Topics tagged with 'Carbon News world'
Most nations miss deadline for plans to fight climate change
12 Feb 2025
Nearly 200 nations faced a Monday deadline to file what the United Nations' climate chief calls "among the most important policy documents governments will produce this century" -- their plans on how they will cut emissions of heat-trapping gases.
UK halves subsidies for wood-burning power plant
12 Feb 2025
The UK government has halved subsidies for the Drax power station, which was converted from burning coal to wood biomass. The North Yorkshire power plant has also been ordered it to use 100% sustainable wood, following criticism for burning wood pellets sourced from US and Canadian forests.
Hungary tells Brussels to frack off
12 Feb 2025
Budapest prefers to bet on a major gas fracking project near its border with Romania instead of following Brussels' drive to replace fossil fuels with renewables.
Falling costs drive US toward green energy - even as political tides shift
12 Feb 2025
The U.S. is barreling toward an energy transition as renewables - especially solar - become ever-cheaper sources of energy.
95% of countries miss UN deadline to submit 2035 climate pledges
11 Feb 2025
Just 10 of the 195 parties signed up to the landmark Paris Agreement have published their new emissions-cutting plans, known as "nationally determined contributions" (NDCs), by the 10 February deadline.
Trump administration moves to suspend national EV charger rollout
11 Feb 2025
The bid to freeze the money upends how the federal government delivers funding to states and may violate court orders issued this week.
Baltic states unplug from Russia and join EU power grid
11 Feb 2025
The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are now unplugged from Russia's electricity grid and have joined the European Union's network.
EU must propel global climate momentum to fill the gap left by Trump
11 Feb 2025
Europe has the potential to play an important role, but it will have to move fast, and be smart and more united than before.
How a 'cow fart' vaccine could help tackle climate change
11 Feb 2025
The cow's amazing ability to sustain itself by eating nothing but grass is one of the marvels of nature, but it comes at a cost.
'We left pieces of our life behind': Indigenous group flees drowning island
11 Feb 2025
"If the island sinks, I will sink with it," Delfino Davies says, his smile not fading for a second.
UN gives countries more time to submit "quality" climate plans for 2035
10 Feb 2025
China, the EU and India are among big polluters set to miss this month's deadline for new targets as concerns grow of a "softening" in climate ambition.
Airbus postpones development of new hydrogen aircraft
10 Feb 2025
Airbus said on Friday it is delaying plans to develop a hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft by the middle of next decade, citing slower than expected developments in technology.
US climate retreat highlights need for China-EU green co-op
10 Feb 2025
OPINION: The US' withdrawal from the Paris Agreement as part of President Donald Trump's plans to halt US climate action has not only plunged global efforts to tackle climate change into a state of heightened uncertainty, but has also brought to the fore the pressing need for the rest of the world, particularly China and the EU, to strengthen cooperation on green development.
Over 100 deaths a day: UN warns of air pollution's toll on young children in East Asia, Pacific
10 Feb 2025
More than 100 children under the age of five die each day in East Asia and the Pacific from air pollution-related causes, said Unicef on Feb 6, in a call for urgent action to cut deadly emissions, toughen air quality standards and improve health systems.
Green campaigners fear UK to renew subsidies to Drax power station
10 Feb 2025
Green campaigners fear ministers are poised to award billions of pounds in fresh subsidies to Drax power station, despite strong concerns that burning trees to produce electricity is bad for the environment.
Who can share seeds? As climate change and counterfeits hurt Kenyan farmers, it's a growing question
10 Feb 2025
Tucked away in a lush, forested area of central Kenya's Kikuyu town, the National Seed Bank stands as a crucial safeguard for the future of the country's agriculture. Inside two chilly rooms of a government building, more than 50,000 seed varieties are cataloged and stored.
Record January warmth puzzles climate scientists
7 Feb 2025
Last month was the world's warmest January on record raising further questions about the pace of climate change, scientists say.
