Topics tagged with 'Greenhouse Effect'
Smith cautious on methane in ETS, bi-party deal
28 Aug 2009
The Government has a cautious view of bringing ruminant animal emissions into an emission trading scheme, says Climate Change Issues Minister Nick Smith.
Is it a bird, is it a plane ... it's KillaCycle
28 Aug 2009
A Kiwi businessman has a plan to kick-start the electric vehicle industry in New Zealand – and it involves going very, very fast.
Kiwi now Deloitte's main man for climate change
28 Aug 2009
New Zealand's Nick Main is on his way to London to become Deloitte's global managing partner on climate change and sustainability services.
China gets serious with climate change resolution
28 Aug 2009
China's top legislative body approved its first climate change resolution yesterday and announced plans to draw up new laws to combat global warming, according to the state media.
African leaders want $67b-a-year in climate aid
28 Aug 2009
African leaders meeting in Libya next week will consider a plan to ask industrialised nations to pay developing countries $67 billion a year as part of a common negotiating position for December’s climate talks in Copenhagen.
Crucial climate vote lost with Kennedy's death
28 Aug 2009
The push for a climate change bill in the US Senate lost a reliable supporter with the death of Edward Kennedy this week.
Obama’s grandma goes solar at village home
28 Aug 2009
Greenpeace activists have installed solar panels on President Obama’s grandmother’s house in Kenya.
Climate experts to brief young ambassadors
28 Aug 2009
Government and academic experts will share their expertise on climate change at the first of three NZ workshops preparing a group of young Kiwis for the international stage.
Loads-of-roads programme dinosaur thinking, say Greens
28 Aug 2009
The "loads of roads" National Land Transport Programme will mire New Zealand in an outdated 1950s approach to transport and do nothing to protect us from rising oil prices, climate change, or the obesity epidemic, says the Green Party.
Online GHG reduction calculator
28 Aug 2009
In an effort to increase the understanding of various emissions trading scheme-related policy suggestions, The ValueAdd Company has launched an online Greenhouse gas emissions reduction target analyser.
ETS review body to report next week
21 Aug 2009
The select committee reviewing the emissions trading scheme will release its long-awaited report next week.
ETS deal hangs on Key's response to Goff
21 Aug 2009
National is having significant difficulty delivering the “broad-based political support” sought for an amended ETS by its Climate Change Issues Minister.
Pioneer Pers is making waves in Denmark
21 Aug 2009
Reporter Angela Gregory continues her series on the greening of Denmark - site of a major international climate change conference later this year.
Australia targets 20% renewable energy by 2020
21 Aug 2009
Australia yesterday passed a clean energy law requiring the country to produce 20 per cent of its power from renewable sources by 2020 in move that could draw billions of dollars of green investment.
Democrats want banks barred from carbon trading
21 Aug 2009
Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase would be barred from a planned US carbon- emissions market or face trading restrictions under proposals by Democratic senators crafting climate change legislation.
Australia better off with carbon tax, says oil giant
21 Aug 2009
Exxon Mobil, the world’s biggest publicly traded oil company, says a tax on carbon in Australia would be a better method to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions blamed for global warming.
Scientists and intellectuals key, says UN chief
21 Aug 2009
Scientific and intellectual leadership is the key to creating the new green economy of the 21st century, United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon has told an academic forum in Seoul.
Cash for clunkers scheme doesn’t pay its way
21 Aug 2009
Whatever its success in getting new cars off the lots and quickly injecting several billion dollars into the economy, some academics say that the US “cash for clunkers” programme is an expensive way to help the environment.
California faces quandary over travel offsets
21 Aug 2009
Al Gore buys them. So do the Grateful Dead, Hollywood celebrities and, increasingly, many climate-conscious executives and consumers.
Smith hopes ETS will please everyone
21 Aug 2009
The Minister for Climate Changes Issues has told business leaders he hopes for a settled emissions trading scheme attracting broad political sign up.
EXCLUSIVE: Smith firm on ETS despite Rudd's defeat
14 Aug 2009
The Rudd Government's big climate package was defeated in the Australian Senate yesterday, but the New Zealand Government is pushing ahead anyway.
Agriculture bogs down bipartisan ETS deal
14 Aug 2009
Talks between National and Labour over a bipartisan agreement on an emissions trading scheme are thought to be breaking down over agriculture.
Cap-and-ban could kill carbon market, warns broker
14 Aug 2009
An artificial cap on carbon prices and a ban on international sales of New Zealand credits will effectively kill the development of the carbon market, says trader Nigel Brunel.
Groser and Greenpeace at odds on Bonn reception
14 Aug 2009
New Zealand’s 2020 emissions reduction target is higher than many countries anticipated, says Associate Climate Change Issues Minister Tim Groser.
