Topics tagged with 'Extreme weather'
Budget 2025 needs to prioritise a thriving and resilient Pacific region
Fri 16 May 2025
Media release | World Vision New Zealand is urging the government to prioritise Pacific prosperity and resilience with strong investment in climate finance and foreign aid as part of Budget 2025.
Running blind: The silencing and censoring of environmental threats to US national security
Fri 16 May 2025
Immediately after the inauguration of President Donald Trump in January 2025, his administration began purging environmental reports from the public record.
Climate change will worsen existing threats to Hawke’s Bay
Thu 15 May 2025
Climate change is projected to substantially alter weather patterns and environmental conditions in the coming decades, with significant implications for the human, built and natural environments.
More than 100 dead after flooding in eastern DR Congo, officials say
Thu 15 May 2025
Heavy overnight floods have washed away several villages in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing more than 100 people, according to local officials, in a nation suffering war and mass displacement.
Three-year flood map legal dispute ends in win for landowners
Tue 13 May 2025
By Alisha Evans, Local Democracy Reporter | Tauranga property owners have had a “significant win” after the council agreed to update flood maps, a developer says.
‘Serious’ game looks at coastal climate change
Tue 13 May 2025
Media release | A new online game that enables New Zealanders to experience a climate-changed future and explore choices has been launched this month to get 10,000 game-plays over the wettest time of the year.
Commissioner calls on govt to better manage economic risks of climate change
Mon 12 May 2025
Climate change is creating an inevitable liability for the government which needs to be understood and managed, according to the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
Deadly April rainfall in US South and Midwest was intensified by climate change, scientists say
Mon 12 May 2025
Human-caused climate change intensified deadly rainfall in Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas and other states in early April and made it more likely to occur.
Most Kiwis anxious over extreme weather events
9 May 2025
More than half of all New Zealanders are worried about storms, heavy rainfall and flooding as New Zealand faces continued wild weather events.
Media round-up
9 May 2025
In our weekly round-up of climate coverage in local media: When climate resilience meets resident resistance in Auckland; atmospheric and marine heatwaves in and around New Zealand are increasing climate extremes; and seaweed's climate superpowers.
Real-world geoengineering experiments revealed by UK agency
9 May 2025
Trials will test ways to block sunlight and slow climate crisis that threatens to trigger catastrophic tipping points.
Second council quits Hawke’s Bay climate committee
7 May 2025
By Linda Hall, Local Democracy Reporter | Wairoa District Council has pulled the plug on the Hawke’s Bay Climate Action Joint Committee after councillors questioned its value.
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.
Northland flood defences pass first major rainfall test
6 May 2025
A small, flood-prone Northland community has withstood a 10-year rainfall event, thanks to new flood protection works led by Northland Regional Council.
Climate effects of volcanoes beneath the waves
5 May 2025
Media release | Volcanoes erupting underwater have a distinctive effect on the climate that is larger and more widespread than previously thought, according to an international group led by University of Auckland and Tongan scientists.
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 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’.
Fire tornadoes becoming routine due to climate change, analysts say
24 Apr 2025
Fire analysts say once-theoretical fire behaviour is now becoming routine, including fire tornadoes.
Philippines braces for extreme heat as index nears ‘danger’ level of 50C
23 Apr 2025
Nation weather agency warns heat-related illnesses more likely with prolonged exposure or outdoor activity.
Warm water affecting Antarctica’s largest ice shelf - new research
22 Apr 2025
While Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf is currently stable, new research shows warm water is reaching up to 170 kilometres under the front of the ice shelf.
Mapped: How climate change affects extreme weather around the world
22 Apr 2025
Researchers have mapped every published study on how climate change has influenced extreme weather.
NZ heritage sites join international climate programme
17 Apr 2025
Two New Zealand heritage sites are joining an international climate programme for community-led adaptation solutions designed to protect them from pressing climate threats.
