Topics tagged with 'Carbon News world'
20°C seems the optimal temperature for life on Earth to thrive – what does this mean in a warming world?
22 Feb 2024
Have you ever wondered about the optimal temperature for life on Earth? For humans, 20°C is comfortable.
You’re probably underestimating the willingness of others to take action on climate
22 Feb 2024
Nearly 70% of the global population would give up 1% of their household income to stop climate change, according to a new survey of nearly 130,000 people in 125 countries.
Africa's ice is disappearing: Tropical ice fields demonstrate speed of climate change
22 Feb 2024
The ice on the high summits of the continent is rapidly disappearing, and Africa may lose its white peaks by the middle of our century.
Australia’s best known carbon-neutral farm can no longer offset its emissions
21 Feb 2024
Trees and soil on Jigsaw Farms in western Victoria have now passed peak sequestration – reflecting the challenge for the broader red meat industry.
Climate trial against oil giant Eni opens in Italy
21 Feb 2024
The case coincides with a new Greenpeace Italy and ReCommon report showing Eni’s technical consultants have wide links to climate denier groups.
Another big question about AI: its carbon footprint
21 Feb 2024
It’s “an accelerant for everything,” potentially including climate change.
Could wild horses help fight wildfires?
21 Feb 2024
The controversial animals graze on the grass and brush that fuel blazes. So one California naturalist asks: Why not send them to fire-prone wilderness?
How to reinvent yourself at 50: an IEA guide
21 Feb 2024
Created to secure rich countries access to fossil fuels, the International Energy Agency has found a way to maintain its influence in the fast-changing business of energy and climate change.
Developers in England will be forced to create habitats for wildlife – here’s how it works
21 Feb 2024
Most new developments – everything from a few houses to large solar farms or new roads and railways – will now have to provide a 10% net gain in biodiversity, maintained for at least 30 years.
Study: Top oil and gas majors rake in $281bn in profits since Russia invaded Ukraine
20 Feb 2024
Research lays bare huge scale of profits achieved by just five leading oil and gas majors as a result of the global energy crunch.
Biden vs. Trump: Do young climate voters care?
20 Feb 2024
Biden, who signed the biggest climate law in US history, has angered environmentalists by approving fossil fuel projects.
Climate change, extreme weather and conflict exacerbate global food crisis
20 Feb 2024
Global food insecurity has risen substantially since pre-pandemic times, exacerbated by extreme weather, climate change, war and conflict.
February on course to break unprecedented number of heat records
20 Feb 2024
Rapid ocean warming and unusually hot winter days recorded as human-made global heating combines with El Niño.
Plastics producers lied to the public about recycling being feasible, report reveals
20 Feb 2024
According to a new report from fossil fuel accountability organisation the Center for Climate Integrity (CCI), the plastics industry has known for decades that the widespread recycling of its products was not feasible, but continued to promote it and mislead the public.
Can clean cookstoves ride out the carbon markets storm?
19 Feb 2024
One of the world’s largest, but most overlooked, public health crises comes from an unlikely source: cooking.
Switzerland proposes first UN expert group on solar geoengineering
19 Feb 2024
A draft resolution aimed at creating a space for discussion on sun dimming technologies will be debated at the summit of the UN’s environment body this month.
Climate change is forcing Australians to weigh up relocating
19 Feb 2024
Big environmental changes mean ever more Australians will confront the tough choice of whether to move home or risk staying put.
Kazakhstan: Methane mega-leak went on for months
19 Feb 2024
An estimated 127,000 tonnes of methane escaped when a blowout started a fire that raged for over six months last year at a remote well in Kazakhstan.
Ocean-based viruses discovered that trap carbon and combat climate change
19 Feb 2024
In an era where the threat of climate change and carbon emissions loom larger by the day, scientists are delving into the world’s oceans, armed with an extensive catalogue of hundreds of thousands of DNA and RNA virus species.
A container ship just tested a system to capture its own CO2 emissions
19 Feb 2024
Shipping companies are experimenting with onboard carbon capture systems, but they face difficult trade-offs on energy and space for regular cargo.
UN chief warns climate chaos and food crises threaten global peace: ‘Empty bellies fuel unrest’
16 Feb 2024
The United Nations chief warned Tuesday that climate chaos and food crises are increasing threats to global peace, telling a high-level U.N. meeting that climate disasters imperil food production and “empty bellies fuel unrest.”
World risks missing climate targets because of surging Asian gas demand
16 Feb 2024
Global market for LNG to grow until at least 2040 despite Western efforts to hit net zero.
