Topics tagged with 'Greenhouse Effect'
Maldives joins NZ in climate neutral pact
8 May 2009
The Republic of Maldives, one of the countries most affected by climate change, has joined New Zealand and five other countries as a member of the Climate Neutral Network led by the United Nations Environment Programme.
We still want to harmonise, says Smith
5 May 2009
Talks on harmonising the New Zealand and Australian emissions trading schemes will continue, despite Australia’s decision to delay the start of its scheme.
Rudd delays emissions trading till 2011
5 May 2009
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd yesterday announced that his government would delay by one year the introduction of its emissions trading scheme.
Climate could turn dangerous in 50 years, says report
5 May 2009
A state of dangerous climate change might be reached as soon as the year 2059, according to a new study in the journal Nature.
One cup of coffee =140 litres of water
5 May 2009
Dutch scientist Arjen Hoekstra is one of the few people who know that as much as 140 litres of water are involved in making a cup of coffee.
Australia's new GHG target shows up NZ's lack of target - Greenpeace
5 May 2009
The New Zealand Government has been caught out by Australia’s proposal for stronger and faster greenhouse gas emission cuts, says Greenpeace.
ETS should be suspended, says coalition
5 May 2009
Greenhouse Policy Coalition executive director Catherine Beard, representing the energy-intensive sector on climate change issues, is calling on the select committee reviewing the emissions trading scheme to suspend the introduction of the industrial sector into the scheme until such time as the "flawed legislation has been properly reviewed and fixed".
Business leaders: emissions trading policy delays causing major investment blight
5 May 2009
Business leaders told the Parliamentary select committee reviewing the emissions trading scheme yesterday that indecision is stalling hundreds of millions in investments in sectors which will both benefit from or fear having a price of carbon.
Gull wants fixed carbon price after ETS
1 May 2009
Independent oil company Gull has asked the emissions trading scheme review committee to set the price of carbon for at least the first 18 months after the liquid fuel sector enters the ETS.
Smith still quiet on Labour ETS offer
1 May 2009
The Government has not yet responded to Labour's offer to work with it on an emissions trading scheme.
Fifty years of work under threat, says Oxfam
1 May 2009
Climate change could reverse all the international development work of the past 50 years, the emissions trading scheme review committee heard yesterday.
Top businessman bags carbon trading scheme
1 May 2009
One of Australia’s most respected businessmen has made a blistering attack on the Rudd Government's proposed carbon pollution reduction scheme, saying it would cost jobs and probably increase global emissions.
We must burn less diesel and wood, says Gore
1 May 2009
Nobel peace prize-winner Al Gore says the world must burn less diesel and wood because the soot produced is accelerating the melting of ice in polar and mountainous regions.
US officials express hope for climate talks
1 May 2009
Senior Obama administration officials believe a Washington meeting on climate change this week has improved chances for a new international treaty to tackle global warming.
Traders call for land-use offsets in climate deal
1 May 2009
Reducing emissions from land use should play a key role in the post-Kyoto climate agreement, the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) says.
India eyes $100b in carbon trading deals
1 May 2009
India could earn up to $100 billion through trading of certified emission reductions, or carbon credits, a government official said this week.
Minister delays release of ETS risk report
28 Apr 2009
A new report into the economic risks of the emissions trading scheme has not yet been made public amid concerns that it does not adequately cover the potential benefits.
NZ scientists: We're being gagged
28 Apr 2009
New Zealand’s public science institutes are “rife” with cases of scientists being gagged, Carbon News has been told.
Labour expects ETS answer this week
28 Apr 2009
The Labour Party expects a formal response from the Government this week on its offer to co-operate on an emissions trading scheme.
Forest focus wrong, institute tells ETS hearing
28 Apr 2009
New Zealand should focus on the role that forests play in mitigation of climate change - and not just on forestry emissions, says the Institute of Forestry.
You must adapt, minister tells farmers
28 Apr 2009
Agriculture Minister David Carter says that New Zealand farmers should be starting to adapt their farm management to deal with the impacts of climate change – and be looking for possible benefits to exploit.
