Topics tagged with 'Greenhouse Effect'
Major policy clamp down on climate-warming illegal wood imports?
28 May 2008
The Cabinet has agreed in principle to mandatory labelling of all kwila products sold in New Zealand.
Latest NIWA projections: How climate change will affect your town
28 May 2008
The National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA) has produced new climate change projections for New Zealand.
Parker's full speech on climate change effects and impacts assessment
28 May 2008
Here is the full speech of CLimate Change Issues Minister David Parker at the launch of new reports into the impacts of climate change.
ACT: climate change a "pup" but let's have a tax
28 May 2008
ACT has released a 20 point plan for the country, including managing climate change.
Time for industry to step up to the plate on climate change
28 May 2008
The Council of Trade Unions is calling on industry to be more constructive on climate change issues.
Statesmen and stars feature at EU clean energy awards gala
28 May 2008
A mixture of statesmen, actors and singers joined MEPs and a large audience for the annual Energy Globe Awards in the European Parliament
G8 environment ministers fail to set emissions cut target
28 May 2008
A three-day meeting of G8 environment ministers in Japan has concluded with a familiar call for nations to agree on goals to cut emissions.
Greens reveal more of their conditions for ETS support
27 May 2008
The Greens have set out some of their policy demands for support of the emissions trading bill.
Parker rules out personal carbon rationing
27 May 2008
Climate Change Issues Minister David Parker is ruling out a personal carbon emissions trading scheme here.
No early mad rush for Energy Mad's household emission credits
27 May 2008
The first ever online auction of voluntary carbon credits created by demand side energy efficiency projects in New Zealand is off to a slow start.
Kiwis embrace the chop-down-trees environmental message
27 May 2008
New Zealanders think using more wood is good for the environment.
Green Tick says it complies with coming EU carbon labelling
27 May 2008
Green Tick says it is the only independent sustainability ecolabel that already meets the coming European Union (EU) requirements for food to be labelled according to its environmental impact and carbon footprint.
Low-carbon economy – millions of new jobs?
27 May 2008
Ethical Corporation- Europe's leaders say a low-carbon economy will create millions of new jobs.
Deloitte: most will accept higher power bills to battle global warming
27 May 2008
A majority of Americans say they are willing to pay slightly higher electricity bills to help curb greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, according to a survey released by the consulting firm Deloitte.
Carbon labelling: Exports at risk from dirty dairying
27 May 2008
The Greens are warning that our dairy products will struggle to gain a European Union eco-label due to the impacts of dirty dairying on our rivers and lakes.
Red tape consent process may still sink solar hot water incentive system
26 May 2008
By Angela van de Weerdhof .- A bureaucratic resource consent process may still stifle a new bid to have home owners take up grants for solar water heating.
Forum heads to the select committee
26 May 2008
A high-powered group of business and community leaders who back an emissions trading scheme will appear before the finance and expenditure select committee today to answer questions from MPs.
Dunne does a dance on ETS costs to households
26 May 2008
UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne says the party’s future support of both the Emissions Trading Scheme and the biofuels legislation currently before Parliament hinge on the issue of the impact on household budgets.
MOODY'S REPORT: ETS could affect heavy emitters' cedit ratings
26 May 2008
Ratings agency Moody's says the European Union's ETS actions could profoundly affect the operations of some of the region's most emissions inensive industries.
Greenpeace: Good initiatives at risk under polluter subsidy plans
26 May 2008
Greenpeace welcomes today's Green Party announcement that all state houses will be properly insulated within five years but warns initiatives like this could be at risk if big polluters get their way.
Big investors call on US Congress to tackle climate issues
26 May 2008
More than 50 leading investors, including the nation’s largest public pension fund and the world’s largest listed hedge fund, have called on the U.S. Senate to enact strong federal legislation to curb the pollution causing global warming.
Nitrogen loaded Rotorua lakes showing improvement
26 May 2008
The health of Lake Okaro is improving and blue green algae levels are down, according to the latest report on Rotorua lakes water quality.
"Aspirational goal" G8 ministers told climate change not waiting for any of us
26 May 2008
Ministers from G8 Countries say their leaders are likely to agree only aspirational goals when they meet in July.
EXCLUSIVE - National answers questions on ETS: No bill backing even if it gets all it wants
23 May 2008
In response to a series of questions from Carbon News, National says it will bring farmers into the emissions trading scheme, but won’t vote to pass it before the election – even if it can get all six of its key demands into the draft legislation.
Price for NZ First support of ETS not paid yet
23 May 2008
A Budget commitment to help the elderly meet the rising cost of electricity under an emissions trading scheme is just the first concession of several being demanded by New Zealand First as its price for supporting the climate change bill.
Fiscal forecast: ETS will lose Govt $121m net in first commitment period
23 May 2008
The Government will allocate $2,151 million in emission credits and earn $2,030 million from them in the first Kyoto commitment period, making a net loss of $121 million.
Financiers: Is Kyoto factored into Contact Energy?
