Topics tagged with 'Greenhouse Effect'
Green Party pledges to shut Huntly, hobble coal industry
23 Apr 2008
The Green Party is threatening to end thermal coal exports and close the Huntly coal-fired power stations.
ANALYSIS: Potential political fall out from Green’s shock coal policy
23 Apr 2008
The Greens are viewed by many New Zealanders as “extreme” and offering policies which are too restrictive.
UK expert says NZ policy "a brave experiment", warns world not moving fast enough
23 Apr 2008
One of the UK’s leading climate change commentators calls New Zealand’s decision to include agriculture and forest sinks in its emissions trading regime “a brave experiment”.
Small-forest scheme open for business
23 Apr 2008
Applications are now open for the Government's new Afforestation Grant Scheme aimed at getting more trees planted on farms as part of New Zealand's effort to reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Farmer leader says carbon price restrictions will restrict food production growth
23 Apr 2008
Federated Farmers president Charlie Pedersen says New Zealand farmers are concerned about their ability to farm in a sensible and sustainable way.
Norwegian leader digs deeps to help poor African nation
23 Apr 2008
Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg was quick to put his money where his mouth is after telling a summit of African leaders that the rich countries created the problems of climate change, and the rich countries should bear the responsibility for solving them.
Nashville boffins to probe your carbon footprint
23 Apr 2008
A diverse group of experts has been brought together in the United States to investigate one of the most important and most widely overlooked sources of greenhouse gases: individual behavior.
Polluter California to advise polluted Olympic city
23 Apr 2008
Olympics host Beijing, one of the world’s most polluted cities, is trying to clean up its act with advice from California, one of the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases.
Americans say they'll pay 17 to 19% more for green products, services
23 Apr 2008
While consumer spending has fallen in many categories due to a weakened U.S. economy and budget tightening, Americans are still willing to pay more for green products and services, according to a survey commissioned by SCA and conducted by Harris Interactive.
Farming leadership criticised: industry at enormous risk
22 Apr 2008
New Zealand’s former Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment is calling for a radical rethink of our farming sector in the face of potential famine from climate change and world shortages of food, water and good-quality soils.
Climate change 'a problem for now'
22 Apr 2008
New Zealanders in the primary production sector believe that climate change is an urgent problem which needs addressing now.
Parker: No emissions credits for new renewable power plant developers
22 Apr 2008
Climate Change Minister David Parker says those building new renewable power stations won’t be rewarded with extra carbon credits under the proposed emissions trading scheme (ETS).
Wanganui firm pioneering organic engineering parts
22 Apr 2008
A quest to substitute naphtha derived plastic production engineering components for organic ones is under way at Axiam, a Wanganui high precision engineer better known internationally than it is here.
Kiwis dither while Aussie farmers pounce on carbon-trading scheme
22 Apr 2008
While New Zealand farming leaders openly question the existence of climate change, Australian landowners are queueing to join a national carbon-trading programme.
Fewer US citizens expect severe climate change
22 Apr 2008
As the United States gets ready to celebrate Earth Day 2008, attitudes towards global warming are little changed from last year. Sixty-seven percent of Americans believe the activities of human beings are contributing to an increase in global temperatures, according to a survey by Harris Interactive.
New survey captures primary CER prices ranges
22 Apr 2008
IDEAcarbon, one of whose parent company's principals is Lord Nicholas Stern, formerly of the British Treasury and author of the Stern report on climate change economic impacts, has undertaken a survey among buyers and sellers to derive an understanding of primary CER (pCER) price ranges.
Now for the world's first hybrid rubbish truck
22 Apr 2008
Volvo is testing two hybrid refuse trucks in regular daily operations in Sweden by refuse collection firms Renova and Ragn-Sells.
Bottled bio water being sold in Blake's name
22 Apr 2008
The Good Water Project is launching a direct to home and office service water delivery service.
Farm leaders, Agriculture Minister trade words on impact of ETS
21 Apr 2008
A row is brewing over the extent of the impact on farming of the proposed emissions trading scheme.
Farmer leadership slips back into attack on climate change science
21 Apr 2008
Federated Farmers wants the “religion” of climate changed reassessed before an emissions trading scheme is brought in, a stance which has failed to impress the Minister of Agriculture.
Energy’s emissions nearly match agriculture’s
21 Apr 2008
The energy sector is threatening to overtake agriculture as the biggest source of New Zealand’s carbon emissions, the latest edition of the Greenhouse Gas Inventory shows.