EU aid decision good news for NZ
28 Apr 2009
The European Union decision to let Australia select the providers of Brussels–financed aid in the Asia-Pacific region is good news for New Zealand manufacturers and professional services.
Democrats drag feet as US opens major climate talks
28 Apr 2009
The Obama administration will try its hand today at finding a consensus among 17 leading economies on climate change as the US State Department sponsors the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate in Washington.
Britain advances carbon-capture plans
28 Apr 2009
Steps to capture and bury greenhouse gas emissions appear to have taken an important step forward in Britain, where the government wants to make the construction of large new power plants contingent on fitting the technology.
Miliband calls for populist push in climate battle
28 Apr 2009
British Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband says he is "fearful" that the world may miss the opportunity to halt global warming and is calling for a Make Poverty History-style popular movement to push for a breakthrough at this year's Copenhagen summit.
SE Asia will be hit hard , warns bank report
28 Apr 2009
An Asian Development Bank study says Southeast Asia will be hit particularly hard by climate change, causing the region's agriculture-dependent economies to contract by as much as 6.7 per cent annually by the end of the century.
Native peoples’ conference ends in dispute
28 Apr 2009
Two native groups refused to sign a resolution drafted at this week's Indigenous Peoples' Global Summit on Climate Change in Alaska, saying that the resolution is not strong enough.
Scientists fear another methane catastrophe
24 Apr 2009
A major spike in the powerful greenhouse gas methane nearly 12,000 years ago wasn't the result of a catastrophic release of seafloor gas hydrates, scientists say.
Obama launches push for green revolution
24 Apr 2009
United States President Barack Obama has launched his push for a green energy revolution and to pass historic climate change legislation, making his pitch from a wind energy factory on Earth Day.
Climate change threatens world’s mighty rivers
24 Apr 2009
Some of the mightiest rivers on the planet, including the Ganges, the Niger, and the Yellow river in China, are drying up because of climate change, a study of global waterways has warned.
It’s life or death, say indigenous peoples
24 Apr 2009
Climate change is disrupting natural systems and livelihoods around the world, indigenous people reported this week at a global meeting on in Alaska.
Careful forest management crucial, says UN
24 Apr 2009
Sustainable forest management policy is crucial at a time when climate change, the financial crisis and unsustainable development are posing severe risks to this invaluable global resource, United Nations officials said yesterday.
US Catholics organise against climate change
24 Apr 2009
American Catholics should “live our faith confronting the impact of climate change,” especially its impact on the world’s poor, US Bishop William S. Skylstad said this week.
Key's 'road' for economic recovery should look more like a light-rail line, say Greens
24 Apr 2009
Prime Minister John Key's recent signals of fiscal prudence in the upcoming Budget are to be praised, said Green Party co-leader Dr Russel Norman.
Forest industry fears carbon deficit blow-out
21 Apr 2009
Normal levels of forest harvesting could trigger a post-2018 carbon deficit blow-out unless action is taken soon, says an informed industry source.
NZ could lead in wind energy, says global expert
21 Apr 2009
New Zealand could be a world leader in the wind energy sector, developing and exporting wind turbine technology and expertise, says a visiting international expert.
Inhibitors no silver bullet, warn farmers
21 Apr 2009
Nitrification inhibitors should not be seen as a one-size-fits-all solution for reducing agricultural emissions, says Federated Farmers in the wake New Zealand’s latest emissions data.
Climate deal fraught with problems, says EU envoy
21 Apr 2009
An address by David Daly, the new head of the European Union delegation to Australia, to the recent Greenhouse 2009 conference in Western Australia is being carefully scrutinised by his counterparts throughout Oceania - especially in New Zealand.
Wellington shelves 'green capital' plans
21 Apr 2009
A forecast that Wellington city ratepayers would have to shoulder a stiff annual additional cost has prompted the city council to shelve plans that, in the words of Mayor Kerry Prendergast, would have made Wellington the “first green capital in the world.”
