tackle widespread ecological decline in our oceans.
Judge says Greenpeace must pay $345 million in pipeline lawsuit, cutting jury amount nearly in half
31 Oct 2025
A North Dakota judge has ordered Greenpeace to pay damages of $345 million, reducing an earlier jury award after it found the environmental group and related entities liable for defamation and other claims in connection with protests of an oil pipeline nearly a decade ago.
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.
Scotland's first wind farm 'supercharged' after upgrade
Tue 11 Nov 2025
Scotland's first commercial wind farm will be able to deliver five times more clean power than before after being upgraded.
AgriZero backs first nitrous oxide solution with $1.2m investment
Thu 6 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A Kiwi ag-tech start-up developing a device for cows to wear to drastically cut nitrous oxide emissions has secured $1.2 million in government-industry funding.
Solar households to get little-noticed tax break
23 Sep 2025
A provision in the government’s latest tax bill would exempt households from paying tax on income they earn by selling excess electricity back to the grid.
Climate scientists and republican lawyers are taking aim at Big Tech’s emissions
17 Oct 2025
Technology companies have long been one of the biggest investors in clean energy, but new accounting rules could upend that.
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.
How ‘vehicle-to-grid’ technology could boost China’s electricity system
31 Oct 2025
China’s surging electric vehicles ownership – now exceeding 25.5m – is opening the door to a new technology that can help to enhance the flexibility of electricity supply.
EU’s new climate target lines up multibillion dollar boost for carbon markets
Mon 10 Nov 2025
Analysts estimate the EU will buy at least 50 billion euros worth of carbon credits in the 2030s to help meet its emissions-cutting goals.
Fix it, don't ditch it: University of Auckland hosts first Repair Cafe
9 Oct 2025
Media release - Auckland University | The University's first-ever Repair Cafe is bringing students and staff together to give broken items a new lease on life, while promoting a culture of repair and reuse.
Council buys dairy farm to help clean up Lake Rotorua
21 Oct 2025
Bay of Plenty Regional Council has bought a 266-hectare dairy farm in the Lake Rotorua catchment and plans to retire it from production to reduce nitrogen entering the lake.
Adaptation plan at odds with public sentiment: survey
21 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s position on climate adaptation buyouts shows a disconnect with public opinion, according to survey findings from insurer Suncorp NZ.
We have more renewable energy than ever before. Why are we switching it off?
Tue 11 Nov 2025
Experts say until more storage is installed to soak up the waves of renewable energy flooding the grid, much of that power will occasionally have to be curtailed.
