Topics tagged with 'Carbon News world'
AI's climate impact is still a black box
23 Apr 2025
AI's carbon footprint remains a riddle three years into the genAI revolution, thanks to AI makers' secrecy and the difficulty of accurate measurements at scale.
Pope Francis and the sun
22 Apr 2025
COMMENT: Perhaps the world's greatest environmental champion, who brought moral resolve to the question of climate change, is dead.
Australia: Coalition under fire for planning to scrap Labor climate policies
22 Apr 2025
With Peter Dutton’s views on climate change in the spotlight, the focus has turned onto whether there will be any policies to reduce emissions in the next decade.
Europe’s electric car revolution needs chargers
22 Apr 2025
Five years before the EU’s deadline for installing 3.5 million charging stations, an EV journey from Lisbon to Białystok would still require elaborate planning.
Groups sue Trump admin for deleting climate information from federal websites
22 Apr 2025
“The removal of these websites and the critical data they hold is yet another direct attack on the communities already suffering under the weight of deadly air and water."
Mapped: How climate change affects extreme weather around the world
22 Apr 2025
Researchers have mapped every published study on how climate change has influenced extreme weather.
Environmental and science groups sue Trump admin for deleting environmental justice and climate information from federal agency websites
17 Apr 2025
The Sierra Club, the Environmental Integrity Project, California Communities Against Toxics and Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) filed a complaint on Monday in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
Australia: Climate change pushing up insurance risk
17 Apr 2025
With flood waters rising, there are warnings of a “climate-induced credit crunch” as natural disasters threaten the viability of home insurance.
Ethiopia’s bold EV ambitions hit bumps in rural areas
17 Apr 2025
After becoming the world’s first country to ban imports of fossil fuel vehicles last year, a patchy power grid and high EV purchase costs are slowing Ethiopia’s green transport revolution in the countryside
Why US oil production could even go into reverse
17 Apr 2025
The prospect of U.S. oil production growth not just stalling but going into reverse is edging into the picture.
Trump administration cancels $3-billion climate friendly farming program
17 Apr 2025
The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Monday said it had cancelled a $3 billion program for climate-smart farming projects after a review found it did not align with the priorities of the Trump administration.
Extended heatwave in India, Pakistan to test survivability limits, with temperatures reaching Death Valley levels
17 Apr 2025
For hundreds of millions of people living in India and Pakistan the early arrival of summer heatwaves has become a terrifying reality that’s testing survivability limits and putting enormous strain on energy supplies, vital crops and livelihoods.
‘A giant leap backwards’: Net Zero Banking Alliance drops binding 1.5C net-zero target
16 Apr 2025
The Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) has confirmed the results of a key vote by its members, formally dropping the requirement for banks to set climate targets aligned with limiting global warming to 1.5C and reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
Garbage bag giant fined $8.25m for falsely claiming products were recycled plastic
16 Apr 2025
The company behind GLAD garbage bags has been fined $8.25m for falsely claiming the products were made from recycled ocean plastics.
State aid set to energise France’s shift away from coal-fired power
16 Apr 2025
Coal-fired power plants converted to cleaner fuels to qualify for state assistance in meeting peak demand.
Deadly floods, storms and heatwaves: Europe suffered the 'serious impacts’ of climate change in 2024
16 Apr 2025
Storms and flooding across Europe last year affected a total of 413,000 people, led to the loss of at least 335 lives and are estimated to have cost at least €18 billion in damages.
Trump’s EPA plans to stop collecting greenhouse gas emissions data from most polluters
16 Apr 2025
The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to eliminate long-standing requirements for polluters to collect and report their emissions of the heat-trapping gases that cause climate change.
Sheinbaum’s energy agenda under fire as Mexican activists slam LNG megaproject
16 Apr 2025
A controversial project bringing U.S. liquefied natural gas through the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora to the Gulf of California continues to face strong resistance from environmental activists.
Africa is proof that investing in climate resilience works – and that it makes good business sense
15 Apr 2025
Climate denialism should not blind investors and governments to the very real opportunities to be found in financing solutions.