UK wants to pay Brits to buy electric cars
21 Apr 2009
The British Government has launched a plan to promote ultra-low carbon transport over the next five years, including up to £5000 for people buying their first electric cars.
Keeping slim good for the planet, say scientists
21 Apr 2009
Maintaining a healthy body weight is good news for the environment, according to a study which appears today in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
Antarctic Treaty governments slow to act
21 Apr 2009
The latest climate change findings from scientists were a key topic of discussions at the 50th anniversary meeting of the Antarctic Treaty in Baltimore.
Task force forms to create new green economy
21 Apr 2009
United Nations officials will begin work with a task force charged with developing a set of practical projects and policy proposals to stimulate a new low-carbon global economy.
Kyoto news no reason for complacency, says lawyer
21 Apr 2009
The announcement that New Zealand is now expected to exceed its Kyoto target by 9.6 million tonnes - worth about $240 million – does not mean the country should abandon its carbon dioxide emission abatement activities, says a leading lawyer.
Garnaut shock: Australia should drop ETS plan
17 Apr 2009
Australia's climate change adviser is suggesting that it might be best to dump the proposed emissions trading scheme and "have anotoher crack at it" later, the Australian Associated Press is reporting.
Hydro dams carry concerns, says Greenpeace
17 Apr 2009
Greenpeace says it does not oppose new hydroelectric dams in principle – but warns that building more hydro schemes will increase New Zealand’s reliance on fossil fuels.
Forest owners in plea for more tree-planting
17 Apr 2009
The state of New Zealand’s net greenhouse gas emissions reinforces the need for the Government to do more to encourage new forest planting to avoid future problems, says the Forest Owners' Association.
Australia off target, say rebel scientists
17 Apr 2009
Australia is clearing native vegetation at a rate that amounts to a $2.4 billion annual loss of stored carbon, a Senate climate change inquiry has heard.
Emissions cuts will work, say climate experts
17 Apr 2009
The worst of the global warming effects can still be reversed, if proper steps are taken fairly quickly to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to an analysis by the US National Center for Atmospheric Research.
Welcome to the brave new world of disputes
17 Apr 2009
Changes to the global landscape during the next two decades are expected to drive a new generation of disputes.
Govt unveils long-awaited voluntary carbon market guidance
Fri 15 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has released long-awaited guidance for New Zealand’s voluntary carbon and nature markets, as questions continue for the sector despite ministers signalling support for its growth.
Media round-up
Fri 15 May 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: The government's move to change climate law removes a key protection for NZ citizens, farmers should be paid to use methane-busting tools, and it's one step forward, three steps back on environment policy.
$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
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.
A real ‘intergenerational equity’ budget would address Australia’s unceasing environmental decline
Fri 15 May 2026
Labor has unveiled a budget designed to tackle intergenerational equity in Australia through bold tax reform.
Burning wood for power worse for climate than gas equivalent, report finds
21 Apr 2026
Research casts doubt on plans by the UK government to offer subsidies for carbon capture attached to the power source.
Carbon News updates forward curve
Wed 13 May 2026
Carbon News has updated its ten-year NZU forward curve, following a recent rise in spot market prices, with NZUs rallying from about $34 in January to nearly $54 in early May.
UN members prepare for pivotal vote on landmark ICJ climate justice ruling
Fri 15 May 2026
If the resolution is passed, governments will recognise their legal responsibility to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Drop in ETS forestry registrations
5 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | ETS forestry registrations have dropped off this year, with the new mandatory emissions return period, new land-use rules, and carbon price volatility all meaning participants aren’t rushing to register forestry in the emissions trading scheme.
GIDI-style help cheaper than LNG: MBIE
11 May 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Officials advised ministers last July that the lowest-cost way to free up gas for use during dry winters was to assist industrial gas users to switch to electricity.
Tairāwhiti deserves better than weakened forestry rules
5 May 2026
OPINION: The government's proposed amendments to forestry standards, released yesterday, ignore the hard lessons learned in our region and ignore the voices that have fought hardest to protect it, writes Manu Caddie.
