Topics tagged with 'Greenhouse Effect'
A global citizens’ assembly on the climate and ecological crisis
15 Feb 2023
In 2021, a diverse group of actors—from scientists to social activists, practitioners to academics—organized a global citizens’ assembly for that year’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.
Climate action should not be left to our children: Vanuatu PM
13 Feb 2023
An historic vote at the United Nations General Assembly in New York calling for decisive action on global warming is expected to take place next month.
Climate cuts rife in Auckland budget proposal: Forest & Bird
10 Feb 2023
News release - The mayoral proposal for Auckland’s 2023/2024 annual budget is not fit-for-purpose in a climate emergency and biodiversity crisis, says Forest & Bird.
New $20k fund for tāngata whenua environmental monitoring
10 Feb 2023
News release - Tāngata whenua are being invited to apply for a share of a new $20,000 fund designed to support them in undertaking their own environmental monitoring within Te Taitokerau.
How India is battling deadly rain storms as climate change bites
9 Feb 2023
The rains did not let up all summer in 2018. By 14 August, most reservoirs had filled up and the people had grown weary of the monsoon.
Using wealth to insulate yourself from climate change
9 Feb 2023
While the days of overt climate denial are mostly over, there's a distinct form of denial emerging in its stead. PhD candidate Hannah Della Bosca, from the Sydney Environment Institute, explores the phenomenon of implicatory denial
In a cost of living and climate crisis, let’s ditch reward schemes
8 Feb 2023
By Paul Callister and Robert McLachlan - Planetary Ecology | We face both a climate crisis and cost of living crisis. But the pain is not being spread evenly on either front. Some families find it ever harder to put food on the table, some wonder how to pay the mortgage, while others are scarcely affected.
Twice as much land in developing nations will be swamped by rising seas than previously projected
8 Feb 2023
Rising seas will swamp farmlands, pollute water supplies and displace millions of people much sooner than expected, scientists say.
Climate change saved Europe from Putin this winter
8 Feb 2023
Climate change has kept Europe warm enough this winter to save it from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s energy crisis, but the respite may prove fleeting if—perhaps when—those same climate changes cause a crisis this summer.
Climate crisis drives more days of extreme wildfire risk in NZ
7 Feb 2023
As Aotearoa approaches the height of wildfire season, climate change means increasing forest fire risk – for at least an extra 30 days a year as the air gets thirstier, according to the latest science.
Europe steps up climate change adaptation in wake of floods and heatwaves
3 Feb 2023
Europe's recent extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, droughts and floods, have underlined the urgent need to prepare the continent for the worsening effects of climate change.
Water crises due to climate change: More severe than previously thought
3 Feb 2023
Climate change alters the global atmospheric circulation, which in turn alters precipitation and evaporation in large parts of the world and, in consequence, the amount of river water that can be used locally.
Fossil fuel companies contribute to 43% of global methane emissions: study
3 Feb 2023
After carbon dioxide, global methane emissions are the second-largest contributor to global warming. Despite having a brief atmospheric lifetime of only 12 years on average, the gas has a much higher warming potential during that time.
Marine heat wave linked to death of Fiordland sponges
2 Feb 2023
Media release - Warming waters in Fiordland could be responsible for the loss of up to 10 percent of one of the most abundant marine sponges in Pātea—Doubtful Sound. More sponges may have been lost further south in Tamatea—Dusky Sound and Te Puaitaha—Breaksea Sound.
Scientists now know why methane mysteriously surged during lockdowns
2 Feb 2023
The world largely came to a halt in 2020 when extensive COVID-19 lockdowns were issued, which temporarily caused a global decline in greenhouse gas emissions. Despite the slowdowns in highly polluting sectors like aviation and manufacturing, methane emissions mysteriously climbed.
Earth is on track to exceed 1.5C warming in the next decade, study using AI finds
1 Feb 2023
The world is on the brink of breaching a critical climate threshold, according to a new study published on Monday, signifying time is running exceedingly short to spare the world the most catastrophic effects of global heating.
How culling Australia’s feral water buffalo could help tackle climate change
1 Feb 2023
The world’s largest wild population of water buffalo now roam Australia. As does the largest wild herd of camels. Australia has millions of feral goats and deer.
Dutch flood memories unleash new climate fears
31 Jan 2023
Seventy years after the worst natural disaster to strike the Netherlands, Chiem de Vos, seven at the time, still hears his neighbour's desperate cries of "My children are drowning!" ringing in his ears.
Architects design flood-resilient U-House near Japanese lake
31 Jan 2023
Japanese studio Ushijima Architects has completed a small wood-clad house in Shiga Prefecture, with living spaces raised on a concrete base to help mitigate the risk of flooding.
EU plans restrictions on climate-wrecking fishing method
31 Jan 2023
EU countries will be required to reduce the harmful impacts of fishing on sensitive species and their habitats, under a draft EU biodiversity plan seen by Euractiv.
Auckland floods: even stormwater reform won’t be enough – we need a ‘sponge city’ to avoid future disaster
30 Jan 2023
By Timothy Welch - The Conversation | We’ve built our cities to be vulnerable to – and exacerbate – major weather events such as the one we saw in Auckland on Friday. While almost no city in the world could fully escape the effects of four months’ worth of rain in 24 hours, there are many things that could have been done to avoid some of the worst impacts.
