Topics tagged with 'Extreme weather'
Climate change challenges laid bare for Southland
Today 11:45am
By Matthew Rosenberg, Local Democracy Reporter | Southland faces a host of changes and challenges under the weight of climate change, a new report has revealed.
China warns strong El Nino this year may worsen global fossil fuel crisis
Today 11:45am
This year’s El Nino could increase the global demand for fossil fuels and worsen the price rises caused by the Iran crisis, Chinese government scientists have said.
Extreme weather in Wellington ‘a different beast’
Tue 21 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Climate scientist Luke Harrington says the small-scale but intense floods which have slammed the capital in recent days are the kind that intensify most rapidly in a warming climate – and are the hardest to predict.
Green Party calls for national electrification plan
Mon 20 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party is calling for a national plan to electrify homes, transport and industry using renewable energy, to reduce fossil fuel dependence in response to the Middle East crisis.
Media round-up
Fri 17 Apr 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: The fuel crisis is a chance for government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, what would it take to tap into New Zealand's oceans energy, and which political parties would subsidise your rooftop solar panels?
Climate risks could reshape business finances, new guidance warns
15 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New guidance warns climate change is set to fundamentally reshape financial outcomes for businesses, including difficult-to-model climate “tipping points” – irreversible changes such as ice sheet collapse or ocean circulation shifts – which threaten severe and sudden financial impacts.
Climate change could sharply increase NZ landslide risk
14 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate change could significantly increase the number and intensity of landslides in New Zealand, with new research showing a Cyclone Gabrielle-scale storm in a warmer world could trigger tens of thousands more slips across a wider area.
Marine heatwaves ‘nearly double’ the economic damage caused by tropical cyclones
14 Apr 2026
Tropical cyclones that rapidly intensify when passing over marine heatwaves can become “supercharged”, increasing the likelihood of high economic losses, a new study finds.
Global uncertainty driving solar surge
13 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Global instability and rising energy costs are pushing more New Zealanders towards solar, with companies reporting a surge in enquiries as households look for greater control and resilience in an increasingly uncertain energy landscape.
NZ aid cuts put Pacific climate response at risk
13 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand’s aid spending dropped 12.8% in 2025, with Oxfam warning the cuts risk undermining climate adaptation efforts in the Pacific as the region faces an accelerating climate crisis.
Climate change means a 2004-level flood would likely be worse today
10 Apr 2026
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”.
More harsh weather in store for Afghanistan after 148 deaths
10 Apr 2026
Afghanistan faces further rough conditions on Thursday, the country's weather authorities warned, following floods, earthquakes and landslides that have killed 148 people over the past two weeks.
Severe tropical cyclones Maila and Vaianu threaten communities in Solomon Islands, PNG and Fiji
8 Apr 2026
Media release: 350.org |Two Category 3 Tropical Cyclones are currently moving through the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Fiji, while experts watch a third system potentially developing in the North Pacific.
A matter of strategy
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.
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.
Double danger? Climate change, El Niño push Earth 'beyond its limits'
1 Apr 2026
A freakish March heat wave has already pushed temperatures to summertime levels throughout much of the western and central United States, but a new report comes with a dire warning: This is just the beginning.
Death toll in Afghanistan flooding increases to 28, authorities say
1 Apr 2026
Afghan authorities said Monday that the death toll from severe weather that has struck swathes of the country over the past four days has increased to 28, with 49 people injured. Dozens of people have died from extreme weather in the country so far this year.
‘Stop burning fossil fuels’ pleads scientist as extreme rain causes floods yet again
27 Mar 2026
Northland and Auckland have again been lashed by heavy rain, with hundreds of people evacuated last night because of extensive flooding in the Far North, and some areas hit by more than a month's average rainfall in just 24 hours.
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.
Gisborne $29.7m recovery funding bid awaits Government decision
27 Mar 2026
By Zita Campbell, Local Democracy Reporter | Gisborne leaders are awaiting the Government’s response to a $29.7 million funding bid for a joint agency/iwi-led recovery plan after January’s severe weather event.
Limiting global warming to 2C would not ‘rule out’ extreme impacts
27 Mar 2026
Limiting warming to 2C above pre-industrial temperatures may not be enough to prevent “extreme global climate outcomes”, according to research published in Nature.
Northland could set pace on rural climate resilience – study
25 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Taitokerau Northland has the foundations to lead New Zealand in rural climate resilience, but unlocking that potential will require better coordination, targeted investment and practical, region-specific support, a new study has found.
