Topics tagged with 'Greenhouse Effect'
Buffett millions back first Chinese green car
14 Oct 2008
American billionaire investor Warren Buffett has bought a $232 million stake in China's BYD Co which plans to unveil its first green cars by the end of the year.
Financial crisis clouds EU's climate change plans
14 Oct 2008
The international financial crisis and slumping economic activity are threatening Europe's ambitious plans to slash greenhouse gas emissions, with governments eager to avoid saddling companies with additional burdens.
Markets turmoil could usher in new green era, says UN
14 Oct 2008
The global market crisis could provide an opportunity for the world financial system to reconstruct itself to promote “green” growth, the top United Nations climate change official said yesterday in New York.
Lab-grown meat, licences to have children … welcome to 2030
14 Oct 2008
A CHILLING world where licences are required for having children and questioning global warming is a crime could be ushered in by climate change, a report out yesterday predicts.
Don’t blame cities for climate change troubles, says report
14 Oct 2008
Cities are being unfairly blamed for most of humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions and this threatens efforts to tackle climate change, warns a new report.
First NZ carbon credits attract strong interest
10 Oct 2008
The first New Zealand carbon credits are on the market.
Climate change politicians to face the public
10 Oct 2008
The public will get a chance next week to put the hard questions on climate change to those who want to lead us for the next three years.
EU nods to credit crisis but remains tough on emissions
10 Oct 2008
A powerful European Union committee on Wednesday handed some concessions to industries in an economic downturn but maintained a tough line on curbing carbon emissions in the fight against climate change.
UK facing climate decisions crunch time, says report
10 Oct 2008
The UK government and leading businesses must assert their credibility as global leaders in tackling climate change by making the right decisions in the coming months to steer the country towards a low-carbon future, says a new report.
The Deadly Dozen - 12 climate change diseases that could sweep the world
10 Oct 2008
Health experts are calling them the Deadly Dozen - 12 pathogens that could spread into new regions as a result of climate change and could have potential impacts on both human and wildlife health as well as global economies.
Experts seek clues on impact of climate change on health
10 Oct 2008
Experts at a meeting convened by the United Nations World Health Organisation yesterday agreed on a plan of action to create guidelines on the impact of climate change on human health.
Fiji eyes billion-dollar windfall from carbon trading
10 Oct 2008
The Fiji Government is aiming to receive at least $US1billion in foreign exchange from carbon trading for the next 25 to 30 years.
Financial crisis must not diminish climate change, says UN chief
10 Oct 2008
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has warned of the dangers of the fight against climate change - which he characterised as the "defining challenge of our era" - getting bogged down by shorter-term problems, such as the current global financial turmoil.
NZ students to work on climate change study in Europe
10 Oct 2008
New Zealand engineering students will have the opportunity to study climate change in Europe through a new student exchange programme, Tertiary Education Minister Pete Hodgson announced yesterday.
Major players say no to carbon price-cap proposal
7 Oct 2008
A call for a price-cap on carbon in New Zealand is supported by neither the Government nor significant industry players spoken to by Carbon News.
No need for panic-buying, Smith tells businesses
7 Oct 2008
The National Party is not pushing the panic-button over the issue of businesses buying carbon credits - despite companies being urged to consider buying sooner rather than later.
EU vote will spell out future of carbon capture
7 Oct 2008
A vote in the European parliament tonight could back 10 billion euros aid for an untested technology called carbon capture and storage (CCS), which many scientists and economists consider the key to fighting climate change.
Cleantech investment soars as big business catches on
7 Oct 2008
As climate change moves up the corporate agenda, cleantech investment is reaching record levels, according to a new report by Ernst & Young.
Industry leaders call for gentle start to Aussie emissions trading
7 Oct 2008
The Australian Industry Group has renewed its support for a market-based approach to reducing the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, but has warned that moving too quickly may inflict substantial damage on businesses and their employees.
World Bank makes huge jump in funding of renewable energy projects
7 Oct 2008
The World Bank’s funding for renewable and efficient energy projects in developing countries rose 87 per cent during the past year to nearly $2.7 billion, reflecting the growing interest and demand for environmentally friendly sources of power.
