Topics tagged with 'Carbon News world'
$1.5 trillion lent to coal industry since 2019
21 Feb 2022
Banks and investors have channeled massive sums of money to support the coal industry in recent years, according to new research, propping up the world’s dirtiest fossil fuel at a time when humanity is facing a climate emergency.
Three banks join initiative for voluntary carbon market platform
21 Feb 2022
Three more banks have joined an initiative to develop a new platform for settling transactions of voluntary carbon credits.
Hydrogen hype gets real with big Japanese tender
21 Feb 2022
Australia’s grand hydrogen export ambition faces its first market test with Japan’s largest power generator calling for competitive bids to supply the hydrogen product ammonia as it attempts to cut carbon emissions in its coal-fired power plants
Colonialism distorts efforts to save climate-threatened heritage: report
21 Feb 2022
Climate change threatens to destroy invaluable heritage sites and traditions in marginalized countries — but empowering local people is key to adaptation.
Climate change expert calls for UN watchdog to monitor weather-modifying methods
18 Feb 2022
Efforts to change local weather should be the responsibility of a United Nations watchdog to prevent conflict, an expert on climate change has warned governments across the world.
US to offer $3B to boost battery production, recycling
18 Feb 2022
The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced plans to provide nearly $3 billion to a pair of programs designed to spur domestic production of advanced batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage.
German NGOs call on govt to soon start returning CO2 price revenues to citizens
18 Feb 2022
Germany’s government should soon introduce a so-called climate premium (“Klimageld”) to return the revenues from the national carbon price on transport and heating fuels to citizens, said a group of civil society groups including Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND) and Germanwatch.
How Minecraft is teaching kids to face the threat of climate change
18 Feb 2022
In classrooms all over the world, children are being taught about the world they're going to inherit. Large-scale erosion, melting ice caps, population growth and deforestation fill the pages of geography textbooks, but for some students in elementary school, it's not only hard to imagine -- it's terrifying.
Ganni’s carbon rethink: Offsetting is out. Insetting is the future
18 Feb 2022
Carbon offsets are out and insetting is in for Ganni, which is changing tact in how it tackles the biggest, most challenging sources of emissions in a bid to decarbonise its supply chain.
Carbon credits outperforming bitcoin, in the bet on a longer energy transition
18 Feb 2022
The price of European carbon credits - a core holding of two newly launched ETFs - has outperformed popular investments like bitcoin over the past year. Analysts see the price continuing to climb as governments put more pressure on industries to go green.
Lead EU lawmaker proposes carbon market rules to respond to price spikes
17 Feb 2022
The European Parliament's lead lawmaker on reforms to the EU carbon market on Wednesday proposed rules to make it easier for policymakers to intervene in the scheme if prices rise too fast.
Forests follow unexpected—and surprisingly fast—paths to recovery
17 Feb 2022
A new study found that carbon, nitrogen and soil density in cleared forests reached 90% of levels in untouched forests after 1 to 9 years. They key was leaving them alone.
Canada says U.S. solar tariffs violate trade pact
17 Feb 2022
Canada prevailed on Tuesday in a challenge to U.S. solar panel tariffs under the trade pact between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, its trade minister said on Tuesday, ahead of planned talks with Washington over the dispute.
Could ‘carbon clubs’ supercharge climate action?
17 Feb 2022
There's growing support for the idea of "carbon clubs." Nations in a carbon club place taxes, called a border carbon adjustment (BCA), on imported goods based on the carbon emissions it took to make those goods. Covering everything from cars to rice, proponents say such a mechanism would have benefits for the environment, the economy, and the consumer.
Climate crisis reaches ‘code red’ status
17 Feb 2022
The US coastline is expected to experience up to a foot (30 centimeters) of sea-level rise by the year 2050 because of climate change, making damaging floods far more common than today, a US government study says.
Shell’s Quest blue hydrogen plant emits more carbon than it captures
17 Feb 2022
Just 48% of the plant’s carbon emissions were captured over a five-year period, falling far short of the 90% carbon capture rate promised by the industry, finds research by NGO Global Witness.
Poland calls on EU to remove 'speculators' from its carbon market
16 Feb 2022
Poland has urged the European Union to introduce "control mechanisms" to the bloc's carbon market and curb financial speculators' participation in the scheme, the Polish government said on Tuesday.