What the coming El Niño climate pattern means for NZ in a warming world
25 Mar 2026
Jim Salinger, Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington | After the planet’s 11 hottest years on record, scientists are warning the return of an El Niño climate pattern could push global temperatures even higher.
Climate-fuelled wildfires and dust storms drove up air pollution around the world last year
25 Mar 2026
A new report shows air pollution threatens the majority of the world’s population, while information gaps increase the risks.
Climate warnings mount as 2025 ranks among hottest years on record
24 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The world is entering an era of sustained record heat, with 2025 confirmed as one of the hottest years ever recorded and the past decade the warmest on record, as scientists warn climate impacts are accelerating.
New online tool helps Whakatāne district communities understand climate risks
24 Mar 2026
Media release | Whakatāne District Council has released a new online mapping tool to help people better understand how climate change and climate-related hazards could affect different parts of the district, now and into the future.
You can bet on climate disasters – business is booming
24 Mar 2026
Traders are placing wagers on the likelihood of disasters, activists being jailed and oil depots exploding.
The US broke the all-time heat record for March. Yes, it’s climate change
24 Mar 2026
An unprecedented heat wave in the West broke the record for the hottest March temperature anywhere in the United States: 108 degrees. It’s an alarming signal of how hot the planet is getting and how fast it’s happening.
Top scientist speaks out against Trump regime’s attack on premier research centre
23 Mar 2026
By Liz Kivi | Kevin Trenberth, one of the world’s leading climate scientists, now based in New Zealand, has told the Trump administration he is “appalled” at its attempt to break up the international research centre he has been associated with for nearly 50 years.
Thousands remain under evacuation orders in Hawaii flooding
23 Mar 2026
Flooding across Oahu is now the worst Hawaii has seen in over 20 years. More than 230 people have been rescued so far. Some 5,500 people remain under evacuation orders in part because of rising water levels at the Wahiawa dam.
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.
Spring, climate change, jet stream serves up buffet of wild weather hitting US
18 Mar 2026
Nearly every type of wild weather hit some part of the United States on Monday as the normal changing seasons clash of cold and warm air collided with a jet stream gone crazy and a possible dash of climate change, meteorologists and scientist said.
Inquiry into fatal landslides in Tauranga
17 Mar 2026
Media release | Cabinet has agreed the Terms of Reference and membership for a Government Inquiry into the Fatal Landslides in Tauranga, Emergency Management and Recovery Associate Minister Chris Penk has announced.
Climate Commission called to Waitangi inquiry over alleged breaches
10 Mar 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Climate Change Commission is being called to front up to the Waitangi Tribunal and give evidence over alleged legal breaches of its obligations to Māori.
Building more sustainably in the wake of cyclones
10 Mar 2026
Media release | A new University of Auckland project aims to turn about 1200 Auckland houses destroyed by cyclones into a resource for a more sustainable future.
Humanity heating planet faster than ever before, study finds
10 Mar 2026
Climate breakdown is occurring more rapidly with the heating rate almost doubling, according to research that excludes the effect of natural factors behind the latest scorching temperatures.
Heavy rains and flooding kills at least 23 in Nairobi
10 Mar 2026
At least 23 people have been killed in Nairobi after heavy rain overnight caused severe flooding in Kenya's capital city.
Almost $190k in relief funds help storm-hit Whangaruru coast
9 Mar 2026
By Susan Botting, Local Democracy Reporter | More than two thirds of the $280,000 emergency relief fund set up to help weather-hit Whangaruru coast residents has been given out.
Global coastal sea-level risks may be underestimated, say scientists
5 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Coastal communities across the Pacific and Southeast Asia could be facing greater sea-level rise risks than previously estimated, researchers say.
‘Normal was left in the dust’: El Niño may return this year and make the planet even hotter
5 Mar 2026
Fears that global temperatures will hit record highs have started to grow, as experts warn El Niño may form later this year.
‘Expect the unexpected’: Commission calls for long-term modelling to manage extreme weather risk
4 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealanders must prepare for extreme weather that defies historical patterns, according to the Natural Hazards Commission.
Climate Resilient Communities Fund open for applications
4 Mar 2026
Media release | Northland Regional Council’s popular Climate Resilience Communities Fund is open for applications.