Everyone’s happy with first US carbon auction
3 Oct 2008
Before the US’s first auction of carbon credits last week, some observers said outsiders might manipulate the market or there would be so little interest the auction would fail – but neither problem occurred, according to analyses just released.
Car makers unhappy with EU changing emissions targets
3 Oct 2008
Worried that carbon dioxide emissions from road transport are rising, the European Union wants to set goals for each car maker to sell more low-carbon models — or face fines if they don't.
Eastern Europe collects windfall as Japan snaps up carbon credits
3 Oct 2008
Thanks to Kyoto emission levels pegged to 1990, when pollution was worse, former Eastern Bloc countries now sell carbon credits to Japan
Branson and Virgin Galactic ride to save planet from climate change
3 Oct 2008
Publicity-savvy aviation millionaire Richard Branson is riding to save the planet from climate change.
Lawyers smile as carbon trading warms up in Tianjin
3 Oct 2008
Many CDM projects and carbon transactions have taken place in China since 2005, but some recent developments in the legal framework and the market place may turn a new page in China’s participation to mitigate climate change.
Nat's climate change stance 'window dressing'
3 Oct 2008
Act's Rodney Hide has provided further evidence that National MPs don't really mean what they say about taking action on climate change, Climate Change Minister David Parker says in a statement.
Climate report on hold as PM mulls over Wall St crisis
30 Sep 2008
The release of the final report by Australia’s special adviser on climate change, Professor Ross Garnaut, was delayed for several hours today while Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was briefed on the Wall St meltdown.
Big emitters play the waiting game with ETS
30 Sep 2008
Some of New Zealand’s major emitters of greenhouse gases are waiting to see who wins the election before committing themselves to buying carbon credits.
Garnaut to tell Aussies how life will be in Carbonland
30 Sep 2008
Australians this week will get their best look yet at life in a carbon economy.
Millions of new jobs in green economy, says UN report
30 Sep 2008
Tackling climate change could potentially generate millions of new employment opportunities, according to a new UN-backed study – the first of its kind on the emergence of a “green economy” and its impact on labour.
Greenhouse gas pollution up despite economic downturn
30 Sep 2008
World carbon dioxide emissions continued to rise in 2007 despite a slowing global economy, according to energy use figures from oil company BP and an annual report by the Global Carbon Project.
US states auction off right to emit global warming pollution
30 Sep 2008
US Power plant owners and speculators on Friday bid for the right to emit carbon dioxide as part of a new multistate government programme designed to reduce global warming pollution.
‘Obsolete’ market system to blame for deforestation, PNG tells UN
30 Sep 2008
The current global economic system is to fault for deforestation, Papua New GuineaDeputy Prime Minister Puke Temu told the UN General Assembly’s high-level debate yesterday, stressing the need to protect the South Pacific nation’s rainforests from degradation.
First ‘carbon state’ report finds troubling imbalance
30 Sep 2008
The first "State of the Carbon Cycle Report" for North America, released online this week by the US Climate Change Science Program, finds the continent's carbon budget increasingly overwhelmed by human-caused emissions.
Australia among donors pledging $6b to climate change funds
30 Sep 2008
Australia is among 10 industrialised countries which have pledged more than $6.1 billion to international investment funds aimed at helping developing countries to adopt cleaner technologies and mitigate growth in greenhouse gas emissions.
IDEAcarbon rates Joint Implementation projects
30 Sep 2008
The Carbon Rating Agency, a dedicated ratings subsidiary of IDEAcarbon, has released the first set of ratings for Joint Implementation (JI) projects under JI guidelines.
EXCLUSIVE: It's official, we're losing climate change battle
26 Sep 2008
The world is losing the battle against climate change, with global carbon emissions rising sharply last year, a hard-hitting scientific paper due out today will show.
Nats vow to sweep new broom through forest industry
26 Sep 2008
National hopes to sweep a new broom through the forestry sector, promising changes to the Resource Management Act, pushing for offsetting to be included in the Kyoto Protocol, and creating open, regular dialogue between the government and industry.
ANALYSIS: Our future under K2 bleak without forestry
26 Sep 2008
The release of the National Party’s forestry policy has received a warm reception from the sector, with the New Zealand Forest Owner’s Association applauding the party for listening to the industry.
