Topics tagged with 'Greenhouse Effect'
Govt: ETS forestry compo benefits large number of iwi
5 Sep 2008
The Government claims a large number of iwi believe the compensation package under the emissions trading scheme gives them a net benefit rather than a net cost.
Tribal group challenges Parker's ETS support claim
5 Sep 2008
A major iwi is challenging Climate Change Minister David Parker’s claim that most tribes support the emissions trading bill.
National’s ETS changes: devilish cost in the detail
5 Sep 2008
ANALYSIS - The further glimpses of National Party emissions trading policy “detail” in the past few days show it might take some risks with the taxpayers’ purse.
Rare glimpse of National's post-election ETS policy detail
5 Sep 2008
National may have pointed to its possible course on emissions trading law if it forms the government after this year’s election.
We’ve slashed carbon dioxide emissions, claim US airlines
5 Sep 2008
US airlines have reduced carbon dioxide emissions by the equivalent of what 18.7 million cars produce annually, an industry group says.
Climate forecasts crucial to water resources, say weather watchers
5 Sep 2008
The chief of the UN meteorological agency has called for weather forecasts to play a greater role in planning for economic development and poverty reduction because of the impact climate change has on water resources.
India must brace for the worst, warns UN agency
5 Sep 2008
Climate change is likely to have a much greater impact on India than other countries in similar positions, according to an assessment by the South Asia regional office of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation.
Pachauri to head IPCC for further five years
5 Sep 2008
Rajendra Kumar Pachauri has been elected chairman of the UN body Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for a second term.
Crown submission on Meridian wind farm proposal
5 Sep 2008
The Crown has made a submission on Meridian Energy's wind farm proposal in the Central North Island, Environment Minister Trevor Mallard said.
Cynical politics around emissions trading scheme
5 Sep 2008
Politics has triumphed over sensible policy development around emissions trading, says Business NZ.
Solar energy can bring clean energy to over 4 billion people by 2030
5 Sep 2008
Solar electricity can contribute largely to the energy needs of two-thirds of the world's population - including those in remote areas - by 2030.
Tough challenges to livestock agriculture
5 Sep 2008
The world's livestock industries will face a tough future as they come to grips with climate change.
Fishing industry questions new ETS free-units allocation
2 Sep 2008
The fishing sector is relieved that amendments to the Government’s climate change legislation include a major concession to the industry.
Obama promises $150b for renewables and end to Middle East oil imports
2 Sep 2008
Democrat presidential candidate Barack Obama has vowed to end the US "addiction" to Middle East oil, and to invest $150 billion in renewables if he becomes president.
Humans at war with Earth on climate change, says Lovelock
2 Sep 2008
The world could be on the brink of natural disaster and even the gloomiest predictions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's latest report are underestimating the current severity of climate change, Professor James Lovelock will say at a public lecture in London today.
Australia votes $14m to help endangered island neighbours
2 Sep 2008
Australia will provide $14.8 million to help vulnerable countries in the Asia-Pacific region to adapt to the effects of climate change.
Ban hails UN climate panel on 20th anniversary
2 Sep 2008
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday paid tribute to the accomplishments of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), co-recipient of last year's Nobel Peace Prize, as he marked its 20th anniversary.
ETS bill a good compromise - CTU
2 Sep 2008
The CTU welcomes the progress being made in Parliament on the emissions trading scheme.
Maori Party against ETS bill: concern over subsidies, impacts on Maori land owners
2 Sep 2008
The Maori Party says in EST bill debate that it is "opposed to the concept of paying the polluters; of rewarding the corporate lobbyists with huge exemptions; and the very nature of trading rather than reducing emissions."
Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre 30-31 October 2008
2 Sep 2008
The Australian Federal Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator the Hon Penny Wong will address the inaugural Carbon Market Expo Australasia on the Gold Coast 29th-31st October.
ETS DEALS: What the Greens and NZ First got changed
29 Aug 2008
Changes to the ETS bill, negotiated in return for the support of the Green and New Zealand First parties, are:
Accra talks bode well for future climate change negotiations, says UN
29 Aug 2008
Important progress has been made during the latest round of United Nations-led climate change talks in Ghana on key issues relating to a new international agreement to tackle global warming, the world body’s top official dealing with the issue said yesterday.
Poorer countries face $170 billion climate change bill
29 Aug 2008
A total of $US170 billion is needed between now and 2030 to enable developing countries to mitigate and adapt to the impact of climate change, the World Bank says.
