Topics tagged with 'Greenhouse Effect'
The era of climate migration is here, leaders of vulnerable nations say
25 Sep 2023
Heads of climate-vulnerable nations gathered on the sidelines of a United Nations climate summit to call for new policies and agreements to manage the millions of people who are being forced from their homes by extreme weather.
NZ’s climate emissions at historic low
20 Sep 2023
New Zealand is set to announce its lowest emissions this century, Climate Change minister James Shaw told the Climate Change and Business Conference in Auckland yesterday.
Another day, another roadblock: how should NZ law deal with disruptive climate protests?
18 Sep 2023
By Alexander Gillespie | The most recent protest by the Restore Passenger Rail climate protest group, in which a Wellington car dealership was defaced with red paint, is not just the latest in a local movement – it’s part of a global trend.
Upcoming conferences focus on climate change and degrowth
15 Sep 2023
New Zealand's first degrowth conference is coming up this weekend in Wellington, with international and local speakers looking at the transition to a less energy-intensive future.
Trees could become a source of carbon emissions
13 Sep 2023
In the face of climate change, we’ve been told forests are our salvation. But scientists believe this summer’s wildfires are a sign of a tipping point — with trees a major source of carbon emissions.
Warmer oceans are driving more frequent seabird die-offs
12 Sep 2023
A new study used long-term volunteer data to show that marine heatwaves are linked to mass avian mortality at sea.
NZ needs new approach in the face of global inaction on climate
11 Sep 2023
New Zealand needs to work harder at building resilience and adaptation in the face of global failure to meet climate goals, according to an expert.
How will Treasury treat missing ETS revenue ahead of election?
7 Sep 2023
Experts are questioning how Treasury will treat the potential $1 billion of missing revenue from this year’s Emissions Trading Scheme auctions, with reporting due next week ahead of the election.
Govt cuts more than $200 million from climate funds to “tighten belts”
29 Aug 2023
The government is slashing funding to climate emissions reduction programmes as part of “belt tightening” measures, with more than $235 million in cuts to projects planned to reduce emissions.
Managed retreat—a can of political worms
25 Aug 2023
The report by the Expert Working Group on Managed Retreat highlights funding and financing strategies for planned relocation in the face of climate change and raises some of the issues that will test finances and just who should pay for what.
Kenya’s ‘green growth’ pitch for Africa Climate Summit sparks justice concerns
25 Aug 2023
Outcry over a fossil fuel consultancy taking a lead role, and unease over the Kenyan president’s focus on finance, raises questions as to whether the summit will truly be “by Africans for Africans”.
Emperor penguin colonies experiencing 'complete breeding failure' due to climate change
25 Aug 2023
Media release - Emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica are experiencing complete breeding failure, according to international researchers who say this is a direct consequence of the unprecedented loss of sea ice recorded in the region in recent years due to climate change.
Canterbury regional council chair slams govt inaction on climate adaptation
15 Aug 2023
Ecan chair Peter Scott says central government needs to do more to protect Canterbury from “real and ongoing risks” exacerbated by the climate crisis.
NZ-style 'sponge cities' needed to tackle climate-fuelled urban flood risk
14 Aug 2023
Urban areas need to urgently look at ‘sponge city’ approaches to stormwater management to help the country prepare for climate impacts and reduce flood risk, according to recent research.
Forest & Bird accused of promoting “greenwashing” at centennial conference
28 Jul 2023
A talk planned for Forest & Bird’s centennial conference tomorrow has ruffled feathers among environmentalists, with some supporters threatening to cancel longstanding memberships, and even debating whether to protest with placards at the event.
Govt funding to reduce climate emissions from commercial buildings
11 Jul 2023
The government is fronting up $40 million to help commercial building tenants and owners improve the climate and energy efficiency of their buildings.
Could El Niño cause Earth’s warmest year ever?
30 Jun 2023
Media release - NIWA - Over the past three years, you may have heard about the rare ‘triple-dip’ La Niña that had its hands on the steering wheel of Mother Nature’s car.
Drastic emission reductions from coal, gas, and electricity
15 Jun 2023
Greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation are at multi-decade lows, while emissions from oil, gas, and coal are all down from 2019 highs.
Battle lines harden over how to slash CO2
7 Jun 2023
Banish fossil fuels, capture their emissions, pull CO2 from thin air -- diplomats in Bonn for UN-led climate talks agree there's too much planet-warming carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but remain at loggerheads on the best way to reduce it.
