Topics tagged with 'Carbon News world'
EVs are starting to overtake gas-powered cars in a surprising place
20 Aug 2024
Ethiopia has banned the import of all gas-powered passenger vehicles — becoming the first nation in the world to do so.
How methane emissions are pushing the Amazon towards environmental catastrophe
20 Aug 2024
As the world heats up, methane released from thawing permafrost and warming tropical wetlands is intensifying climate breakdown. But curbing it is achievable.
The Mediterranean Sea reaches new record temperatures
20 Aug 2024
The daily median surface temperature of the Mediterranean Sea reached 28.9°C, beating the record of 28.71°C measured on July 24, 2023.
Switzerland and Canada propose ways to expand climate finance donors
20 Aug 2024
Detailed criteria would include China and Gulf States in the donor base. But experts recommend incentives not coercion.
Harris stirs hope for a new chapter in climate action
20 Aug 2024
Although expected to follow in Biden's pragmatic footsteps, her record as a prosecutor and voice for justice has environmentalists looking to the future.
Countries' climate obligations could be legally defined at top UN court in December
20 Aug 2024
A date has been set for public hearings at the International Court of Justice which could help define countries' legal obligations to fight climate change.
Nearly 68 million people reeling from drought in Southern Africa
19 Aug 2024
Seventeen percent of people across the region need aid amid the climate change-fuelled drought.
‘The wells are salty’: how the invading ocean is contaminating Vanuatu’s water
19 Aug 2024
As the climate crisis causes the Pacific to rise, the archipelago’s water is increasingly unsafe to drink.
Reforestation to capture carbon could be done much more cheaply, study says
19 Aug 2024
New research shows that a mix of natural forest regrowth and tree planting could remove up to 10 times more carbon at $20 per metric ton than previously estimated by the IPCC, the UN’s climate science panel.
How climate change has pushed our oceans to the brink of catastrophe
19 Aug 2024
For decades, the oceans have absorbed much of the excess heat caused by greenhouse gases. The latest observations suggest they are reaching their limits, so how worried should we be?
We pumped extra CO₂ into an oak forest and discovered trees will be ‘woodier’ in future
19 Aug 2024
Oak trees accumulate more wood when there is more carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere.
Fighting global warming, one abandoned oil well at a time
19 Aug 2024
When Curtis Shuck learned that the oil and gas industry had left orphaned wells all over the US, he made it his mission to cap as many as he could.
A Trump election win could lead to billions of tonnes more carbon pollution
16 Aug 2024
Experts say climate policies contained within rightwing manifesto would wreck US climate targets and cost jobs.
World Bank prices $225 million bond linked to Amazon reforestation
16 Aug 2024
The World Bank issued a $225 million, principal-protected nine-year bond linked to reforestation in the Amazon, the global lender said on Tuesday, calling it the biggest outcome bond it has ever priced.
Wildfires in Canada and the Amazon made more likely by climate change
16 Aug 2024
Wildfires are becoming more frequent and intense as the climate warms, researchers behind first annual global wildfire report warn.
Ancient building material could cut modern industry emissions
16 Aug 2024
Generating heat for industrial processes creates 17% of global carbon emissions. Cheap firebricks could store renewable electricity for one-tenth the cost of batteries.
Kids in France are pedalling toward two-wheeled equality
16 Aug 2024
More than 500,000 students have learned to bike safely, encouraging them to live healthier, more independent and lower-carbon lives.
Carbon offset setback risks corporate backtrack on climate goals
15 Aug 2024
Stalled efforts to expand companies' use of carbon credits to offset greenhouse-gas emissions are raising the prospect that some will backtrack or abandon targets to shrink their carbon footprint.
Half a billion children live in areas with twice as many very hot days as in 1960s
15 Aug 2024
Unicef analysis also finds children in eight countries spend more than half the year in temperatures above 35C.
Who is legally responsible for climate harms? The world’s top court will now decide
15 Aug 2024
The International Court of Justice will clarify states’ legal responsibility for impacts of climate change. Although non-binding, its opinion will matter for thousands of climate lawsuits.
Tropical Storm Ernesto hits Caribbean, heads to Puerto Rico
15 Aug 2024
Tropical Storm Ernesto battered the northeast Caribbean on Tuesday as it took aim at Puerto Rico, where officials shuttered schools and government agencies.
Wildfires can contaminate the water farmers use to irrigate crops and support livestock
15 Aug 2024
The wildfires that burned across Maui, Hawaii, in August 2023 became the deadliest conflagration in the United States in more than a century.
How four cities are cooling down creatively
15 Aug 2024
Cities around the world are trying everything from reflective paint to underground water channels to manage the hotter days ahead.
Australian fossil fuel exports ranked second only to Russia for climate damage with ‘no plan’ for reduction
14 Aug 2024
Coal and gas exports expected to remain roughly at current level until at least 2035 with 4.5% of emissions linked to Australia, report finds.
More than 47,000 heat-related deaths in Europe last year
14 Aug 2024
Heat-related deaths in Europe last year would have been 80% higher without adaptation work, scientists estimate.
Modern fuel-efficient jets can cause more warming than older planes
14 Aug 2024
Passenger planes and private jets that fly higher can create longer-lasting contrails, meaning their contribution to global warming has been underestimated.
Will climate cash help democrats win US election?
14 Aug 2024
An area near Pittsburgh is being recast into a clean energy hub by IRA cash. It’s a test of whether climate policies can help Democrats beat Trump.
The lost history of what Americans knew about climate change in the 1960s
14 Aug 2024
It wasn't just scientists who were worried, but Congress, the White House, and even Sports Illustrated.
