Topics tagged with 'Greenhouse Effect'
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.
UN-backed group takes steps to establish new biofuel standard
15 Aug 2008
A United Nations-backed group of international experts has endorsed a first draft of a new global sustainability standard for biofuels to assess their economic, social and environmental effects.
Carbon credits undervalued, says report
15 Aug 2008
Latest figures from the northern hemisphere summer issue of the Global Carbon Report, researched and published by leading market intelligence provider IDEAcarbon, suggest that carbon is currently undervalued in light of changing market fundamentals.
Carbon sequestration has its problems, warns report
15 Aug 2008
Burying carbon dioxide from coal-fired plants could increase other pollutants, warns a new study.
UN chief urges young people to take active role in climate change fight
15 Aug 2008
Young people, who are adept at spreading new habits and technologies, are well placed to contribute to the fight against climate change, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said as he marked International Youth Day.
Round two of Garnaut report out early next month
15 Aug 2008
Australians will get more details early next month on their proposed emissions trading scheme.
Southern Ocean elephant seals dive deep for climate data
15 Aug 2008
Elephant seals are helping scientists to overcome a critical blind-spot in their ability to detect change in Southern Ocean circulation and sea-ice production and its influence on global climate.
Get real, Greenpeace tells Nats
15 Aug 2008
Greenpeace is accusing the National Party of living in an alternate reality in which there's no such thing as climate change.
Nats to reveal energy policy this week
12 Aug 2008
The National Party will release its energy policy on Thursday, spokesman Gerry Brownlee confirmed to Carbon News yesterday.
New $27 million project will protect the birds and the bees
12 Aug 2008
A new project worth $26.45 million has been launched by the Global Environment Facility to better protect bees, bats and birds that are essential to the world’s crop production.
Supreme Court still quiet on Rodney gas power station
8 Aug 2008
Greenpeace and Genesis Energy are still waiting on the Supreme Court ruling on the proposed Kaukapakapa gas-fired power station - more than two months after the issue went before the court.
China grabs low-carbon export opportunities in clean tech race
8 Aug 2008
China is already the world’s leading renewable energy producer and is over-taking more developed economies in exploiting valuable economic opportunities, creating green-collar jobs and leading development of critical low-carbon technologies, says a new report to be published by the Britain-based Climate Group.
Govt weakens climate legislation, strips CCC’s powers
Today 12:00pm
By Liz Kivi | The Government has announced sweeping changes to key climate legislation, including stripping the independent Climate Change Commission of one of its core roles, and removing the requirement that Emissions Trading Scheme settings align with international climate targets.
Govt delays will damage carbon market confidence, experts warn
Tue 4 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | Emissions Trading Scheme experts have warned the Government that its move to delay decisions on the country’s emissions budgets will further undermine confidence in an already weak carbon market.
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.
Celebrities slam mining plans
28 Oct 2025
Actor Sam Neill has slammed plans for a gold mine in Otago, while Denniston Rose author Jenny Pattrick is backing a petition that would stop a coalmine on the West Coast.
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.
Another hit to market as Govt uncouples ETS from international climate target
Today 12:00pm
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s surprise move to break the connection between the Emissions Trading Scheme and New Zealand’s Paris Agreement climate target is a brutal hit to confidence in an already moribund market.
UNEP: New country climate plans ‘barely move needle’ on expected warming
Today 12:00pm
Executive director Inger Anderson made the comments as UNEP published its 16th annual assessment of the global “emissions gap”.
Carbon price drops, now trading 30% below auction floor
Mon 3 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | Secondary carbon market prices took a sharp downward turn last week, with traders blaming a continued lack of interest from buyers.
Scrutiny on energy security
Mon 3 Nov 2025
A special debate in Parliament put the Government’s energy security agenda under scrutiny, with parties splitting sharply over the role of gas, the place of an LNG import terminal, and how far to push market reform to ease pressure on power bills.
'Little to be hopeful about' – NZ scientists caution ahead of COP30
Fri 31 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Record heat, worsening climate impacts and global backsliding on emission reduction commitments have left some New Zealand climate experts with little optimism as COP30 approaches.
$235 billion worth of NZ buildings exposed to flooding
Thu 30 Oct 2025
More than 750,000 New Zealanders live in locations exposed to one-in-100-year floods, according to a nationwide study which shows escalating flood risk.
Brazil opens three weeks of COP30-linked climate events
Tue 4 Nov 2025
Brazil on Monday opens three weeks of events linked to the COP30 climate summit, hoping to showcase a world still determined to tackle global warming
Hutt City Council slashes gas emissions
Mon 3 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Hutt City Council is set to cut its gas emissions by 60% by 2026 as it speeds up phasing out fossil fuels from public facilities.
From nuisance to crisis: New report on pest wasps In Aotearoa
24 Sep 2025
Media release: Moths and Butterflies NZ Trust | Just published is the Final Report of the Pest Wasps Survey carried out by the Moths and Butterflies of NZ Trust (MBNZT) offering a comprehensive look at New Zealanders’ awareness, experiences, and attitudes toward wasps and the growing ecological, health, and social issues associated with them.
Auckland Council toughens up on building in flood risk areas
Today 12:00pm
Media release: Auckland Council | From Monday 3 November 2025, stronger planning rules take effect in Auckland to better protect people and property from natural hazards.