The energy transition would cost 20% more without China, analysis says
16 Feb 2024
Energy consultant Wood Mackenzie estimates that $6 trillion would be needed if Chinese clean tech was shunned.
Veteran economists say a carbon levy would cut emissions, cut inflation and raise billions, but see little prospect of adoption
16 Feb 2024
Two of Australia’s most respected economists have put forward a bold plan to lower global carbon emissions by at least 6 per cent, super-charge a new green export industry, deliver much cheaper power bills and dramatically cut the rate of inflation.
Shell accused of trying to wash hands of Nigerian oil spill mess
16 Feb 2024
Shell’s oil spills have ruined farms and fisheries and locals want compensation before it sells up.
Introducing meat–rice: grain with added muscles beefs up protein
16 Feb 2024
Rice has been used as a scaffold to grow beef muscle and fat cells, resulting in an edible, “nutty” rice–beef combo that can be prepared in the same way as normal rice.
EU climate policy is dangerously reliant on untested carbon-capture technology
15 Feb 2024
Europe’s ambition for emissions reductions is to be welcomed — but look at the detail, and significant hazards emerge.
How to do climate policy in the age of the green backlash
15 Feb 2024
OPINION: Too many activists fret about a lack of ‘political will’, as if such a force can be magically bottled.
Hydrogen refuelling station closures in multiple countries more painful news for hydrogen proponents
15 Feb 2024
OPINION: The past year has been a year of creative destruction in hydrogen for energy efforts. That is to say, destruction of creative accounting and projections in business cases.
AI finds 15% of Americans are climate change deniers
15 Feb 2024
Researchers used Twitter and AI techniques to understand how social media has spread climate change denialism.
The Amazon rainforest is approaching widespread collapse
15 Feb 2024
The Amazon rainforest is edging closer to a critical tipping point that could trigger a widespread ecological collapse with far-reaching implications for the global climate system.
Climate-driven migration overtakes Russian aggression as biggest security concern, report finds
15 Feb 2024
European voters are more worried about climate change-driven migration than the threat posed by Russia, according to a new survey.
UAE, Azerbaijan, Brazil join forces to limit global warming to 1.5C
14 Feb 2024
Three former and future UN climate summit hosts will form a ‘troika’ to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Five elections worldwide that could threaten climate action
14 Feb 2024
If 2023 was the year climate change broke records around the world, 2024 is when warming could go to the polls.
The rise of batteries in six charts and not too many numbers
14 Feb 2024
The unstoppable rise of batteries is leading to a domino effect that puts half of global fossil fuel demand at risk.
Nestlé launches animal-free precision fermented dairy powder
14 Feb 2024
Swiss multinational Nestlé has debuted its first precision fermentation dairy protein powder, an animal- and lactose-free whey isolate product targeting the climate-conscious consumer.
Polar bears struggling to adapt to longer ice-free Arctic periods
14 Feb 2024
Polar bears in Canada’s Hudson Bay risk starvation as climate change lengthens periods without Arctic Sea ice, despite the creatures’ willingness to expand their diets.
Climate finance is targeting the wrong industries
14 Feb 2024
Roughly half of the world’s emissions currently can’t be reduced, yet green investment continues to avoid the sectors that need the most help—manufacturing, agriculture, and built environment.
World's first year-long breach of key 1.5C warming limit
13 Feb 2024
For the first time, global warming has exceeded 1.5C across an entire year, according to the EU's climate service.
Ocean system that moves heat gets closer to collapse, which could cause weather chaos, study says
13 Feb 2024
An abrupt shutdown of Atlantic Ocean currents that could put large parts of Europe in a deep freeze is looking a bit more likely and closer than before as a new complex computer simulation finds a “cliff-like” tipping point looming in the future.
ICROA unveils updated carbon credit 'code of practice'
13 Feb 2024
International Carbon Reduction and Offset Alliance announces refreshed Code of Best Practice for firms trading carbon credits.
What’s plaguing voluntary carbon markets?
13 Feb 2024
Proponents of voluntary carbon markets argue they are essential for increasing climate finance and enabling companies to reach their net-zero targets. But critics argue that voluntary arrangements are little more than elaborate greenwashing mechanisms.
Nearly half of the world’s migratory species are in decline, UN report says
13 Feb 2024
Many songbirds, sea turtles, whales, sharks and other migratory animals move to different environments with changing seasons and are imperilled by habitat loss, illegal hunting and fishing, pollution and climate change.
The 1,200 big methane leaks from waste dumps trashing the planet
13 Feb 2024
The huge leaks of the potent greenhouse gas will doom climate targets, experts say, but stemming them would rapidly reduce global heating.