What does the new German coalition government mean for climate and energy?
15 Apr 2025
Since the German election took place in February, which saw the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) win the most seats, parties have been negotiating to form a new coalition government.
EU Emissions Trading System at risk of money laundering
15 Apr 2025
The European emissions trading system, designed to make polluters pay for their CO2 emissions, appears vulnerable to financial crime, particularly money laundering. This concern was highlighted in two studies commissioned by Germany’s environment agency, prompting the agency to investigate better detection methods.
Terminations at US government agencies that monitor extreme weather events will have negative effects
15 Apr 2025
In February 2025, Donald Trump’s administration reduced the government’s size. The NOAA was severely affected, experiencing budget cuts and the termination of about 800 employees’ positions. NOAA is a critically important government organization, and includes the National Weather Service.
From airlines to trainers, this German NGO stops companies from greenwashing products
15 Apr 2025
It’s not uncommon to see products sold on shop shelves that market themselves as ‘carbon neutral’ or ‘environmentally friendly’. But these claims are not always clear or backed up by evidence - and courts are forcing companies to take them down.
Grunge meets grid: How Pearl Jam’s carbon price led me to battery ETFs
15 Apr 2025
The grunge rock heavy hitter recently asked how they could invest their personal carbon pricing of their concert travels at $200 per ton.
Nations agree on carbon-pricing system to steer shipping towards net-zero
14 Apr 2025
Nations have agreed to introduce a worldwide carbon-pricing system for international shipping to drive the sector towards net-zero emissions by 2050.
Australia: Coalition clarifies commitment to Paris Agreement after confusion on climate targets
14 Apr 2025
The federal Coalition has clarified it remains committed to the Paris climate accord, despite earlier comments from the shadow energy minister indicating it could leave the agreement.
Trump signs orders to allow coal-fired power plants to remain open
14 Apr 2025
Donald Trump signed four executive orders on Tuesday aimed at reviving coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel that has long been in decline, and which substantially contributes to planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions and pollution.
Meat industry behind attacks on flagship climate-friendly diet report
14 Apr 2025
New evidence suggests the surge of outrage against the report was stoked by a PR firm that represents the meat and dairy sector.
US: New energy order puts states’ climate laws in the crosshairs of the Department of Justice
14 Apr 2025
A new executive order from President Donald Trump that’s part of his effort to invigorate energy production raises the possibility that his Department of Justice will go to court against state climate change laws aimed at slashing planet-warming greenhouse gas pollution from fossil fuels.
Teens’ mental health suffers on Africa’s climate frontlines
14 Apr 2025
As climate change impacts take a heavy toll on young people’s wellbeing in poor rural areas, how can policymakers help them cope?
Science data under duress
11 Apr 2025
Climate change and climate action are socially and politically divisive topics in many countries. In addition to contributing to political disparity, climate research is also affected by political context, with consequences not only for scientists but for society as well.
Trump tells countries to axe talks on shipping carbon tax, or else
11 Apr 2025
The attack on the shipping deal is part of a wider U.S. rejection of policies to fight climate change.
Canada fossil fuel subsidies hit $30 billion amid pipeline push, study reveals
11 Apr 2025
Experts note that government funding goes to Big Oil shareholders and executives while Canadian taxpayers bear the brunt of living with climate change.
Wildfire warnings issued as UK temperatures set to reach 24C on Friday
11 Apr 2025
London fire brigade asks people to behave responsibly and Scottish fire and rescue service gives ‘extreme’ alert.
Honduras pays the climate cost as its forests disappear and storms rise
11 Apr 2025
Despite its high vulnerability to extreme weather events, Honduras continues to clear its forests, seen as one of its best protections against climate change and intensifying storms and hurricanes.
‘All other avenues have been exhausted’: Is legal action the only way to save the planet?
10 Apr 2025
Monica Feria-Tinta is one of a growing number of lawyers using the courts to make governments around the world take action.