Copenhagen is 10-times bigger than Kyoto for business
14 Aug 2009
By Alex Koyfman. - What few understand today is that climate change is actually one of the most significant drivers of the economy that we're likely to see in our lifetimes.
How green Denmark got ahead of the pack
14 Aug 2009
In December, all eyes will be on Copenhagen as world leaders gather to negotiate a new international climate change agreement. But how green are the Danes themselves.
Emissions pledges fall short of what’s needed
14 Aug 2009
A climate deal due in December will be a flop unless industrialised nations sharply increase promised cuts in greenhouse gas emissions for 2020, says the chair of a key United Nations group.
Bonn talks making headway, says UN official
14 Aug 2009
Governments are making headway in negotiations aimed at reaching an ambitious and effective global greenhouse gas reduction treaty, the top United Nations climate change official said in Bonn.
US readies military for climate change crises
14 Aug 2009
Climate change will pose profound challenges to the United States in the coming decades, raising the prospect of military intervention to deal with its effects, warn military and intelligence analysts.
North American leaders promise a low-carbon future
14 Aug 2009
The leaders of the United States, Canada and Mexico have vowed to forge a "low-carbon North America.”
Labour wrong on 2020 costs, says Smith
14 Aug 2009
Labour's claims that the government has exaggerated by tenfold the costs of a 10 to 20 per cent emissions reduction target announced on Monday raises serious questions about the economic literacy of the Opposition, says Climate Change Issues Minister Nick Smith.
Greens: NZ to spend on emissions target when it could save
14 Aug 2009
The Government wants to take the most expensive route to its emissions target, telling the world it will purchase carbon credits rather than work to reduce New Zealand’s greenhouse gases, says the Green Party.
NZ sets 10-20% emissions target ... with big ifs
10 Aug 2009
New Zealand heads into climate change talks in Bonn tonight with a 2020 emissions reduction target of between 10 and 20 per cent below 1990 levels – providing the rest of the world comes to the party.
ANALYSIS: Now it comes down to the ETS deal for agriculture
10 Aug 2009
The Government has pretty cunningly positioned itself in its first emissions reduction target offering.
BUSINESS LEADERS: Target will have to rise later
10 Aug 2009
The Government’s opening offer to reduce New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions by 10 per cent to 20 per cent by 2020 will need to be improved during coming international negotiations, says the New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development.
GREENS: Target weakens New Zealand’s prospects
10 Aug 2009
Prime Minister John Key is running from responsibility with a weak 2020 emissions target, the Green Party says in a media release.
GREENPEACE: Target will not go down well with world
10 Aug 2009
The Government cannot expect its emission reduction target range to go down well internationally, says Greenpeace.
OXFAM: Target shows NZ does not care
10 Aug 2009
The announcement today of the Government's proposed emissions reduction target is tantamount to telling millions of vulnerable people around the world that New Zealand does not care enough about their fate to make the cuts that are needed, says Oxfam.
ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE SOCIETY: A day of shame
10 Aug 2009
The Environmental Defence Society has described the government's emissions target of 10 to 20 per cent reduction by 2020 as "underwhelming and incomprehensible."
Pacific nations call for drastic carbon cuts
7 Aug 2009
The Government is under pressure over a call from Pacific Islands countries to drastically cut carbon emissions by 2020.
ETS unsettled as NZ packs for Bonn talks
7 Aug 2009
The future of New Zealand’s emissions trading scheme remains up in the air as the Government heads to the Bonn climate change talks.
Household impact of US bill only modest, says study
7 Aug 2009
The United States climate change and energy bill passed by the House in June will bring somewhat higher energy prices for businesses and households and slow economic growth slightly by 2020.
You’re not alone – UN climate chief comforts Australia
7 Aug 2009
Australia is not at risk of going it alone on climate change by committing to emissions reduction targets before a global summit later this year, UN climate change chief Yvo de Boer says.
We can do it in Copenhagen, says China
7 Aug 2009
China’s envoy to global negotiations on climate change has expressed optimism that a new agreement to reduce greenhouse gases will be reached this year, and says that his nation’s efforts to curb carbon pollution already had produced results that he called “second to none.”
UK taxpayer may foot bill for missed emission targets
7 Aug 2009
Britain might have to purchase carbon credits from private companies in a new carbon trading scheme set to begin in 2010 to help them to meet their national greenhouse gas emissions targets.
Double nuclear energy output, Britain told
7 Aug 2009
Britain needs to more than double the amount of electricity generated by nuclear power in addition to boosting renewables, energy efficiency and gas storage to guarantee energy security, says an independent report commissioned by Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Forum calls for 80% cut by 2020, not 2050
7 Aug 2009
Greenhouse gases must be cut 80 per cent by 2020, not by 2050 as UN countries propose, to preserve life as we know it, says the head of a global conference.