Vietnam records highest-ever temperature of 44.1C
8 May 2023
Vietnam has recorded its highest ever temperature, just over 44 degrees - with experts predicting it would soon be surpassed because of climate change.
April heat in western Med 'almost impossible without climate change'
8 May 2023
The extreme heat that engulfed the Iberian peninsula and parts of North Africa last week would have been "almost impossible without climate change", an international scientific study found on Friday.
In coastal Bangladesh, climate change devastates women’s reproductive health
8 May 2023
On a cloudy Friday morning, Asma Akhter took a break from fishing for minnows. Her clothes still wet, she sat outside her two-room home, gazing out at the waters that are both her salvation and her doom.
Climate crisis could bring new crops – and blights – to NZ
5 May 2023
Invasive plant-destroying insects, weeds, and diseases will increasingly challenge New Zealand’s borders as global heating makes our plants and ecosystems more vulnerable, according to a new report.
El Nino expected to increase global temperatures
5 May 2023
Global temperatures are likely to reach new highs this year with the predicted onset of El Nino, a natural occurring phenomenon typically associated with the warming of the planet.
Cities at greatest risk of global warming
5 May 2023
Cities are at the highest level of risk from global warming. A big city can be subject to twice as much temperature increase as other areas. Are public administrations doing enough to keep cities cool and the heat at bay?
Bay of Plenty launches online carbon footprint tool
3 May 2023
Bay of Plenty councils have joined forces to launch “FutureFit,” an online carbon tracking tool to help people determine their carbon footprint and set climate-friendly goals.
Wellington communities to prepare for climate change events
2 May 2023
The Wellington City Council is starting a consultation process that will see communities at high risk of severe weather events developing their own adaptation plans.
Climate emergency lacks urgency: Rod Carr
24 Apr 2023
Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr tells Carbon News New Zealand's climate emergency lacks urgency, and while he loves markets it should be acknowledged they're myopic, reckless, and selfish.
Report highlights climate change danger to children's education in Pacific
24 Apr 2023
Like many mothers, Janet Iaticknu gets up in the morning and helps her children get ready for school.
Record breaking heatwaves cause 15,000 deaths in Europe
24 Apr 2023
Record-breaking heatwaves over the last few years, affecting the Europen continent and parts of China during the summer, have caused nearly 15,700 deaths, an analysis published by the United Nations Agency for promoting international cooperation on atmospheric science, climatology, hydrology, and Geophysics, claimed.
Best by the rest...
21 Apr 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate reporting in local media: how the Environment Minister failed to stop a major polluter getting ahead of a climate law change; why the Climate Change Commission’s advice could increase costs for Kiwis; and crowdsourcing for Papatūānuku - Te Tairāwhiti style.
Today is Aotearoa’s overshoot day
19 Apr 2023
If the whole world’s population consumed resources at the rate of New Zealanders, today marks the day we would overshoot the planet’s yearly bio-capacity.
NZ gives $15 million to Solomon Islands climate fund
18 Apr 2023
The government has committed $15 million dollars to a Solomon Island climate adaptation fund.
Reasons to be hopeful: 7 stories of underdogs and climate heroes to celebrate on Earth Day
14 Apr 2023
Every year more than a billion people mark Earth Day by taking action to protect the planet.
Best by the rest...
6 Apr 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: The finance minister seeks advice on the ETS as carbon prices plummet; National’s climate policy is under scrutiny; and kaitiakitanga as climate action.
Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions and energy transition targets
5 Apr 2023
Germany aims to become greenhouse gas neutral by 2045. It has set the preliminary targets of cutting emissions by at least 65% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, and 88% by 2040.
Rich countries could learn from Bangladesh
5 Apr 2023
For anyone who has sweated through record-high temperatures or waded through floodwater, it will come as no surprise that Britain is “strikingly unprepared" for the effects of climate change. That’s the conclusion of a recent report published by the Climate Change Committee, the UK’s independent advisory body on climate policy to the government.
Here's what you need to know about positive climate tipping points
4 Apr 2023
A recent landmark report on the climate crisis pointed out some near-term tipping points that could mean the difference between a habitable planet and an uninhabitable one.
Further ice loss for NZ’s glaciers
3 Apr 2023
Media release | NIWA’s annual end-of-summer snowline survey has revealed continued loss of snow and ice for New Zealand’s famous glaciers.