New Plymouth consults on managing climate impacts
17 Apr 2025
With severe storms, coastline erosion, landslides, droughts and other extreme weather events on the rise over the past decade, New Plymouth District Council is looking at ways to manage the impacts of climate change.
Australia: Climate change pushing up insurance risk
17 Apr 2025
With flood waters rising, there are warnings of a “climate-induced credit crunch” as natural disasters threaten the viability of home insurance.
Heatwaves, floods, fires – NZ research warns of escalating climate threats
16 Apr 2025
After five years of research, New Zealand’s first dedicated climate extreme weather programme, Whakahura, has released its final synthesis report, sounding the alarm on the increasing intensity and frequency of extreme weather events linked to climate change.
Deadly floods, storms and heatwaves: Europe suffered the 'serious impacts’ of climate change in 2024
16 Apr 2025
Storms and flooding across Europe last year affected a total of 413,000 people, led to the loss of at least 335 lives and are estimated to have cost at least €18 billion in damages.
NZ could make better use of natural processes to reduce flood risk
15 Apr 2025
Media release | New Zealand could make better use of natural processes to reduce the risk of flooding, according to research by the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA).
Terminations at US government agencies that monitor extreme weather events will have negative effects
15 Apr 2025
In February 2025, Donald Trump’s administration reduced the government’s size. The NOAA was severely affected, experiencing budget cuts and the termination of about 800 employees’ positions. NOAA is a critically important government organization, and includes the National Weather Service.
Trump’s actions are already having consequences for climate, especially for the IPCC - expert
11 Apr 2025
Leading climate scientist, Dr Kevin Trenberth, left the US and came home to New Zealand because of the rise of Donald Trump. In this comment piece, he writes that he is appalled in multiple ways by the so-called “war on science” unfolding through staff cuts and the president’s policy edicts.
Wildfire warnings issued as UK temperatures set to reach 24C on Friday
11 Apr 2025
London fire brigade asks people to behave responsibly and Scottish fire and rescue service gives ‘extreme’ alert.
Honduras pays the climate cost as its forests disappear and storms rise
11 Apr 2025
Despite its high vulnerability to extreme weather events, Honduras continues to clear its forests, seen as one of its best protections against climate change and intensifying storms and hurricanes.
Commissioner calls for urgent reform of carbon forestry in ETS
10 Apr 2025
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment is calling on the Government to remove forestry from the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme, warning that the country’s flagship climate policy is entrenching risky land use decisions and undermining long-term emissions reductions.
East Coast advocates join calls to take forestry out of the ETS
10 Apr 2025
Sustainable land-use advocates in Tairāwhiti are demanding immediate government action on the Environment Commissioner's recommendation to phase forestry out of the Emissions Trading Scheme.
It's only early April and north India is bracing for extreme heat
10 Apr 2025
India's weather department has warned of high temperatures in parts of northern India, including capital Delhi, for this week.
Can the future of energy be affordable, secure and sustainable?
9 Apr 2025
Media release | Global experts are coming together to address the challenge of creating energy solutions that are both sustainable and achievable by 2050.
Europe just had warmest March on record
9 Apr 2025
Europe experienced its warmest March since records began, as climate change continues to push temperatures to unprecedented levels, European Union scientists said on Tuesday.
Climate crisis made ‘bonkers’ central Asia heatwave up to 10C hotter
9 Apr 2025
Springtime heat in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan likely to become more common as planet warms, accelerating glacier loss and threatening water supplies.
'Sobering' state of NZ environment
8 Apr 2025
Mounting environmental pressures across the country could cause serious consequences for people’s health, housing, livelihoods, and overall quality of life, a new report reveals.
Biofuels key to food security and shipping resilience for NZ
7 Apr 2025
By Shannon Williams | Aotearoa New Zealand's reliance on imported fossil fuels poses significant risks for food security and shipping resilience in the face of global catastrophes, according to experts speaking at a recent webinar on biofuel self-sufficiency.