Latest emissions inventory: ‘Something has gone very wrong’
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.
What Magyar’s defeat of Orbán in Hungary means for climate and energy
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.
Conservation land open for voluntary carbon market schemes
Tue 12 May 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The government is to open up the Crown-owned conservation estate to private investment in voluntary carbon market projects.
Mercury eyes $1b geothermal expansion near Taupō
Fri 15 May 2026
Mercury is planning the next phase of its geothermal expansion near Taupō, with two proposed projects carrying a potential investment of up to $1 billion and enough new renewable generation to power an additional 125,000 homes.
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.
Labour condemns Govt plan to stop climate litigation
Fri 15 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Labour Party has slammed the Government’s move to block climate lawsuits against big emitters but won’t say if they would repeal the legislation if elected in November.
EDS urges MPs to scrap the Fisheries Amendment Bill
5 May 2026
Media release | The Environmental Defence Society today lodged a substantive submission on the Fisheries Amendment Bill.
Govt presses ahead with forestry rule changes despite opposition
Thu 14 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government is pushing ahead with changes to commercial forestry rules despite most submitters opposing the proposals, with critics warning the reforms will weaken councils’ ability to manage erosion and forestry slash risks in vulnerable regions such as Tairāwhiti.
Fourth petroleum permit application enters competitive process
Fri 15 May 2026
Media release: New Zealand Government | The fourth petroleum exploration permit application since the removal of the exploration ban late last year has entered the open market competitive process, an encouraging signal of renewed confidence in investing in the country’s sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says.
Methanexit: writing on the wall for NZ’s biggest gas user
6 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s biggest fossil gas user, Methanex, is expected to stop production by the end of this year, with the company confirming its Motunui methanol operation won’t survive Māui gas field’s closure.
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.”
New funding for low methane farming uptake
29 Apr 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The government will co-fund projects under an Early Adoption Accelerator scheme announced today to accelerate the uptake of low emissions farming technologies emerging from the AgriZero public-private partnership.
Why ‘greenhushing’ signals deeper issues with NZ’s climate risk reporting regime
Fri 15 May 2026
By Hang Pham, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington | Most of us are familiar with the concept of greenwashing: organisations exaggerating or overstating their environmental credentials. But in New Zealand, there are signs the country’s climate disclosure regime may inadvertently be driving a very different trend: not saying much at all.
‘Formidable’ El Niño expected this winter
29 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Meteorologists are anticipating a significant El Niño influence on weather patterns across the country from winter onwards, with predicted lower rainfall for some areas and heavier rain for others likely to impact multiple sectors of the economy as well as the carbon market.
Victorian Hydrogen announces Southland urea fertiliser project using coal
22 Apr 2026
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.
Media round-up
24 Apr 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: What is the real cost of storm-hit infrastructure? Urgency is needed over climate adaptation funding; and a community conservation group has won a legal victory against multinational mining company OceanaGold.
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.
Move to block lawsuits could strengthen climate case against Govt
Thu 14 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s plan to block climate lawsuits – while potentially fatal for one groundbreaking climate case – could actually bolster claims in another live climate case underway against the Government.
Tehran will never cede control of Strait of Hormuz, senior Iranian politician tells BBC
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.
Govt missing tricks to save fuel in crisis
30 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government is being urged to shift its response to the fuel crisis away from short-term relief and towards measures that reduce demand, with public health experts warning it is missing an opportunity to boost energy security and lower household costs.
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.
‘Triple whammy of climate chaos’: Why Antarctica's sea ice collapse is no longer a mystery
11 May 2026
Scientists have finally identified the ‘triple whammy’ behind Antarctica’s dramatic collapse, shedding new light on the chain reaction that has pushed its sea ice to record lows.
Coal mine challenge reaches Aus High Court
Wed 13 May 2026
What climate change impacts should a planning authority have to take into account when assessing a mining project?