Torrents of Antarctic meltwater are slowing the currents that drive our vital ocean ‘overturning’ – and threaten its collapse
31 Mar 2023
The Conversation - Off the coast of Antarctica, trillions of tonnes of cold salty water sink to great depths. As the water sinks, it drives the deepest flows of the “overturning” circulation – a network of strong currents spanning the world’s oceans.
Govt announces new waste strategy will cut emissions
30 Mar 2023
The government announced a new waste strategy yesterday that it says will cut tens of thousands of CO2-equivalent emissions with kerbside food scrap collection.
Reserve Bank seeks feedback on managing climate-related risks
30 Mar 2023
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand is seeking feedback on proposed new guidance for the financial sector on managing climate-related risks.
Is climate change to blame for the 8,000km long seaweed blob floating toward Florida and Mexico?
28 Mar 2023
A massive 8,000km long blob of seaweed is floating towards Florida, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
Brazilian Govt eyes permanent climate emergency for over 1000 cities
28 Mar 2023
Brazil's Minister of Environment and Climate Change Marina Silva Sunday admitted that President Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva's administration was considering the possibility of declaring a state of climate emergency in 1,038 municipalities mapped as most vulnerable, Agencia Brasil reported.
Best by the rest...
24 Mar 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: the Climate Change Commision wants the Government to explain why it rejected advice; meanwhile, the commission failed to win legal costs from Lawyers for Climate Action NZ; and the Labour-Green coalition is under pressure as Labour dumps climate policies.
Dramatic changes in New Zealand river flows, research finds
24 Mar 2023
Media release | River flows in New Zealand have changed dramatically over the past 50 to 90 years as the climate has varied, a new study has found.
Climate freeloaders are destroying the planet
24 Mar 2023
Alaska isn't supposed to be an inferno—but its summers are now so warm that apocalyptic wildfires are almost inevitable.
Slave to energy
23 Mar 2023
Carbon News editor Jeremy Rose wrote his first climate story close to to quarter of a century ago. Many of the issues remain the same today. Today we republish the story to accompany Jeremy's piece on the dilemmas of whether to travel as a climate journalist.
Climate change: “It’s here, it's now, it’s us” - local experts on IPCC report
21 Mar 2023
The IPCC's latest report pulls no punches: “Climate change is here, it’s now, it’s us,” says Nick Cradock-Henry, GNS Science and IPCC contributing author.
Weathering the storm: How Japan is factoring climate change into defence policy
20 Mar 2023
Storm surges, flooding, more powerful typhoons and scorching temperatures — climate change will bring more of all to Japan, endangering military sites, personnel and gear, but also putting Tokyo and the Indo-Pacific at greater risk of geopolitical shocks.
Govt weakens climate legislation, strips CCC’s powers
Today 12:00pm
By Liz Kivi | The Government has announced sweeping changes to key climate legislation, including stripping the independent Climate Change Commission of one of its core roles, and removing the requirement that Emissions Trading Scheme settings align with international climate targets.
Govt delays will damage carbon market confidence, experts warn
Tue 4 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | Emissions Trading Scheme experts have warned the Government that its move to delay decisions on the country’s emissions budgets will further undermine confidence in an already weak carbon market.
NZ’s government wants tourism to drive economic growth – but how will it deal with aviation emissions?
22 Oct 2025
By Robert McLachlan, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University | Following a brief dip during the COVID pandemic, aviation is back in a growth phase.
Air NZ inks deal for its first internationally verified carbon credits
9 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Air New Zealand has committed to buying 8000 tonnes of carbon removals by 2030, in partnership with local native forest investment platform My Native Forest.
Celebrities slam mining plans
28 Oct 2025
Actor Sam Neill has slammed plans for a gold mine in Otago, while Denniston Rose author Jenny Pattrick is backing a petition that would stop a coalmine on the West Coast.
Govt launches strategy backing wood-based heat sector
23 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Forestry biomass could replace as much as 40% of fossil fuel-generated process heat by 2050, but access to supply, regulatory settings and business cases for converting to wood-based heat sources are required, the Government says in a series of documents released yesterday.
Another hit to market as Govt uncouples ETS from international climate target
Today 12:00pm
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s surprise move to break the connection between the Emissions Trading Scheme and New Zealand’s Paris Agreement climate target is a brutal hit to confidence in an already moribund market.