US states, Canadian provinces announce emissions pact
26 Sep 2008
Seven US states and four Canadian provinces have announced recommendations for the design of a regional market-based cap-and-trade programme.
Clean coal is like healthy cigarettes, says Gore
26 Sep 2008
Former US vice-president Al Gore has urged the world to stop burning coal and says the idea of clean coal is “a lie,” likening it to the concept of “healthy cigarettes.”
Australia launches climate change super fund initiative
26 Sep 2008
What the Australian government is calling the world’s most comprehensive initiative designed to assist super funds manage the risks and maximise the opportunities associated with climate change was launched yesterday by Superannuation Minister Nick Sherry.
UK emissions bill about to become law, says minister
26 Sep 2008
The Climate Change Bill introduced by Britain's ruling Labour Party is about to become law, British Secretary of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Hilary Benn said yesterday.
Ban urges faster efforts to expand access to safe drinking water
26 Sep 2008
Warning that a world without water will be very unstable, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday called for a three-pronged strategy to ensure that the poorest inhabitants of the developing world have access to clean water and basic sanitation within seven years.
Water management leaking through the cracks
26 Sep 2008
A report card on the state of water infrastructure in New Zealand shows that management of one of New Zealand's most valuable assets, water, is only "adequate", at best, and that significant improvements are required to bring New Zealand's water services up to world's best practise.
Key must explain Williamson’s rail comments
26 Sep 2008
Maurice Williamson’s warning that a John Key-led government would not invest any new money in Auckland’s rail system shows National cannot be trusted to keep KiwiRail in Kiwi hands, Finance Minister Michael Cullen said.
Heavy emitters told climate change issues ripe for litigation
23 Sep 2008
It is only a matter of time before a class action is brought against heavy emitters in New Zealand over damage caused by climate change, says Kensington Swan partner Bryan Gundersen.
Market readies as NZUs about to go on line
23 Sep 2008
Excitement is mounting on the trading markets as NZUs (New Zealand units) are about to go live.
Patagonia talks paved way for Poznan, says Parker
23 Sep 2008
Promoting emissions-reducing technologies and making countries accountable for failing to reach reduction targets were two of the issues on the table in high-level talks Patagonia last week, says Climate Change Minister David Parker.
Australian carbon credit price doubles as emissions scheme looms
23 Sep 2008
The price of credits in the Australian carbon market has more than doubled over the past 12 months.
NZ art focussing on climate on display at Beijing Biennale
Thu 12 Feb 2026
An artist responding to the consequences of climate disruption is the first New Zealander in six years to feature at the prestigious Beijing Art Biennale.
Carbon market rallies but auction floor still out of reach
Fri 13 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The carbon market has rallied, with secondary market prices up more than 25% in the past two weeks, although current prices in the mid-$40s are still far below this year’s $71 auction floor, with the first auction of 2026 less than three weeks away.
NZ’s government wants tourism to drive economic growth – but how will it deal with aviation emissions?
22 Oct 2025
By Robert McLachlan, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University | Following a brief dip during the COVID pandemic, aviation is back in a growth phase.
Why Trump might be onboard with a UN carbon-offset programme for airlines
Thu 12 Feb 2026
The president’s team has backed the rollout of an initiative that calls for the use of sustainable aviation fuel and carbon credits, even as Trump has pulled back from other international emissions-reduction efforts.
World fight against invasive species comes to Auckland
Tue 10 Feb 2026
Media release: University of Auckland | From countering invasive pink salmon in Norway to controlling feral cats in the Cayman Islands, knowledge on eradicating invasive species will be shared by international experts in New Zealand.
Govt launches strategy backing wood-based heat sector
23 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Forestry biomass could replace as much as 40% of fossil fuel-generated process heat by 2050, but access to supply, regulatory settings and business cases for converting to wood-based heat sources are required, the Government says in a series of documents released yesterday.
EU weighing options to support industry in carbon market overhaul
Mon 9 Feb 2026
The European Commission is looking at various ways to support industries in an upcoming overhaul of the EU carbon market to prevent them moving to areas with lower pollution standards, the head of the Commission’s climate department said late on Wednesday.
