Topics tagged with 'Carbon News world'
Covid-19 cuts our ecological footprint by 9.3%
24 Aug 2020
The rate at which humanity is consuming the Earth's resources declined sharply this year as a result of the covid-19 pandemic, according to researchers.
More people will want air-con as the climate warms
24 Aug 2020
Demand in the United States or air conditioning is expected to increase 59 per cent by 2050.
Coronavirus forces tourism rethink in world's most visited city
24 Aug 2020
With the outlook for urban tourism deeply uncertain, Thai authorities have a chance to adopt a more sustainable model.
Restoring forests can reduce greenhouse gases
24 Aug 2020
There is one straightforward way to reduce greenhouse gases: by taking better care of the world’s natural forests.
Biden says he will ditch subsidies for fossil fuels
21 Aug 2020
United States presidential candidate Joe Biden says he is committed to ending fossil-fuel subsidies after a backlash from environmentalists over the removal of the issue from a Democratic Party policy document.
New rules for big-battery storage
21 Aug 2020
The Australian Energy Market Commission is seeking feedback on potential changes to the status of large-scale battery storage systems and hybrid projects as the technologies begin to drive fundamental changes to the way electricity is bought and sold in the wholesale market.
How the gas industry is waging war against climate action
21 Aug 2020
When progressive Seattle decided last year to wipe out its climate pollution within the decade, the city council vote in favour was unsurprisingly unanimous, and the easiest first step on that path was clear.
Colorado wildfires - climate change 'in the here-and-now’
21 Aug 2020
Despite the intense heat and smoky air, John Omstead decided to spend one of his days off fly fishing. He traveled from his home town of Vail to a spot on the Eagle River near Dotsero, just a few miles away from the Grizzly Creek fire raging in Glenwood Canyon.
Bigger EU ETS more effective than carbon tax at the border
21 Aug 2020
Europe is planning a border tax to stop carbon leakage in the energy sector, but energy advisers say expanding the bloc's Emissions Trading Scheme would be more effective.
EU climate talks enter decisive phase
20 Aug 2020
The European Commission will table proposals next month to raise the EU’s climate target for 2030, amid warnings from Eastern countries to safeguard jobs and growth from the coronavirus fallout.
Using microbes to clean up electronic waste
20 Aug 2020
If you were to stack up all the electronic waste produced annually around the world it would weigh as much as all the commercial aircrafts ever produced, or 5000 Eiffel towers.
ConocoPhillips trying to freeze permafrost to drill more oil
20 Aug 2020
Melting permafrost is stymying ConocoPhillips' plans to drill 590 million barrels of oil from a reserve in Alaska, so it's trying to refreeze the ground.
Australian hydrogen company launches IPO
20 Aug 2020
Green hydrogen company Infinite Blue Energy is looking for $A2 million in investment before launching on the Australian stock exchange.
Net Zero: How we stop causing climate change
20 Aug 2020
The world is nowhere near tackling the climate crisis, says a new book by an Oxford scholar, Net Zero: How we stop causing climate change. But at least we know how to.
BHP to sell coal mines within two years
19 Aug 2020
Australian mining giant BHP has announced it plans to sell off its thermal coal mines within two years as part of moves by the global mining giant to ready itself for a low-carbon future.
New EV is a 'loft on wheels'
19 Aug 2020
With start-up electric vehicle companies coming thick and fast, California's Canoo is targeting its broke, urban Millennial market by putting a couch in the back of its prototypes.
Death valley hits world-record temperature
18 Aug 2020
What could be the highest temperature ever reliably recorded on Earth - 130F (54.4C) - may have been reached in Death Valley National Park, California.
DISHING THE DIRT: Why biochar isn't the answer
18 Aug 2020
Australia’s move to store carbon in soil is a problem for tackling climate change, agricultural scientists say.
Industry push-back delays Japan's decarbonisation
18 Aug 2020
Fossil-fuel producers and high greenhouse-gas emitters in Japan are fiercely lobbying against more ambitious emissions and energy policy that would imperil their carbon-heavy, energy-intensive business, undermining the country's response to the climate crisis, new research has revealed.
Greenland's ice sheet at 'point of no return'
18 Aug 2020
Greenland's ice sheet has reached the point of no return and would continue to melt even if the climate crisis were halted, scientists are warning.
Where the Redd went wrong
18 Aug 2020
International conservation is known for its pursuit of global, ‘win-win’ solutions that seek to simultaneously address multiple environmental and social issues. But few proposed solutions have offered as much hope, and been so energetically embraced, as REDD+.
Australia's environment laws 'must mention climate change'
17 Aug 2020
Australia's 20-year-old national environmental laws need to be modernised to address climate change as part of the statutory review now under way, the chief minister of the Australian Capital Territory, Andrew Barr, has said.
Delays expected to bulk of UN climate report
17 Aug 2020
Most of a blockbuster United Nations scientific report on climate change is likely to be delayed beyond a UN climate summit due in Glasgow, Scotland, in November 2021 because of covid-19.
Woolly rhinos wiped out by climate change
14 Aug 2020
Although overhunting led to the demise of some prehistoric megafauna after the last ice age, a new study found that the extinction of the woolly rhinoceros may have been caused by climate change.
