Topics tagged with 'Carbon News world'
Minister warns Canadians may pay more in carbon tax than they receive in rebate
3 Apr 2023
Canada’s environment and climate change minister acknowledged that the average household may eventually pay more for the carbon price than it gets back in rebate payments, but says the Liberal government has other programs to help Canadians lower their energy costs overall.
The media’s recent turn to “climate optimism” Is a cruel fantasy
3 Apr 2023
On March 20, the final installment of the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) landed with all the force of a pebble hurled into the sea.
Legacy auto faces disaster in China with unsellable cars as pollution crunch looms
31 Mar 2023
We are currently witnessing a major disruption in the world’s largest car market, that will have massive implications for the biggest carmakers as they seek to manage the switch from fossil fuel vehicles to electric.
Australia caps major fossil fuel polluters
31 Mar 2023
Australia’s parliament has passed breakthrough climate laws targeting the nation’s worst polluters, forcing coal mines and oil refineries to curb emissions by about 5% each year.
Private jet flights in Europe soar to record levels — and most were ultra-short journeys
31 Mar 2023
A private jet aviation boom shows no signs of slowing.
Swedish right-wing government puts country on ‘wrong’ climate path
31 Mar 2023
Sweden has increased its greenhouse gas emissions while other EU member states are reducing them since the new right-wing government, in office for five months, changed its tack on climate policy.
Study highlights potential of Africa's 'forgotten' food crops for climate resilience and nutrition
31 Mar 2023
Scientists have identified several forgotten food crops in sub-Saharan Africa that can be incorporated into the cropping system to support climate resilience and nutrition in the region. The study has been published in the journal PNAS.
UK Government backs first 20 green hydrogen projects
31 Mar 2023
Projects under development by Carlton Power, Octopus Hydrogen, ScottishPower, SSE Renewables and ERM Dolphyn are among those shortlisted for support under the UK Government’s electrolytic hydrogen scheme.
Global energy transition “off-track” and needs $US35 trillion by 2030
30 Mar 2023
A new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has declared that the global energy transition is “off-track” and requires an influx of investment worth $US35 trillion by 2030 to ultimately be successful.
Push for decision at world’s top court
30 Mar 2023
The concerns of young people in the Pacific about climate change are set to be heard at the world's top court.
Swiss women launch landmark lawsuit in Europe claiming weak climate action breaches their human rights
30 Mar 2023
A group of older Swiss women are taking their government to Europe’s top human rights court, claiming its failure to act on the climate crisis is violating their human rights.
US to auction Gulf of Mexico oil under climate compromise
30 Mar 2023
The Biden administration will auction oil and gas leases across more than 114,000 square miles (295,000 square kilometres) in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday in a sale mandated by last year's climate bill compromise.
Meat and dairy giants face $24bn of climate-related losses by 2030
30 Mar 2023
That is according to a new report from investor coalition FAIRR, which convenes members with more than $70trn of assets under management in a drive to improve sustainability-related engagement between investors and companies in the protein sectors.
Cop28 host UAE tried to weaken global shipping’s climate ambition
30 Mar 2023
The United Arab Emirates tried to weaken global shipping’s climate target last week, sparking fears that it will lack ambition as host of the Cop28 climate summit.
Methane cools even as it heats
29 Mar 2023
Most climate models do not yet account for a new UC Riverside discovery: methane traps a great deal of heat in Earth's atmosphere, but also creates cooling clouds that offset 30% of the heat.
EU plans early carbon market auctions from July
29 Mar 2023
The European Union plans to conduct early carbon market auctions, starting from July, to raise extra funds to help countries quit Russian gas and cut emissions, the European Commission said on Monday evening.
Trees grow for extra month as planet warms: study
29 Mar 2023
Researchers studying hardwoods in northwest Ohio say a century of warming has extended their annual growing season by a month on average.
Fear of climate lawsuits spreads beyond fossil fuel industry
29 Mar 2023
The fear of being sued for contributing to climate change was once confined to the boardrooms of oil and gas companies.
Finnish startup raises €1.8 million to make manufacturing concrete carbon negative
29 Mar 2023
Joensuu-based Carbonaide, a VTT spin-out company, has raised €1.8 million in seed funding, which will be used to integrate their CO2 curing technology into an automated production line in Hollola, Finland.
What role can citizens’ assemblies play in solving the climate crisis?