Climate crisis on track to destroy capitalism, warns top insurer
7 Apr 2025
The climate crisis is on track to destroy capitalism, a top insurer has warned, with the vast cost of extreme weather impacts leaving the financial sector unable to operate.
Media round-up
4 Apr 2025
In our weekly round-up of climate coverage in local media: Europe is heading towards an emissions tax on dairy imports; Auckland Transport stops measuring emissions cuts; and Stuff asks if the Paris Agreement is over.
Risky business – banks must consider climate risks, commissioner says
3 Apr 2025
Banks considering climate risks is prudent business practice, not just environmental activism, according to Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton.
Dunedin initiative to tackle flooding problems
3 Apr 2025
Public consultation is now open on Dunedin City Council and Otago Regional Council's South Dunedin Future initiative, which looks at ways the region can respond to climate change and flooding problems in South Dunedin.
Southern Ocean warming may affect tropical drought and rainfall more than Arctic warming
3 Apr 2025
Southern Ocean warming may have a greater impact than Arctic warming in some regions, particularly affecting tropical rainfall patterns, according to a study published in Nature Communications.
Properties destroyed as ‘horrendous’ waves batter Sydney coast
3 Apr 2025
Residents have been evacuated, properties flooded and coastal infrastructure damaged after a large swell combined with a king tide to batter the Australian shore.
New tool reveals shallow groundwater elevations
2 Apr 2025
Media release: NIWA | A new online tool that identifies areas at risk from groundwater flooding has been developed by New Zealand scientists.
Rain records to fall in Queensland with Townsville to set new annual high
1 Apr 2025
Queensland cities and towns are dealing with the effects of flooding – including extensive stock losses and widespread damage – after a year’s worth of rain fell in a matter of days.
Economy and climate go hand in hand – minister
31 Mar 2025
Growing our economy and reducing climate emissions go hand in hand, says Minister of Climate Change Simon Watts.
Extreme weather could lead to financial disaster for ordinary New Zealanders
28 Mar 2025
A rise in extreme weather events due to climate change could result in financial disaster for many New Zealanders, according to a credit risk consultancy.
Media round-up
28 Mar 2025
In our weekly round-up of climate coverage in local media: Rail is still considered crucial to Canterbury's future, climate risk is being left of company balance sheets, and NZ climate forecasts rely on the system Trump is dismantling.
Budget 2025 needs to prioritise a thriving and resilient Pacific region
Fri 16 May 2025
Media release | World Vision New Zealand is urging the government to prioritise Pacific prosperity and resilience with strong investment in climate finance and foreign aid as part of Budget 2025.
Climate-denying farming groups attack govt’s methane strategy
Fri 16 May 2025
A trio of farming groups is claiming that a survey shows 95% of farmers have rejected the government’s methane strategy.
Air New Zealand announces less ambitious emissions ‘guidance’
2 May 2025
Air New Zealand has published its first “emissions guidance,” saying it expects to reduce net “well-to-wake” greenhouse gas emissions from jet fuel by 20-25% by 2030, from a 2019 baseline.
As Brazilian president visits China, $1 billion sustainable fuel deal announced
Fri 16 May 2025
Brazil announced two Chinese partnerships on Monday, including a $1 billion investment by China's Envision Energy to produce sustainable aviation fuel, as the country's president visits China.
Nature is not an economic handbrake: Environmental Defence Society
Fri 16 May 2025
Nature is not a handbrake on economic growth – the two must go hand in hand, attendees heard on the final day of the Environmental Defence Society’s Dollars and Sense conference this week.
Sustainability claims questioned as renewable diesel surges
Wed 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 price up but June auction still tipped to fail
Thu 15 May 2025
The carbon price has recovered somewhat as forestry selling eases, however NZUs are still changing hands on the secondary market at well below the $68 auction floor.