NZ marine heatwaves could double in intensity under high-emissions pathway
16 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show marine heatwaves will grow more intense around the North Island and more frequent around the South Island as the climate warms – raising risks for fisheries, aquaculture, coastal ecosystems and tourism.
Media round-up
Fri 31 Oct 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: A controversial seabed mining project could lead to sediment flows knocking over rigs and damaging wind turbines; weather-related insurance claims climb; and is the government playing Russian Roulette with our future over methane targets?
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.”
Bank of England must better address climate risk to tackle inflation
Tue 4 Nov 2025
The central bank is being urged to take a series of actions to better respond to environmental risks.
TotalEnergies loses in Paris court, marking a turning point for fossil fuel truth-in-advertising
Today 12:00pm
TotalEnergies was found to have misled consumers about its role in the energy transition.
Lake Onslow battery project set for revival?
29 Oct 2025
A newly formed private consortium has emerged with plans to finance and build the massive Lake Onslow pumped-hydro project, despite the coalition government’s decision to abandon the scheme.
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.
Vero warns losses to rise 26% by 2050 over extreme weather
29 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Extreme weather could drive a 19–26% spike in annual insurance losses by 2050, fuelled by rising seas and more intense flooding, according to Vero’s latest Climate-Related Disclosures Report.
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.
Z Energy settles greenwashing case over ‘quitting petrol’ claims
Tue 4 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Z Energy has settled a landmark greenwashing case over claims it misled the public about moving away from petrol – a result Lawyers for Climate Action NZ says delivers long-overdue accountability.
Nelson commuters urged to ditch car once a week
22 Oct 2025
By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | Nelson has a bold carbon emission reduction target and residents are being encouraged to leave the car at home one day a week to help meet it.
Supermarket fast-track a ‘cynical ploy’, risks climate and environmental protections
Today 12:00pm
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s “express lane for supermarkets” announcement has been met with fierce backlash, with critics calling the Fast-track Approvals Amendment Bill a Trojan horse that strips environmental protections, sidelines communities, and hands sweeping powers to ministers at the expense of democracy.
Boost for voluntary carbon markets in Watts’ surprise package
Today 12:00pm
By Pattrick Smellie | Voluntary carbon market development gets a solid push in the package of climate change legislative reforms dropped by Climate Change Minister Simon Watts early last evening.
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 impacts hit NZ with increasing wild weather
23 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand is facing a triple whammy of climate impacts today, with severe winds and rainfall predicted for much of the country while some areas are still dealing with wildfires ignited earlier in the week.
Carbon Finance Program upscales efforts to close climate investment gap in climate vulnerable nations
22 Oct 2025
Media release | The Climate Vulnerable Forum and its V20 Finance Ministers (CVF-V20) will work with the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) to upscale the Carbon Finance Program in reach and impact, supporting more climate-vulnerable countries to host high-integrity carbon projects that yield tangible climate, nature, and sustainable development benefits.
Lobby group launches ‘blueprint’ for ocean management reform
18 Sep 2025
The Environmental Defence Society yesterday released its plan to tackle widespread ecological decline in our oceans.
Judge says Greenpeace must pay $345 million in pipeline lawsuit, cutting jury amount nearly in half
Fri 31 Oct 2025
A North Dakota judge has ordered Greenpeace to pay damages of $345 million, reducing an earlier jury award after it found the environmental group and related entities liable for defamation and other claims in connection with protests of an oil pipeline nearly a decade ago.
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.
Here comes the sun: solar surge gathers pace
Tue 4 Nov 2025
More than $700 million of new solar investment advanced last week, underscoring the pace of the renewable buildout.
Experts warn new science curriculum sidelines climate urgency
Mon 3 Nov 2025
Climate change education has been pushed too late and too lightly in the Government’s draft science curriculum, experts say, with students not formally learning about climate change until Year 10.
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.
Climate scientists and republican lawyers are taking aim at Big Tech’s emissions
17 Oct 2025
Technology companies have long been one of the biggest investors in clean energy, but new accounting rules could upend that.
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.
How ‘vehicle-to-grid’ technology could boost China’s electricity system
Fri 31 Oct 2025
China’s surging electric vehicles ownership – now exceeding 25.5m – is opening the door to a new technology that can help to enhance the flexibility of electricity supply.
Fix it, don't ditch it: University of Auckland hosts first Repair Cafe
9 Oct 2025
Media release - Auckland University | The University's first-ever Repair Cafe is bringing students and staff together to give broken items a new lease on life, while promoting a culture of repair and reuse.
Council buys dairy farm to help clean up Lake Rotorua
21 Oct 2025
Bay of Plenty Regional Council has bought a 266-hectare dairy farm in the Lake Rotorua catchment and plans to retire it from production to reduce nitrogen entering the lake.
Adaptation plan at odds with public sentiment: survey
21 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s position on climate adaptation buyouts shows a disconnect with public opinion, according to survey findings from insurer Suncorp NZ.
‘Damp squib’ – Govt energy plan slammed for locking in fossil fuels
2 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Critics across business, climate groups and the opposition say the Government’s electricity reforms duck structural change, double down on LNG and gas, and offer little relief for soaring power prices – warning of an “expensive white elephant", deeper energy poverty and a missed chance to scale renewables.