New report lists advantages of scrapping fossil fuel subsidies
29 Aug 2008
A newly published UN report says scrapping fossil fuel subsidies could play an important role in cutting greenhouse gases while giving a small but not insignificant boost to the global economy.
Japan finds a fact: Climate change is making whales thinner
29 Aug 2008
Japanese scientists claim to have discovered a key fact about minke whales after 20 years of butchering thousands of the mammals in the Southern Ocean.
Film-makers get chance to tell climate change stories
29 Aug 2008
The World Bank has launched a world-wide documentary competition that will highlight the social aspects of climate change as experienced by the film-makers.
REACTION: Greenpeace welcomes Greens' decision
26 Aug 2008
Greenpeace has welcomed the Green's support for the emissions trading scheme (ETS), saying the party has secured some positive measures.
FORUM: The Cartarets - report from a sinking world
26 Aug 2008
While New Zealanders debate measures to prevent the expected impacts of climate change, the real impacts are already hitting home for some people.
Deforestation question splits delegates at Ghana conference
26 Aug 2008
Trading carbon emission rights between developed and developing nations has caused a split between delegates at international climate change talks in Ghana, reports AFP.
Australia must make room for climate change refugees, says report
26 Aug 2008
An immigration programme with a quota for climate change refugees is among recommendations in a report just released in Australia.
New UN reports warns of costs of inaction on climate change
26 Aug 2008
Government leaders must take urgent action to ensure that weather-related hazards, which are becoming more intense and frequent due to climate change, do not lead to a corresponding rise in disasters, a new UN-backed report says.
Climate change will deplete fisheries production, warns FAO
26 Aug 2008
Global warming and the consequent changes in climatic patterns will have strong impact on fisheries with far-reaching consequences for food and livelihood security of a sizeable section of the population, a UN agency warns.
UN to set up climate-change centre for Pacific countries
22 Aug 2008
The United Nations and Samoa plan to establish an inter-agency climate change centre to help to coordinate support to Pacific Island countries fighting the impact of climate change.
Japan plans to label carbon footprints of store goods
22 Aug 2008
Japan is planning to join Britain and France in labelling consumer goods to show their carbon footprints, a government official said this week.
India accuses UN of bias as climate change talks resume
22 Aug 2008
Sparks could fly at the next round of international climate change negotiations which start today in Accra, Ghana, with India out to stub any attempts by Japan, the EU and the US to firm up an agenda against it and China.
World Bank names countries eligible for forest rewards
22 Aug 2008
The Democratic Republic of Congo and five other African countries have been included in a list of 14 that will take part in the World Bank's controversial Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF).
Schools race to sign with solar power programme
22 Aug 2008
Almost 1400 schools across Australia have signed up for the Rudd Government’s $480 million National Solar Schools Programme.
Labour's political agenda no reason to ram flawed ETS through
22 Aug 2008
National Party Finance spokesman Bill English says the Emissions Trading Scheme is a major piece of economic and environmental legislation that will impact on the lives of every Kiwi for years, so is too important to be rushed through Parliament just prior to an election.
Landslide response to Greens' call for ETS input
22 Aug 2008
The Green Party is facing a busy weekend at the computer as views from the public on their ETS decision flood in.
ETS must pass despite weaknesses, says Greenpeace
22 Aug 2008
Despite shortcomings, it is imperative that New Zealand's emissions trading scheme (ETS) is passed into law this parliamentary term, says Greenpeace
NZ billions behind in carbon bonanza race, says Tindall
19 Aug 2008
New Zealand has just five years to get its share of the low-carbon economy bonanza, says Warehouse founder Stephen Tindall.
Global leaders? We’re not even close, says carbon-footprint pioneer
19 Aug 2008
New Zealand is being left behind when it comes to quantifying its carbon footprint, says enterprise-level carbon-footprint accounting software provider Revolution ID.
NZ might have to take Pacific climate-change refugees
19 Aug 2008
New Zealand might have to open its doors and pockets to Pacific Islands peoples forced to leave their homelands because of climate change, a senior NGO official is warning.
Scientists to discuss impact of aerosols on climate
19 Aug 2008
The influence aerosols have on climate is still one of the “great unknowns” in climate science, says Australian scientist Dr Leon Rotstayn.
