Topics tagged with 'Greenhouse Effect'
Global citizens’ assembly to be chosen for UN climate talks
6 Oct 2021
One hundred people from around the world are to take part in a citizens’ assembly to discuss the climate crisis over the next month, before presenting their findings at the UN Cop26 climate summit.
Climate change kills 14% of coral reefs in under a decade
6 Oct 2021
Rising ocean temperatures killed about 14% of the world's coral reefs in just under a decade, according to a new analysis from the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network.
The Tongan island using canoes to tackle climate change
6 Oct 2021
A job creation scheme on the Tongan island of 'Eua is not only teaching local youth traditional boat building skills it's helping combat climate change.
Water scarcity poised to exact an increasingly heavy toll
5 Oct 2021
Water scarcity will be the biggest climate-related threat to corporate assets like factories within the next few decades, according to a recent report.
Look beyond carbon credits to put a price on nature’s services: experts
5 Oct 2021
Putting a value on nature could be the key to getting the trillions of dollars in investments nature-based solutions need to successfully tackle the climate crisis, experts said at a recent sustainability conference in Singapore.
Environmental outlook for Oceania rated severe: Caritas
5 Oct 2021
Media Release - Caritas has shifted the dial to 'severe' for four of its five environmental indicators, while climate finance for the poor has remained stubbornly at 'woefully inadequate' for seven years.
Marine heatwaves could have dire impact on NZ fisheries
4 Oct 2021
The ocean around New Zealand is getting warmer, and extreme warming events have become more frequent over the past years. New research shows these marine heatwaves could have devastating impacts on ocean ecosystems.
PM urged to go hard and go early against climate change
4 Oct 2021
Prime minister Jacinda Ardern is being urged to go hard and go early against climate change in an open letter being promoted by activist group Extinction Rebellion
Climate change is making Earth dimmer
4 Oct 2021
Earth is reflecting less light as its climate continues to change, new research suggests.
What scientists can teach us about dealing with climate doom
4 Oct 2021
"It's a kind of hopelessness I guess. Helplessness," says Ross Simpson, 22, from Glasgow. He's telling me how he and his friends feel about stopping the worst effects of climate change.
Irish environmentalists call for phasing out of €2bn fossil fuel subsidies
4 Oct 2021
The Irish government must set out a plan in the forthcoming Budget for the removal of over €2 billion in fossil fuels subsidies a year, the climate change umbrella group the Environmental Pillar says.
Climate change concerns influenced German election but will it make a difference to policy?
4 Oct 2021
The impacts of global warming motivated voters, but the results won’t deliver the swift policy changes needed to stop them, writes Inside Climate News' Bob Berwyn.
NZ should commit to regenerative agriculture at COP26: Greenpeace
1 Oct 2021
The National and ACT parties weren't the only ones, last week, criticising climate minister James Shaw's decision to travel to COP26 in November. Former Green Party co-leader, and current Greenpeace executive director, Russel Norman took to Twitter saying New Zealand had nothing to offer at the talks.
Otago-led study calls for change to Building Code
1 Oct 2021
Changing the Building Code to enforce construction of highly energy-efficient housing could help New Zealand reach its 100 per cent renewable energy goal, a University of Otago-led study shows.
Climate change: Money on the agenda at Milan talks
1 Oct 2021
With the jeers of Greta Thunberg ringing in their ears, climate ministers are holding final talks before a key UN conference in Glasgow.
The net zero trap
1 Oct 2021
As more countries pledge to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to zero by midcentury, one could be forgiven for thinking that the world is finally making real progress on climate change.
Interactive climate atlas allows you to travel in time
1 Oct 2021
The IPCC just made it easy to access and visualize a ton of data.
An international carbon market key to COP26 success: ACT
30 Sep 2021
The ACT Party says New Zealand should push for an international carbon trading market, which includes the largest emitters the EU, USA, Russian, India and China, at November’s COP26 talks.
Climate change will add to Aotearoa’s debt burden: Treasury
30 Sep 2021
Climate change is likely to see net debt increase by at least 4% of GDP over the next 40 years, according to just released Treasury modelling.
COP26 billboard campaign takes aim at Australia
30 Sep 2021
When world leaders like Joe Biden and Boris Johnson descend on Glasgow for the world's most significant meeting on climate in years, they could well come face to face with a billboard designed by an Australian comedian.
Plastic and climate crises are linked
30 Sep 2021
For the first time, an interdisciplinary team of scientists collected evidence on how both global problems exacerbate one another, creating a dangerous cycle. The researchers identified three significant ways that the climate change crisis and marine plastic pollution are connected.
Commonwealth youth demand climate action
30 Sep 2021
Media Release - More than 2,000 young leaders and youth-led organisations from across the Commonwealth are urging governments to respect the needs and contributions of the world’s most vulnerable groups, in the lead up to global climate talks in Glasgow in November.
Greenhouse gas emissions up by 2.1% in 2019
29 Sep 2021
Greenhouse gas emissions increased by 2.1% in 2019 according to figures released by Stats NZ today.
What would a net zero emissions policy mean for Australian agriculture?
29 Sep 2021
As the warring parties in the Coalition debate the idea of a net zero carbon emissions policy, a number of questions remain unanswered. What would such a policy mean for Australian agriculture?
Students take over their classrooms to demand teaching on climate change
29 Sep 2021
Students have become the teachers in a global lesson takeover, designed to highlight the importance of climate education.
Food waste feeds climate change
29 Sep 2021
Media Release - NZ Food Waste Champions 12.3 are calling on the Government to reduce food waste as a climate change solution. On 29 September, it is International Food Waste Awareness Day.