29 Mar 2023
Political scientist Rikki Dean has done research on climate assemblies. In his opinion, democracies are struggling to cope with global warming with these citizen panels alone.
Aussie climate deal struck after Labor and the Greens reach safeguard mechanism agreement
28 Mar 2023
The Australian government has secured the support it needs to implement its central climate change commitment, after reaching a deal with the Greens following months of safeguard mechanism negotiations.
Is climate change to blame for the 8,000km long seaweed blob floating toward Florida and Mexico?
28 Mar 2023
A massive 8,000km long blob of seaweed is floating towards Florida, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
Brazilian Govt eyes permanent climate emergency for over 1000 cities
28 Mar 2023
Brazil's Minister of Environment and Climate Change Marina Silva Sunday admitted that President Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva's administration was considering the possibility of declaring a state of climate emergency in 1,038 municipalities mapped as most vulnerable, Agencia Brasil reported.
Scientists have found which gender is likely to have the biggest carbon footprint
28 Mar 2023
Gender differences exist in most areas of life. But it's now been proven that your carbon footprint is also influenced by your sex.
Want to sequester carbon? Save wild animals
28 Mar 2023
Gray wolves, elephants, wildebeests and sea otters are a few of the species that can help keep global warming below 1.5 degrees C.
Berlin’s referendum on climate neutrality by 2030 fails
28 Mar 2023
A referendum in Berlin on making the German capital climate neutral by 2030 failed to garner sufficient support.
Berlin vote could turbocharge German capital’s climate plans
27 Mar 2023
A referendum on Sunday, which has attracted considerable financial support from U.S.-based philanthropists, calls for Berlin to become climate neutral by 2030.
Some UK lawyers vow to not prosecute climate activists
27 Mar 2023
Leading UK lawyers say they will refuse to prosecute climate protesters or represent new fossil fuel projects.
EU governments sued for violating human rights through climate inaction
27 Mar 2023
Citizens affected by climate change are suing the governments of more than 30 European countries in three separate cases before the European Court of Human Rights, alleging that state inaction has violated their human rights.
How China, the U.S. and others watered down a key U.N. climate document
27 Mar 2023
China, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia are among countries that significantly altered a United Nations document that will shape global climate policy for years to come, according to an account of international negotiations preceding its release.
The temptation of high oil prices is shaking Norway’s climate commitments
27 Mar 2023
Offshore oil is booming. According to the research firm, Rystad, spending on offshore oil investments exceeded $100 billion in 2022 for the first time in a decade, and will do so again in 2023 and 2024.
China ahead in carbon capture race with 73% of patents, while UK filed just 1%
27 Mar 2023
Chinese scientists filed 73% of all carbon capture and storage (CCS) patents last year, new research shared exclusively with City A.M. by law firm Mathys and Squire shows.
Climate freeloaders are destroying the planet
24 Mar 2023
Alaska isn't supposed to be an inferno—but its summers are now so warm that apocalyptic wildfires are almost inevitable.
Wind farm noise not harmful to health: New study finds no evidence of wind turbine syndrome
24 Mar 2023
A new scientific study has become the latest to debunk the theory that infrasound generated by wind farms can be harmful to human health, finding no evidence at all for the existence of what has become known as wind turbine syndrome.
ECB starts disclosing climate impact of portfolios on road to Paris-alignment
24 Mar 2023
The European Central Bank (ECB) has published its first climate-related financial disclosures, which provide information on its portfolios’ carbon footprint and exposure to climate risks, as well as on climate-related governance, strategy and risk management.
A climate deal that could become a model for others
24 Mar 2023
Cape Verde is just one of many countries that are struggling under the effects of global warming. But a new approach could provide relief: Debt forgiveness in exchange for a climate fund.
Nations fight to be called climate vulnerable in IPCC report
24 Mar 2023
Government negotiators fought bitterly last week over which groups and regions are defined as particularly vulnerable to climate change in the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
US bill could save buyers of bikes $1,500
24 Mar 2023
US lawmakers have reintroduced a bill that would provide a tax break for those buying ebikes.
We know the damage, but who will foot the bill?
23 Mar 2023
Media outlets are hailing the IPCC’s synthesis report as yet another final warning, as a desperate call to act now before it’s too late. It is fundamental to recognize, however, that this will only be achieved if those causing the climate crisis are held to account.