Wellington City decides on carbon credit revenue plan from town belts, forests
21 Apr 2008
Wellington City is looking to earn large annual revenues from emission credits by turning its town belts and forests into carbon sinks.
CERs deal to help offset Bell Gully emissions, firm not entering trading market
21 Apr 2008
The first-ever Certified Emissions Reduction units (CERs) to be transferred between two countries are bringing law firm Bell Gully closer to its goal of carbon neutrality.
Parker: Industry protection under ETS being considered
21 Apr 2008
Designing an emissions trading scheme which effectively reduces greenhouse gas emissions while being fair to industry is an important matter which requires careful consideration, Climate Change Minister David Parker says.
Labour’s credibility on climate change dies with latest figures
21 Apr 2008
Figures showing yet another increase in New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions are a fatal blow to the credibility of Labour’s climate change record, says National’s Climate Change spokesperson, Nick Smith.
NZ emissions up .5 million tonnes in 2006
21 Apr 2008
The latest annual greenhouse gas inventory report shows New Zealand’s emissions rose less than 1% between 2005 and 2006.
No proposal for congestion charging in Wellington
21 Apr 2008
Greater Wellington Regional Council has absolutely no proposal for congestion charging, Chair Fran Wilde said today.
US emissions down 1% year-on year, rising lower than economic growth over 16 years
21 Apr 2008
Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the national greenhouse gas inventory, which finds that overall US emissions during 2006 decreased by 1.1 percent from the previous year.
World ETS expert: global trading needed or ETS unsustainable
21 Apr 2008
The costs of combating climate change are much lower than they might seem, because there are real business opportunities wherever you look, according to Henry Derwent, President and CEO International Emissions Trading Association (IETA).
THE FOOD CRISIS: Long term challenges says Rice
21 Apr 2008
By Merle D. Kellerhals, Jr., Staff Writer,USINFO. Washington - President Bush is seeking an additional $350 million from Congress to provide immediate emergency food assistance, but the current food crisis has long-term global challenges, says Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Genesis to build new $420m thermal plant unless regulations say not to
18 Apr 2008
The absence of legal definitions of base-load and peaking power supply is behind Genesis Energy’s seeking resource consent for a new thermal power station north of Auckland, the Government’s planned 10-year ban not withstanding.
Bush whacked over climate change goals statement
18 Apr 2008
President Bush’s announcement of a new goal of stopping the growth in GHG emissions has met with a range of reaction, from being described as his “ last gasp?” by Sky News - to simply a statement which will “be soon forgotten”.
Auto industry authority: hydrogen fuel may be viable
18 Apr 2008
BMW says that the influential J.D. "Dave" Power III, founder of J.D. Power and Associates and board member of Fuel Systems Solutions, Inc., is the latest high-visibility eco-friendly ambassador to receive keys to a BMW Hydrogen 7 - the first hydrogen-powered luxury sedan.
ANALYSIS: World food problem: Business as usual not an option
18 Apr 2008
By Lester R. Brown - A fast-unfolding food shortage is engulfing the entire world, driving food prices to record highs.
Conservation Minister to meet Australian colleagues
18 Apr 2008
Conservation Minister Steve Chadwick today travels to Australia to participate in ministerial council meetings and discuss ways that New Zealand and Australian governments will face environmental challenges.
Biofuels target of protests in UK
18 Apr 2008
London - There have been demonstrations in London and groups across the UK also protested against the introduction of mandatory biofuel blending.
Bush sets 2025 as year for nil US emissions growth
17 Apr 2008
US President George Bush this morning announced a new national climate change goal – to stop the growth of US greenhouse has emissions by 2025.
Smith: Government should be ‘up front’ over ETS costs and impacts, criticises 20 day media ban
17 Apr 2008
Opposition climate change spokesperson Nick Smith is urging the Government to come clean and tell the public exactly what advice it has about how much money the Government will make from the auctioning of permits under the proposed emissions trading scheme.
Ministerial press secretaries impose up to 20 day information ban on Carbon News
17 Apr 2008
Two Ministerial press secretaries have said they will restrict the flow of information to Carbon News.
The questions we have asked Minister Parker
17 Apr 2008
Here are the questions Carbon News has asked Climate Change Minister David Parker.
State landlords must go green
17 Apr 2008
Go Green or flag away your state tenants. The massive over-building of state office accommodation in Wellington is designed to ensure that public servants from 2010 onward will toil only in green buildings.