German coalition eyes 'limited' foreign carbon credits
10 Apr 2025
The parties likely to form Germany's next government today presented their coalition treaty, which pledges to allow the use of foreign carbon credits to reach the country's 2040 climate target.
Increased access to medications may be a public health good—but it’s a big climate challenge
10 Apr 2025
Emissions from pharmaceutical production and consumption have nearly doubled in the last 24 years, according to a new global analysis.
Climate expert who studied WW2 shares how Canada can win Trump’s trade war
10 Apr 2025
"When we need to urgently build big things, we have to do it ourselves," Vancouver-based author Seth Klein tells DeSmog.
Chevron ordered to pay $744.6 million for destroying Louisiana’s coastal wetlands
10 Apr 2025
Oil giant Chevron has been ordered by a Louisiana civil court jury to pay $744.6 million to a parish government to help restore coastal wetlands destroyed by the company over a period of decades.
It's only early April and north India is bracing for extreme heat
10 Apr 2025
India's weather department has warned of high temperatures in parts of northern India, including capital Delhi, for this week.
Power-sector CO2 hits ‘all-time high’ in 2024 despite record growth for clean energy
9 Apr 2025
Emissions from the sector increased by 1.6% year-on-year, to reach a record high of 14.6bn tonnes of carbon dioxide (tCO2).
Europe just had warmest March on record
9 Apr 2025
Europe experienced its warmest March since records began, as climate change continues to push temperatures to unprecedented levels, European Union scientists said on Tuesday.
Labor’s home batteries policy could help Australians who will never take it up. Here’s how
9 Apr 2025
The government’s promise to slash the cost of household batteries should be welcomed – it could drive a change that benefits everyone who uses the power grid.
Africa must shun Trump’s push to resurrect coal
9 Apr 2025
Clean energy can be Africa’s greatest success story, which is why its leaders must not fall for the pro-coal lobbying of the Trump administration.
Trump’s tariff tantrum won’t stop the global energy transition
9 Apr 2025
Trump has such a passion for tariffs he even imposed them on Antarctic islands – home only to penguins, who presumably pose a grave threat to American industry.
Climate crisis made ‘bonkers’ central Asia heatwave up to 10C hotter
9 Apr 2025
Springtime heat in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan likely to become more common as planet warms, accelerating glacier loss and threatening water supplies.
EU countries cautious on Brazil’s push for new climate body
8 Apr 2025
Brazil’s idea to create a new multilateral body under the UN climate regime to fast-track implementation of COP decisions has triggered cautious responses from key developed countries, with Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden backing reform discussions but warning against weakening the core UNFCCC process.
Do climate goals matter in a bad economy?
8 Apr 2025
It would be understandable for a climate concerned person to fear that economic headwinds will be yet another force that slows climate action.
World’s largest deforestation project fells forests for bioethanol fuel, sugar and rice in Indonesia
8 Apr 2025
Indonesia plans to clear forests about the size of Belgium to produce sugarcane-derived bioethanol, rice and other food crops, potentially displacing Indigenous groups who rely on the land to survive.
How flying can be a climate solution
Today 10:45am
By Paul Callister and Robert McLachlan - Planetary Ecology | How can aviation contribute to tackling climate change when no practicable technology-based solutions are on the horizon?
Forestry consents and relaxed rules in erosion zones sow seeds of future disaster
Fri 13 Jun 2025
OPINION: The government’s move to restrict exotic forestry on our best food-growing soils will push even more forestry investment onto high erosion risk land on the East Coast, with the worst land becoming the only land left for the most intensive and destructive land use, writes Manu Caddie
Greenwashing is rife in Australia, but could its days be numbered?
28 May 2025
COMMENT: Have you ever ticked the box to “fly carbon neutral”, had something delivered via “carbon-neutral shipping” or chosen to pay a bit extra to buy “carbon-neutral gas” from your energy retailer?
Help sustainable aviation fuels take off or delay targets, airlines warn EU
20 May 2025
Earmarked funding, risk-reduction tools, and simplified imports top Airlines for Europe’s wish list for the EU’s upcoming Sustainable Transport Investment Plan.