‘Exceptional’ surge in methane emissions from wetlands worries scientists
23 Mar 2023
Methane emissions from wetlands have risen faster this century than in even the most pessimistic climate scenarios, new research finds.
Planting this could feed millions and lock away tons of carbon
23 Mar 2023
The world hungers for more food while wildlife yearns for untouched habitats. So goes the conflict between our seemingly insatiable need for agricultural land, razing forests to make way for cattle and crops.
Britain's Drax pauses $2.5 billion biomass carbon capture plans
23 Mar 2023
British power generator Drax will pause its planned 2 billion pound ($2.45 billion) UK investment in bioenergy with carbon capture and storage until it receives more clarity on government support, it said on Tuesday.
The Aukus deal is a crime against the world’s climate future. It didn’t have to be like this
23 Mar 2023
By the time Australia gets its first nuclear-powered submarines, ecological collapse will already have reshaped world politics.
Veterinary antibiotics reduce soil carbon sequestration capacity
23 Mar 2023
A recent study has found that veterinary antibiotics, used extensively in livestock, are limiting soil’s ability to sequester carbon.
Can we really take CO2 back out of the air?
22 Mar 2023
Tackling climate change could require sucking carbon back out of the atmosphere, according to the IPCC. Jocelyn Timperley looks at how these 'negative emissions' might work.
A new report shows huge issues with carbon credits project in Kenya
22 Mar 2023
Expected to generate anywhere between $300 and $500 million and possibly even more, the Northern Kenya Grassland Carbon Project already has huge corporate customers, such as Netflix and Meta.
Booming airline traffic could force carriers to buy carbon offsets as early as 2024
22 Mar 2023
Rising airline traffic is expected to trigger global emissions-related requirements for some carriers as early as next year, according to a top airline trade group, even as debate broadens on the effectiveness of that approach.
Low-carbon design can reduce cement emissions by 40% - here’s how to deploy it at scale
22 Mar 2023
Cement emissions from construction projects can fall by up to 40% by 2030 with low-carbon materials and design techniques.
Climate models aren’t dusty enough
22 Mar 2023
Rising mineral dust levels in the atmosphere are counteracting global warming to some extent, according to a study published in Nature Reviews Earth and Environment.
The Incredible Disappearing Doomsday - how the climate catastrophists learned to stop worrying and love the calm
22 Mar 2023
The first signs that the mood was brightening among the corps of reporters called to cover one of the gravest threats humanity has ever faced appeared in the summer of 2021. “Climate change is not a pass/fail course,” Sarah Kaplan wrote in the Washington Post.
Fifty years of observations, no reversal of glacier climate damage
31 Mar 2026
Media release: Earth Sciences New Zealand | Fifty years on from the first aerial survey of our Southern Alps glaciers, late snow and variable summer weather delivered a temporary reprieve from rapid ice loss, says Earth Sciences New Zealand.
From war to weather: A ‘super El Niño’ event poses fresh risks to global food costs
Today 12:15pm
An unusually powerful El Niño later this year could exacerbate food security fears as disruption caused by the Iran war strains supply for crucial fertilier products.
$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.
Media round-up
Today 12:15pm
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Past fuel price spikes failed to shift Kiwis out of their cars with signs suggesting it’s happening again, a 'she’ll be right' attitude is not enough in a climate crisis, and should forestry be listed as critical in the government's national fuel plan?
Environmental groups launch legal action over Govt's 'tick-box approach' to conservation land
Wed 8 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Forest & Bird and the Environmental Defence Society are taking the Government to court over decisions about the future of publicly-owned land on Te Tai Poutini/the West Coast.
New alliance wants renewable-led energy – and Govt to press pause on LNG
Thu 9 Apr 2026
A newly formed coalition of business, consumer and energy organisations has unveiled a renewable-led strategy it says will strengthen the country’s energy security, and it’s calling on the Government to pause its plan for an LNG import terminal.
Carbon ‘stockpile’ up 9 million in March quarter
Today 12:15pm
By Liz Kivi | The ‘stockpile’ of pollution permits (NZUs) in private accounts has increased by just over 9 million to almost 145 million since the end of 2025, according to the latest figures from the Environmental Protection Authority.
Economic contraction will impact carbon market
1 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | While higher fossil fuel prices strengthen the long-run economics of decarbonisation, the current fuel crisis won’t inspire near-term confidence in the carbon market, according to Lizzie Chambers of Carbon Match.