A growing wave of litigation spurs climate action
16 Feb 2022
A new report suggests that lawsuits alleging false or misleading “climate-washing” claims are increasing and “pushing the cause forward.”
New IPCC report will strengthen science on links between biodiversity loss, climate change: UNEP
16 Feb 2022
The Working Group II report of the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment (AR6), to be released at the end of the month, will strengthen science on the links between biodiversity loss and climate change, according to Inger Andersen, executive director, UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Big banks pump cash into coal industry in spite of net zero pledges
16 Feb 2022
Big banks are channelling billions into the coal industry in spite of their own net zero targets, according to a new report from a group of 28 environmental campaign groups
This fuel plant will use agricultural waste to combat climate change
16 Feb 2022
A startup plans to build a new type of fuel-producing plant in California’s fertile Central Valley that would, if it works as hoped, continually capture and bury carbon dioxide.
A child born today needs to emit 10 times less than their grandparents
16 Feb 2022
Children born today will emit 10 times less carbon during their lifetimes than their grandparents if the world achieves the goal of reducing global emissions to net zero by 2050.
‘Dangerously fast’ methane increase suggests feedback mechanism may have begun
15 Feb 2022
Methane concentrations in the atmosphere have risen at a “dangerously fast” rate and now exceed 1,900 parts per billion, prompting some researchers to warn that climate change itself may be driving the increase.
Judge bars Biden from using "social cost of carbon" metric
15 Feb 2022
A Trump-appointed judge dealt another blow to Biden's climate agenda on Friday, barring the administration from using a metric that estimates the societal cost of carbon emissions.
German transport ministry opposes raising ambition in EU fleet emission target
15 Feb 2022
The German transport ministry wants to prevent attempts to step up the climate ambitions of the EU's future car fleet emission targets, reports Der Spiegel.
Amazon deforestation: Record high destruction of trees in January
15 Feb 2022
The number of trees cut down in the Brazilian Amazon in January far exceeded deforestation for the same month last year, according to government satellite data.
In a warmer future, ocean carbon sinks could help stabilise our planet
15 Feb 2022
We think of trees and soil as carbon sinks, but the world's oceans hold far larger carbon stocks and are more effective at storing carbon permanently.
Eradicating ‘extreme poverty’ would raise global emissions by less than 1%
15 Feb 2022
The study, published in Nature Sustainability, highlights the global inequality in emissions between people in rich and poor countries. For example, it finds that the average carbon footprint of a person living in sub-Saharan Africa is 0.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide (tCO2). Meanwhile, the average US citizen produces 14.5tCO2 per year.
Flyers not willing to pay extra for green travel: study
14 Feb 2022
A new scientific study has slammed the effectiveness of airline carbon offsetting schemes in combatting climate change.
Why climate change talk must focus on water
14 Feb 2022
Nothing works like clarity in getting things done. And the world needs to get down its carbon emissions to keep it habitable for most of us in the not-too-distant future. Naturally, then, most climate conversations revolve around carbon, with political and business leaders jumping onto the Net Zero bandwagon. So why muddy the waters, by talking about, um, water?
Polar bear inbreeding and bird 'divorces': Weird ways climate change is affecting animal species
14 Feb 2022
The world's biodiversity is constantly being threatened by warming temperatures and extreme changes in climate and weather patterns.
World must ‘change track’ to protect oceans from climate crisis: UN chief
14 Feb 2022
The planet is facing the triple crises of climate disruption, biodiversity loss, and pollution, Secretary-General António Guterres told the One Ocean Summit on Friday, warning that “the ocean shoulders bears much of the burden”.
Pacific Island Forum head calls on world to act now
14 Feb 2022
Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna has called on all States to play their part when it comes to maintaining the health of the ocean. SG Puna made the plea as he attended the One Ocean Summit conference in Brest, France.
How voices from Hawai’i are reframing the climate conversation
14 Feb 2022
The Oceania-Hawai’i Pavilion at Marseille's Parc Chanot exhibition space pulsed with an all-age crowd, music and laughter, like an archipelago of ease.