REPORT: Climate change will mean we get more diseases from animals
14 Aug 2020
As the new coronavirus continues to turn the world upside down, crashing economies and overextending health care systems, epidemiologists and infectious disease experts are increasingly focusing on how to prevent the next pandemic, rather than solely reacting to the current one.
Trump rolls back methane climate standards for oil and gas industry
14 Aug 2020
The Trump administration is revoking rules that require oil and gas drillers to detect and fix leaks of methane, a greenhouse gas that heats the planet far faster than carbon dioxide.
Global offshore wind industry takes huge strides
14 Aug 2020
Despite covid-19’s grim effects on many industries, the orders for the global offshore wind industry have increased dramatically in the first half of 2020, totalling $US35 billion, up 319 per cent on last year.
Scottish minister warns of climate challenge after Stonehaven crash
14 Aug 2020
The climate crisis is presenting increasing challenges for rail safety, senior transport figures have warned, as family and friends paid tribute to three people who died in a derailment in Aberdeenshire following thunderstorms and torrential rain.
CLIMATE CRISIS: Last decade was the hottest on record
13 Aug 2020
The past decade was the hottest ever recorded globally, with 2019 either the second or third warmest year on record, as the climate crisis accelerated temperatures upwards worldwide, scientists have confirmed.
Can Kamala Harris shift US position on climate?
13 Aug 2020
Joe Biden’s pick of Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate for the United States presidency could reinvigorate stalled world action on climate change in a “night and day” switch if the Democrats defeat Donald Trump, climate policy experts say.
Trump man has a plan for coal...in phones
13 Aug 2020
Coal is on it's way out when it comes to electricity generation, but at least one Trump administration official has some creative ideas for how to keep it in our lives.
Nanotech turns bricks into batteries
13 Aug 2020
The humble house brick has been turned into a battery that can store electricity, raising the possibility that buildings could one day become literal powerhouses
Gene manipulation using algae could grow more crops with less water
12 Aug 2020
Tobacco plants have been modified with a protein found in algae to improve their photosynthesis and increase growth, while using less water, in a new advance that could point the way to higher-yielding crops in a drought-afflicted future.
Covid commission backs gas but not green development
12 Aug 2020
The head of Scott Morrison’s handpicked National Covid-19 Commission advisory board has confirmed that it has recommended that the federal government use taxpayer funds to underwrite new gas industry infrastructure while concluding that no support is needed for renewable energy.
Carbon tax back before US lawmakers
12 Aug 2020
For years, the idea of putting a price on carbon emissions seemed like a no-brainer — economists claimed that it would cut fossil fuel pollution quickly and efficiently, and at the same time, could even give money back to the American public. Over the past few months, as Democrats have rolled out multiple comprehensive plans to slow down climate change and turbocharge renewable energy, the idea of a “carbon tax” has been notably absent.
EU and Swiss carbon markets to link
11 Aug 2020
A planned link-up of the European Union and Swiss carbon markets will be operational from September, the European Commission says, giving companies a broader pool of potential partners with which to trade emissions permits.
Climate science’s worst case is today’s reality
11 Aug 2020
A trio of US researchers has grim news for people worried about climate science’s worst case outcome. Forget about the other options. The worst case is already happening.
Hyundai expands electric fleet
11 Aug 2020
Hyundai to build three new EV models - including two new electric SUVs - under revamped and expanded Ioniq electric brand.
Nitrous oxide from 11 Chinese plants a potential climate catastrophe
10 Aug 2020
Emissions controls worked perfectly at Chinese plants, until the Clean Development Mechanism dried up.
South Africa tightens restrictions for new coal power in landmark ruling
10 Aug 2020
South Africa is tightening environmental demands for new coal-fired power plants, after a ‘landmark’ ruling that licences for water use should consider the risks of climate change.
Is this the end for King Coal in Britain?
10 Aug 2020
As the black stuff burnt in the United Kingdom plummets to a level not seen since the early steam age, The Guardian traces its long, deep history and the problems left in its wake.
India plans to fell ancient forest to create 40 new coalfields
10 Aug 2020
Narendra Modi’s dream of a "self-reliant India" comes at a terrible price for its indigenous population
Paris weathers one of worst heatwaves in a century
10 Aug 2020
Paris is facing one of its worst heat waves in more than a century, with daily average temperatures hovering around 30deg over a seven-day period and hitting a maximum of 39 degrees on Sunday, according to forecaster Meteo-France.
BP cuts oil production in favour of green energy
7 Aug 2020
BP is taking its business in a new direction, announcing it will slash its oil and gas production by 40 per cent and increase its annual investment in low-carbon technology to $5 billion, a 10-fold increase over its current level.
Business risk and covid-19 are pushing Asian financiers away from coal
7 Aug 2020
The use of coal as an energy source is steadily declining in the US and Europe, but coal mining and the construction of coal-fired power plants continues across South and Southeast Asia.
Europe is going all-in on hydrogen power - why isn’t the US?
