Topics tagged with 'Carbon News world'
Scientists are reviving climate and nature research efforts in the wake of Trump cuts
9 May 2025
The National Climate Assessment and National Nature Assessment were set to offer a status check for the environment in the U.S. Then they were axed.
New carbon credit scheme targets 60 plants by 2030 for coal phaseout
8 May 2025
The Rockefeller Foundation aims to sign up 60 projects by 2030 to a new carbon finance scheme for phasing out coal-fired power in developing countries, it said on Wednesday, after its rulebook was given the go-ahead.
World energy methane emissions near record high in 2024: IEA
8 May 2025
Record fossil fuel production kept planet-heating methane emissions near historic highs last year, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday, warning of a surge in massive leaks from oil and gas facilities.
Abandoned infrastructure one of the biggest polluters in the world – report
8 May 2025
Emissions from abandoned coalmines, oil and gas wells globally are larger than any single country except China, the US and Russia.
EU plans to end Russian gas imports by end of 2027
8 May 2025
The European Commission has published a "roadmap" outlining its plans to end Europe's reliance on Russian energy in the coming years.
Solar geoengineering is possible with existing aircraft, study finds
8 May 2025
Scientists previously thought that solar geoengineering—or releasing particles into the atmosphere to reflect solar rays—would require specialised high-altitude vehicles.
Glitter’s sparkle hides a darker side – it can change the chemistry of our oceans
8 May 2025
Glitter – specifically, the kind made from a common plastic polymer called polyethylene terephthalate – is not merely polluting the ocean. It could actively interfere with marine life as it forms shells and skeletons, which is a much bigger deal than it might sound.
Scientific societies say they’ll step up after Trump puts key climate report in doubt
7 May 2025
Two major scientific societies on Friday said they will try to fill the void from the Trump administration’s dismissal of scientists writing a cornerstone federal report on what climate change is doing to the United States.
UK: How the political consensus on climate change has shattered
7 May 2025
When the UK became the first major economy in the world to commit to reducing its carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, there was so little disagreement among MPs it was simply 'nodded through' without a vote.
China’s electric vehicle industry is preparing to take on the world. Is America ready?
7 May 2025
his year’s Shanghai auto show has a clear message for visitors: China is now a global leader in innovation, and it wants the world to know.
Asia’s fossil-free future demands real transformation – not a false transition
7 May 2025
COMMENT: As it meets this week, the Asian Development Bank should stop supporting fossil gas as a “bridge” fuel and back renewable energy.
Who has the right to decide what happens on indigenous lands?
7 May 2025
In Ecuador, Indigenous communities are fighting for stronger safeguards to protect their sovereignty as more oil drilling looms. A right to say no to unwanted development could revolutionize consultation processes used around the world.
Aviation industry is ‘failing dramatically’ on climate, insiders say
7 May 2025
Professionals call for a fundamental transition including controlling flight numbers.
Landmark ruling should encourage more cities to ban fossil fuel ads, campaigners urge
6 May 2025
A ban on fossil fuel adverts in The Hague has been upheld by a Dutch court, in an “historic ruling” that campaigners hope will embolden other cities to take action.
Justice Department sues Hawaii, Michigan, Vermont and New York over state climate actions
6 May 2025
The U.S. Justice Department filed lawsuits against four states this week, claiming their climate actions conflict with federal authority and President Donald Trump’s energy dominance agenda.
Cost of emissions from five major Australian resource companies more than $900bn, study finds
6 May 2025
US researchers link BHP, Rio Tinto, Santos, Whitehaven Coal and Woodside Energy to specific climate harms over three decades.
Who will finance global climate solutions? Not the West.
6 May 2025
As the U.S. and Europe slash their development funding, Chinese president Xi Jinping vowed that his country “will not slow down its climate actions.”
World's largest '100 per cent electric' ship launched by Tasmanian builder Incat
6 May 2025
At 130 metres long, Hull 096 is the largest electric vehicle of its kind ever built, with its maker Incat saying it represents a "giant leap forward in sustainable shipping".