Aboriginal group launches new carbon farming body
11 Feb 2022
A new Indigenous carbon farming body has today been launched, with the aim of assisting native title groups and Aboriginal leaseholders to enter carbon markets.
Scientists raise alarm over ‘dangerously fast’ growth in atmospheric methane
11 Feb 2022
As global methane concentrations soar over 1,900 parts per billion, some researchers fear that global warming itself is behind the rapid rise.
China's steelmakers get 5 more years to reach peak carbon output
11 Feb 2022
China has scrapped an ambitious push for its steel industry to reach maximum carbon emissions by 2025, pushing the deadline back five years in final guidelines published this week.
UK renewables auctions to be held annually in green energy push
11 Feb 2022
The UK government has re-stated its faith in green technologies with a decision that it says will create a steady stream of renewable energy projects.
How dairy farmers are cashing in on California's push for cleaner fuel
11 Feb 2022
California is trying to cut greenhouse emissions from the state's cars and trucks, and in a controversial twist, its efforts are putting cash in the pockets of dairy farms across the country. It's the result of an odd but lucrative trade: pollution cuts on farms, in order to satisfy limits on emissions from California's roadways.
Mining would see financial boon under global carbon tax — so why is industry fighting it?
11 Feb 2022
The mining industry would see a financial windfall from a global carbon tax, so why does it keep fighting change? That’s the contradiction researchers from the University of British Columbia examined in a study that has provoked strong opposition from the oil and gas industry.
Australia's carbon price dips following last year's 210% gain
10 Feb 2022
Australia’s carbon price has fallen 4.7 per cent to $54.50 a tonne over the past fortnight yet trading volumes of carbon units have surged, indicating the market is stabilising after a massive bull run last year pushed the price up by 210%.
Toronto's huge new solar wall
10 Feb 2022
A company in Toronto is installing North America’s biggest solar wall to date, a 7,000-square-foot system located in an industrial area of Rexdale Blvd. in west-end Etobicoke.
Climate change will be expensive. Who should pay?
10 Feb 2022
A POLITICO Morning Consult Global Sustainability Poll asked people in 13 countries who should pay — governments, taxpayers, consumers, other countries, or the private sector. In every country but one — India — respondents singled out companies
Rethinking how to measure methane's climate impact
10 Feb 2022
Like boxers whose punching power declines over their careers, greenhouse gasses lose their warming impact at different rates. So, to compare gasses' climate changing potential to the most common greenhouse gas—carbon dioxide—international negotiators often use a metric that measures their influence on global warming over a 100-year timeframe.
Climate activist shareholders are finally starting to win
10 Feb 2022
Investors in Costco are mad as hell about the company being a laggard on climate change, and they’re not going to take it anymore.
Green growth won't kill the planet: opinion
10 Feb 2022
The solutions for the 21st century’s two biggest challenges—fixing climate change and securing a decent standard of living for the billions suffering from widening income disparities and resource depletion—have often seemed at odds.
US govt to spend $1 billion to spur farmers and ranchers to fight climate change
9 Feb 2022
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will spend $1 billion on projects for farmers, ranchers and forest landowners to use practices that curb climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions or capture and store carbon.
Italy expects EU carbon price to trade around 80 euros per tonne this year
9 Feb 2022
Italy expects the price of permits on the European Union's carbon market to trade at an average of 80 euros ($91) per tonne this year, giving the government more funds to curb soaring energy bills, a Treasury document seen by Reuters showed.
Emissions targets costly for Australian grain growers
9 Feb 2022
Australian grain growers are "up for the challenge" of further reducing their carbon footprint after a CSIRO report found cutting greenhouse emissions by 2030 could mean less grain produced.
Is there room for fruit trees in carbon capture programmes?
9 Feb 2022
Climate change concerns from buyers and regulators are pushing agricultural commodity groups in new directions. Some have even started to participate in carbon-capture incentive programs such as carbon markets. But is there room for tree fruit in these programmes?
Insurers call for stronger direction on reducing natural hazard risk
Fri 8 Aug 2025
Media release | The Insurance Council of New Zealand | Te Kāhui Inihui o Aotearoa (ICNZ) is urging the Government to provide stronger national direction to better manage natural hazards risks like flooding and landslips and avoid developments in high-risk areas.