Germany likely to miss 2030 climate target, government advisers say
7 Feb 2025
Germany will probably fail to achieve its 2030 climate targets unless significant policy changes are implemented, government climate advisers said in a study released on Wednesday.
"No future": Climate projects face existential threat after Trump's aid shutdown
7 Feb 2025
The Trump administration's attack on USAID puts at risk close to $500 million a year in grant-based climate funding for developing countries.
That giant sucking sound? It's climate change devouring your home's value
7 Feb 2025
As the compounding impacts of climate-driven disasters take effect, we are seeing home insurance prices spike around the country, pushing up the costs of owning a home.
Arctic geoengineering experiment shuts down over environmental risks
7 Feb 2025
US-based nonprofit Arctic Ice Project has cancelled tests in Alaska because of potential disruption to the food chain.
Trump's reversal of climate policies risks undermining U.S. manufacturing -- and could cost people jobs
7 Feb 2025
United States President Donald Trump's early executive actions have set American manufacturing on a collision course with his administration's fossil-fuel-driven agenda. It's clear that climate change policies run counter to his vision of American primacy.
China imposes 15% tariffs on coal, LNG in response to Trump's tariffs
5 Feb 2025
China announced retaliatory tariffs on select American imports and an antitrust investigation into Google on Tuesday, just minutes after a sweeping levy on Chinese products imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump took effect.
Nine percent of England's farmland needs to be converted into wildlife habitats and forests
5 Feb 2025
Roughly nine percent of England's farmland needs to be converted into habitats for wildlife and forest by 2050 in order to meet the country's nature and net-zero goals, according to a consultation launched by Steve Reed, the United Kingdom's environment secretary.
US: More than 1000 Environmental Protection workers could be dismissed immediately
5 Feb 2025
The Trump administration has notified more than 1,000 employees at the Environmental Protection Agency that they could be dismissed immediately.
Lack of financial support would force India to reduce climate ambition
5 Feb 2025
The failure of the developed countries to commit adequate amounts of climate finance at last year's climate conference in Baku might force India to temper the ambition of its climate targets for 2035, the government said Friday.
Living near active oil and gas wells may have increased risk of dying from COVID-19
5 Feb 2025
Californians who lived near the highest-producing wells were more likely to die of COVID-19 at the beginning of the pandemic, recent research shows.
Rice variant slashes planet-warming methane emissions by 70 per cent
5 Feb 2025
Using traditional crossbreeding, researchers have created a new strain of rice that produces much less methane, a potent greenhouse gas, when it is grown in flooded fields.
Thousands flee homes as floods hit Australia
4 Feb 2025
A woman has died in Australia and thousands have been forced to flee their homes after torrential rainfall caused flooding in northern Queensland.
Paris Agreement no longer relevant for Indonesia, says envoy
4 Feb 2025
Indonesia's special envoy for climate change and energy, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, said he considers the Paris Agreement no longer relevant for Indonesia following the US withdrawal from the deal.
Shell dodges paying compensation for sham carbon credits in China
4 Feb 2025
The energy giant exited the failed projects after Verra asked for redress, but a legal expert says Shell should be held responsible.
Canada carbon tax appears dead after Carney pledges to scrap it
4 Feb 2025
Canada’s national carbon tax on consumer fuels is likely in its final weeks after both major contenders to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader have promised to scrap it.
Saving surf breaks to fight climate change
4 Feb 2025
The places where epic waves break store millions of tons of carbon. Preserving them protects a sport and the planet.
USDA ordered to scrub climate change from websites
4 Feb 2025
Agriculture Department employees have been ordered to delete landing pages discussing climate change across agency websites and document climate change references for further review, according to an internal email obtained by POLITICO.
US Treasury withdraws from global climate-related financial oversight initiative
3 Feb 2025
The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Federal Insurance Office (FIO) has withdrawn from the Network of Central Banks and Supervisors for Greening the Financial System (NGFS).
