Topics tagged with 'Greenhouse Effect'
It's possible to both eradicate poverty and meet climate goals: study
6 Sep 2021
A new study has shown it's possible to both eradicate poverty and cut greenhouse gas emissions to the extent necessary to stay within 1.5 degrees of warming.
Europe could miss its 2030 greenhouse gas targets by 21 years
6 Sep 2021
Europe might be making progress on reducing emissions, but its largest utility company doesn't think officials are moving quickly enough. Reuters reports Enel has issued a study warning Europe could be late on reducing greenhouse gas emissions if it continues at its "current pace.
Indigenous peoples call for an end to "fortress conservation"
6 Sep 2021
Media Release - The world’s first Congress to decolonize conservation has ended with a series of speakers calling for an end to “fortress conservation,” and for full recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ rights.
Decaying forest wood releases 10.9 billion tonnes of carbon annually
3 Sep 2021
If you’ve wandered through a forest, you’ve probably dodged dead, rotting branches or stumps scattered on the ground. This is “deadwood”, and it plays several vital roles in forest ecosystems
Are Auckland's floods climate change in action?
1 Sep 2021
Inevitably, when freak floods or wildfires strike a nation we ask, is it the result of climate change? The Science Media Centre has helpfully sought the views of the country's leading experts to help answer that question in relation to the floods in Auckland.
Climate change in election spotlight in Norway
1 Sep 2021
Climate change has surfaced as a key issue for Norwegian voters in an upcoming parliamentary election that polls show could usher in more lawmakers who want to curtail oil and gas drilling.
Zimbabwe opens new coal mines
31 Aug 2021
Zimbabwe's government says more coal mining will create jobs and give the country's power supply a much-needed boost, but critics warn the environmental cost is too high.
Indigenous voices to be heard for first time at global conservation hui
31 Aug 2021
Indigenous peoples will have a seat at the table for the first time in the General Assembly of the International Union for Conservation of Nature's 73-year history when it meets in Marseille next week.
Fossil-fuel interests turn to ‘carbon shaming’
30 Aug 2021
After Prince Harry told Oprah Winfrey that climate change and mental health are two of the “most important issues facing the world today,” the New York Post threw the words back at him.
The killing of environmental activists continues five years after Berta Cáceres's murder
30 Aug 2021
The Indigenous activist in Honduras had won the Goldman prize for opposing the Agua Zarca Dam. But it didn’t protect Cáceres in one of the world’s most dangerous countries.
Middle East ‘faces 60C temperatures’ due to climate change
27 Aug 2021
It sounds like hell on earth. The Middle East, already riven by conflict, faces 60C temperatures as the region worst affected by climate change, a climate expert has warned – making crises from Lebanon to Syria even more acute.
Africa's mountain forests store more carbon than previously thought
27 Aug 2021
Tropical forests may be local to the tropics, yet they all have global benefits. In addition to serving as refuges of the planet’s stunning, if shrinking, biodiversity, these forests store large amounts of carbon, which helps offset our emissions and mitigate climate change.
Could working less help save the planet?
27 Aug 2021
So, you’ve just come through 18 months of a pandemic and realized there’s more to life than work. Every moment is precious, why waste more time at a job that will never love you back?
Hamilton to spend $50 million to slash car reliance
27 Aug 2021
A startling 64% of Hamilton’s carbon emissions come from transport, and Hamilton City Council has a plan to change that.
Global greenhouse gas levels were highest ever in 2020
26 Aug 2021
Any hopes that pandemic lockdowns dented the build up of greenhouse gases have been dashed as a new report confirmed that global levels reached their highest on record in 2020.
Carbon emissions from power sector soar
26 Aug 2021
Global carbon dioxide emissions from the power sector have surged past pre-pandemic levels to reach new highs, a new report examining trends during the first half of 2021 finds.
Australia bushfires of 2020 had cooling effect on climate
26 Aug 2021
Wildfires are getting so big, and wildfire seasons are lasting so long, that they’re now impacting the earth’s climate.
Emissions reduction consultation document on its way
25 Aug 2021
The government is set to launch a consultation document on its emission reduction plan, possibly as soon as next week.