Private equity eyes up to US$1.3 trillion climate adaptation market by 2030
Fri 16 May 2025
While the public sector is expected to account for the bulk of adaptation funding, a new study identifies six investable segments for private investors, from climate risk data providers to flood defense infrastructure.
Greens promise to rapidly reduce emissions in new Green Budget
Wed 14 May 2025
By Shannon Williams | The Green Party has unveiled its alternative Green Budget, promising bold investments to tackle the climate crisis and deliver cleaner air, water, and soil.
Coal India to set up $3 billion worth clean energy projects to boost renewable heft
Wed 14 May 2025
The world’s largest government-owned coal producer will set up clean energy projects of around 4.5 gigawatts at a cost of 250 billion rupees (about $3 billion), it said on Thursday, as it aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions from its operations.
Trump’s actions are already having consequences for climate, especially for the IPCC - expert
11 Apr 2025
Leading climate scientist, Dr Kevin Trenberth, left the US and came home to New Zealand because of the rise of Donald Trump. In this comment piece, he writes that he is appalled in multiple ways by the so-called “war on science” unfolding through staff cuts and the president’s policy edicts.
Owning a green home could cut mortgage payback time by two years
9 May 2025
A green certified home plus a green mortgage and associated energy bill savings could save Kiwi families up to $98,800 over the course of their mortgage - the equivalent of being mortgage-free several years early, according to new research.
Govt needs to get moving to deliver international climate target says commission
Mon 12 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Climate Change Commission is warning that “time is running short” for the government to deliver on its international climate target.
Energy Australia is in court accused of greenwashing. What is the case about and why is it significant?
Fri 16 May 2025
Climate group alleges energy giant misled 400,000 customers about ‘Go Neutral’ product, arguing that carbon credits don’t actually remove emissions.
Environment Court rules Mackenzie biodiversity deserves bespoke protection
17 Apr 2025
Media release | In a decision years in the making, the Environment Court has upheld EDS’s contention that Te Manahuna / the Mackenzie Basin’s significant ecology and indigenous biodiversity warrants a bespoke planning regime to protect it from farming intensification.
Oceans Commission must have teeth – minister
Wed 14 May 2025
If an Oceans Commission were to be established under the government it would need genuine powers to make change, says Minister for Oceans and Fisheries Shane Jones.
Farming lobby attacks ‘loopholes’ in carbon forestry limits
7 May 2025
Beef + Lamb New Zealand is urging the government to close what it says are loopholes in new guidance around limits on carbon forestry.
Methanex closure comes early this year
Wed 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.
Hotter and deeper: how NZ’s plan to drill for ‘supercritical’ geothermal energy holds promise and risk
2 Apr 2025
By David Dempsey, University of Canterbury | New Zealand’s North Island features a number of geothermal systems, several of which are used to generate some 1,000 MegaWatts of electricity. But deeper down there may be even more potential.
Banking regulators agree to prioritise climate risk work
Wed 14 May 2025
Global banking regulators on Monday agreed to intensify efforts to better understand the financial risks posed by climate change amid pushback from the United States.
Climate crisis threatens the banana, the world’s most popular fruit
Wed 14 May 2025
The climate crisis is threatening the future of the world’s most popular fruit, as almost two-thirds of banana-growing areas in Latin America and the Caribbean may no longer be suitable for growing the fruit by 2080, new research has found.
Global livestock industry exposed for rampant rainforest destruction, despite no-deforestation pledges
23 Apr 2025
Media release | Greenpeace Aotearoa says a new investigation revealing that the world’s largest meat company, JBS, will fail to meet its deforestation-free commitment is yet more proof of false promises from the intensive livestock industry.
If NZ wants to decarbonise energy, we need to know which renewables deliver the best payback
21 Mar 2025
By Alan Brent and Isabella Pimentel Pincelli | A national energy strategy for Aotearoa New Zealand was meant to be ready at the end of last year. As it stands, we're still waiting for a cohesive, all-encompassing plan to meet the country's energy demand today and in the future.