Leaders in the Pacific raise alarm over 'direct impact' of Trump's climate retreat and aid freeze
3 Feb 2025
Samoa's prime minister says US withdrawal from Paris climate agreement is 'very disappointing' and puts the survival of Pacific countries at greater risk.
In historic win, court rules against UK's Rosebank oilfield over climate impacts
3 Feb 2025
The decision by the previous Conservative government in the United Kingdom to approve the giant Rosebank oilfield off Shetland was ruled unlawful by an Edinburgh court on Thursday.
African nations want to connect 300 million people to electricity by 2030
3 Feb 2025
Several African nations committed on Monday to open up their electricity sectors to attract investors and light up homes of 300 million people currently lacking power in the next six years.
'Catastrophic' 2023 lake outburst in India driven by glacial melt and permafrost thaw
3 Feb 2025
Climate change played a key role in the "catastrophic" 2023 floods in the Himalayan state of Sikkim in India, a new study says.
California considers letting victims of natural disasters sue oil companies for damages
3 Feb 2025
Oil and gas companies would be liable for damages caused by climate change-related disasters in California under legislation introduced Monday by two Democratic lawmakers.
Swiss government approves new climate goals after court rebuke
31 Jan 2025
Switzerland's government on Wednesday approved new climate targets, proposing a cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 of at least 65% compared to 1990 levels.
UK drops climate and nature bill
31 Jan 2025
In dropping the bill, UK Labour ministers avoided an internal party row by promising potential rebels supporting the bill they would have input into environmental legislation.
Yes, you can blame climate change for the LA wildfires
31 Jan 2025
Los Angeles wildfire season now lasts roughly 23 days longer than in preindustrial times.
Trump tariff threat jolts Canada's energy and carbon tax debate
31 Jan 2025
Canada’s Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault says the country's consumer carbon tax has become 'very unpopular' and could be replaced.
Elon Musk earns record amount from carbon trading
31 Jan 2025
Elon Musk's Tesla earned a record 2.8 billion dollars in 2024 from trading in regulatory carbon credits, according to figures published late on Wednesday.
Think your efforts to help the climate don't matter? African philosophers disagree
31 Jan 2025
If a single pro-environment lifestyle change - like one person giving up their SUV or cutting out meat in favour of plant-based foods - will not turn the tide of global climate change on its own, it's reasonable to feel there is little that 'doing your bit' can achieve. This mindset is disempowering.
Trump freezes $50 billion in funding, including for clean energy innovation
30 Jan 2025
The Trump administration has halted spending from the United States Department of Energy (DOE)'s approximately $50 billion budget while a 'comprehensive review' is conducted to ensure its spending and other actions - which include funding for new energy technologies - are in alignment with the priorities of President Donald Trump, according to an agency memo seen by Bloomberg.
Court papers link Exxon to climate hacking ring for first time
30 Jan 2025
A man charged with conspiring to steal information from climate advocates alleged that Exxon and one of its lobbying firms were involved with the hacking campaign.
US oilfield firms face pricing squeeze as fracking demand slumps
30 Jan 2025
Top U.S. oilfield services firms are facing weaker pricing and revenue this year as oil producers become increasingly efficient and keep a cap on spending, according to oilfield executives and analysts.
Probe details the playbook of one of Amazon's top land grabbers
30 Jan 2025
Professional land grabbers operating in the Brazilian Amazon have sophisticated strategies to steal and deforest public lands and get away with it.
Governments must vote in favour of moratorium on deep sea mining
Tue 29 Jul 2025
Media release - Greenpeace | The 30th session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has ended with Greenpeace saying governments are continuing to fall short in protecting the deep sea.
Does NZ need a national incentive scheme for wetlands?
Fri 25 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | An expert is calling for a national incentive programme to restore New Zealand’s wetlands and wants to stop schemes to drain these vital carbon-sequestering ecosystems.