USA nears first major steps to control CO2 emissions
25 Aug 2021
The United States is preparing to adopt a raft of new energy policies that will for the first time put the US – the world’s second-worst polluter after China – on a path to meeting its pledge to cut greenhouse emissions in half by 2035.
Europe's extreme rains made more likely by humans
25 Aug 2021
The heavy rainfall behind deadly flooding in Europe in July was made more likely by climate change, scientists say.
Pacific islands call for zero carbon shipping by 2050
24 Aug 2021
Three climate vulnerable Pacific nations have asked the world’s governments to agree to aim to make international shipping emissions-free by 2050.
The case against individualising climate change
24 Aug 2021
BIG OIL coined the term 'carbon footprints’ to blame us for their greed. Keep them on the hook, writes Rebecca Solnit in The Guardian.
Queen shirks climate responsibilities
23 Aug 2021
Queen Elizabeth II’s lawyers have secretly negotiated with Scottish ministers to change a draft law about reducing carbon emissions, ensuring that her private land is made exempt from new regulations.
Reforestration fails to make up for Amazon's destruction
23 Aug 2021
Driven largely by the expansion of farm land to meet increasing global demand for products such as soya bean, over 810,000 km² of forest in the Amazon has been cleared – an area nearly as big as Norway and Sweden combined.
On the hunt for climate killing gas
23 Aug 2021
After finding a rusty gas canister near his midwest US home, Rick Karas checked online if it was worth anything. Incredibly, it turned out to be a coveted commodity in the battle against climate change.
Getting Wellington moving will save 1000 tonnes of CO2 per year
20 Aug 2021
Changes proposed for Wellington’s active and public transport systems are predicted to reduce CO2 emissions by 1000 tonnes a year by significantly increasing the uptake of public and active transport
Judge overturns U.S. approval of Alaska oil project
20 Aug 2021
A federal judge has reversed the U.S. government's approval of ConocoPhillips' planned $6 billion Willow oil development in Alaska, citing problems with its environmental analysis, according to court documents.
Climate change will disrupt supply chains much more than Covid
20 Aug 2021
The onset of the coronavirus pandemic caused unprecedented, worldwide supply-chain disruptions, but experts say that’s a drop in the bucket compared with the disruptions that climate change will cause.
The soaring carbon footprint of wildfires
20 Aug 2021
Devastating wildfires that have ravaged parts of the northern hemisphere this summer have released soaring amounts of carbon, EU data shows.
Mapping wildfires around the world
20 Aug 2021
From Siberia to Algeria, Al Jazeera looks at some of the largest and deadliest wildfires blazing around the world.
Kenyan health experts say climate change fuelling disease burden
20 Aug 2021
Kenya is witnessing a spike in both infectious and non-communicable diseases as the climate crisis escalates in the country, experts said at a virtual forum in Nairobi.
Australia risks international punishment for lagging on climate change: Ban Ki-moon
18 Aug 2021
Former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon has declared Australia "out of step" with the world on tackling climate change, as international pressure grows on the federal government to do more to limit global warming.
Overwhelming support for regenerating global commons
18 Aug 2021
Three-quarters of people in the world’s wealthiest nations believe humanity is pushing the planet towards a dangerous tipping point and support a shift of priorities away from economic profit, according to a global survey.
Public sector ill-prepared for climate change
17 Aug 2021
Eighty-five percent of public organisations responding to a Ministry for the Environment survey admitted to not documenting how climate change will impact their ability to carry out their functions.
Canterbury offers NZ's first undergraduate sustainability degree
17 Aug 2021
Media Release - Business leaders are welcoming Aotearoa New Zealand’s first undergraduate sustainability degree, saying the sector is crying out for more expertise as it faces new targets and competing goals.
Wildfires take toll on Pacific islands
16 Aug 2021
A metal roof sits atop the burned remains of a homestead on the once-lush slopes of Hawaii's Mauna Kea—a dormant volcano and the state's tallest peak—charred cars and motorcycles strewn about as wind-whipped sand and ash blast the scorched landscape.