Media round-up
Fri 8 Aug 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Former minister of forestry Stuart Nash condemns "lock and leave" carbon farming; Fonterra's convenient omission about its switch from coal; and KiwiRail’s bold electrification plans.
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.
Why plane turbulence is becoming more frequent - and more severe
Wed 6 Aug 2025
As climate change shifts atmospheric conditions, experts warn that air travel could become bumpier: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are expected to increase the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.
'Cali Fund’ for nature still empty as emails show industry hesitation
Fri 8 Aug 2025
A major fund for biodiversity remains starved of resources more than five months after its launch – with no money yet put forward by the large companies who could contribute.
Sustainability claims questioned as renewable diesel surges
14 May 2025
Critics are sceptical about industry claims of renewable diesel life-cycle greenhouse gas emission cuts and warn renewable diesel carbon releases will surge if sourcing is scaled up, triggering tropical deforestation as producers convert forests to energy crops, such as oil palm and soy.
Carbon prices slide as market awaits ETS decision
1 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | Volatility has returned to the secondary carbon market, with prices sliding again after plateauing in recent weeks, as the market waits for government decisions on Emissions Trading Scheme settings.
Bearish sentiment lingers for carbon market
11 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The compliance carbon market could be set for a gradual upward trajectory, however unsold volume from the quarterly Emissions Trading Scheme auctions continues to act as ‘a price ceiling,’ according to an expert.
Gentailers to stockpile coal under new deal
Tue 5 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | An agreement between New Zealand’s four major electricity generators to establish a 10-year fuel reserve is being labelled a 'climate change stockpile', and could undermine momentum for renewable energy investment.
Is extending Huntly power station to 2035 in consumers’ best interest?
22 Jul 2025
By Simon Orme | COMMENT: Genesis Energy is proposing a cartel to keep high-emitting Huntly Power Station in business to 2035. If extending Huntly has economic benefits, is a cartel necessary?
What does 'drier' really mean in 'green' homes?
1 Aug 2025
Media release - Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland | Researchers say green-rating systems could improve clarity and effectiveness by explicitly defining ‘drier’ and using two measures of humidity.
Cuts to climate finance put exports in jeopardy: Lawyers
23 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has halved international climate finance, a move aid organisations describe as “devastating,” and which lawyers say could put our Paris Agreement commitments and export market access at risk.
NZ voluntary carbon market’s sad state
14 Jul 2025
By John O’Brien | OPINION: A combination of scandals, challenging economic times, and cheaper offshore carbon credits, mean that the domestic voluntary carbon market in New Zealand remains absolutely tiny.
China updates green taxonomy to increase energy transition finance
Thu 7 Aug 2025
China has updated its green taxonomy as part of the country’s efforts to strengthen its net-zero transition ambitions and reduce fragmentation.
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.
Proposed hazards policy ‘bare bones’ – Upton
Fri 8 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton has backed the government’s proposed National Policy Statement for Natural Hazards, but warns it is only a start to what’s needed to manage escalating climate and disaster risks.
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.
Tairāwhiti group warns forestry rollback will fuel future disasters
Thu 7 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A sustainable land-use advocacy group has slammed government proposals they say will gut forestry protections and roll back hard-fought gains made in the wake of Cyclone Hale and Gabrielle.
Labour vows to reinstate oil and gas ban
Wed 6 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Labour Party is promising to reinstate a ban on new oil and gas exploration permits, but won’t say if they will go even further and commit to revoking permits if elected.
A modest geothermal strategy
31 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The Government has unveiled a far more modest geothermal energy strategy than its primary backer, Resources Minister Shane Jones, had sought.
NZ signs up to UK initiative to boost renewable energy in the Pacific
Fri 8 Aug 2025
New Zealand has joined the United Kingdom's TIDES initiative, which aims to support renewable energy developments in the Pacific Islands.
EU climate goals at risk as ailing forests absorb less CO2, scientists say
Tue 5 Aug 2025
Damage to European forests from increased logging, wildfires, drought and pests is reducing their ability to absorb carbon dioxide, putting European Union emissions targets at risk, scientists warn.
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”.
Watts talks big on energy reform, but barriers persist
29 May 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Energy and Climate Change minister Simon Watts says the government is doubling down on efforts to boost renewable energy generation, streamline regulation, and drive private sector investment as New Zealand faces mounting energy security and affordability challenges.
