Topics tagged with 'Greenhouse Effect'
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.
What are the biophysical limits to growth?
17 Sep 2021
Steve Keen, one of the world's leading heterodox economists, is among a high-powered panel of multi-disciplinary experts debating the biophysical limits of growth next Monday.
Climate change not slowed by the COVID pandemic: UN
17 Sep 2021
The pace of climate change has not been slowed by the global COVID-19 pandemic and the world remains behind in its battle to cut carbon emissions, according to the United Nations.
Climate experts fear Aukus will dash hopes of China emissions deal
17 Sep 2021
The timing of the new defence deal between the US, UK and Australia has dismayed climate experts, who fear it could have a negative effect on hopes of a deal with China on greenhouse gas emissions ahead of vital UN climate talks.
This year's giant Antarctic ozone hole probably due to climate change
17 Sep 2021
A giant ozone hole has opened up over Antarctica this year. Already larger than the entire ice-covered continent, the ozone hole has surpassed the size of 75% of ozone holes measured since 1979 and is still growing. Scientists believe climate change might be the cause.
Govt weakens climate legislation, strips CCC’s powers
Wed 5 Nov 2025
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
Wed 5 Nov 2025
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
Wed 5 Nov 2025
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
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
Wed 5 Nov 2025
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
Wed 5 Nov 2025
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
Wed 5 Nov 2025
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
Wed 5 Nov 2025
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.