'Time is right' for nature credits
Fri 13 Jun 2025
Media release | Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari and Ekos are thrilled to be partnering with central government on the development of a voluntary Nature Credits Market pilot programme, announced by Associate Minister for the Environment Andrew Hoggard yesterday.
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 auction odds-on to fail
Fri 13 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | The carbon price has rallied slightly in recent weeks, however with secondary market prices still hovering around the $57 mark, well below this year’s $68 auction floor price, next week’s Emissions Trading Scheme auction looks set to fail.
Govt mulls status quo for ETS auction settings
29 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has released its consultation on the Climate Change Commission’s latest advice on Emissions Trading Scheme auction settings and volumes, putting forward the option to ignore the commission’s advice to boost auction volumes from 2028-2030.
China's approvals of coal power plants grow after 2024 decline
Wed 11 Jun 2025
China approved 11.29 gigawatts of new coal power plants in the first three months of 2025, already exceeding the 10.34 GW approved in the first half of 2024.
A credible UN carbon market needs rules that count – we’ve just set them
Wed 11 Jun 2025
COMMENT: The broad standards for a more ambitious market are now in place. But without a steady flow of investment, this progress will remain largely on paper.
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.
Legal experts sue Climate minister over ‘glaring holes’ in climate plan
Wed 11 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | Legal experts are taking the government to court over its Emissions Reduction Plan, alleging it fails to fulfil basic requirements of the law – with one of the arguments focussing on an over-reliance on tree-planting.
Electric firebricks: decarbonising high-temperature industrial heat
Fri 13 Jun 2025
By Ian Mason | A new technology could offer a more cost-effective solution than hydrogen to decarbonise one ‘hard-to-abate’ sector of New Zealand’s economy, as well as having ample potential for demand response as the electricity grid becomes more renewable.
Govt budgets $200m for would-be gas investors
23 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | Energy Resources Aotearoa has welcomed the government's plan to co-invest $200 million in fossil gas expansion, while environmental and climate groups have reacted with horror.
Extreme ocean warming engulfed South-West Pacific in 2024
6 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Unprecedented ocean warming engulfed the South-West Pacific in 2024, with extreme heat and rainfall causing deadly and devastating impacts and sea level rise threatening entire islands.
Government undermines regional powers to protect coastal biodiversity
Today 10:45am
Media Release | The Environmental Defence Society opposes the Government’s decision to press ahead with amendments to the Resource Management Act that severely curtail the ability of regional councils to manage the impacts of fishing on coastal marine biodiversity.
UN University report warns against carbon credits from REDD, tree planting, and improved forest management
Fri 13 Jun 2025
But the report stops short of recommending banning the trade in carbon temporarily stored in trees.
Labor accused of ‘gaslighting’ Australians on climate crisis as fossil fuel projects keep getting approved
9 Jun 2025
‘They offer sympathy and then just go and approve massive fossil fuel projects anyway,’ one advocate says.
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.
Electrification challenge for politicians, regulators
27 May 2025
Rewiring Aotearoa is calling for stronger political leadership to bring its vision of a cheaper, cleaner and stronger energy system to life, with the launch of its policy manifesto today.
As methane climate impacts soar, NGOs, scientists, and advocates launch campaign to 'pull the methane emergency brake'
Fri 13 Jun 2025
Media release | International NGOs, scientists, and climate advocates are launching a global campaign calling for deep, rapid, mandatory cuts in methane emissions as the best way to lower near-term global temperature rise.
Govt uses climate change as ‘Trojan horse’ for other objectives
Tue 10 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Waitangi Tribunal has heard that the New Zealand Government’s international trade and investment agreements are failing to meet Tiriti o Waitangi obligations in the context of climate change – prioritising commercial interests while sidelining Māori rights and worldviews.
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.
What happened to the hydrogen economy?
3 Jun 2025
The hydrogen car that was supposed to carry us into a cleaner future is still not in the driveway. In fact, outside of a few test markets, it’s not in anyone’s driveway.