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.
Airlines risk legal challenges by advertising jet fuel as “sustainable”, NGO warns
18 Jul 2025
Amid suspected fraud in the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a new report says the airline industry should stop calling all alternatives to kerosene “sustainable”.
Challenges persist in bid to mine the deep sea, even after boost from Trump
Tue 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.
Sustainability claims questioned as renewable diesel surges
14 May 2025
Critics are sceptical about industry claims of renewable diesel life-cycle greenhouse gas emission cuts and warn renewable diesel carbon releases will surge if sourcing is scaled up, triggering tropical deforestation as producers convert forests to energy crops, such as oil palm and soy.
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?
Bearish sentiment lingers for carbon market
11 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The compliance carbon market could be set for a gradual upward trajectory, however unsold volume from the quarterly Emissions Trading Scheme auctions continues to act as ‘a price ceiling,’ according to an expert.
Multi-day protest continues at coal mine
Wed 30 Jul 2025
Bathurst Resources has been forced to truck coal from its Stockton mine as climate activists occupy coal buckets at the mine for a third day.
Forestry can be a big plus for sheep and beef farmers – but there are caveats
22 Jul 2025
By Keith Woodford | OPINION: These are good times for sheep and beef farmers with record product prices for meat, which is precisely why now is the time for sheep and beef farmers to be looking again at farm forestry.
Common low-grade clay strengthens low-carbon concrete
5 Jun 2025
Media release | Engineers at RMIT University have converted low-grade clay into a high-performance cement supplement, opening a potential new market in sustainable construction materials.
Cuts to climate finance put exports in jeopardy: Lawyers
23 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has halved international climate finance, a move aid organisations describe as “devastating,” and which lawyers say could put our Paris Agreement commitments and export market access at risk.
NZ voluntary carbon market’s sad state
14 Jul 2025
By John O’Brien | OPINION: A combination of scandals, challenging economic times, and cheaper offshore carbon credits, mean that the domestic voluntary carbon market in New Zealand remains absolutely tiny.
A modest geothermal strategy
Today 10:45am
By Pattrick Smellie | The Government has unveiled a far more modest geothermal energy strategy than its primary backer, Resources Minister Shane Jones, had sought.
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.
2025 on track to be second or third warmest year on record
Today 10:45am
As it passes its midway point, 2025 is on track to be the second or third warmest year on record. However, it is very unlikely to beat 2024 as the hottest year.
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.
Wilding pines threaten Molesworth Station
Mon 28 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Without increased support, the unchecked spread of wilding pines will continue to creep across Marlborough’s high country – putting iconic landscapes and one of New Zealand’s top five biodiversity hotspots at serious risk, according to an expert.
Last minute change to oil and gas legislation over cleanup costs
Today 10:45am
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.
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.
European Central Bank to consider 'climate factor' when lending to banks
Today 10:45am
The European Central Bank will add climate change considerations to its lending operations from late 2026, raising pressure on banks to channel financing towards greener sectors as the euro zone seeks to reduce its carbon footprint.
NZ part of hidden global deep-sea network beneath the waves
Fri 25 Jul 2025
Media release - Earth Sciences New Zealand | A world-first study of marine life, including sea creatures found in New Zealand's dark, cold, pressurised ocean depths, has revealed that deep-sea life is surprisingly more connected than previously thought.
‘Ideological sludge’: How NZ is quiet quitting climate action
17 Jul 2025
New Zealand once stood out as a world leader on climate change. In June it became the first country in the world to abandon a commitment to phase out oil, gas and coal.
Methanex closure comes early this year
14 May 2025
The almost-now-annual closure of Methanex has come earlier this year, giving more confidence that the electricity system will get through the winter without a fuel shortfall.
Hiringa eyes green methanol plant near Whanganui
Tue 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.
Climate catastrophes are creating a ‘new market reality’ for insurance carriers
23 Jul 2025
Raging wildfires and severe storms contributed to record-high global insurance losses — totalling an estimated US$84 billion — for the first six months of the year.