Point of no return: a hellish ‘hothouse Earth’ getting closer, scientists say
Fri 13 Feb 2026
The world is closer than thought to a “point of no return” after which runaway global heating cannot be stopped, scientists have said.
Minister’s letters: Mildly positive or just virtue signalling?
5 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The carbon market was buoyed slightly yesterday, after letters between the Government and the Climate Change Commission were proactively released.
NZ still lacking coherent energy strategy
Fri 13 Feb 2026
By Rod Carr | COMMENT: The government’s levy-funded foreign gas proposal for an LNG terminal shows New Zealand’s politicians being outmanoeuvred yet again by the multi-trillion dollar energy industry.
LNG: a rational choice compared to unpalatable alternatives
Tue 10 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: By deciding to underwrite the private construction of a liquefied natural gas import facility in Taranaki, the Government has made a rational choice in favour of energy security and affordability.
RMA’s successors hinge on two untested bets
17 Dec 2025
Two ideas sit at the heart of the Government’s replacement for the Resource Management Act: regulatory relief and spatial planning.
Opposition attacks Govt over fossil fuel phaseout backdown
2 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | Revelations that Resources Minister Shane Jones ruled out New Zealand signing up to a 'road map' away from fossil fuels at last year’s global climate summit show the National Party’s minor coalition partners’ undue influence over the Government, according to Labour leader Chris Hipkins.
Lawyers seek answers on climate impacts of LNG import facility
Fri 13 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Lawyers for Climate Action has written to Climate Change and Energy Minister Simon Watts warning that the Government's plan for an LNG import terminal could be in conflict with New Zealand’s climate obligations and emissions reduction targets.
DOC trims costs and winds down jobs for nature
10 Nov 2025
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is entering a new phase of tighter budgets and structural change as it winds down the pandemic-era Jobs for Nature programme and reshapes its operations to absorb long-term cost pressures.
Media round-up
Fri 13 Feb 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Senior UK ministers have asked their New Zealand counterparts to explain new climate policies, National’s LNG blunders are a warning ahead of election campaign, and what are the lessons New Zealand should take from another summer of weather disasters?
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.
'Damning' report challenges forestry’s role in Tairāwhiti as sector rejects conclusions
4 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New independent analysis commissioned by Mana Taiao Tairāwhiti challenges long-standing claims that industrial forestry underpins the Tairāwhiti economy.
LNG plan risks fossil fuel dependency: Environment Commissioner
Wed 11 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Importing liquefied natural gas risks creating a “new path dependency on fossil fuel” unless LNG is ring-fenced for use only in the electricity system and only during extended periods of hydro-electricity water shortages, says the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton.
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.”
European Central Bank's green supervision grows teeth, but will banks avoid being bitten?
Fri 13 Feb 2026
After several years of issuing guidance and repeatedly calling on banks to take climate and environmental risk management seriously, the European Central Bank is moving from guidance and expectations to enforcement.
Kiwi startup takes on global plastic pollution
Thu 12 Feb 2026
A New Zealand startup is launching what it says is the world’s first plastic-free effervescent drink tablet, with the ambitious aim of eliminating bottled beverages to reduce global plastic pollution.
Govt missing opportunity to slash electricity prices, says expert
Wed 11 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s fixation on eliminating the "dry-year risk margin" as a lever to reduce costs misses a much bigger opportunity to lower electricity prices, according to Christina Hood, head of Compass Climate.
Hydrogen emissions are ‘supercharging’ the warming impact of methane
19 Dec 2025
The warming impact of hydrogen has been “overlooked” in projections of climate change, according to authors of the latest “global hydrogen budget”.
Wales council to buy and demolish homes prone to flooding
4 Feb 2026
A row of homes in a village in south Wales is to be bought by a local authority and demolished as they can no longer be protected from flooding caused by the climate crisis.
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.
Green Member’s Bill aims to give whales legal ‘personhood’
Mon 9 Feb 2026
The Green Party wants to give whales legal rights, including the right to sue.