UNEP: New country climate plans ‘barely move needle’ on expected warming
Today 12:00pm
Executive director Inger Anderson made the comments as UNEP published its 16th annual assessment of the global “emissions gap”.
Carbon price drops, now trading 30% below auction floor
Mon 3 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | Secondary carbon market prices took a sharp downward turn last week, with traders blaming a continued lack of interest from buyers.
Scrutiny on energy security
Mon 3 Nov 2025
A special debate in Parliament put the Government’s energy security agenda under scrutiny, with parties splitting sharply over the role of gas, the place of an LNG import terminal, and how far to push market reform to ease pressure on power bills.
'Little to be hopeful about' – NZ scientists caution ahead of COP30
Fri 31 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Record heat, worsening climate impacts and global backsliding on emission reduction commitments have left some New Zealand climate experts with little optimism as COP30 approaches.
$235 billion worth of NZ buildings exposed to flooding
Thu 30 Oct 2025
More than 750,000 New Zealanders live in locations exposed to one-in-100-year floods, according to a nationwide study which shows escalating flood risk.
Brazil opens three weeks of COP30-linked climate events
Tue 4 Nov 2025
Brazil on Monday opens three weeks of events linked to the COP30 climate summit, hoping to showcase a world still determined to tackle global warming
Hutt City Council slashes gas emissions
Mon 3 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Hutt City Council is set to cut its gas emissions by 60% by 2026 as it speeds up phasing out fossil fuels from public facilities.
From nuisance to crisis: New report on pest wasps In Aotearoa
24 Sep 2025
Media release: Moths and Butterflies NZ Trust | Just published is the Final Report of the Pest Wasps Survey carried out by the Moths and Butterflies of NZ Trust (MBNZT) offering a comprehensive look at New Zealanders’ awareness, experiences, and attitudes toward wasps and the growing ecological, health, and social issues associated with them.
Auckland Council toughens up on building in flood risk areas
Today 12:00pm
Media release: Auckland Council | From Monday 3 November 2025, stronger planning rules take effect in Auckland to better protect people and property from natural hazards.
NZ marine heatwaves could double in intensity under high-emissions pathway
16 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show marine heatwaves will grow more intense around the North Island and more frequent around the South Island as the climate warms – raising risks for fisheries, aquaculture, coastal ecosystems and tourism.
Media round-up
Fri 31 Oct 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: A controversial seabed mining project could lead to sediment flows knocking over rigs and damaging wind turbines; weather-related insurance claims climb; and is the government playing Russian Roulette with our future over methane targets?
RMA to speed up fossil fuel consents
18 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | An energy lobby group has welcomed a last-minute amendment to the RMA that puts fossil fuels on the same footing as renewables, however a sustainable energy expert says the move “beggars belief.”
Bank of England must better address climate risk to tackle inflation
Tue 4 Nov 2025
The central bank is being urged to take a series of actions to better respond to environmental risks.
TotalEnergies loses in Paris court, marking a turning point for fossil fuel truth-in-advertising
Today 12:00pm
TotalEnergies was found to have misled consumers about its role in the energy transition.
Lake Onslow battery project set for revival?
29 Oct 2025
A newly formed private consortium has emerged with plans to finance and build the massive Lake Onslow pumped-hydro project, despite the coalition government’s decision to abandon the scheme.
Hiringa eyes green methanol plant near Whanganui
29 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Green hydrogen pioneer Hiringa Energy is deep in planning to develop an “eight-to-nine figure” methanol plant near Whanganui, using a combination of biomass and hydrogen produced using renewable energy.
Vero warns losses to rise 26% by 2050 over extreme weather
29 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Extreme weather could drive a 19–26% spike in annual insurance losses by 2050, fuelled by rising seas and more intense flooding, according to Vero’s latest Climate-Related Disclosures Report.
Will NZ walk away from the Paris Agreement?
20 Dec 2024
By Geoff Bertram | COMMENT: Unless the government can find very cheap offshore mitigation, the temptation to walk away from its Paris Agreement obligations may well be too strong to resist for a coalition government focused on fiscal austerity.
Z Energy settles greenwashing case over ‘quitting petrol’ claims
Tue 4 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Z Energy has settled a landmark greenwashing case over claims it misled the public about moving away from petrol – a result Lawyers for Climate Action NZ says delivers long-overdue accountability.