Carbon capture company wins $5m to scale up
6 May 2025
UNDO, founded by Jim Mann, won an Xprize competition offering cash prizes for projects that could combat climate change.
Australia’s centre-left Labor Party retains power in vote seen as test of anti-Trump sentiment
5 May 2025
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has secured a second term in office in a disastrous night for his conservative rivals, as voters chose stability over change against a backdrop of global turmoil inflicted by US President Donald Trump.
An insurance crisis compounded by climate change threatens the broader economy
5 May 2025
One expert speaking at a forum on insurance and housing says climate change could soon mark a “death spiral” for the financial industry in parts of the country.
UK banks put £75bn into firms building climate-wrecking ‘carbon bombs’, study finds
5 May 2025
Britain is the key financial hub for destructive fossil fuel mega-projects, according to research.
New report sees corporate climate risk tripling by 2050
5 May 2025
Companies listed on the world's biggest stock exchanges have over $1 trillion at risk ahead in countries facing high climate vulnerabilities, a new analysis finds.
US House of Representatives strikes a blow against California in a fight over EVs
5 May 2025
The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to undo three federal waivers that let California set strict vehicle pollution standards.
Alleged Exxon hacker-for-hire loses extradition fight In London court
5 May 2025
Amit Forlit, who is accused of conducting hacking operations against 128 targets, faces up to 45 years behind bars if found guilty.
The world’s biggest companies have caused $28 trillion in climate damage, a new study estimates
2 May 2025
The world’s biggest corporations have caused $28 trillion in climate damage, a new study estimates as part of an effort to make it easier for people and governments to hold companies financially accountable, like the tobacco giants have been.
What caused the blackout in Spain and Portugal and did renewable energy play a part?
2 May 2025
The countries boast high levels of wind and solar on their grids, leading to speculation about the robustness of the technology.
Where Labor and the Coalition stand on nature and environment policies this federal election
2 May 2025
So what are political parties offering when it comes to our nature laws?
Microplastics could be hampering the ocean’s ability to capture carbon
2 May 2025
A global survey of microplastics in oceans reveals that tiny particles of plastic are prevalent throughout the water column, which could harm marine ecosystems and affect carbon storage in the deep sea.
BP is in a mess – and the climate is being asked to foot the bill
2 May 2025
Between poor figures and the exit of its renewable energy chief, the big oil firm is flailing.
Trump’s first 100 days: US walks away from global climate action
1 May 2025
The Trump administration has pulled the plug on the UN climate process and its financial contributions, while at the same time backing fossil fuels and obstructing renewables.
UK is not ready for coming climate ‘disaster,’ government advisers warn
1 May 2025
Despite increased examples of extreme weather, advisers say ‘we are seeing no increase in action’.
EV sales are up more than 10% in the US despite Tesla sales dropping
1 May 2025
GM saw the biggest surge in EV shipments, while Tesla dropped by 9% compared to last year.
Large fires are burning on the slopes of South Africa's famous Table Mountain
1 May 2025
Helicopters dropped water on large fires burning on the slopes of South Africa's Table Mountain on Tuesday as police investigated whether arson was the cause.
UK project trials carbon capture at sea to help tackle climate change
1 May 2025
The world is betting heavily on carbon capture — a term that refers to various techniques to stop carbon pollution from being released during industrial processes, or removing existing carbon from the atmosphere, to then lock it up permanently.
Protecting coastal waters may be the best investment you’ve never heard of
1 May 2025
COMMENT: The ocean has long been treated as the world’s forgotten frontier—out of sight, out of mind, and dangerously overused.
UK: Tony Blair at war with Ed Miliband over net zero
30 Apr 2025
Tony Blair has warned of a credibility gap with voters over sacrifices needed to get to net zero, but Ed Miliband’s allies point out his agenda was part of Labour’s victorious election manifesto.
Trump’s missing climate invite makes US look even more isolated
30 Apr 2025
Tomes have been written about US President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the country back from climate diplomacy. Now, when it comes to climate talks, he’s being shunned too.