Australian operator to run NZ ETS auctions
11 May 2026
The Government has appointed an Australian company to run its Emissions Trading Scheme auctions, taking over from NZX, which has operated the ETS auctions since they began in 2021.
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.
Deep-sea mining risks biodiversity loss lasting decades, scientists warn
11 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The first comprehensive review of deep-sea mining research has found mining could cause ecological damage lasting decades and, in some ecosystems, irreversible biodiversity loss, with New Zealand experts warning the industry poses major risks to fragile ocean environments.
Environmental groups sue Trump administration over approval of new ultra deep-water drilling project
23 Apr 2026
Environmental groups sued the Trump administration on Monday over its approval last month of oil company BP’s ultra deep-water drilling project in the Gulf of Mexico.
Opposition slams environment ministry merger
Wed 13 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Opposition MPs accused the Government of downgrading climate and environmental protections as legislation to abolish the Ministry for the Environment and merge it into a new mega-ministry passed its second reading in Parliament.
Commission urges Govt action on climate risks
7 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | Climate change currently poses major risks to our water infrastructure with “significant gaps” in readiness to manage risks and increasing hazards, according to the Climate Change Commission.
ESG funds include petrochemical companies, report finds
5 May 2026
Global banks have invested US$133bn into US petrochemical expansion, even as the industry is linked to climate change.
Thousands protest in Germany urging faster shift to renewable energy, amid Iran war
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.
Green Party calls for national electrification plan
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.
‘Landmark’ conservation reform bill – boost or bust for nature?
8 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government has announced an overhaul of the country’s conservation system, which environmental organisation Forest & Bird says will undo the work of many generations of Kiwis to protect public conservation land.
Renewable energy hub planned for Scottish coal museum
Thu 14 May 2026
A former 19th Century coal mining 'super-pit' in Midlothian is to be turned into a renewable energy hub providing green electricity for the local community.
Planned coal mine borders internationally significant wetland
30 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Victorian Hydrogen, the company behind plans for a huge coal-to-urea project, has applied for a permit to explore for coal next to an internationally significant wetland in a sensitive catchment in Southland.
Combined climate extremes may prompt carbon budget rethink
Thu 14 May 2026
Media release: Springer Nature | Combined extreme climate events are likely to become more common in the future if carbon emissions continue to rise, a paper in Nature suggests.
Africa secures major clean energy deals as France deepens investment push
Fri 15 May 2026
French and African leaders have announced more than $11 billion in renewable energy investments across Africa, underscoring the continent’s growing importance in the global push for cleaner energy and industrial development.
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.
Why both trees and technology are important in the race to mitigate carbon emissions
4 May 2026
Different carbon‑removal approaches solve different problems, and pitting these technologies against each other could slow progress.
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.
More red lights for cars might mean more green lights for sustainable transport
7 May 2026
Media release: Royal Society Open Science | Reducing the amount of green light time for cars at traffic lights could encourage commuters to switch to more sustainable transport.
UK halves Green Climate Fund contribution, as it spends more on security
Fri 15 May 2026
After promising £1.6 billion to the UN’s flagship climate fund in 2023, the UK government has now said it will only hand over half as much.
NZ First moves to revive container return scheme
4 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | NZ First is aiming to launch a national container return scheme, which could recycle over a billion wasted containers each year, reviving a policy shelved by the previous Labour-led Government in 2023.
Greens condemn planned coal mine next to protected wetland
4 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party says a new plan for a coal mine and fertiliser plant next to an internationally significant wetland is “ecological vandalism and climate denial.”
Why is Northern Ireland facing a growing threat from wildfires?
7 May 2026
Figures show that spring drought events are happening more often while there has been a sharp rise in "fire weather" - a mix of warmth, dryness, and wind that allows fires to ignite and spread rapidly. Experts warn this combination, along with climate change, is creating a longer and more volatile wildfire season.
Stripy wind turbines could save some birds
8 May 2026
Media release: Royal Society Interface | Preventing birds from colliding with wind turbine blades could be as simple as a few paint stripes, according to international researchers, who say this could help protect wildlife as renewable energy expands.