Pacific climate advocates welcome pre-COP31 meeting in Fiji and Tuvalu
27 Feb 2026
Media release – 350.org | Climate advocates across the Pacific will now prepare for the Pre-COP31 meetings in Fiji and Tuvalu, with the Pacific Islands Forum confirming the hosts yesterday.
Floods and landslides in Brazil kill at least 30 after record rainfall
26 Feb 2026
Three firefighters pulled a man’s body from the mud amid the rubble of houses swept away in a landslide in south-eastern Brazil, where 30 people died and 39 were still missing on Tuesday after torrential rains.
Hipkins rejects LNG terminal, backs renewables
24 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Labour leader Chris Hipkins used his State of the Nation address to warn that worsening extreme weather and rising energy costs show climate change is no longer a distant threat.
Tairāwhiti needs proper Govt support to heal the land – not empty announcements for political optics
24 Feb 2026
OPINION: The Government’s answer to Tairāwhiti’s severe erosion crisis – that the region apply for modest, contestable funding rounds – while rejecting the region's own land transition business case, leaves our long-term resilience hanging in the balance, writes Manu Caddie.
Ruapehu Mayor welcomes $3.5m to restore fire-scarred Tongariro
24 Feb 2026
By Moana Ellis, Local Democracy Reporter | Ruapehu Mayor Weston Kirton has thanked the Government for its pledge of $3.5 million over five years to restore more than 3000 hectares of Tongariro National Park destroyed by fire last year.
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.
Greens slam move to disband Environment Ministry
20 Feb 2026
The Green Party has joined climate and health advocates in condemning the Government's decision to disestablish the Ministry for the Environment as part of a multi-ministry merger.
Media round-up
20 Feb 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: 'Every tonne matters': The climate scientist who wants to give you hope; Minister says managed retreat is an option; and climate change is here – is New Zealand ready?
Green Party calls for national electrification plan
Mon 20 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party is calling for a national plan to electrify homes, transport and industry using renewable energy, to reduce fossil fuel dependence in response to the Middle East crisis.
Victoria Hydrogen announces Southland urea fertiliser project using coal
Today 11:45am
By Liz Kivi | Australian-based Victorian Hydrogen has announced it is developing a new 1.5 million-tonne-a-year urea fertiliser operation in Southland, which it will apply for under fast-track legislation.
$30m airline fund risks ‘burning public money’ without lasting benefit – expert
20 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A $30 million government package to support regional air routes risks delivering poor value for money while increasing emissions, according to transport strategist Tim Adriaansen.
Europe has 'maybe six weeks of jet fuel left', energy boss warns
Mon 20 Apr 2026
Stocks would reach a tipping point in June if Europe was unable to replace at least half of its imports from the Middle East, the organisation said in a report this week.
Environment ministry straining under pressure of reforms and potential disestablishment
15 Apr 2026
The ministry responsible for New Zealand’s most significant resource management reform in a generation is doing so under institutional strain, compressed timeframes, and an uncertain future – including its own potential disestablishment.
Burning wood for power worse for climate than gas equivalent, report finds
Tue 21 Apr 2026
Research casts doubt on plans by the UK government to offer subsidies for carbon capture attached to the power source.
Carbon price rises as lack of forestry credits hint at tightening supply
Tue 21 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Prices on the secondary carbon market have rallied to their highest point in 2026, recovering to levels last seen in November last year, just before the Government announced it was unlinking the Emissions Trading Scheme from international climate goals.
Clean energy pushes fossil-fuel power into reverse for ‘first time ever’
Today 11:45am
Renewable energy has overtaken coal to become the world’s largest source of electricity in 2025, according to thinktank Ember.
Carbon ‘stockpile’ up 9 million in March quarter
10 Apr 2026
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.
Latest emissions inventory: ‘Something has gone very wrong’
Thu 16 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2024 decreased by just 0.1% compared to 2023, in what an expert says is a “terrible result”, compared to faster progress in previous years.
Supply-side pressures and political uncertainty ahead for carbon market
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.
What Magyar’s defeat of Orbán in Hungary means for climate and energy
Tue 21 Apr 2026
Hungary has played a disproportionate role in EU climate and energy policy in recent years, by repeatedly vetoing climate action and by delaying the phaseout of Russian fossil-fuel imports.
Climate pollution static but NZ still on track for first emissions budget, says MfE
Fri 17 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand is still on track to meet its first emissions budget, according to the Ministry for the Environment, despite the pace of emissions reductions slowing to a standstill.