Natural catastrophe losses hit $40 billion
13 Aug 2021
A deep winter freeze, hailstorms and wildfires led to natural catastrophe losses of $40 billion in the firsthalf of 2021, Swiss Re Institute’s preliminary estimates showed on Thursday.
Covid suppresses NZ's greenhouse gases
12 Aug 2021
NEW ZEALAND'S greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were down 4.5% in the year ended March 2021, reflecting the impact of COVID-19 on the economy and society a year since restrictions began, Stats NZ said today.
Indonesia urged to ban new oil palm plantations forever
12 Aug 2021
Indonesia should make permanent its temporary ban on new permits for oil palm plantations to advance progress on tackling deforestation and meet its climate goals, environmentalists say.
Rich world should pay poor countries' carbon debts
11 Aug 2021
Rich countries should ditch privileged debates over the legacy of colonialism and pay off poorer countries’ carbon instead, an influential investor has told The Independent.
Mother of all climate science reports
10 Aug 2021
It’s here, it’s intensifying, and if the world doesn’t act now, we’re fucked. That in a nutshell is the message of the most comprehensive scientific report on climate change in years.
Time running out to stop catastrophe - Alok Sharma
9 Aug 2021
The world is "dangerously close" to running out of time to stop a climate change catastrophe, the UK government's climate chief Alok Sharma has said.
Global warming could lead to some countries freezing
9 Aug 2021
A large system of ocean currents in the Atlantic – which includes the Gulf Stream – has been disrupted due to human-caused climate change, scientists reported in a new study published last week. If that system collapses, it would lead to dramatic changes in worldwide weather patterns.
Aotearoa on track for warmest winter on record
6 Aug 2021
New Zealand has just experienced its warmest June and July since records began in 1909 and - with one month to go - is on track for its second successive warmest winter on record.
U.N. climate report likely to deliver stark warnings on global warming
6 Aug 2021
Eight years after its last update on climate science, the United Nations is set to publish a report Monday that will likely deliver even starker warnings about how quickly the planet is warming – and how damaging the impacts might get.
Costa Rica eyes ban on fossil fuel exploration
5 Aug 2021
Costa Rican lawmakers this week will discuss a bill to permanently ban fossil fuel exploration and extraction, a move that would prevent future governments from pivoting on the issue as the popular eco-tourism destination country aims to decarbonize by 2050.
More countries hike climate pledges
2 Aug 2021
A group of mostly smaller countries submitted new, more ambitious climate pledges to the United Nations this week, raising pressure on big emitters including China to do the same ahead of a major U.N. climate summit in November.
The largest flood flow ever measured
30 Jul 2021
NIWA media release - Flood flows on the Buller River this month were the largest of any river in Aotearoa New Zealand in almost 100 years, NIWA measurements show
Carbon tariffs ‘not a bad thing’: WWF
30 Jul 2021
WWF International president Pavan Sukhde. a former managing director of Deutsche Bank, has expressed support for carbon tariffs in an interview with Yahoo Finance.
Earth overshoot day
29 Jul 2021
Media Release - It's Earth Overshoot Day again. Two years ago it was 26th July, last year, mostly due to Covid, Earth Overshoot Day was 22nd August, so globally the situation has slightly improved.
New courses focus on climate action, activism and creating vision
Fri 12 Sep 2025
Media release | Dark Times Academy’s final lineup of courses for 2025, launching in mid-September, will focus on taking action on climate, learning about practical activism, and creating visions for the future.
A revolution is sweeping Europe’s farms: Can it save agriculture?
Fri 12 Sep 2025
Momentum is building for regenerative agriculture, a set of approaches that could help farms to weather the changing climate and make them more profitable.
NZ needs to be part of a regional SAF strategy: Z, Air NZ
9 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand needs to be part of a regional strategic approach to sourcing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with domestic production less the aim than ensuring access to the fuel from one of a number of strategically positioned bio-refineries around the world.
'Non-negotiable' – EU carbon pricing to hit Kiwi exporters, expert warns
Thu 11 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | High carbon exports will inevitably face a high carbon tax at the EU border, possibly in the next five years, and high methane agricultural products might not be exempt, an international expert told a local audience yesterday.