It’s time for Canada’s Mark Carney to think big on climate, experts say
30 Apr 2025
Even Carney’s climate background wasn’t enough to put climate action on center stage.
Xi commits China to full climate plan but emissions-cutting ambition still unclear
30 Apr 2025
The Chinese president told fellow global leaders that the country’s updated climate plan would cover all economic sectors and greenhouse gases.
Trump administration dismisses all authors of major climate report, throwing US assessment into limbo
30 Apr 2025
The Trump administration has dismissed all the scientists and other authors working on the next authoritative look at how climate change is affecting the United States.
Massive power outage in Spain and Portugal leaves thousands stranded and millions without light
30 Apr 2025
An unprecedented blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill Monday.
China says wind and solar electricity capacity exceeds thermal for first time
29 Apr 2025
China's wind and solar energy capacity has surpassed that of mostly coal-powered thermal for the first time, the national energy body said Friday.
Unleashing the 89% of people who want climate action could lead to ‘social tipping point’
29 Apr 2025
A whopping 89 percent of people globally want stronger action on the climate crisis, but feel trapped in a “spiral of silence” because of the mistaken belief they are in the minority, according to research.
Pacific island states urge rich countries to expedite plans to cut emissions
29 Apr 2025
Rich countries are dragging their feet on producing new plans to combat the climate crisis, thereby putting the poor into greater danger, some of the world’s most vulnerable nations have warned.
Area burned by UK wildfires in 2025 already at annual record
29 Apr 2025
The area of the UK burnt by wildfires so far this year is already higher than the total for any year in more than a decade, satellite data suggests.
Liberal, Conservative platforms don’t say if they’ll meet Canada’s emissions target
29 Apr 2025
Neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives have laid out how — or even if — their policy platforms will work to have Canada meet its greenhouse gas emissions targets under the global Paris climate pact.
AI energy demand can keep fossil fuels alive, tech backers promise world’s two biggest oil producers
29 Apr 2025
An AI-fossil fuel axis is forming in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia as AI advocates pledge an endless need for energy — spelling disaster for the climate.
Countries could use forests to 'mask' needed emission cuts: report
28 Apr 2025
Major economies are overstating how much carbon their forests can absorb in a climate accounting fudge that could allow them to use even more fossil fuels, new research said Thursday.
Why Trump is signing an executive action on mining the deep ocean
28 Apr 2025
President Donald Trump is trying to fast track a brand new, highly controversial industry – mining critical minerals in the deep sea.
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
Today 11:45am
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.
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.
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.
At least 30 killed and several missing as heavy rains and floods lash northern China
Today 11:45am
Thousands of people were evacuated as the region, including the capital Beijing, braced for more rainfall overnight.
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.
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.
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.
SBTi releases Net Zero Standard for banks, investors
Thu 24 Jul 2025
The Science Based Targets initiative announced the release of its finalised Financial Institutions Net-Zero Standard, aimed at enabling banks and investors to set net zero-aligned targets for their lending, investing, insurance and capital markets activities.
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.
Taranaki mayors want hydrogen kick-start from Wellington
Mon 28 Jul 2025
By Craig Ashworth, Local Democracy Reporter Taranaki mayors want central government to partner up with their councils to kick-start a hydrogen industry. This despite ongoing questions about the gas’s effectiveness in reducing carbon emissions.
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.
All aboard for passenger rail in the golden triangle
Mon 28 Jul 2025
Media release – The Future Is Rail | New Zealand’s national passenger rail advocacy group, The Future is Rail, has announced its strong support for the Green Party’s proposal to establish a new passenger rail service connecting Auckland and Tauranga.
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
Thu 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.
As US climate data-gathering is gutted, Australian forecasting is now at real risk
Today 11:45am
As damage from climate change intensifies, political change overseas is threatening Australia’s ability to track what’s happening now, and predict what will happen next.
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.
China's carbon emissions may have peaked thanks to renewables push
Mon 28 Jul 2025
Climate experts say China's carbon emissions may have peaked, which could affect global climate targets, the fight against global warming – and the Australian coal industry.
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.
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.