Darwin, Cape Town warned to get ready for rising sea levels
19 Aug 2008
Two southern hemisphere coastal cities have been told of their vulnerability to climate change and have warned to take action.
Mexican border states join California in fighting climate change
19 Aug 2008
Six Mexican border states have pledged to strengthen cooperation with California in fighting climate change and to increase green investment through Public Private Partnerships.
Drought the big killer, says anthropologist-author
19 Aug 2008
Global warming is currently one the world's most pressing issues, but the phenomenon of climate change is not specific to the 21st century.
Key’s energy message: We’ll give you all the electricity you need
15 Aug 2008
Those who want to grow need to know they have the power supply necessary to do so – that’s the key message at the heart of the National Party’s energy policy released yesterday by leader John Key and energy spokesman Gerry Brownlee.
Farm-level emissions cuts possible, but almost everything stands in the way
Thu 18 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Progress to slash farming emissions is being blocked by limited farmer confidence in mitigation tools, inconsistent engagement, misinformation and a lack of clear policy signals, according to a new report.
State-owned farmer drives profit growth with emissions reductions
Fri 19 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Government-owned Landcorp, trading as Pāmu, is one-third of the way to meeting its 2031 emissions reduction targets, with five years left to run to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30.3% against 2021 emissions.
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.
Air NZ inks deal for its first internationally verified carbon credits
9 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Air New Zealand has committed to buying 8000 tonnes of carbon removals by 2030, in partnership with local native forest investment platform My Native Forest.
‘Cali Fund’ aiming to raise billions for nature receives first donation – of just $1,000
Tue 16 Dec 2025
A major biodiversity fund – which could, in theory, generate billions of dollars annually for conservation – received its first donation of just $1,000 in November.
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.
Climate law change spanner in the works for Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry
Fri 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.
Seven quiet wins for climate and nature in 2025
Fri 19 Dec 2025
This year's environmental backdrop is familiar: emissions are rising and nature is continuing to decline. But there have nevertheless been bright spots in 2025.
Govt unveils plans for carbon storage regulations – and ETS rewards
Thu 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.
Global coal demand hit record high this year but is set to decline by 2030
Thu 18 Dec 2025
Global coal demand reached a record high in 2025 but is expected to decline by 2030 as renewables, nuclear power and abundant natural gas squeeze its dominance in power generation.
Investors must support positive climate-tech
28 Nov 2025
OPINION: We need better leadership than the current ‘climate opportunism’ that is rife in the Beehive, and we need to back a marketplace that will make it happen, writes Rob Campbell.
RMA’s successors hinge on two untested bets
Wed 17 Dec 2025
Two ideas sit at the heart of the Government’s replacement for the Resource Management Act: regulatory relief and spatial planning.
India at COP30: A mismatch between grandstanding and climate action
11 Dec 2025
Despite India’s attempt to anoint itself as the leader of the developing world, at the COP30 summit, New Delhi’s track record remains contradictory.
Govt warned that scrapping ag emission pricing comes with risks
11 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s move to halt plans for agricultural emissions pricing without replacing it with any other action will leave New Zealand facing a bigger gap to meet its third emissions budget, Environment ministry officials have warned.
NZ hydrogen regulation to catch up with the world
Thu 18 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The government has announced a regulatory reset for New Zealand’s emerging clean tech hydrogen sector.
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.
Pacific climate response in question as NZ finance remains unclear
Fri 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.
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.
Hydrogen emissions are ‘supercharging’ the warming impact of methane
Fri 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”.
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.”
Westpac NZ announces partnership to form Blue Economy hub in Nelson
Wed 17 Dec 2025
Media release | Westpac NZ has announced a new three-year partnership with the Nelson Regional Development Agency and Kernohan Engineering to help accelerate the development of a sustainable marine economy – also known as the blue economy.
Govt slammed for weakening methane target
15 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams The Government has pushed through legislation under urgency to almost halve New Zealand’s 2050 methane target – a move Opposition parties say disregards scientific advice, breaks the country’s hard-won political consensus on climate action, and shifts the burden of higher warming and higher future costs onto the next generation.
COP30 microcosm of difficult geopolitics, says Vanuatu's Climate Minister
15 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Despite ‘intransigent’ states blocking multilateralism and a disappointing official outcome, Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister Ralph Regenvanu says he left the COP30 climate summit feeling more positive than after previous UN climate conferences.
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.