'Reframe' climate conversations - focus on thriving together, says advisor
Thu 11 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand must mirror its Covid-19 response if it wants to get buy-in from the public on climate action, according to Ministry for the Environment chief advisor Heather Peacocke.
Air NZ declares surprisingly low SAF prices
3 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Air New Zealand is able to source sustainable aviation fuel at between 1.5 and 2.5 times the price of conventional fossil fuels used for flying, all sourced from the US.
No bidders front to carbon auction - again
Wed 10 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | Today’s quarterly carbon auction was a non-event yet again, making it the third consecutive auction this year with no bidders, with the secondary market price still limping along at nearly 20% below the auction floor.
Australia’s biggest gas project greenlit to 2070 with ‘partial’ protection for Indigenous rock art
Mon 15 Sep 2025
Approval met with fury from conservation groups and the Greens, who called it a ‘betrayal’ of Australians who want climate action.
'Atrocious' and 'bizarre': experts slam Act Party's climate policy
3 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Act Party is promising to challenge New Zealand’s Paris Agreement climate target, while the coalition Government’s other minor partner, NZ First, also says it wants to reevaluate the country’s commitment to the international treaty.
Industry struggles with double-digit power price hikes
Mon 15 Sep 2025
As power prices surge by double-digit amounts for the second year in a row, industrial users can’t keep absorbing cost increases, the Major Electricity Users’ Group says.
The merchants of doubt are back
3 Sep 2025
OPINION: If you don’t follow climate policy closely, you might not know that the Trump administration is launching an effort to overturn one of the most fundamental pillars of American climate policy.
Milestone for NZ Steel electrification
Wed 10 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | NZ Steel has passed an installation milestone for its new electric arc furnace, which will reduce emissions from the Glenbrook steel mill site by as much as one megatonne (1Mt) a year.
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.”
Wind and solar power fuel over one-third of Brazil's electricity for first time
Mon 15 Sep 2025
Wind and solar power generated more than a third of Brazil’s electricity in August.
Declining sea-ice is altering Antarctic food webs
Thu 11 Sep 2025
A new study shows a significant change in Antarctic phytoplankton over time that could cascade through the marine food web and affect the ocean’s capacity as a carbon sink.
Study links world’s top oil and gas firms to 200 ‘more intense’ heatwaves
Mon 15 Sep 2025
Global warming linked to the world’s biggest oil and gas companies made all “major” 21st century heatwaves more intense and frequent.
Marginal drop in last year's regional emissions
27 Aug 2025
Regional greenhouse gas emissions were down slightly last year, with a fall in gas supply leading to a big drop in Taranaki, but more coal burnt leading to higher emissions in Waikato, according to new figures from Stats NZ
Indigenous forest 'islands' could help transition exotic plantations to native bush
Thu 11 Sep 2025
Native forest 'islands' within exotic plantations might be the key to transitioning plantations from exotic to Indigenous, according to new research.
EU considers faster Russian oil and gas exit after US pressure
Mon 15 Sep 2025
The European Union is considering a faster phase-out of Russian fossil fuels as part of new sanctions.
A modest geothermal strategy
31 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The Government has unveiled a far more modest geothermal energy strategy than its primary backer, Resources Minister Shane Jones, had sought.
Why mega-polluters have little to fear from the European Central Bank and its new climate policy
Fri 12 Sep 2025
The European Central Bank plans to raise borrowing costs for climate offenders – but a new FTM analysis shows that big polluters such as Shell will barely feel it.
Media round-up
5 Sep 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: The great methane debate; law change scuppers legal challenge to irrigation scheme consent; and what are the energy and climate implications of the $7.5 billion Amazon Web Services data centre deal?
Coal imports up 650%
Fri 12 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams and Liz Kivi | Coal imports are up 650% as generators stockpile the most polluting fossil fuel ahead of next winter.
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.
Media round-up
29 Aug 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Changes to road user charges will increase New Zealand's emissions; Climate Change Minister Simon Watts promises better access to hazard data for homeowners; and Kiwis borrow over $1 billion in ‘green loans’ for heat pumps and electric cars.