EU officials investigate competitiveness issues arising from ETS plan
17 Apr 2008
European Union (EU) officials from the European Climate Change Programme (ECCP) in the past few days have initiated a program to identify which energy-intensive industries might need protection as a result of the EU's recently proposed tougher greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions controls.
Nelson voluntary offset trader launching in Australia, UK
17 Apr 2008
Offset the Rest, a New Zealand organisation that sells voluntary offset carbon credits, plans to launch into the UK and Australia next month.
ANALYSIS: High hopes for the Lieberman-Warner ETS bill in the US
17 Apr 2008
By Emily Farnwort. - The °Climate Group recently held its first North American members meeting with attendance from over 50 leading businesses, states and cities. The conversation was centered on action from the US on climate change. It was a far-ranging and optimistic conversation with a striking focus on the need for leadership and a robust carbon market.
Who's the Green Car Maker of the Year?
17 Apr 2008
Citroën has been named as the Green Car Maker of the Year and its award-winning people mover, the Citroën C4 Picasso, has been named for the second year running as the Diesel People Mover of the Year in the annual 'What Diesel Car?' awards.
EXCLUSIVE: Treasury responds on ETS windfall, but defers to select committeee
16 Apr 2008
The Treasury reckons it’s easy as anything to work out how much the Government will make in windfall revenues selling carbon credits, but it still shrinks from putting a figure on it.
Labour’s energy strategy in tatters, Brownlee says
16 Apr 2008
The prospect of power cuts this winter in the context of the 10-year ban on new thermal power stations shows the Government’s energy strategy is in tatters, National Party energy spokesperson Gerry Brownlee told Carbon News last night.
First weekly GHG calculator shows NSW emissions up
16 Apr 2008
The world’s first weekly greenhouse indicator has revealed that greenhouse emissions from energy in NSW and Victoria have risen for the first quarter in 2008.
FINALLY IT IS OUT: Emissions trading windfall estimate now tops $21b
15 Apr 2008
Further evidence of massive revenues - as much as $21.4 billion - accruing to the Government from trading carbon permits after 2013 emerged at the select committee hearing into the Climate Change (Emissions Trading and Renewable Preference) Bill in Auckland yesterday.
Lobby builds to force companies to declare climate change exposure
15 Apr 2008
Spurred on by the example of the continuing reticence of finance houses over sub prime exposure, a group of institutional investors - including London’ s F&C Management which has holdings in New Zealand - is lobbying the US Securities and Exchange Commission to insist that companies disclose their exposure to climate change.
NZ part of hidden global deep-sea network beneath the waves
Fri 25 Jul 2025
Media release - Earth Sciences New Zealand | A world-first study of marine life, including sea creatures found in New Zealand's dark, cold, pressurised ocean depths, has revealed that deep-sea life is surprisingly more connected than previously thought.
Does NZ need a national incentive scheme for wetlands?
Fri 25 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | An expert is calling for a national incentive programme to restore New Zealand’s wetlands and wants to stop schemes to drain these vital carbon-sequestering ecosystems.
NZ Post drops science-based climate target
8 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | NZ Post has dropped its science-based emissions reduction target of 42% by 2030 with no plans to replace it.
Airlines risk legal challenges by advertising jet fuel as “sustainable”, NGO warns
18 Jul 2025
Amid suspected fraud in the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a new report says the airline industry should stop calling all alternatives to kerosene “sustainable”.
Tipping points: Window to avoid irreversible climate impacts is ‘rapidly closing’
11 Jul 2025
In the midst of a record-breaking heatwave in Europe, the UK city of Exeter recently played host to the second international conference on “tipping points”.
Sustainability claims questioned as renewable diesel surges
14 May 2025
Critics are sceptical about industry claims of renewable diesel life-cycle greenhouse gas emission cuts and warn renewable diesel carbon releases will surge if sourcing is scaled up, triggering tropical deforestation as producers convert forests to energy crops, such as oil palm and soy.
Is extending Huntly power station to 2035 in consumers’ best interest?
Tue 22 Jul 2025
By Simon Orme | COMMENT: Genesis Energy is proposing a cartel to keep high-emitting Huntly Power Station in business to 2035. If extending Huntly has economic benefits, is a cartel necessary?
Greenpeace hails Italy court ruling allowing climate lawsuit against energy company to go ahead
Fri 25 Jul 2025
Italy’s highest court has ruled that a lawsuit brought by climate activists against Italian energy company ENI and its government shareholders can go ahead.