Activist ends five-day tree-top protest at West Coast coal mine
Today 12:15pm
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A climate activist has ended a five-day tree-top occupation that blocked access to Bathurst Resources’ Cypress Mine on the West Coast, in a protest against plans to expand what could become New Zealand’s largest coal mine.
Supply-side pressures and political uncertainty ahead for carbon market
Tue 7 Apr 2026
By Kristen Green | ANALYSIS: With failed auctions, a surge of new forestry registrations, and an election a few months away, the NZ ETS in 2026 will be subject to a mix of supply-side pressures and political uncertainty.
Sustainable retail-office project breaks ground under new Green Star framework
19 Feb 2026
Construction is set to begin on a new retail-office development in central Auckland, which is targeting a 40% reduction in embodied carbon and 25% lower energy.
Opposition attacks Govt over fossil fuel phaseout backdown
2 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | Revelations that Resources Minister Shane Jones ruled out New Zealand signing up to a 'road map' away from fossil fuels at last year’s global climate summit show the National Party’s minor coalition partners’ undue influence over the Government, according to Labour leader Chris Hipkins.
Carbon price: Ups and downs amid geopolitical uncertainty
26 Mar 2026
By Liz Kivi | After ups and downs in recent weeks, the carbon market again broke above the $40 mark this week, with questions around how the Middle East conflict will play out weighing on market confidence.
Govt tweaks consenting rules for EV chargers
Today 12:15pm
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has announced a national reset of planning rules for EV chargers, which it says aim to address infrastructure shortages which have put the brakes on electric vehicle uptake in New Zealand.
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.
Climate change means a 2004-level flood would likely be worse today
Today 12:15pm
By Rebecca Hogan, Local Democracy Reporter | If floods equivalent to the devastating 2004 event hit Manawatū today, it is predicted the outcome would be more extreme “as a result of climate change”.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transport pollution was the biggest contributor to an increase in New Zealand’s consumption-based emissions in 2023, with emissions from household travel up 12%, and consumption-based emissions totalling 58.3 million tonnes – up 1.6% from the previous year.
Wellington planting nears one million trees
30 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Greater Wellington’s parks restoration programme will hit one million native trees this year, with the first dams to rewet peat wetlands in Queen Elizabeth Park now completed after a years-long effort to bring these ecosystems – and their carbon sequestering superpowers – back to life.
Genesis fires up pellet study with Nature’s Flame
Wed 8 Apr 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Genesis Energy is extending its quest for locally produced torrefied wood pellets to supplement coal and gas to fuel its Huntly power station, announcing it is investigating plant construction with established local solid fuels player Nature’s Flame.
A matter of strategy
Tue 7 Apr 2026
COMMENT: Even on the brink of a global commodities crisis, the possibilities for climate action aren't hopelessly foreclosed. Strategy can turn our fortunes around, writes David Hall.
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.”
FMA to ease conditions for green bond issues
31 Mar 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Green, social and sustainability-linked bonds will face lower disclosure requirements and regulatory costs under a class exemption newly granted by the Financial Markets Authority.
New protections for NZ migratory species under UN convention
2 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New international protections for migratory species, including several found in New Zealand, are a positive step – but global protections won’t halt the decline of migratory species on their own, experts say.
Fonterra admits ‘100% grass-fed’ claim breached law in greenwashing row
2 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Fonterra has admitted its “100% New Zealand grass-fed” claims on Anchor butter were misleading and breached the law, settling a case brought by Greenpeace Aotearoa over packaging used between December 2023 and April 2025.
Govt missing opportunity to slash electricity prices, says expert
11 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s fixation on eliminating the "dry-year risk margin" as a lever to reduce costs misses a much bigger opportunity to lower electricity prices, according to Christina Hood, head of Compass Climate.
NZ prepares to join ‘gold rush’ for white hydrogen
25 Mar 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand may be close to commercialising the capture and use of naturally occurring ‘white’ hydrogen, with investment plans for developments in the Wairarapa region picking up pace in response to spiralling oil prices.
Media round-up
20 Mar 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Crown lawyers agree High Court could quash emissions plan if found unlawful; NZ is locked in 'disaster inertia'; and climate change is notably absent from new development laws.
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.
Lawyers complain to ombudsman over Govt failure to release LNG modelling
1 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Lawyers for Climate Action has made a formal complaint to the Ombudsman over the Government’s failure to release information about its controversial decision to build a LNG import terminal.