23 May 2008
Representatives of several international financial services organisations with operations in New Zealand believe that the value of the climate change regime has not been factored into the value of Contact Energy.
Australia debates leaving petrol out of ETS
23 May 2008
A major debate is underway in Australia on leaving petrol out of its emissions trading scheme.
EU move toward carbon labelling all imports a major wake up call for New Zealand
23 May 2008
An overnight move by the European Parliament to adopt a report which calls for carbon footprint labels on all goods and services could have major implications for New Zealand’s traders.
Cullen quizzed on multi-billion ETS surplus from sale of credits
23 May 2008
The Government will make a net revenue gain from the emissions trading system of up to about $159 million a year between 2013 and 2018 - $795 million over five years - and "perhaps" $1b to $1.5 b a year out to 2030.
Greens get warm, energy-efficient houses in Budget win
23 May 2008
Almost $100 million has been secured in the Budget by the Green Party fore measures which includ increasing the energy-efficiency of New Zealand homes, making it the party’s largest-ever Budget package.
PM visits cutting edge Hyundai research and development centre.
23 May 2008
Prime Minister Helen Clark visited the Hyundai research and development centre in Namyang, South Korea, on Saturday, 16 May.
Food crisis, climate change and influenza main health threats says UN
23 May 2008
The global food crisis, climate change and pandemic influenza are the main threats to human health, according to the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO).
Keep your hat on Mam: Queen invests in biggest wind turbine
23 May 2008
The Queen is investing is the world's biggest wind turbine.
BP: We've slashed emissions 24% below 2003 levels
23 May 2008
BP says it has cut its GHG emissions 24% below their 2003 level.
EU Parliament backs report calling for carbon information on imports
22 May 2008
The EU Parliament early this morning NZ time voted 566-61 for a report which says consumers must be given better information about the carbon footprint of goods imported into the 27-nation bloc.
Leadership forum to front select committee on ETS
22 May 2008
The Leadership Forum on Climate Change will be the next group to front-up to the Parliamentary select committee as jockeying continues over who will and will not support the climate change bill that will bring in the emissions trading scheme.
Business-as-usual Budget for climate change
22 May 2008
Today’s Budget will not be the big-bang for the environment that Australians experienced with their Budget last week, but will contain some steady-as-she-goes policy continuation.
Govt's moratorium won't affect electricity supply - Caygill
22 May 2008
A moratorium on new thermal power plants is unlikely to affect security of supply, says the Electricity Commission.
ANALYSIS: National delivers heavy emitting friends into tougher hands
22 May 2008
National’s decision to abandon support for the emissions trading bill has effectively delivered more power to parties wanting a tougher line on heavy emitters.
UN world climate change leaders to address business people at Auckland
22 May 2008
Two of the world’s foremost authorities on managing climate change will be joined by the Prime Minister Helen Clark and New Zealand business leaders at Auckland events to mark World Environment Day on June 4.
UK Minister: carbon trading works, 100% business compliance
22 May 2008
The final UK results for the first phase of the EU Emissions Trading System, which ended in December 2007, demonstrated that carbon trading can work and helped to cement the UK’s role at the centre of the global carbon market, according to Environment Minister Phil Woolas.
New research: Green labels have major impact consumer behaviour
22 May 2008
Certain labels and certifications that garner higher awareness and understanding, in part driven by their longevity in the marketplace, are the most impactful to consumers, according to Natural Marketing Institute’s 2007 LOHAS Consumer Trends Database.
Luxury travel gathering said to be NZ's biggest carbon neutral event
22 May 2008
The countdown is on to New Zealand’s biggest tourism event, which is also New Zealand’s biggest carbon neutral event – TRENZ 2008 – kicking off in Rotorua on Monday 26 May.
The UK carbon label threat and opportunity: 70% of shoppers notice it
22 May 2008
Seven out of 10 consumers in the UK say new carbon labels on food are making them more aware of the environmental impact of the products and services they are buying.
Investment in coastal shipping welcomed
22 May 2008
The Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Federation (CBAFF) has welcomed Transport Minister Annette King’s announcement of $36 million funding to help revitalise coastal shipping in New Zealand.
Behind Latin America's Food Crisis
22 May 2008
By Laura Carlsen , Americas Program, Center for International Policy (CIP) . -Even a year ago, few people would have predicted that a global food crisis would make headlines as one of the major concerns for the future of the world.
200 local authorities targeted for NZ$150m power bill cut, emissions fall
22 May 2008
The UK's Carbon Trust now working with more than 200 local authorities to cut carbon and slash energy bills.
Ka kite Rio Tinto….kia ora ETS
21 May 2008
The Maori Party has launched a stinging attack on big businesses that it says are trying to bully the Government into transferring the cost of their greenhouse-gas emissions on to taxpayers, suggesting that the party is going to give the Government the numbers to pass the emissions trading scheme into law.
ETS bill vote support scenarios favour bill’s passage
21 May 2008
Labour could carry its emissions trading bill through the House with a maximum of 70 votes to 51 if it gathers the support of its current coalition partners and independent MP Taito Phillip Field.
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.