Climate change could drive surge in foreclosures and lender losses, new study finds
22 May 2025
Extreme weather linked to climate change could spell financial ruin for many American homeowners and lead to billions in losses for lenders, a new study finds.
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.
Energy Australia apologises to 400,000 customers and settles greenwashing legal action
22 May 2025
Energy retailer says carbon offsetting ‘not the most effective way’ to reduce emissions.
Could ‘orange’ hydrogen be NZ’s key to net-zero?
30 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand could be sitting on resources for a thriving multi-billion-dollar, low-carbon hydrogen economy, which might even be capable of creating a net reduction of carbon dioxide, according to scientists.
Carbon News launches price index
24 Jun 2024
Today’s issue is the first to feature Carbon News’ own carbon price index for secondary market spot prices for NZUs on New Zealand’s compliance market.
Tribunal asked to halt seabed mine fast-track
Today 10:45am
By Craig Ashworth, Local Democracy Reporter | South Taranaki hapū want the Waitangi Tribunal to halt a fast-track bid to mine the seabed off Pātea.
Foresters baulk at restrictions, land ballots
Wed 11 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | Forestry groups say that new legislation will introduce further uncertainty for planting plans and poses a threat to climate targets.
Ocean current ‘collapse’ could trigger ‘profound cooling’ in northern Europe – even with global warming
Fri 13 Jun 2025
A “collapse” of key Atlantic ocean currents would cause winter temperatures to plunge across northern Europe, overriding the warming driven by human activity.
Fight over coal mine heats up
30 May 2025
Forest & Bird is calling on the government to create a new scientific reserve covering the Denniston Plateau on the West Coast, which would stop a fast-tracked coal mine.
Microplastics found in sand on dozens of NZ beaches
4 Jun 2025
Scientists have extracted microplastics from the sand of 22 beaches from the Far North to Banks Peninsula.
Legislation introduced to restrict farm-to-forest conversions
Tue 10 Jun 2025
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has today introduced a bill to Parliament that he says will put a stop to large-scale farm-to-forestry conversions.
Israel deports activist Greta Thunberg after military seized Gaza Freedom Flotilla ship
Thu 12 Jun 2025
Israel deported activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday, the country's Foreign Ministry said, a day after the Gaza-bound ship she was on with 11 other people was seized by the Israeli military.
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.
Could Queenstown become the world’s most electric city?
Wed 11 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Queenstown is set to become the focus of an ambitious initiative aiming to transform it into the world’s most electrified destination.
Climate progress slowing, says Auckland councillor
5 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The devastating cyclone that tore through Tāmaki Makaurau in 2023 left behind more than just broken infrastructure, sparking calls to focus on facts over ideology in the fight against climate change.
Green budget 'ludicrous la-la land' – govt
15 May 2025
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the budget was "clown show economics" and an "absolute circus".
Biochar's negative emissions tech coming to Fieldays
6 Jun 2025
Biochar Network New Zealand will showcase its negative emissions technology biochar at this year's Forestry Hub at Fieldays 2025.
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.
“It’s not the car – it’s how we move” – EECA
3 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams| New Zealand’s transport emissions conversation has focused heavily on electric vehicles – but Richard Briggs, group manager, delivery and partnerships at the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, says we’re asking the wrong question.
Rapid action vital following UN Ocean Conference – experts
Thu 12 Jun 2025
New Zealand-based experts are calling for rapid and transformative action to restore nature - and our relationship with it - at the third UN Ocean Conference in France this week.
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.
Govt's RMA overhaul sparks fears for nature and climate
30 May 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has opened public consultation on the biggest overhaul of environmental planning rules in New Zealand’s history, with critics warning it puts nature and climate at risk in favour of fast-tracked development and industry expansion.
Tropical forest loss hit new heights in 2024; fire a major driver in Latin America
23 May 2025
Tropical forest loss skyrocketed in 2024, with vast swaths of primary forest consumed by fire, according to new satellite data.
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.