One carbon choice: Don’t have that child
7 Aug 2009
People who are serious about wanting to reduce their carbon footprint have one choice available to them that may yield a large long-term benefit - have one fewer child.
Psychological barriers hobble climate action
7 Aug 2009
Psychological barriers like uncertainty, mistrust and denial keep most Americans from acting to fight climate change, says a task force of the American Psychological Association.
Most New Zealanders want 20-plus emissions reduction target
7 Aug 2009
Almost half of New Zealanders want the Government to set a target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent or more by 2020.
New courses focus on climate action, activism and creating vision
Fri 12 Sep 2025
Media release | Dark Times Academy’s final lineup of courses for 2025, launching in mid-September, will focus on taking action on climate, learning about practical activism, and creating visions for the future.
A revolution is sweeping Europe’s farms: Can it save agriculture?
Fri 12 Sep 2025
Momentum is building for regenerative agriculture, a set of approaches that could help farms to weather the changing climate and make them more profitable.
NZ needs to be part of a regional SAF strategy: Z, Air NZ
9 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand needs to be part of a regional strategic approach to sourcing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with domestic production less the aim than ensuring access to the fuel from one of a number of strategically positioned bio-refineries around the world.
'Non-negotiable' – EU carbon pricing to hit Kiwi exporters, expert warns
Thu 11 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | High carbon exports will inevitably face a high carbon tax at the EU border, possibly in the next five years, and high methane agricultural products might not be exempt, an international expert told a local audience yesterday.
'Reframe' climate conversations - focus on thriving together, says advisor
Thu 11 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand must mirror its Covid-19 response if it wants to get buy-in from the public on climate action, according to Ministry for the Environment chief advisor Heather Peacocke.
Air NZ declares surprisingly low SAF prices
3 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Air New Zealand is able to source sustainable aviation fuel at between 1.5 and 2.5 times the price of conventional fossil fuels used for flying, all sourced from the US.
No bidders front to carbon auction - again
Wed 10 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | Today’s quarterly carbon auction was a non-event yet again, making it the third consecutive auction this year with no bidders, with the secondary market price still limping along at nearly 20% below the auction floor.
Australia’s biggest gas project greenlit to 2070 with ‘partial’ protection for Indigenous rock art
Mon 15 Sep 2025
Approval met with fury from conservation groups and the Greens, who called it a ‘betrayal’ of Australians who want climate action.
'Atrocious' and 'bizarre': experts slam Act Party's climate policy
3 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Act Party is promising to challenge New Zealand’s Paris Agreement climate target, while the coalition Government’s other minor partner, NZ First, also says it wants to reevaluate the country’s commitment to the international treaty.
Industry struggles with double-digit power price hikes
Mon 15 Sep 2025
As power prices surge by double-digit amounts for the second year in a row, industrial users can’t keep absorbing cost increases, the Major Electricity Users’ Group says.
The merchants of doubt are back
3 Sep 2025
OPINION: If you don’t follow climate policy closely, you might not know that the Trump administration is launching an effort to overturn one of the most fundamental pillars of American climate policy.
Milestone for NZ Steel electrification
Wed 10 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | NZ Steel has passed an installation milestone for its new electric arc furnace, which will reduce emissions from the Glenbrook steel mill site by as much as one megatonne (1Mt) a year.
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.”
Wind and solar power fuel over one-third of Brazil's electricity for first time
Mon 15 Sep 2025
Wind and solar power generated more than a third of Brazil’s electricity in August.
Declining sea-ice is altering Antarctic food webs
Thu 11 Sep 2025
A new study shows a significant change in Antarctic phytoplankton over time that could cascade through the marine food web and affect the ocean’s capacity as a carbon sink.
Study links world’s top oil and gas firms to 200 ‘more intense’ heatwaves
Mon 15 Sep 2025
Global warming linked to the world’s biggest oil and gas companies made all “major” 21st century heatwaves more intense and frequent.
Marginal drop in last year's regional emissions
27 Aug 2025
Regional greenhouse gas emissions were down slightly last year, with a fall in gas supply leading to a big drop in Taranaki, but more coal burnt leading to higher emissions in Waikato, according to new figures from Stats NZ
Indigenous forest 'islands' could help transition exotic plantations to native bush
Thu 11 Sep 2025
Native forest 'islands' within exotic plantations might be the key to transitioning plantations from exotic to Indigenous, according to new research.
EU considers faster Russian oil and gas exit after US pressure
Mon 15 Sep 2025
The European Union is considering a faster phase-out of Russian fossil fuels as part of new sanctions.
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.
Why mega-polluters have little to fear from the European Central Bank and its new climate policy
Fri 12 Sep 2025
The European Central Bank plans to raise borrowing costs for climate offenders – but a new FTM analysis shows that big polluters such as Shell will barely feel it.