EU calls for 90% emissions cut by 2040
12 Feb 2024
The EU executive’s recommendation comes as the bloc’s green policies are facing a growing backlash.
Jury awards climate scientist Michael Mann $1 million in defamation lawsuit
12 Feb 2024
A jury awarded $1 million to climate scientist Michael Mann who sued a pair of conservative writers 12 years ago after they compared his depictions of global warming to a convicted child molester.
The climate denial network behind ‘classic astroturf’ farmers’ campaign
12 Feb 2024
Producers say ‘No Farmers, No Food’ is a populist initiative that serves to “whip up indignation and anger”.
New York City is considering a laundry pods crackdown
12 Feb 2024
Laundry and dishwasher detergent pods made with polyvinyl alcohol, or PVA, contribute to plastics pollution in US waterways.
Critics decry controversial bill that loosens deforestation restrictions in Peru
12 Feb 2024
Peru’s Congress approved a new amendment to the country’s forest and wildlife law, which loosens restrictions on deforestation and may affect the rights of Indigenous peoples.
A leading data scientist's journey from doomism to climate hope
12 Feb 2024
Data scientist Hannah Ritchie argues that planetary damage could be about to peak – but that the US election result could be "pivotal".
FMA urges sharper focus on climate risk disclosures
Today 11:30am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand companies are making steady progress in climate-related financial disclosures, but the Financial Markets Authority says many organisations still need to provide clearer and more robust reporting on physical climate risks and their potential business impacts.
Climate Leaders Coalition on PM meetings: 'it wasn’t us'
Mon 25 May 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The 81-member Climate Leaders Coalition is distancing itself from the actions of members who lobbied the Prime Minister’s Office to intervene and stop a landmark climate change court case.
$30m airline fund risks ‘burning public money’ without lasting benefit – expert
20 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A $30 million government package to support regional air routes risks delivering poor value for money while increasing emissions, according to transport strategist Tim Adriaansen.
Europe has 'maybe six weeks of jet fuel left', energy boss warns
20 Apr 2026
Stocks would reach a tipping point in June if Europe was unable to replace at least half of its imports from the Middle East, the organisation said in a report this week.
Govt ramps up war on wilding pines with $79m boost
Mon 25 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government is ramping up efforts to contain the spread of wilding pines with a $79 million funding boost aimed at protecting farmland, biodiversity hotspots, tourism landscapes and water catchments across New Zealand.
Thumbs up for Govt help for businesses transitioning from gas
Today 11:30am
By Liz Kivi | Businesses and climate advocates alike have welcomed the Government’s pre-budget announcement that it will help secure cheap lending for businesses transitioning from gas, as New Zealand’s domestic supply dwindles.
Govt unveils long-awaited voluntary carbon market guidance
15 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has released long-awaited guidance for New Zealand’s voluntary carbon and nature markets, as questions continue for the sector despite ministers signalling support for its growth.
Carbon News updates forward curve
13 May 2026
Carbon News has updated its ten-year NZU forward curve, following a recent rise in spot market prices, with NZUs rallying from about $34 in January to nearly $54 in early May.
New coal plants hit ‘10-year’ global high in 2025 – but power output still fell
Fri 22 May 2026
The number of new coal-fired power plants built around the world hit a “10-year high” in 2025, even as the global coal fleet generated less electricity, amid a “widening disconnect” in the sector.
Mike Smith’s asymmetric victory
Mon 25 May 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: The New Zealand Government’s recent move, undercutting citizens’ rights and the rule of law to cancel the country’s most important climate case is a massive win for Mike Smith, the climate change activist who brought it.
Green building council calls for clean energy policies
18 May 2026
The New Zealand Green Building Council has released its 2026 election manifesto calling for policies to reduce energy waste in buildings, lower household and business energy costs, and improve New Zealand’s energy security.
What Magyar’s defeat of Orbán in Hungary means for climate and energy
21 Apr 2026
Hungary has played a disproportionate role in EU climate and energy policy in recent years, by repeatedly vetoing climate action and by delaying the phaseout of Russian fossil-fuel imports.
Conservation land open for voluntary carbon market schemes
12 May 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The government is to open up the Crown-owned conservation estate to private investment in voluntary carbon market projects.
Marae solar project boosts sustainability and mana motuhake
Mon 25 May 2026
By Moana Ellis, Local Democracy Reporter | Five marae from Whanganui to Taumarunui are running on solar power and many more could join a major green energy initiative aimed at cutting electricity costs and strengthening community resilience.