7 Aug 2020
Once upon a time, hydrogen was supposed to be the future of energy. The possibilities for hydrogen power seemed endless: it could fuel our cars, heat our homes, and even power our airplanes. But 175 years after the creation of the first “gas battery,” the technology has yet to reach its full potential.
Diseases from wildlife thrive when nature is destroyed, study finds
7 Aug 2020
The human destruction of natural ecosystems increases the numbers of rats, bats and other animals that harbour diseases that can lead to pandemics such as Covid-19, a comprehensive analysis has found
Gillard says her carbon price proved climate policy isn't 'too hard'
6 Aug 2020
Former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has warned against a feeling of “received helplessness” that policies to reduce greenhouse gases are “all too hard”, citing the carbon price legislated by her government as proof climate policy “can get done”.
EU can and must cut emissions by more than 55% by 2030
6 Aug 2020
The European Commission is proposing strengthening its 40 per cent greenhouse gas emission reduction target to 50 per cent or 55 per cent on 1990 levels in the next 10 years, but this doesn't meet the minimum level of ambition that climate science, and the EU’s own climate-neutrality goal, say is needed.
Major ship emissions study flags a bigger role for governments
6 Aug 2020
Greenhouse gas emissions from shipping increased by 9.6% from 2012 to 2018, as rising demand outweighed efficiency improvements.
Is climate law change a first nail in the coffin for Climate Commission?
Thu 6 Nov 2025
The Government’s sweeping overhaul of New Zealand’s climate laws has drawn sharp condemnation, with one expert predicting it's another step towards 'the beginning of the end' for the Climate Change Commission.
NZ off-track for 2030 methane target
Thu 6 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand is no longer on track to meet its 2030 methane target, according to the Ministry for the Environment.
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 Indigenous-led Climate Institute opens at Lincoln University
Thu 6 Nov 2025
Media release | Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki Lincoln University proudly announces a pivotal new chapter in climate resilience with the establishment of the Kāika Institute of Climate Resilience.
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.
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.
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.
Scrutiny on energy security
3 Nov 2025
A special debate in Parliament put the Government’s energy security agenda under scrutiny, with parties splitting sharply over the role of gas, the place of an LNG import terminal, and how far to push market reform to ease pressure on power bills.
'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.
UN chief scolds nations for failing climate goals ahead of COP30 summit
Fri 7 Nov 2025
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tore into nations for their failure to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as Brazil hosted world leaders for a summit ahead of the COP30 climate conference in the rainforest city of Belem.
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.
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.
From nuisance to crisis: New report on pest wasps In Aotearoa
24 Sep 2025
Media release: Moths and Butterflies NZ Trust | Just published is the Final Report of the Pest Wasps Survey carried out by the Moths and Butterflies of NZ Trust (MBNZT) offering a comprehensive look at New Zealanders’ awareness, experiences, and attitudes toward wasps and the growing ecological, health, and social issues associated with them.
Solar geoengineering in wrong hands could wreak climate havoc, scientists warn
Thu 6 Nov 2025
Blocking the sun may reduce global heating – but ‘rogue actor’ could cause drought or more hurricanes, report finds.
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.
Govt delays will damage carbon market confidence, experts warn
Tue 4 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | Emissions Trading Scheme experts have warned the Government that its move to delay decisions on the country’s emissions budgets will further undermine confidence in an already weak carbon market.
“Dirty and expensive:” City of Sydney bans gas as it votes to electrify all new big buildings
Thu 6 Nov 2025
The City of Sydney has followed the example of the ACT and Victoria governments and voted unanimously to require all newly built residential buildings, medium to large commercial buildings, hotels, and serviced apartment buildings, to be all-electric.
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
Tue 4 Nov 2025
The central bank is being urged to take a series of actions to better respond to environmental risks.
No major banks have yet committed to stop funding new oil, gas and coal, research finds
24 Oct 2025
‘The objectives of the Paris agreement are slipping further out of reach,’ say researchers.
TotalEnergies loses in Paris court, marking a turning point for fossil fuel truth-in-advertising
Wed 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
Tue 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
Wed 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.
Undermining the ETS is poor policy – Mindful Money
Fri 7 Nov 2025
Politicising settings for the Emissions Trading Scheme creates uncertainty for investors at a time when we need clear and stable policy, says Mindful Money's Barry Coates.
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.
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.
Here comes the sun: solar surge gathers pace
Tue 4 Nov 2025
More than $700 million of new solar investment advanced last week, underscoring the pace of the renewable buildout.
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.
Govt climate policy set by vested interests to delay emissions cuts - Carr
Thu 6 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | Rod Carr, former Climate Change Commission chair, says the Government’s move to unlink the Emissions Trading Scheme from our international climate target to 2030 undermines the credibility of emissions pricing as a tool for climate action – and is yet another Coalition Government policy designed to benefit vested interests rather than ordinary New Zealanders.
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.
‘Damp squib’ – Govt energy plan slammed for locking in fossil fuels
2 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Critics across business, climate groups and the opposition say the Government’s electricity reforms duck structural change, double down on LNG and gas, and offer little relief for soaring power prices – warning of an “expensive white elephant", deeper energy poverty and a missed chance to scale renewables.