Removing one tonne of methane from atmosphere could be worth up to $US2700
28 Sep 2021
A scientific paper published by the Royal Society has estimated that removing a tonne of methane from the atmosphere could be worth as much as $US2700 a tonne.
Climate change to loom large in talks to form new German government
28 Sep 2021
Climate and energy policies are expected to loom large in talks to determine which parties will form Germany's next government, following a much-anticipated federal election on 26 September.
China's belt and road policies could hurt environment and indigenous communities
28 Sep 2021
A new study has found that up to 60% of China's development projects pose a threat to indigenous communities and the environment.
NZ should champion split-gas approach in Glasgow: National
27 Sep 2021
Last week both the National and ACT parties made it clear they didn’t think climate change minister James Shaw should be going to the COP26 meeting in Glasgow in November. But whether Shaw is there in person, or via Zoom, what are the policies the opposition parties would like to see New Zealand champion at the most important climate change gathering of the year?
'Just transitions' focus of latest Policy Quarterly
27 Sep 2021
The latest issue of Victoria University's Policy Quarterly is focussed on 'just transitions' - the idea that the transition to a zero carbon economy can be done in a way that benefits everyone.
Vanuatu to push international court for climate change action
27 Sep 2021
Vanuatu is asking the International Court of Justice to issue an opinion on the rights of present and future generations to be protected from the adverse effects of climate change.
Young climate activists take to the world's streets
27 Sep 2021
CLIMATE activists allied with Swedish teen campaigner Greta Thunberg were on Friday demonstrating in some 70 countries to demand global action ahead of a key summit in the United Kingdom
Opinion: The West owes Africa $100bn (at least) for climate recovery
27 Sep 2021
This week, as about 100 world leaders gather to attend the 76th session of the UN general assembly, a call for rich countries to urgently scale up assistance to help Africa address the twin challenges of climate catastrophe and the effects of Covid-19 pandemic is required.
Civil society groups declare UN Food Summit 'anti-people'
27 Sep 2021
Media Release - The Global People’s Summit (GPS) on Food Systems slammed the recently concluded UN Food Systems Summit (UN FSS) for paving the way for greater control of big corporations over global food systems and misleading the people through corporate-led false solutions to hunger and climate change.
Climate change mitigation reshaping capital’s streets
24 Sep 2021
A commitment to cutting the city’s GHG emissions has seen Wellington City Council greenlight consultation on a plan that will see 147km of cycle paths rolled out over the next 10 years.
AI may be set to reveal climate-change tipping points
24 Sep 2021
Researchers are developing artificial intelligence that could assess climate change tipping points. The deep learning algorithm could act as an early warning system against runaway climate change.
Report shows how native American nations respond to climate change
24 Sep 2021
Indigenous nations are at the frontlines of climate change, but they’re also leaders in how to adapt to changing weather conditions and transition to renewable energy.
Opinion: tax corporations to pay for climate change adaptation
24 Sep 2021
The rapid, radical decarbonisation needed to save the planet will cost a lot. Taxing multinationals and the wealthy properly can help pay for it, argues Eva Joly, a member of the Independent Commission for International Corporate Tax Reform (ICRICT).
Hutt council signs up to race to zero initiative
24 Sep 2021
Media Release - Hutt City Council has voted in favour of signing up to the Race to Zero climate initiative, joining more than 730 cities around the world that have publicly committed to reducing carbon emissions.
Time to ditch light diesel vehicles: public health experts
23 Sep 2021
An opinion piece published in this month’s NZ Medical Journal calls for the introduction of a scrappage fee for diesel vehicles, bringing forward the year in which ICE vehicle importation is banned, and a ban on advertising of any vehicles that don’t meet the latest European emission standards.
Air pollution kills 7 million a year: WHO
23 Sep 2021
The World Health Organisation (WHO) tightened its air quality guidelines on Wednesday for the first time since 2005, hoping to spur countries toward clean energy and prevent deaths and illness caused by air pollution.
Investment in infrastructure key to achieving circular economy
22 Sep 2021
If New Zealand is to achieve a low carbon, circular economy it needs to invest in infrastructure that enables the reprocessing and redistribution of goods and materials, according to a report being released by the Sustainable Business Network today.
German automakers sued over climate
22 Sep 2021
German activists have filed a lawsuit against automakers BMW and Daimler for refusing to tighten carbon emissions targets, the first time German citizens have sued private companies for exacerbating climate change
Sinking lid on hydrofluorocarbon
22 Sep 2021
Media Release - As part of moves to reduce the use of harmful greenhouse gases, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has released its third annual decision on special permits to import hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
NZ climate change plan a missed opportunity to save thousands of lives and billions of dollars
21 Sep 2021
The Climate Change Commission’s final advice to government fails to take account of the potential health benefits of climate change mitigation measures that have the potential to save thousands of lives and billions of dollars in health costs, according to a paper published in the New Zealand Medical Journal.
‘Verge of the abyss’: Climate change to dominate UNGA talks
21 Sep 2021
Pressure is building on world leaders to rapidly ratchet up efforts to fight global climate change, a topic expected to top the agenda at the United Nations General Assembly
German activists starving themselves to make politicians face the climate crisis
21 Sep 2021
The Last Generation, a six-strong group, is camping out near the Reichstag determined to force a commitment to limit global heating.
Climate dominates Germany’s most unpredictable election in decades
20 Sep 2021
Never before in German history has climate policy played a role as big as it does in 2021. Even after one and a half years of a turbulent pandemic, credible climate policies remain the yardstick many voters plan to base their decision on.
Companies backing kelp may be rushing ahead of the science
20 Sep 2021
Sinking seaweed could sequester a lot of carbon, but researchers are still grappling with basic questions about reliability, scalability and risks.
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.