Bearish sentiment lingers for carbon market
11 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The compliance carbon market could be set for a gradual upward trajectory, however unsold volume from the quarterly Emissions Trading Scheme auctions continues to act as ‘a price ceiling,’ according to an expert.
EU wants to see China take more ambitious climate action
15 Jul 2025
The world needs China to show more leadership on climate action, highlighting the importance of cutting planet-heating emissions and reducing the Chinese economy's reliance on coal.
Forestry can be a big plus for sheep and beef farmers – but there are caveats
Tue 22 Jul 2025
By Keith Woodford | OPINION: These are good times for sheep and beef farmers with record product prices for meat, which is precisely why now is the time for sheep and beef farmers to be looking again at farm forestry.
Common low-grade clay strengthens low-carbon concrete
5 Jun 2025
Media release | Engineers at RMIT University have converted low-grade clay into a high-performance cement supplement, opening a potential new market in sustainable construction materials.
Cuts to climate finance put exports in jeopardy: Lawyers
23 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has halved international climate finance, a move aid organisations describe as “devastating,” and which lawyers say could put our Paris Agreement commitments and export market access at risk.
NZ voluntary carbon market’s sad state
14 Jul 2025
By John O’Brien | OPINION: A combination of scandals, challenging economic times, and cheaper offshore carbon credits, mean that the domestic voluntary carbon market in New Zealand remains absolutely tiny.
Media round-up
Fri 25 Jul 2025
In our round-up of the climate coverage in local media: Dairy conversions surge; Gore is hit with a drinking water crisis; meanwhile farming lobby groups Groundswell and Federated Farmers are up in arms about a plan to classify environmental impacts in the agriculture and forestry sector.
Key orange roughy population on verge of collapse, govt considers closure
9 Jul 2025
Media release - Deep Sea Conservation Coalition | New data reveals that New Zealand’s main orange roughy fishery, accounting for half of the country’s total catch, is on the brink of collapse, with one model showing it may have reached that point already, and the government’s considering closing it.
Extreme weather events are the new frontline of online climate denial – report
Thu 24 Jul 2025
Climate science deniers are flooding social media with false claims during extreme weather events, drowning out reliable information and putting lives at risk.
Latest trawl bycatch numbers 'a grim wake-up call'
24 Jun 2025
Media release – Greenpeace | The latest fisheries bycatch data paints a grim picture, with trawlers hauling up thousands of kilograms of coral and killing hundreds of fur seals and seabirds over a 12 month period.
‘Ideological sludge’: How NZ is quiet quitting climate action
17 Jul 2025
New Zealand once stood out as a world leader on climate change. In June it became the first country in the world to abandon a commitment to phase out oil, gas and coal.
NZ govt’s fossil fuel plans could break international law
Thu 24 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government could be breaching international law with its plans to subsidise and expand fossil fuel extraction, following a ruling overnight from the world’s highest court.
Watts talks big on energy reform, but barriers persist
29 May 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Energy and Climate Change minister Simon Watts says the government is doubling down on efforts to boost renewable energy generation, streamline regulation, and drive private sector investment as New Zealand faces mounting energy security and affordability challenges.
SBTi releases Net Zero Standard for banks, investors
Thu 24 Jul 2025
The Science Based Targets initiative announced the release of its finalised Financial Institutions Net-Zero Standard, aimed at enabling banks and investors to set net zero-aligned targets for their lending, investing, insurance and capital markets activities.
Methanex closure comes early this year
14 May 2025
The almost-now-annual closure of Methanex has come earlier this year, giving more confidence that the electricity system will get through the winter without a fuel shortfall.
Electric firebricks: decarbonising high-temperature industrial heat
13 Jun 2025
By Ian Mason | A new technology could offer a more cost-effective solution than hydrogen to decarbonise one ‘hard-to-abate’ sector of New Zealand’s economy, as well as having ample potential for demand response as the electricity grid becomes more renewable.
Climate catastrophes are creating a ‘new market reality’ for insurance carriers
Wed 23 Jul 2025
Raging wildfires and severe storms contributed to record-high global insurance losses — totalling an estimated US$84 billion — for the first six months of the year.
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.
The ICJ’s ruling means Australia and other major polluters face a new era of climate reparations
Fri 25 Jul 2025
By Harj Narulla | OPINION: Australia has found itself on the wrong side of history.