Hiringa eyes green methanol plant near Whanganui
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.
Insurers need to get ready for the next climate-fuelled disaster: FMA
Wed 6 Aug 2025
Insurers need to do more to improve their claims processes and services as climate-driven disasters increase in frequency and severity, according to the Financial Markets Authority.
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.
First-of-a-kind US class-action lawsuit would force EPA to reinstate $3bn climate program
Thu 7 Aug 2025
Coalition of non-profits, tribes and local governments sued EPA chief for halting climate justice grants.
Fund for low emissions transport winds up
31 Jul 2025
New Zealand’s Low Emission Transport Fund has officially wrapped up, ending a nine-year programme that put hundreds of millions of dollars towards accelerating the country’s shift to cleaner transport.
Backlash over govt conservation changes
Mon 4 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government’s proposed changes to the Conservation Act are the most significant roll back in conservation protections in a generation, according to the Green Party.
Urgent action needed to get on track for climate goals - commission
25 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand is making progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but more work is needed – urgently – to set up for future reductions, according to the latest report from the Climate Change Commission.
NZ's latest climate target 'weak' – Climate Action Tracker
24 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand's new international climate target to 2035 is weak, and could even allow for higher emissions than the 2030 target, according to a global scientific project that tracks government climate action.
Last minute change to oil and gas legislation over cleanup costs
31 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government is expected to repeal the oil and gas ban today, with a last-minute amendment handing discretionary power to two ministers over the controversial issue of decommissioning.
NZ govt’s fossil fuel plans could break international law
24 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government could be breaching international law with its plans to subsidise and expand fossil fuel extraction, following a ruling overnight from the world’s highest court.
NZ part of hidden global deep-sea network beneath the waves
25 Jul 2025
Media release - Earth Sciences New Zealand | A world-first study of marine life, including sea creatures found in New Zealand's dark, cold, pressurised ocean depths, has revealed that deep-sea life is surprisingly more connected than previously thought.
Divided nations start 'final' talks on UN plastics treaty
Wed 6 Aug 2025
The key divide is whether the new treaty includes a target to limit plastic production or just focuses on recycling and waste management.
A new report shows how local climate activism leads to ‘remarkable’ gains
Thu 7 Aug 2025
Efforts to pass laws and advance clean energy projects can significantly reduce emissions, and at a low cost.
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.
Stop saying 'the clean energy revolution is inevitable'
Fri 8 Aug 2025
OPINION: The phrase has been everywhere since Trump’s re-election.
Warmer end to winter but dry spell expected over southern lakes
Tue 5 Aug 2025
As hydro lake levels hover just below average levels, climate forecasts indicate that warmer than usual weather conditions will reduce demand, but there will likely be less rain over the southern hydro lakes as New Zealand moves towards spring and summer.
Climate groups want UK wealth tax to make super-rich fund sustainable economy
17 Jul 2025
Growing number of campaigners urge government to ensure green investment is not done ‘on backs of the poor’.
Can robot taxis solve NZ's transport woes?
23 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Ministry of Transport has tested the idea of driverless taxis as a futuristic fix. But while new modelling explores how "robotaxis" could ease congestion and reduce car ownership, critics say it misses a crucial point – the country’s worsening transport emissions.
United Nations carbon market rules agreed but concerns remain
25 Nov 2024
New carbon market rules agreed at the fractious UN climate summit will be a relief to New Zealand and Singapore, who were leading the negotiations, but concerns about greenwashing and disadvantaging nature-based solutions remain.
EV sales fall, but it’s complicated
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.
Barclays exits net zero banking alliance
Tue 5 Aug 2025
Barclays will exit the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, marking the second UK-based bank to withdraw from the UN-backed coalition dedicated to advancing global net zero goals through their financing activities, after the departure last month of HSBC.
'Yet another rate': Franz Josef ratepayers balk at $2.8m stopbank extension
Mon 4 Aug 2025
By Lois Williams, Local Democracy Reporter | Franz Josef ratepayers have given the thumbs down to plans for a $2.8 million stopbank extension to protect the town’s sewerage plant from the Waiho River.
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.