NZ cleantech could match forests in emissions cuts – but funding gap looms
Today 11:45am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A handful of New Zealand cleantech startups could cut global emissions by 19.2 million tonnes a year by 2030, but a lack of capital is threatening to slow their scale-up, a new report shows.
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.
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.
Forest owners welcome next step in India trade deal
Tue 21 Apr 2026
Media release | The New Zealand Forest Owners Association (NZFOA) welcomes confirmation that legal verification of the New Zealand-India Free Trade Agreement has been completed, with both countries confirming the agreement will be signed on 27 April in New Delhi.
China warns strong El Nino this year may worsen global fossil fuel crisis
Today 11:45am
This year’s El Nino could increase the global demand for fossil fuels and worsen the price rises caused by the Iran crisis, Chinese government scientists have said.
Going concern status flags depth of Methanex NZ's gas crisis
Tue 21 Apr 2026
Methanex's New Zealand operation is relying on financial support from its Canadian parent to remain a going concern after a second consecutive year of asset impairments left the business with negative equity.
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.”
Self-interest should drive investment in overseas climate action, says former climate commissioner
13 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Wealthy countries – including New Zealand – aren’t doing nearly enough to fund climate mitigation in the developing world, with new research saying we need to "change the conversation" to spark action in this vital area.
A matter of strategy
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.
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.
New alliance wants renewable-led energy – and Govt to press pause on LNG
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.
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.
Judge dismisses Trump administration’s bid to block Hawaii climate lawsuit
Mon 20 Apr 2026
It was the second defeat for the Trump administration’s unusual litigation to stop states from acting on climate change.
Tehran will never cede control of Strait of Hormuz, senior Iranian politician tells BBC
Tue 21 Apr 2026
"Never." That's when a senior Iranian lawmaker says they'll be ready to give up their control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Climate risks could reshape business finances, new guidance warns
15 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New guidance warns climate change is set to fundamentally reshape financial outcomes for businesses, including difficult-to-model climate “tipping points” – irreversible changes such as ice sheet collapse or ocean circulation shifts – which threaten severe and sudden financial impacts.
Media round-up
Fri 17 Apr 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: The fuel crisis is a chance for government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, what would it take to tap into New Zealand's oceans energy, and which political parties would subsidise your rooftop solar panels?
Govt moving to two-yearly ETS updates
Today 11:45am
The Government is moving to update ETS settings every two years, rather than each year as it does currently, as part of upcoming changes to climate legislation.
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.
Critical Atlantic current significantly more likely to collapse than thought
Fri 17 Apr 2026
The critical Atlantic current system appears significantly more likely to collapse than previously thought after new research found that climate models predicting the biggest slowdown are the most realistic
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?
Steel sector targets 90% emissions cut by 2050
Today 11:45am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The steel industry has set out how it plans to decarbonise across the value chain, targeting a 90% cut by 2050.
Thousands protest in Germany urging faster shift to renewable energy, amid Iran war
Mon 20 Apr 2026
Thousands of people demonstrated across Germany on April 18, urging a faster shift to renewable energy and accusing conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition of putting the brakes on the transition.
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.
Environmental groups launch legal action over Govt's 'tick-box approach' to conservation land
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.
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 surge gives carbon capture a new push
15 Apr 2026
Technology that captures carbon emissions from power plants may finally get a breakthrough as deep-pocketed tech companies try to meet climate goals while powering the AI race.
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.
Electric car sales soar 51% in mainland Europe as Iran war drives up fuel prices
Today 11:45am
Buyers’ interest in electric cars has risen across Europe since the start of the war in Iran in late February, as the rising cost of petrol highlights the cheaper power available from a plug.
India walked away from its bid to host COP33 – here's why
Thu 16 Apr 2026
India has quietly abandoned its bid to host the UN's top-tier climate conference COP33, marking a shift from PM Narendra Modi's pledge in 2023. Experts and analysts explore what's behind the decision.
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.
Extreme weather in Wellington ‘a different beast’
Tue 21 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Climate scientist Luke Harrington says the small-scale but intense floods which have slammed the capital in recent days are the kind that intensify most rapidly in a warming climate – and are the hardest to predict.
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.
Record 165 GW of wind power capacity added in 2025, led by China, report says
Today 11:45am
The global wind industry installed a record 165 gigawatts of new capacity last year, up 40% from 2024 and mostly driven by China, a report by the Global Wind Energy Council said, adding this still lagged the pace needed to hit a key climate goal.