Govt unveils plans for carbon storage regulations – and ETS rewards
18 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government has released plans to regulate carbon capture and storage in natural geological formations, which include Emissions Trading Scheme incentives, with the aim of introducing related legislation in 2026.
Ministers celebrate fast-track milestone amid criticism
Tue 10 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government is marking the first anniversary of its fast-track approvals regime, saying it is helping “build New Zealand’s future”, despite continued criticism from environmental groups, opposition parties, and industry voices following several controversial project decisions.
Govt looks to Commission for ways to shore up carbon price
4 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government has asked the Climate Change Commission to look at lower auction volumes and an increase in the auction floor price as options to revive the Emissions Trading Scheme, as carbon prices remain weak.
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.
Climate change linked to decline in southern right whale
Thu 12 Feb 2026
Scientists in Australia are warning southern right whales are showing signs of climate-related stress, just days after a Green Party Member’s Bill was introduced in New Zealand proposing legal personhood for whales.
Climate ambassador moves on
Fri 13 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government is on the hunt for a new top climate diplomat, with previous climate ambassador Stu Horne moving on to a posting in Honolulu as New Zealand’s Consul General to Hawai’i.
Commentators slam Govt inaction in aftermath of climate change-fuelled storms
30 Jan 2026
By Liz Kivi | Climate action - or inaction - is shaping up to be an election issue, with multiple commentators drawing a line between the Coalition Government’s backsliding on climate targets and the deadly extreme weather events of the past week.
Major health risks linked to plastics emissions set to soar by 2040
28 Jan 2026
The adverse health consequences stemming from the global plastics system are projected to more than double by 2040, driven by greenhouse gases, air pollutants and toxic chemicals released throughout its lifecycle.
Greenpeace set to take UK Government to court over deep-sea mining licences
5 Feb 2026
Environmental NGO Greenpeace has kick-started a legal challenge against the UK Government’s decision to approve the transfer of two seabed exploration licences to a newly-formed mining company with US links.
Critical minerals talks with US questioned in Waitangi Tribunal climate inquiry
Mon 9 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand and the United States' negotiations over critical minerals have raised questions for the Waitangi Tribunal’s long-running inquiry into climate change.
January floods driven by tropical systems and La Niña conditions
Thu 12 Feb 2026
Record-breaking rainfall across parts of Aotearoa in January was fuelled by tropical moisture and persistent low-pressure systems, with some regions recording more than five times their normal monthly rainfall, Earth Sciences New Zealand says.
Solar households to get little-noticed tax break
23 Sep 2025
A provision in the government’s latest tax bill would exempt households from paying tax on income they earn by selling excess electricity back to the grid.
NZ-UAE partnership boosts advanced tech
Mon 9 Feb 2026
Media release | A new Antarctic science partnership with a leading UAE university will grow New Zealand’s advanced engineering and modelling capability, supporting high-value jobs, encouraging economic growth, and enabling smarter climate risk management, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti says.
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.
China maximises battery recycling to shore up critical mineral supplies
Wed 11 Feb 2026
Beijing is bracing for a tsunami of spent EV batteries by taking steps to boost recycling – a strategy that could also cut its reliance on imports of clean energy minerals.
EU to ban destruction of unsold clothes and shoes
Thu 12 Feb 2026
The European Commission has adopted new measures that will require medium and large companies to stop discarding unsold clothing and footwear, in the bloc’s latest move to target textile waste.
Heatwaves, downpours and droughts – Auckland on track for more extreme weather
1 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show Auckland will face more heatwaves, heavier downpours, worsening droughts and growing coastal threats as climate extremes intensify, according to a new report from Earth Sciences New Zealand.
Argentina fires ravage pristine Patagonia forests, fueling criticism of Milei’s austerity
4 Feb 2026
The wildfires, among the worst to hit the drought-stricken Patagonia region in decades, have devastated more than 45,000 hectares (174 square miles) of Argentina’s forests in the last month and a half, forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists.
Hydrogen plant to start construction
Tue 10 Feb 2026
Construction is set to start this month on Hiringa Energy’s long delayed green hydrogen project in South Taranaki, after years of consenting fights that culminated in the Court of Appeal rejecting Greenpeace’s challenge in late 2023.