Media round-up
5 Sep 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: The great methane debate; law change scuppers legal challenge to irrigation scheme consent; and what are the energy and climate implications of the $7.5 billion Amazon Web Services data centre deal?
Coal imports up 650%
Fri 12 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams and Liz Kivi | Coal imports are up 650% as generators stockpile the most polluting fossil fuel ahead of next winter.
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.
Media round-up
29 Aug 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Changes to road user charges will increase New Zealand's emissions; Climate Change Minister Simon Watts promises better access to hazard data for homeowners; and Kiwis borrow over $1 billion in ‘green loans’ for heat pumps and electric cars.
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.
Apple Watch not a 'CO2-neutral product,' German court finds
28 Aug 2025
Apple can no longer advertise its Apple Watch as a "CO2-neutral product" in Germany, following a court ruling on Tuesday that upheld a complaint from environmentalists, finding that the U.S. tech company had misled consumers.
Forest carbon stores massive blind spot - study
4 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Aotearoa New Zealand’s planted forests hold significant deep soil organic carbon — with over half of it stored below 30 cm, and much of it over 1,000 years old.
Invites-only fast-track for seabed mine slammed as 'rushed, awful'
Fri 12 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With the wider public shut out of submissions, critics including Te Pāti Māori, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining and Greenpeace say the process strips away robust scrutiny and risks setting a dangerous precedent.
‘Pick up the phone’ on climate change action, Hipkins urges Luxon
9 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should reach out to the Labour Party if he wants get a political deal on methane reductions and the Paris agreement rather than his two coalition partners, Labour leader Chris Hipkins says.
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.
Endeavour Fund research to shape NZ’s future
5 Sep 2025
Media release - New Zealand Government | A project that looks to harness the potential of supercritical geothermal energy is amongst 19 ambitious science programmes the Government is backing, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones announced today.
Watts full-throated in National’s support for Paris
Wed 10 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Climate Change Minister Simon Watts came to this week’s Climate Change and Business Conference with nothing to announce.
Govt resilience plan 'dangerous fantasy' - thinktank
29 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | An independent thinktank, whose members include former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer and multiple academics, is warning that the government’s long-term resilience strategy ignores physical and energy realities and exposes Kiwi households and businesses to systemic failure.
‘Plastic Cup’ competitions are cleaning up rivers in Hungary
1 Sep 2025
Afloat on DIY boats, teams of volunteers have removed over 450 tons of plastic waste from the Danube and its tributaries.
Trump sends fracking CEO to Europe to sell climate denial—and gas
Mon 15 Sep 2025
Debunking some of Chris Wright's most egregious lies.
Underestimating support for climate action limits political decision making, study says
8 Sep 2025
Research reveals huge disparity between perceived and actual willingness of public to contribute to fixing climate.
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.
Media round-up
Fri 12 Sep 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Climate adaptation discussions descended into political squabbling at a recent conference; New Zealand may find itself no longer trusted by allies if it ditches climate goals; and are we living through the fastest energy transformation in human history?
Polar geoengineering ideas 'dangerous'
Wed 10 Sep 2025
Geoengineering will not save the polar regions from catastrophic meltdown, according to an expert.
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’.
Ara Ake backs 13 projects to unlock NZ’s energy flexibility
Thu 11 Sep 2025
Media release | Ara Ake has approved over $600,000 in funding from the National Flex Discovery Fund for 13 flexibility service providers (FSPs).
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.
Most EU carmakers on track to meet emission targets: study
Wed 10 Sep 2025
Almost all European carmakers are on track to meet EU emission targets after winning a reprieve this year as electric vehicles (EV) sales pick up, a study showed.
Hotter, longer, more frequent: NZ’s escalating heat risk
26 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Heat extremes in New Zealand will intensify faster than previously thought, according to a new study.
Echo Tech secures growth investment to tackle NZ's e-waste crisis
Mon 15 Sep 2025
Media release | Echo Tech Limited, New Zealand’s leading provider of e-waste recycling and IT asset recovery services, is proud to announce a strategic investment from growth equity firm Altered Capital.
La Niña set to prolong NZ hydro shortfall
9 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With La Niña favouring a drier-than-normal spring across much of the South Island, hydro lakes are unlikely to recover without substantial rain and late snowmelt – keeping national storage levels below average.
Record UK wildfires have burned an area twice the size of Glasgow in 2025
12 Aug 2025
Wildfires have scorched more than 40,000 hectares of land so far this year across the UK – an area more than twice the size of the Scottish city of Glasgow.
Which countries are scaling solar and wind the fastest?
Fri 12 Sep 2025
The leaderboard is quite different depending on what metric you look at.