A line-by-line fact check of the Musk-Trump interview
14 Aug 2024
Donald Trump told some wild lies about climate change in his two-hour live-streamed conversation with Elon Musk last night.
By land, sea and sky, Māori are using Indigenous knowledge to combat climate change
13 Aug 2024
Justin Parkin-Rae takes a break from pulling chunks of weeds from around one of the many rivers that snake through Kaikōura.
Breakthrough flexible solar panels are so thin they can be printed on any surface – even backpacks
13 Aug 2024
Oxford University researchers have developed a flexible perovskite material about 100 times thinner than a human hair that can generate solar electricity just as efficiently as traditional silicon panels.
Wary of Trump and Azerbaijan, businesses shun COP climate talks
13 Aug 2024
Companies are anxiously wondering: Can we get hotel rooms? What about the autocratic regime hosting? What if Trump wins?
Chinese battery industry faces consolidation wave
13 Aug 2024
Companies cancel investments and smaller players leave amid slowing EV sales, fierce competition and stricter regulations.
UK could approve 13 new oil and gas projects despite North Sea pledge
13 Aug 2024
The UK government could approve 13 new oil and gas projects in the North Sea, with the fuel produced emitting 350m tonnes of CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e) if burned.
Why is there still a gap between public opinion and scientific consensus, and how can we close it?
13 Aug 2024
As children, many of us played the “telephone” game – a message is whispered from one person to the next, invariably getting distorted as it passes along the line.
Oil companies sold the public on a fake climate solution — and swindled taxpayers out of billions
12 Aug 2024
This spring, Democrats wrapped up a nearly three-year investigation into the fossil fuel industry’s role in climate disinformation, and asked the Department of Justice to pick up where they left off.
Renewable energy carbon credits rejected by high-integrity scheme
12 Aug 2024
The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market decided existing renewables methodologies don’t do enough to prove their emissions reductions are additional.
From climate change to landfill, AI promises to solve Earth’s big environmental problems – but there’s a hitch
12 Aug 2024
Artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionised our lives in myriad ways, from personalising our social media feeds to giving us driving directions and monitoring our health.
July ends 13-month streak of global heat records, but experts warn against relief
12 Aug 2024
Climate scientists say that the world is continuing to warm, despite brief respite in record breaking temperatures.
Carbon ‘insets’ tackle emissions by unleashing the power of capitalism
12 Aug 2024
The certificates trace reduction instead of offsetting it with unconnected activity like planting trees.
Kyoto tells us how humanity can come together on climate change
12 Aug 2024
A play celebrates the agreement that opened nations worldwide to accepting the science of climate change.
Great Barrier Reef endangered by hottest oceans in 400 years, study finds
9 Aug 2024
Researchers say the world is losing ‘one of our icons’ as human activity fuels temperature increases.
Solving the carbon market ‘integrity crisis’
9 Aug 2024
It’s been a rough couple of years for the voluntary carbon market, with allegations about the shaky integrity of various projects, and a huge slump in demand.
Wildfires are creating their own thunderstorms
9 Aug 2024
As wildfires become more frequent and intense, they’re creating raging thunderstorms that fuel them even further, making them much more difficult to fight.
Tim Walz’s green resume has an oily stain
9 Aug 2024
Indigenous water protectors say Walz broke his promise to stop a massive tar sands pipeline from passing through their protected land.
US, India, Russia, Japan are building out wind power much too slowly for climate change, report says
9 Aug 2024
The world is falling well short of a promise made at global climate talks last year to triple the amount of wind power, according to a report by an energy think tank.
Repeating aids believing: climate misinformation feels more true through repetition
9 Aug 2024
If you consider yourself a climate science supporter, you probably wouldn’t think simple exposure to a sceptic’s claim could shift your views.
Carbon market faces upheaval as 32% of all credits fail test
8 Aug 2024
The market for carbon offsets faces renewed upheaval after a major category of credits failed to win approval from a key oversight body.
Should companies get paid when governments phase out fossil fuels? They already are.
8 Aug 2024
A common part of free trade agreements helps fossil fuel companies force big payouts from governments phasing out oil and gas projects.
Cooking oil won’t be enough to make aviation sustainable
8 Aug 2024
Pressure is growing to boost the production of sustainable aviation fuels, but each solution has big drawbacks.
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?
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.
Carbon prices slide as market awaits ETS decision
Fri 1 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | Volatility has returned to the secondary carbon market, with prices sliding again after plateauing in recent weeks, as the market waits for government decisions on Emissions Trading Scheme settings.
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.
Coal use drove recent emissions increase
Fri 1 Aug 2025
Increased use of coal for electricity generation was a large driver for an increase in New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions in the last quarter.
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?
Fri 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.
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.
Bill to restart oil and gas exploration clears final hurdle
Fri 1 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government’s Crown Minerals Amendment Bill is set to become law after passing its third reading in parliament last night, with critics calling it humiliating for the climate minister and an embarrassment to New Zealand's international reputation.
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.
Warmer than usual weather ahead, wetter in north and east, as La Niña signals strengthen
Fri 1 Aug 2025
Media release – Earth Sciences New Zealand | Seasonal Outlook Climate August to October 2025 suggests warm, damp weather, with La Niña’s possible return.
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
Thu 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.
A modest geothermal strategy
Thu 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.
European Central Bank to consider 'climate factor' when lending to banks
Thu 31 Jul 2025
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
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.
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
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.
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.
Fund for low emissions transport winds up
Thu 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.
Urgent action needed to get on track for climate goals - commission
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.
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
Thu 31 Jul 2025
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
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.
The ICJ’s ruling means Australia and other major polluters face a new era of climate reparations
25 Jul 2025
By Harj Narulla | OPINION: Australia has found itself on the wrong side of history.
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.