EA entrenches 10kW export limit for residential solar
Wed 8 Apr 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The Electricity Authority intends to require all electricity networks to offer at least a 10 kilowatt (kW) export capacity for residential rooftop and other small-scale distributed generation.
NZ First targets regional share of mining royalties
30 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand First has proposed returning 50% of mining royalties to regional communities, saying that too much of the value from resource extraction is currently flowing to Wellington.
Tuvalu prioritises climate change in agreement with NZ
27 Mar 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand has pledged an additional $20 million to climate resilience work in Tuvalu, more than doubling Aotearoa's aid to the tiny island nation in the current financial year.
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.
Worst in a generation: Environmentalists slam fisheries reform bill
25 Mar 2026
Media release: Greenpeace | The Fisheries Amendment Bill, which will likely have its first reading in parliament this week, is being labelled the worst fisheries policy in a generation by environmental groups who are calling for it to be rejected to protect ocean health.
Renewable build-out runs into grid and firming limits
Wed 8 Apr 2026
New Zealand's electricity market entered 2026 with renewable generation at record levels and a substantial build pipeline finally moving from paper to construction. The harder question is whether the wider system can absorb and firm that capacity fast enough.
Kiwis overly optimistic about state of environment
27 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New research suggests many New Zealanders believe the environment is in better shape than it really is, with public perceptions often out of step with scientific evidence.
‘They pushed so many lies about recycling’: the fight to stop big oil pumping billions more into plastics
24 Feb 2026
Plastic production has doubled over the last 20 years – and will likely double again. For author Beth Gardiner, metal water bottles and canvas tote bags are not the solution. So what is?
Activists occupy controversial gold drilling site
25 Mar 2026
By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | Opposition in Golden Bay to a controversial gold mine at Sams Creek has flared up over the weekend after several activists briefly occupied a drilling site.
China has a new competitor? Kazakhstan reveals huge rare Earth deposit that could power the next tech boom
25 Feb 2026
China’s grip on rare earths might finally see some competition, and the world is already taking notice.
Solar energy, cheap battery storage can meet 90% of India’s power demand at affordable costs: Ember report
Thu 9 Apr 2026
Battery storage is now cheap enough in India that solar power can meet 90% of the country’s power demand at lower lifetime costs than current average purchase rates in most states, a new study has found, a finding that could potentially point to a future buffer against global energy shocks.
Sci-tech prioritisation report is a joke that could cost NZ dearly, says NZ Association of Scientists
2 Apr 2026
Media release: New Zealand Association of Scientists | The Prioritisation Report released yesterday by the Prime Minister’s Science Innovation and Technology Council makes a poor case for further cuts and changes to our research system.
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.
AI’s arrival complicates Big Tech climate goals, and some worry it’s locking in more fossil fuels
2 Apr 2026
Six years ago, Google was confident that by 2030 it would power all operations with electricity generated from clean sources, including wind and solar power, and remove as much pollution as it produced. Today it calls those goals a “moonshot.” Microsoft says it’s still aiming to remove more carbon than it creates by 2030 but now describes the effort as “a marathon, not a sprint.”
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.
Free fares call as fuel crisis impacts school attendance
Wed 8 Apr 2026
An open letter is urging the Government to make public transport free for all school children and subsidised for students under 25, as rising fuel costs begin to impact attendance and access to education across the country.
Infrastructure plan calls for ‘predictable approach’ to electrifying economy
18 Feb 2026
Aotearoa’s first National Infrastructure Plan, introduced to Parliament yesterday, calls for "a predictable approach to electrifying the economy" as one of ten priorities for the next decade.
Dairy farmers' lack of climate action 'even bleaker' than water inaction – Upton
1 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Government projections for cutting agricultural emissions are being undermined by low farmer uptake, with the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment warning the country is relying on “heroic” assumptions to meet its methane targets.
AI tool predicts wildfire danger faster than current systems
26 Mar 2026
Media release | A wildfire forecasting system powered by artificial intelligence could help detect dangerous fire conditions earlier and reduce the cost of wildfire response, according to new research from Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury.
Fast-track approved project could deliver NZ’s largest wind farm
Tue 7 Apr 2026
Media release: New Zealand Government |Fast-track approval has been granted for New Zealand’s largest wind farm project.