Insurers welcome govt decision to keep NHC levy unchanged
21 Nov 2025
Media release |The Insurance Council of New Zealand | Te Kāhui Inihua o Aotearoa (ICNZ) has welcomed the Government’s decision to leave the Natural Hazards Commission levy unchanged, amid ongoing concerns around the cost-of-living.
Why I’m not outraged at the Govt’s latest climate backsliding
7 Nov 2025
COMMENT: The Government’s latest climate rollbacks underline New Zealand’s long history of a lack of genuine desire to cut emissions, writes Geoff Bertram.
Three Greenpeace activists removed by police from Fonterra
Wed 17 Dec 2025
Media release | Three Greenpeace activists were removed by police from Fonterra’s downtown Auckland offices, following a protest on Monday at the Shareholders’ Fund meeting over the corporation’s role in the contamination of rural communities’ drinking water.
NZ ‘clearly’ breaching international law on climate – Vanuatu Climate Change Minister
12 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister, Ralph Regenvanu, says New Zealand restarting fossil fuel exploration and subsidies is an obvious breach of international law, exposing the country to international and domestic litigation.
Wetlands and biodiversity at risk as mining rules loosen: Greenpeace
Fri 19 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Greenpeace says Government changes to national direction instruments under the RMA paves the way for mining in wetlands and biodiversity hotspots and will expose some of Aotearoa’s most fragile ecosystems to irreversible damage.
NZ could become ‘dumping ground’ for dirty vehicles: Commissioner
Tue 16 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Simon Upton, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, has warned the Government that its changes to the clean car standard could turn the country into a dumping ground for high emitting cars, making future emissions budgets harder to achieve.
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.
Offshore windfarms enhance function of coastal waters and diversity of aquatic life
Fri 19 Dec 2025
Media release | A study conducted by researchers from Murdoch University in Australia and Dalian Ocean University in China has found that offshore windfarms can improve marine ecosystems and diversify aquatic food chains.
‘A shift no country can ignore’: where global emissions stand, 10 years after the Paris climate agreement
Tue 16 Dec 2025
The watershed summit in 2015 was far from perfect, but its impact so far has been significant and measurable.
Govt consulting on Pacific Resilience Facility
12 Dec 2025
The Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee is calling for submissions on its international treaty examination of the Agreement to Establish the Pacific Resilience Facility.
Govt green lights rural recycling scheme
4 Dec 2025
The Government has approved new regulations to bring rural waste schemes under one unified framework.
KiwiRail pauses coal trains amid rising climate protests
9 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate activists are ramping up actions this week, with a Christchurch protest leading to KiwiRail pausing some coal train operations on Saturday, and another protest against the Fast-Track Amendment Bill planned for parliament today.
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.
Could tidal energy one day power NZ?
Thu 18 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New research suggests Aotearoa holds some of the world’s strongest tidal-stream energy potential – enough to generate up to 93% of today’s electricity use – but one expert cautions that extracting energy at such a scale could have significant impacts and remains highly uncertain.
NZ could lose nearly all glaciers this century without stronger climate action
Tue 16 Dec 2025
New Zealand could see 97% of its glaciers vanish by 2100, with new international modelling projecting a rapid acceleration in glacier extinction from the 2030s onward – even under lower-warming scenarios.
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.
Oil and gas majors would create $78bn more value by stopping exploration
11 Dec 2025
Media release | Ten of the world’s largest oil and gas companies would create significantly more shareholder value by ending exploration and sharply curtailing upstream development, according to new analysis released today by ACCR.
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.
The surprisingly convincing case against cars
Fri 19 Dec 2025
Life After Cars dares to imagine how different, and enriching, a car-free world could be.
Kaicycle celebrates ten years of collective climate action in Pōneke
14 Nov 2025
Media release: Kaicycle | Since 2015, Kaicycle has grown from a humble pilot project growing kai and collecting compost on bicycles into the thriving urban farm and composting hub that Wellingtonians know and love.
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.
NZ just had its hottest spring in at least 116 years
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | This year New Zealand had its hottest spring since records began, with widespread heat, rainfall extremes and destructive wind driven by sudden stratospheric warming.
Media round-up
12 Dec 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Another offshore wind firm exits New Zealand over a clash with seabed mining; Fonterra falls behind on its climate goals as farm emissions remain flat; and the businesses trapped by the gas 'death spiral'.