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.
Apple Watch not a 'CO2-neutral product,' German court finds
28 Aug 2025
Apple can no longer advertise its Apple Watch as a "CO2-neutral product" in Germany, following a court ruling on Tuesday that upheld a complaint from environmentalists, finding that the U.S. tech company had misled consumers.
Forest carbon stores massive blind spot - study
4 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Aotearoa New Zealand’s planted forests hold significant deep soil organic carbon — with over half of it stored below 30 cm, and much of it over 1,000 years old.
Invites-only fast-track for seabed mine slammed as 'rushed, awful'
Fri 12 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With the wider public shut out of submissions, critics including Te Pāti Māori, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining and Greenpeace say the process strips away robust scrutiny and risks setting a dangerous precedent.
‘Pick up the phone’ on climate change action, Hipkins urges Luxon
9 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should reach out to the Labour Party if he wants get a political deal on methane reductions and the Paris agreement rather than his two coalition partners, Labour leader Chris Hipkins says.
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.
Endeavour Fund research to shape NZ’s future
5 Sep 2025
Media release - New Zealand Government | A project that looks to harness the potential of supercritical geothermal energy is amongst 19 ambitious science programmes the Government is backing, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones announced today.
Watts full-throated in National’s support for Paris
Wed 10 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Climate Change Minister Simon Watts came to this week’s Climate Change and Business Conference with nothing to announce.
Govt resilience plan 'dangerous fantasy' - thinktank
29 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | An independent thinktank, whose members include former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer and multiple academics, is warning that the government’s long-term resilience strategy ignores physical and energy realities and exposes Kiwi households and businesses to systemic failure.
‘Plastic Cup’ competitions are cleaning up rivers in Hungary
1 Sep 2025
Afloat on DIY boats, teams of volunteers have removed over 450 tons of plastic waste from the Danube and its tributaries.
Trump sends fracking CEO to Europe to sell climate denial—and gas
Mon 15 Sep 2025
Debunking some of Chris Wright's most egregious lies.
Underestimating support for climate action limits political decision making, study says
8 Sep 2025
Research reveals huge disparity between perceived and actual willingness of public to contribute to fixing climate.
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.
Media round-up
Fri 12 Sep 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Climate adaptation discussions descended into political squabbling at a recent conference; New Zealand may find itself no longer trusted by allies if it ditches climate goals; and are we living through the fastest energy transformation in human history?
Polar geoengineering ideas 'dangerous'
Wed 10 Sep 2025
Geoengineering will not save the polar regions from catastrophic meltdown, according to an expert.
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’.
Ara Ake backs 13 projects to unlock NZ’s energy flexibility
Thu 11 Sep 2025
Media release | Ara Ake has approved over $600,000 in funding from the National Flex Discovery Fund for 13 flexibility service providers (FSPs).
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.
Most EU carmakers on track to meet emission targets: study
Wed 10 Sep 2025
Almost all European carmakers are on track to meet EU emission targets after winning a reprieve this year as electric vehicles (EV) sales pick up, a study showed.
Hotter, longer, more frequent: NZ’s escalating heat risk
26 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Heat extremes in New Zealand will intensify faster than previously thought, according to a new study.
Echo Tech secures growth investment to tackle NZ's e-waste crisis
Mon 15 Sep 2025
Media release | Echo Tech Limited, New Zealand’s leading provider of e-waste recycling and IT asset recovery services, is proud to announce a strategic investment from growth equity firm Altered Capital.
La Niña set to prolong NZ hydro shortfall
9 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With La Niña favouring a drier-than-normal spring across much of the South Island, hydro lakes are unlikely to recover without substantial rain and late snowmelt – keeping national storage levels below average.
Record UK wildfires have burned an area twice the size of Glasgow in 2025
12 Aug 2025
Wildfires have scorched more than 40,000 hectares of land so far this year across the UK – an area more than twice the size of the Scottish city of Glasgow.
Which countries are scaling solar and wind the fastest?
Fri 12 Sep 2025
The leaderboard is quite different depending on what metric you look at.