Environmental groups call for ETS reform
20 Feb 2026
Several environmental organisations are calling on political parties to make climate and biodiversity central to the 2026 election campaign, with reforming the Emissions Trading Scheme seen as a key priority.
How do hurricanes and typhoons form and is climate change making them stronger?
Mon 25 May 2026
Rising temperatures mean that hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones have the potential to bring stronger winds and heavier rain – and scientists warn it only takes one strong storm to bring major impacts.
EDS urges MPs to scrap the Fisheries Amendment Bill
5 May 2026
Media release | The Environmental Defence Society today lodged a substantive submission on the Fisheries Amendment Bill.
Biomass sector asks: where did the love go?
18 May 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand has sufficient biomass in its plantation forests to replace natural gas for industrial process heat at lower costs than electrification, but is failing to get the attention it deserves, sector leaders say.
Govt’s LNG plan puts trade deals at risk, lawyers warn
Today 11:30am
By Liz Kivi | Lawyers for Climate Action are warning that the government’s plans for an LNG import terminal and to subsidise gas fields are in breach of New Zealand’s free trade agreements with the UK and the EU.
Hipkins pans LNG plan as ‘massive step backwards’
19 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | Labour leader Chris Hipkins has told a Queenstown audience that a Government he leads would not proceed with a planned LNG import terminal, if elected at November’s election.
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.”
New funding for low methane farming uptake
29 Apr 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The government will co-fund projects under an Early Adoption Accelerator scheme announced today to accelerate the uptake of low emissions farming technologies emerging from the AgriZero public-private partnership.
NZ Govt’s move to halt climate litigation under international scrutiny
19 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | Local and international NGOs have signed an open letter calling on the Government to reconsider its decision to shield major emitters from legal liability for climate-related harm.
Why ‘greenhushing’ signals deeper issues with NZ’s climate risk reporting regime
15 May 2026
By Hang Pham, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington | Most of us are familiar with the concept of greenwashing: organisations exaggerating or overstating their environmental credentials. But in New Zealand, there are signs the country’s climate disclosure regime may inadvertently be driving a very different trend: not saying much at all.
‘Formidable’ El Niño expected this winter
29 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Meteorologists are anticipating a significant El Niño influence on weather patterns across the country from winter onwards, with predicted lower rainfall for some areas and heavier rain for others likely to impact multiple sectors of the economy as well as the carbon market.
Victorian Hydrogen announces Southland urea fertiliser project using coal
22 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Australian-based Victorian Hydrogen has announced it is developing a new 1.5 million-tonne-a-year urea fertiliser operation in Southland, which it will apply for under fast-track legislation.
Media round-up
24 Apr 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: What is the real cost of storm-hit infrastructure? Urgency is needed over climate adaptation funding; and a community conservation group has won a legal victory against multinational mining company OceanaGold.
Climate law change spanner in the works for Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry
19 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s controversial changes to New Zealand’s legal framework for climate policy have thrown a spanner in the works for a long-running Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry into climate change.
Climate resolution conundrum for NZ
Today 11:30am
By Vernon Rive | COMMENT: While the United Nations resolution endorsing a landmark climate ruling is significant – politically, diplomatically and legally – its impact on international climate negotiations and domestic action is likely to be indirect and incremental.
GIDI-style help cheaper than LNG: MBIE
11 May 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Officials advised ministers last July that the lowest-cost way to free up gas for use during dry winters was to assist industrial gas users to switch to electricity.
Govt missing tricks to save fuel in crisis
30 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government is being urged to shift its response to the fuel crisis away from short-term relief and towards measures that reduce demand, with public health experts warning it is missing an opportunity to boost energy security and lower household costs.
Climate risks could reshape business finances, new guidance warns
15 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New guidance warns climate change is set to fundamentally reshape financial outcomes for businesses, including difficult-to-model climate “tipping points” – irreversible changes such as ice sheet collapse or ocean circulation shifts – which threaten severe and sudden financial impacts.
Move to block lawsuits could strengthen climate case against Govt
14 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s plan to block climate lawsuits – while potentially fatal for one groundbreaking climate case – could actually bolster claims in another live climate case underway against the Government.
Colombia’s climate crossroads: Trumpism casts shadow over presidential battle
Today 11:30am
Colombia is a global leader in climate activism. Could US influence drag country to a future of mining and fracking?
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.
Six NZ climate solutions up for 2026 Earthshot prize
Thu 21 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Six New Zealand climate and sustainability initiatives have been nominated for the 2026 Earthshot Prize, with the shortlist showcasing Kiwi-led solutions tackling emissions, plastic waste and ocean restoration.