Nelson commuters urged to ditch car once a week
22 Oct 2025
By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | Nelson has a bold carbon emission reduction target and residents are being encouraged to leave the car at home one day a week to help meet it.
Supermarket fast-track a ‘cynical ploy’, risks climate and environmental protections
Today 12:00pm
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s “express lane for supermarkets” announcement has been met with fierce backlash, with critics calling the Fast-track Approvals Amendment Bill a Trojan horse that strips environmental protections, sidelines communities, and hands sweeping powers to ministers at the expense of democracy.
Boost for voluntary carbon markets in Watts’ surprise package
Today 12:00pm
By Pattrick Smellie | Voluntary carbon market development gets a solid push in the package of climate change legislative reforms dropped by Climate Change Minister Simon Watts early last evening.
NZ's latest climate target 'weak' – Climate Action Tracker
24 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand's new international climate target to 2035 is weak, and could even allow for higher emissions than the 2030 target, according to a global scientific project that tracks government climate action.
Climate impacts hit NZ with increasing wild weather
23 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand is facing a triple whammy of climate impacts today, with severe winds and rainfall predicted for much of the country while some areas are still dealing with wildfires ignited earlier in the week.
Carbon Finance Program upscales efforts to close climate investment gap in climate vulnerable nations
22 Oct 2025
Media release | The Climate Vulnerable Forum and its V20 Finance Ministers (CVF-V20) will work with the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) to upscale the Carbon Finance Program in reach and impact, supporting more climate-vulnerable countries to host high-integrity carbon projects that yield tangible climate, nature, and sustainable development benefits.
Lobby group launches ‘blueprint’ for ocean management reform
18 Sep 2025
The Environmental Defence Society yesterday released its plan to tackle widespread ecological decline in our oceans.
Judge says Greenpeace must pay $345 million in pipeline lawsuit, cutting jury amount nearly in half
Fri 31 Oct 2025
A North Dakota judge has ordered Greenpeace to pay damages of $345 million, reducing an earlier jury award after it found the environmental group and related entities liable for defamation and other claims in connection with protests of an oil pipeline nearly a decade ago.
Straterra has a new name: the New Zealand Minerals Council
16 Apr 2025
Media release | Straterra has been renamed as New Zealand Minerals Council, says chief executive Josie Vidal.
Here comes the sun: solar surge gathers pace
Tue 4 Nov 2025
More than $700 million of new solar investment advanced last week, underscoring the pace of the renewable buildout.
Experts warn new science curriculum sidelines climate urgency
Mon 3 Nov 2025
Climate change education has been pushed too late and too lightly in the Government’s draft science curriculum, experts say, with students not formally learning about climate change until Year 10.
Solar households to get little-noticed tax break
23 Sep 2025
A provision in the government’s latest tax bill would exempt households from paying tax on income they earn by selling excess electricity back to the grid.
Climate scientists and republican lawyers are taking aim at Big Tech’s emissions
17 Oct 2025
Technology companies have long been one of the biggest investors in clean energy, but new accounting rules could upend that.
Last minute change to oil and gas legislation over cleanup costs
31 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government is expected to repeal the oil and gas ban today, with a last-minute amendment handing discretionary power to two ministers over the controversial issue of decommissioning.
How ‘vehicle-to-grid’ technology could boost China’s electricity system
Fri 31 Oct 2025
China’s surging electric vehicles ownership – now exceeding 25.5m – is opening the door to a new technology that can help to enhance the flexibility of electricity supply.
Fix it, don't ditch it: University of Auckland hosts first Repair Cafe
9 Oct 2025
Media release - Auckland University | The University's first-ever Repair Cafe is bringing students and staff together to give broken items a new lease on life, while promoting a culture of repair and reuse.
Council buys dairy farm to help clean up Lake Rotorua
21 Oct 2025
Bay of Plenty Regional Council has bought a 266-hectare dairy farm in the Lake Rotorua catchment and plans to retire it from production to reduce nitrogen entering the lake.
Adaptation plan at odds with public sentiment: survey
21 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s position on climate adaptation buyouts shows a disconnect with public opinion, according to survey findings from insurer Suncorp NZ.
‘Damp squib’ – Govt energy plan slammed for locking in fossil fuels
2 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Critics across business, climate groups and the opposition say the Government’s electricity reforms duck structural change, double down on LNG and gas, and offer little relief for soaring power prices – warning of an “expensive white elephant", deeper energy poverty and a missed chance to scale renewables.