Clear-sighted view to trade-offs crucial to reimagining our relationship with the land
7 Jul 2025
By Nick Swallow | COMMENT: New Zealand could see a 70% drop in the value of dairy land if we pursue our emissions targets for agriculture, according to a new report.
Elation as Whanganui gets voice in fast-track seabed mining decision
Thu 24 Jul 2025
By Moana Ellis, Local Democracy Reporter | A Whanganui District councillor is “elated” her council has been named a relevant authority in the fast-track application process for a seabed mining project off South Taranaki.
Urgent action needed to get on track for climate goals - commission
Fri 25 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand is making progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but more work is needed – urgently – to set up for future reductions, according to the latest report from the Climate Change Commission.
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.
Ocean heatwaves may signal climate tipping point
Fri 25 Jul 2025
A recent study that tapped into satellite data has revealed that 2023 marked an unprecedented year for marine heatwaves, with record-breaking levels of duration, reach and intensity across the world's oceans.
Markets aren't going to save us – Carr
9 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Consumerism is reaching its ecological and economic limits, and only systemic change - not market tweaks - can steer us away from climate catastrophe, according to former Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr.
Millions of tons of tiny plastic particles are polluting the ocean, study finds
15 Jul 2025
At least 27 million tonnes of nanoplastics are estimated to be floating in the North Atlantic Ocean, weighing more than all wild land mammals combined.
Another offensive launched in the government’s war on nature
Thu 24 Jul 2025
Media release - Environmental Defence Society | Last week the Minister for Resource Management Reform, Chris Bishop, announced that the government would be intervening, yet again, to prevent councils from progressing environmental protections under the Resource Management Act.
Activists sue US development bank over $4.6bn loan to massive Mozambique gas project
18 Jul 2025
Environmental groups claim loan is ‘unlawful’ in legal filing.
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.
Switching to renewables is ‘smart economics’ - Guterres
Thu 24 Jul 2025
The global energy transition is now “unstoppable” due to “smart economics”, UN secretary-general António Guterres has said in an online speech titled: “A moment of opportunity.”
Root intelligence: How old trees learn to suck more CO2 from the air
Thu 24 Jul 2025
New research finds that centuries-old oaks can dynamically rewire how they absorb nutrients—suggesting forests may be more resilient allies in the climate fight than once believed.
Climate groups want UK wealth tax to make super-rich fund sustainable economy
17 Jul 2025
Growing number of campaigners urge government to ensure green investment is not done ‘on backs of the poor’.
Can robot taxis solve NZ's transport woes?
Wed 23 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Ministry of Transport has tested the idea of driverless taxis as a futuristic fix. But while new modelling explores how "robotaxis" could ease congestion and reduce car ownership, critics say it misses a crucial point – the country’s worsening transport emissions.
United Nations carbon market rules agreed but concerns remain
25 Nov 2024
New carbon market rules agreed at the fractious UN climate summit will be a relief to New Zealand and Singapore, who were leading the negotiations, but concerns about greenwashing and disadvantaging nature-based solutions remain.
Fast, sustained phase-out of fossil fuels: best-performing countries in coal and transport sectors
10 Jul 2025
By Robert McLachlan | It’s true that climate change is getting worse – it will continue to get worse until emissions fall to near zero. But is action on phasing out fossil fuels really stalling?
UN court's decision could reshape approach to climate commitments
Tue 22 Jul 2025
The International Court of Justice will this week deliver its advisory opinion on what obligations countries have to address the impacts of climate change. It will be a vital step toward climate justice and equity, according to one local expert.
Waste Levy risks becoming ‘slush fund’ under proposed changes – Commissioner
5 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Proposed changes to New Zealand's waste legislation risk undermining public trust in the waste levy scheme, according to Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton.
The struggle for control of the Arctic is accelerating - and it's riskier than ever
11 Jul 2025
As the battle for one of the world’s coldest places heats up, an increasingly fragile security balance may be breaking down, leading to an escalating arms race.
UN University report warns against carbon credits from REDD, tree planting, and improved forest management
13 Jun 2025
But the report stops short of recommending banning the trade in carbon temporarily stored in trees.
For the first time, China invests more in wind and solar than coal overseas
29 May 2025
China’s Belt and Road Initiative, long derided for its heavy carbon footprint, was dominated by wind and solar power projects for the first time from 2022 to 2023, according to a new analysis. But coal plants financed in earlier years are still coming online.