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.
The ICJ’s ruling means Australia and other major polluters face a new era of climate reparations
Fri 25 Jul 2025
By Harj Narulla | OPINION: Australia has found itself on the wrong side of history.
Fund for low emissions transport winds up
Today 10:45am
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.
Urgent action needed to get on track for climate goals - commission
Fri 25 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand is making progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but more work is needed – urgently – to set up for future reductions, according to the latest report from the Climate Change Commission.
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.
Toxic algae are turning South Australia’s coral reefs into underwater graveyards
Tue 29 Jul 2025
Since March, a harmful algal bloom, fueled by a marine heat wave, has been choking South Australia’s coastline.
NZ govt’s fossil fuel plans could break international law
24 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government could be breaching international law with its plans to subsidise and expand fossil fuel extraction, following a ruling overnight from the world’s highest court.
Tipping points: Window to avoid irreversible climate impacts is ‘rapidly closing’
11 Jul 2025
In the midst of a record-breaking heatwave in Europe, the UK city of Exeter recently played host to the second international conference on “tipping points”.
‘Total infiltration’: How plastics industry swamped vital global treaty talks
Mon 28 Jul 2025
Petrostates and well-funded lobbyists at UN-hosted talks are derailing a deal to cut plastic production and protect people and the planet.
Media round-up
Fri 25 Jul 2025
In our round-up of the climate coverage in local media: Dairy conversions surge; Gore is hit with a drinking water crisis; meanwhile farming lobby groups Groundswell and Federated Farmers are up in arms about a plan to classify environmental impacts in the agriculture and forestry sector.
The EU’s ‘fantasy’ $750B energy promise to Trump
Today 10:45am
The EU has narrowly avoided a full-blown trade war with Donald Trump by pledging to buy $750 billion of U.S. oil and gas by the end of his term. But achieving that will be almost impossible.
Activists sue US development bank over $4.6bn loan to massive Mozambique gas project
18 Jul 2025
Environmental groups claim loan is ‘unlawful’ in legal filing.
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.
Tilting at windmills? Trump’s claims about turbines fact-checked
Today 10:45am
The US president has taken a swipe at wind power as the blades visible from his Turnberry golf course turn.
Ocean heatwaves may signal climate tipping point
Fri 25 Jul 2025
A recent study that tapped into satellite data has revealed that 2023 marked an unprecedented year for marine heatwaves, with record-breaking levels of duration, reach and intensity across the world's oceans.
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’.
Can robot taxis solve NZ's transport woes?
23 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Ministry of Transport has tested the idea of driverless taxis as a futuristic fix. But while new modelling explores how "robotaxis" could ease congestion and reduce car ownership, critics say it misses a crucial point – the country’s worsening transport emissions.
United Nations carbon market rules agreed but concerns remain
25 Nov 2024
New carbon market rules agreed at the fractious UN climate summit will be a relief to New Zealand and Singapore, who were leading the negotiations, but concerns about greenwashing and disadvantaging nature-based solutions remain.
EV sales fall, but it’s complicated
Tue 29 Jul 2025
Imports of fully electric vehicles fell over 50% in value during the 12 months to June 2025, compared with the year ended June 2024, according to Stats NZ.
Waste Levy risks becoming ‘slush fund’ under proposed changes – Commissioner
5 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Proposed changes to New Zealand's waste legislation risk undermining public trust in the waste levy scheme, according to Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton.
The struggle for control of the Arctic is accelerating - and it's riskier than ever
11 Jul 2025
As the battle for one of the world’s coldest places heats up, an increasingly fragile security balance may be breaking down, leading to an escalating arms race.
UN University report warns against carbon credits from REDD, tree planting, and improved forest management
13 Jun 2025
But the report stops short of recommending banning the trade in carbon temporarily stored in trees.
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.
