Topics tagged with 'Greenhouse Effect'
Do something, big business warns political leaders
29 Sep 2014
Many of the biggest hitters in the global financial community, together managing an eye-watering $24 trillion of investment funds, have issued a powerful warning to political leaders about the risks of failing to establish clear policy on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Have a say in energy development
29 Sep 2014
New Zealanders can have a say on the type of energy development they want, thanks to a Victoria University summer project.
WORLD WEB ... Obama’s drive for carbon pricing fails to win at home
29 Sep 2014
* Chile becomes the first South American country to tax carbon * UK to introduce fracking drilling law despite 99% opposition * US Homeland Security moves to tackle climate change risks * Hawaii's solar industry in precarious situation * The top 10 greenest cities in America * Avatar director James Cameron talks climate change
How to save the planet ... bike, walk or take a bus
29 Sep 2014
Here’s a way to save $100 trillion and stop 1700 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from getting into the atmosphere every year by 2050: cycle, walk or take public transport.
Clear skies for aviation industry, says Boeing report
29 Sep 2014
The business outlook for civil aviation is bright thanks mainly to rising Asian demand for aircraft. But airlines are expected to have a harder time, with tougher competition in Europe leading to a consolidation of the sector, according to the latest industry forecast.
Win some, lose some ... that's climate change
29 Sep 2014
With climate change, you win some, you lose some. New research shows that suitable new cropland could become available in the high latitudes as the world warms − but tropical regions may become less productive.
Australia seems to be overlooking bioenergy
29 Sep 2014
When we think of renewable energy, it’s easy to picture spinning wind turbines or rooftop solar panels. But what about bioenergy?
Would a climate change treaty be enough?
29 Sep 2014
Do we need a climate treaty, or could a simple political deal based on national pledges work just as well?
WORTH SEEING … Thin Ice
29 Sep 2014
New Zealand scientist Simon Lamb's award-winning film Thin Ice will have a public screening in Hamilton next week. Lamb, a geologist, filmed the documentary himself, with a view to finding out whether his fellow scientists really were involved in some sort of climate change hoax as some were alleging.
Scientists plead for cuts to ballooning fossil fuel emissions
22 Sep 2014
Scientists are calling for rapid cuts in the use of fossil fuels in the wake of data out today showing we have almost used up our fossil-fuel credit.
Political parties fail to get the sustainability message through
22 Sep 2014
New Zealanders’ support for a shift to a sustainable economy is growing, according to new research from Colmar Brunton.
If the PM doesn't worry about climate change, why should we?
22 Sep 2014
New Zealanders are taking their cue on climate change from the Prime Minister, says social trends researcher Jill Caldwell.
Growth and greening now go together, says Stern study
22 Sep 2014
Governments and businesses can now improve economic growth and reduce their carbon emissions together, says a major new report by a commission of global leaders.
... but critic says report fails to back up core message
22 Sep 2014
A new report called Better Growth, Better Climate draws the seductive conclusion that “we can create lasting economic growth while also tackling the immense risks of climate change”.
Move over, Queensland, here comes the Great Sydney Reef
22 Sep 2014
Welcome to tropical Sydney, where colourful surgeonfishes and parrotfishes are plentiful, corals have replaced kelp forests, and underwater life seems brighter, more colourful and all-round better. Or is it?
Population explosion lowers chance of managing climate change
22 Sep 2014
By TIM RADFORD.- New projections say the population of the planet will not stabilise at 9 billion sometime this century. In fact, there is an 80 per cent likelihood that, by 2100, it will reach at least 9.6 billion − and maybe rise as high as 12.3 billion.
China goes up a gear but still has a lot of work to do
22 Sep 2014
In the lead-up to the UN leaders’ summit on climate change (http://www.un.org/climatechange/summit), China is shifting up a gear in its drive towardsnational emissions trading.
Drought now could be drought forever in California
22 Sep 2014
Things could soon get worse for drought-hit California. New research predicts that, by the close of the century, global warming could have reduced the flow of water from the Sierra Nevada mountains by at least a quarter.
And the winner is ...
22 Sep 2014
The winner of a copy of MiStory, Philip Temple's cli-fi story set in a futuristic New Zealand, is the out-going Labour MP and climate change spokesperson Moana Mackey.
It's simple ... either you believe, or you don't
16 Sep 2014
By editor ADELIA HALLETT.- Voters in this weekend’s general election face a simple choice when it comes to climate change – you either believe it is a real and massive problem requiring transformation of the economy, or you don’t.
NZ scientists line up first lo-gas sheep
16 Sep 2014
Farmers could have access to low-methane-emitting sheep as early as 2016.