Why hydrogen cars are being outsold by Ferraris
24 Apr 2025
Hydrogen has long been hyped as the “Swiss army knife” of the energy transition, but today – despite billions in investment – it largely remains limited to niche industrial applications.
Three-year flood map legal dispute ends in win for landowners
Tue 13 May 2025
By Alisha Evans, Local Democracy Reporter | Tauranga property owners have had a “significant win” after the council agreed to update flood maps, a developer says.
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.
Trump is illegally trying to overturn state climate laws
Wed 14 May 2025
OPINION: States are stepping up to respond to the rising toll of climate-fueled disasters. More than ten states have introduced climate superfund legislation based on a simple idea: those massive, multinational oil and gas corporations that caused the climate crisis should help pay for the damage.
Govt pledges to slash building emissions
8 May 2025
The government is signing up to an international agreement aimed at decarbonising the building and construction sector in line with limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees.
Carbon News launches price index
24 Jun 2024
Today’s issue is the first to feature Carbon News’ own carbon price index for secondary market spot prices for NZUs on New Zealand’s compliance market.
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.
Green budget 'ludicrous la-la land' – govt
Thu 15 May 2025
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the budget was "clown show economics" and an "absolute circus".
Warm water affecting Antarctica’s largest ice shelf - new research
22 Apr 2025
While Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf is currently stable, new research shows warm water is reaching up to 170 kilometres under the front of the ice shelf.
Microplastics found in every layer of the ocean – study
7 May 2025
A new study by New Zealand and international researchers shows microplastics in every layer of the ocean - enough to change the chemical fingerprint of ocean carbon.
Media round-up
9 May 2025
In our weekly round-up of climate coverage in local media: When climate resilience meets resident resistance in Auckland; atmospheric and marine heatwaves in and around New Zealand are increasing climate extremes; and seaweed's climate superpowers.
Running blind: The silencing and censoring of environmental threats to US national security
Fri 16 May 2025
Immediately after the inauguration of President Donald Trump in January 2025, his administration began purging environmental reports from the public record.
Dismissals 'massive win' for climate movement
Tue 13 May 2025
The outstanding charges against 25 climate activists who disrupted traffic in Wellington have been dropped, a move the group calls a win for the climate movement.
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.
Clean energy just put China’s CO2 emissions into reverse for first time
Fri 16 May 2025
For the first time, the growth in China’s clean power generation has caused the nation’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to fall despite rapid power demand growth.
Antarctic expedition unearths clues to climate catastrophe
Thu 15 May 2025
Media release | Rocks from the coldest continent hold clues to an extinction event 183 million years ago.
Who is Mark Carney, the former central bank governor turned Canada's next leader?
11 Mar 2025
Canada's new leader is a relative political newcomer. While the former UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance has previously advocated for net-zero investment, he has promised to scrap the country's carbon tax, saying he wants to shift the cost from consumers to big corporations.
States sue the Trump administration for blocking funds for electric vehicle charging
9 May 2025
Seventeen states are suing President Donald Trump ‘s administration for withholding billions of dollars for building more electric vehicle chargers.
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.
Lawyers move to take Climate Commission to NZ’s top court
1 May 2025
Lawyers for Climate Action has filed a case challenging New Zealand's climate targets in the Supreme Court.
New research tests wastewater carbon capture potential
5 May 2025
Treating wastewater with alkaline minerals could potentially remove more than 18 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year, according to new research.
Global sea levels rise spelling catastrophe for coastal towns and cities
Wed 14 May 2025
For around 2,000 years, global sea levels varied little. That changed in the 20th century. They started rising and have not stopped since — and the pace is accelerating.
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.
Meridian set to build its first solar farm as Genesis stockpiles coal
2 Apr 2025
Meridian Energy is set to start construction on its 130MW Ruakākā Solar Farm south of Whangārei in August 2025, with the project receiving a final investment decision and construction approval from the Meridian Board.