Environmental groups sue Trump administration over approval of new ultra deep-water drilling project
23 Apr 2026
Environmental groups sued the Trump administration on Monday over its approval last month of oil company BP’s ultra deep-water drilling project in the Gulf of Mexico.
Govt had ‘little choice’ in signing key UN climate resolution – expert
Fri 22 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate policy expert Bronwyn Hayward said it was “shameful’ New Zealand didn’t throw more active support behind a pivotal climate resolution ratified by the United Nations this week.
A real ‘intergenerational equity’ budget would address Australia’s unceasing environmental decline
15 May 2026
Labor has unveiled a budget designed to tackle intergenerational equity in Australia through bold tax reform.
ESG funds include petrochemical companies, report finds
5 May 2026
Global banks have invested US$133bn into US petrochemical expansion, even as the industry is linked to climate change.
Greens bill to ban mining on conservation land drawn from ballot
Today 11:30am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A Greens member’s bill seeking to ban new mining, prospecting and exploration on conservation land has been drawn from Parliament’s ballot, with the party saying the proposed law would close a loophole allowing mining on land set aside for environmental protection.
Media round-up
Fri 22 May 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Shane Jone is urging mining bosses to apply for fast-track before the election, climate risk is changing where investors put their money, and Hiringa gets more hydrogen-fuelled trucks on the road.
Green Party calls for national electrification plan
20 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party is calling for a national plan to electrify homes, transport and industry using renewable energy, to reduce fossil fuel dependence in response to the Middle East crisis.
NZ at risk of falling behind on EV transition
Fri 22 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | An EV lobby group is warning that New Zealand is at a crossroads on transport electrification, with inconsistent policy settings and lagging charging infrastructure slowing uptake, while global adoption accelerates and fuel price shocks renew interest in electric vehicles.
‘Landmark’ conservation reform bill – boost or bust for nature?
8 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government has announced an overhaul of the country’s conservation system, which environmental organisation Forest & Bird says will undo the work of many generations of Kiwis to protect public conservation land.
Climate scientists accuse livestock industry of fuzzy math to downplay climate warming emissions
Fri 22 May 2026
A group of the world’s leading climate scientists are warning governments and the livestock industry against adopting an “accounting trick” that will imperil the all-out global effort required to control heat-trapping emissions.
Global wind and solar power outpace gas for first time in April, report shows
Fri 22 May 2026
Wind and solar combined generated more electricity than gas globally in April for the first month ever, data analysed by UK-based think tank Ember showed on Thursday.
Carbon trading schemes cut more emissions than carbon taxes, according to global study
20 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Carbon trading schemes are more effective than carbon taxes at reducing emissions, cutting fossil fuel use, and accelerating the shift to renewable energy, a global study has found.
Why both trees and technology are important in the race to mitigate carbon emissions
4 May 2026
Different carbon‑removal approaches solve different problems, and pitting these technologies against each other could slow progress.
Pacific climate response in question as NZ finance remains unclear
19 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With New Zealand's $1.3 billion international climate finance commitment set to end with no clarity on what follows, the Auditor-General says oversight of that funding remains patchy and long-term outcomes are unclear.
Rotorua extends diesel bus contract after NZTA declines extra funding
Mon 25 May 2026
By Mathew Nash, Local Democracy Reporter | Rotorua is stuck with its diesel-powered public buses after a funding snag played a part in setting back plans for zero-emission buses by years.
NZ votes in favour of key UN climate resolution
Thu 21 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | A pivotal United Nations resolution to recognise a landmark International Court of Justice climate ruling has passed with nations voting overwhelmingly in its favour, with New Zealand voting on the same side as Pacific allies who spearheaded the vote.
NZ First moves to revive container return scheme
4 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | NZ First is aiming to launch a national container return scheme, which could recycle over a billion wasted containers each year, reviving a policy shelved by the previous Labour-led Government in 2023.
Commission urges Govt action on climate risks
7 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | Climate change currently poses major risks to our water infrastructure with “significant gaps” in readiness to manage risks and increasing hazards, according to the Climate Change Commission.
Why is Northern Ireland facing a growing threat from wildfires?
7 May 2026
Figures show that spring drought events are happening more often while there has been a sharp rise in "fire weather" - a mix of warmth, dryness, and wind that allows fires to ignite and spread rapidly. Experts warn this combination, along with climate change, is creating a longer and more volatile wildfire season.
Human health appears unaffected by living near wind turbines
Thu 21 May 2026
Media release: PNAS | High-resolution data collected across the United States show negligible evidence of adverse health outcomes tied to wind turbine exposure, a study finds.