New York summit could be the turning point
16 Sep 2014
A United Nations chief dismayed at the lack of resolve toward the climate crisis; a daunting deadline for negotiating a new treaty; 125 or so heads of state; a sprawling agenda of fossil fuels, food, forestry and finance; a train of think tanks hauling gigabytes of green data; countless teach-ins, press conferences, art shows - plus tens or even hundreds of thousands of activists marching through midtown Manhattan, demanding action now.
Stage set for the biggest climate march of all
16 Sep 2014
Activists next week will try to seize an opportunity to put the climate movement alongside the Civil Rights and the Vietnam anti-war movements.
Worth reading ... we're giving away a copy of MiStory
16 Sep 2014
With talk of mass surveillance of New Zealanders dominating the news, Philip Temple’s new novel is timely.
It makes no sense to rely on the same few crops
16 Sep 2014
We are in the middle of one of the biggest experiments in human history. At its core is the homogenisation of global food systems, which increasingly must deliver the same products to an expanding population across the world.
Drought bites as Amazon’s ‘flying rivers’ dry up
16 Sep 2014
The unprecedented drought affecting São Paulo, South America’s giant metropolis, is believed to be caused by the absence of the “flying rivers” - the vapour clouds from the Amazon that normally bring rain to the centre and south of Brazil.
Healthy diet guidelines hard to swallow for greenies
16 Sep 2014
By TIM RADFORD.- The news is enough to make climate campaigners choke on their high-fibre breakfast cereal: if Americans adopted the dietary guidelines suggested by their own Department of Agriculture, greenhouse gas emissions would actually go up by 12 per cent.
Fossil-free superannuation is an idea that’s going to snowball
16 Sep 2014
The launch of Future Super, which claims to be the first super fund in Australia to exclude fossil fuels and their major supporting companies from its investment portfolio, has drawn significant attention.
There's more to renewable energy than fighting climate change
16 Sep 2014
With the failure of international agreements to fight climate change, the way is open to viewing the role of renewables as more than agents for reducing carbon emissions. Indeed, is it possible for countries to build their manufacturing industries, enhance their energy security — and contribute to reducing carbon emissions?
Why trade pacts are bad for humankind
16 Sep 2014
The Obama administration has proposed several ad-hoc, multi-country economic agreements, and in doing so has abandoned de facto the World Trade Organisation as insufficiently malleable to its interests.
Beehive buys fight with business climate crusader
8 Sep 2014
The Government has locked horns with one of New Zealand’s leading business people over climate change and the new economy.
NZ needs to be in China now, says carbon trader
8 Sep 2014
New Zealand should be knocking on China’s door now if it wants to exploit huge potential from that country’s apparent determination to put a national emissions trading scheme in place in 2016, says a leading local carbon trader.
Island states celebrate $2 billion conference
8 Sep 2014
With nearly $2 billion pledged in sustainable development partnerships, the United Nations last week wrapped up its small island developing states conference in Samoa and kicked off a drum roll of action on climate change.
Attention farmers: Stand by for a proliferation of pests
8 Sep 2014
Coming soon to a farm near you: just about every possible type of pest that could take advantage of the ripening harvest in the nearby fields.
Leaders are emerging, says senior scientist
8 Sep 2014
There are prospects of significant progress in the response of world governments to climate change, according to a former British Government chief scientist, Sir David King.
Is the Mosul Dam start of the water wars?
8 Sep 2014
Exactly a year ago, the world was wrestling with the possibility of another US-led military assault on an Arab state, following the horrific gas attacks in Damascus, Syria.
Scientists give Australia the really bad news
8 Sep 2014
The Australian government has just received a vitally important report to guide its decisions on the future of Australia’s Renewable Energy Target.
Labour vows to scrap emitters' one-for-two deal
1 Sep 2014
The one-for-two deal that halves emitters’ carbon liabilities would be scrapped by a Labour government.
NZ First backs iwi $600m carbon claim
1 Sep 2014
New Zealand First supports an iwi leaders’ bid to raise carbon prices.
Ten more years is too late, says Nobel winner
1 Sep 2014
Negotiating a global agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol at climate change talks in Paris next year is critical to the survival of society, a visiting Nobel Prize-winning scientist says.
Foresters like look of climate commission
1 Sep 2014
Forest owners like the Labour Party's plan to set up an independent climate commission.
Policy wobbles could slow renewable energy growth
1 Sep 2014
Power generation from renewable sources such as wind, solar and hydro grew strongly last year, reaching almost 22 per cent of global generation, says the International Energy Agency.
Worldwide, public shows its support for renewables
1 Sep 2014
Public support for renewable energies across the world continues to grow, particularly in more advanced economies − with solar power being especially popular.
Water levels rank with soccer scores in drying Brazil
1 Sep 2014
Outside the semi-arid area of the north-east, Brazilians have never had to worry about conserving water. Year in, year out, the summer has always brought rain.
The fact is we're making the emissions problem worse
1 Sep 2014
Challenging news for those climate campaigners who believe that renewable sources of energy are on the increase: they may be, but so are carbon dioxide emissions.
Labour vows to act on agriculture by 2016
25 Aug 2014
There is bad news for farmers, and good and bad news for industrial emitters under Labour’s climate change policy, released yesterday.
COMMENT: Jeepers, John, you forgot the environment
25 Aug 2014
Prime Minister John Key launched National’s election campaign yesterday without mentioning the environment.
Groser agrees to talk climate with Labour, Greens
25 Aug 2014
David Parker, Russel Norman and Tim Groser will go head-to-head on climate policy next week.
G20 energy brains talk business in Brisbane
25 Aug 2014
This week Brisbane hosts the final meeting of the G20 Energy Sustainability Working Group before the main G20 summit in November, when government officials and energy experts from 20 of the most powerful countries in the world will discuss how the world governs energy.
New facts show importance of Antarctic ice
25 Aug 2014
The IPCC is under-estimating the impact that melting of the Antarctic ice sheet will have on global sea-level rise, a visiting American scientist says.
Is climate law change a first nail in the coffin for Climate Commission?
Thu 6 Nov 2025
The Government’s sweeping overhaul of New Zealand’s climate laws has drawn sharp condemnation, with one expert predicting it's another step towards 'the beginning of the end' for the Climate Change Commission.
NZ off-track for 2030 methane target
Thu 6 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand is no longer on track to meet its 2030 methane target, according to the Ministry for the Environment.
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.
New Indigenous-led Climate Institute opens at Lincoln University
Thu 6 Nov 2025
Media release | Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki Lincoln University proudly announces a pivotal new chapter in climate resilience with the establishment of the Kāika Institute of Climate Resilience.
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.
Does NZ's 2035 NDC meet Paris Agreement obligations?
Fri 7 Nov 2025
By Christina Hood | COMMENT: New Zealand’s 2035 Paris Agreement Target needs strengthening, with multiple reasons the 51 to 55% emissions reduction target does not meet our obligations under the accord.
EU ministers agree to 90% emissions reduction target
Fri 7 Nov 2025
European environment ministers have reached an agreement on a contentious plan to cut the bloc's greenhouse gas emissions but with caveats.
Carbon market tanks off the back of Govt’s proposed climate law changes
Thu 6 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | Secondary market prices dropped 20% in early morning compliance carbon trading yesterday, as the market woke up to Tuesday’s late-breaking government announcement of proposed law changes to climate policy.
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
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.
UN chief scolds nations for failing climate goals ahead of COP30 summit
Fri 7 Nov 2025
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tore into nations for their failure to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as Brazil hosted world leaders for a summit ahead of the COP30 climate conference in the rainforest city of Belem.
Why I’m not outraged at the Govt’s latest climate backsliding
Fri 7 Nov 2025
COMMENT: The Government’s latest climate rollbacks underline New Zealand’s long history of a lack of genuine desire to cut emissions, writes Geoff Bertram.
Govt gas expansion 'climate vandalism' – Greens
Fri 7 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Green Party has labelled the Government’s move to broaden the scope of its $200 million fossil gas investment fund as vandalism, accusing Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of breaking trust with New Zealanders.
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.
Solar geoengineering in wrong hands could wreak climate havoc, scientists warn
Thu 6 Nov 2025
Blocking the sun may reduce global heating – but ‘rogue actor’ could cause drought or more hurricanes, report finds.
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.
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.
“Dirty and expensive:” City of Sydney bans gas as it votes to electrify all new big buildings
Thu 6 Nov 2025
The City of Sydney has followed the example of the ACT and Victoria governments and voted unanimously to require all newly built residential buildings, medium to large commercial buildings, hotels, and serviced apartment buildings, to be all-electric.
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.
Media round-up
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?
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.
Undermining the ETS is poor policy – Mindful Money
Fri 7 Nov 2025
Politicising settings for the Emissions Trading Scheme creates uncertainty for investors at a time when we need clear and stable policy, says Mindful Money's Barry Coates.
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
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.
AgriZero backs first nitrous oxide solution with $1.2m investment
Thu 6 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A Kiwi ag-tech start-up developing a device for cows to wear to drastically cut nitrous oxide emissions has secured $1.2 million in government-industry funding.
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
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.
Govt climate policy set by vested interests to delay emissions cuts - Carr
Thu 6 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | Rod Carr, former Climate Change Commission chair, says the Government’s move to unlink the Emissions Trading Scheme from our international climate target to 2030 undermines the credibility of emissions pricing as a tool for climate action – and is yet another Coalition Government policy designed to benefit vested interests rather than ordinary New Zealanders.
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.