Architecture firm envisions Vancouver in 2100 with predicted sea level rise
30 Jan 2023
Dutch architecture studio MVRDV has released a study that aims to offer possible solutions to urban planning in the face of rising sea levels by reimagining the Vancouver waterfront.
Climate activists block main road into The Hague
30 Jan 2023
Hundreds of climate activists blocked one of the main roads into The Hague on Saturday, defying attempts to prevent their protest that have sparked concerns about restrictions on the right to demonstrate in the Netherlands.
How debt-for-nature swaps are resuscitating climate action investments in Africa
30 Jan 2023
Portugal recently struck a deal to swap Cape Verde's debts for environmental investments in a fund established by the West African country.
Best by the rest...
27 Jan 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Dame Anne Salmond on New Zealand’s “fatally flawed” climate strategy; a fact check of claims that Kiwi farms are the greenest; and why the country needs an e-bike rebate.
How California’s ambitious new climate plan could help speed energy transformation around the world
27 Jan 2023
California is embarking on an audacious new climate plan that aims to eliminate the state’s greenhouse gas footprint by 2045, and in the process, slash emissions far beyond its borders.
Calls for action as Brazil Yanomami indigenous people face crisis
27 Jan 2023
Brazilian officials have said that the Yanomami indigenous people are living in dire conditions, as illegal gold miners threaten them with violence and block the delivery of goods such as food and medicine to their embattled region.
How ancient seeds from the Fertile Crescent could help save us from climate change
26 Jan 2023
Inside a large freezer room at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, tens of thousands of seeds are stored at a constant temperature of minus 20 degrees celsius.
From China to Japan, extreme cold is gripping East Asia. Experts say it’s the ‘new norm’
26 Jan 2023
Tens of millions of people across East Asia braved a severe cold snap Wednesday as subzero temperatures and heavy snow brought travel chaos during the Lunar New Year holiday, with climate experts warning that such extreme weather events had become the “new norm.”
Horn of Africa may see record sixth straight failed rainy season
26 Jan 2023
The eastern Horn of Africa just saw an unprecedented fifth straight failed rainy season on record, making it the longest and most severe drought in 70 years of precipitation data.
NGO sues German government for failing climate targets in transport and buildings sectors
25 Jan 2023
Environmental lobby group Friends of the Earth Germany is suing the German government for missing its emission reduction targets in the buildings and transport sectors.
Gisborne District Council supports calls for land use inquiry
24 Jan 2023
Gisborne District Council says it strongly supports an independent inquiry into land use in Tairāwhiti.
A few pieces of good news on climate change (and a reality check)
24 Jan 2023
Emissions of the greenhouse gases that cause climate change reached a new peak in 2022, according to early estimates. And climate disasters seem to be hitting at a breakneck pace. In 2022, the world experienced record heat waves in China and Europe, and devastating floods in Pakistan killed over 1,000 people and displaced millions.
Climate change most important issue facing New Zealand: survey
23 Dec 2022
Climate change is now seen as the most important environmental issue facing New Zealand, surpassing freshwater issues for the first time since surveys into environmental perceptions started in 2000.
Climate action, one recipe at a time
23 Dec 2022
Renowned chefs such as UN World Food Programme (WFP) Goodwill Ambassador Chef Manal Al Alem, and Chef José Andres, as well as indigenous home cooks and farmers from around the world, have contributed to a new cookbook that includes recipes that are delicious and climate friendly.
The simple story of civilisation
23 Dec 2022
An essay by Tom Murphy | The stories we fashion about ourselves are heavily influenced by our short life spans during an age of unprecedented complexity. We humans, it would seem, are unfathomably complicated creatures who defy simple “just-so” characterisations..
Russia’s invasion & Pakistan’s floods defined 2022 in climate
22 Dec 2022
In 2021, governments and corporations got drunk on net zero hype. 2022 was the year when the hangover kicked in and they started to grapple with what their promises meant and whether they were actually prepared to follow through.
Aotearoa signs up to UN deal for nature
21 Dec 2022
Aotearoa New Zealand has agreed to a historic international deal with a 2030 deadline: Protect 30% of Earth’s lands, oceans, coastal areas, and inland waters; reduce annual harmful government subsidies by $500 billion; and cut food waste in half.
Niger urges rich nations to make 'climate loss fund' operational
21 Dec 2022
The "loss and damage" fund agreed to last month at the COP27 climate conference aims for rich nations to help those that have borne the brunt of their global warming emissions. In Niger, climate change has fueled desertification and conflict as communities compete for dwindling resources.
Climate action delivers air quality & health gains in India
20 Dec 2022
New research shows how city actions to address climate change in India can deliver health benefits from cleaner air.
Whales could be a valuable carbon sink: scientists
16 Dec 2022
Whales influence the amount of carbon in our air and oceans, and may help reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, according to new research by US and New Zealand scientists.
Best by the rest...
16 Dec 2022
Carbon market reforms mean big emitters may be eligible for more free credits; should cruise ships be banned from Milford Sound? and the slow pace of targeting agricultural production to a lucrative overseas market which puts a high value on sustainability.
Climate justice needs more than a fund. It needs accountability
16 Dec 2022
After innumerable fits and starts, COP27 witnessed a win for climate diplomacy in November, when the United Nations climate conference agreed to set up a fund for loss and damage caused by global warming — a key demand of many developing nations.
Climate change will impact mountains on a global scale
16 Dec 2022
According to research, climate change will have a severe effect on mountain landscapes and human activities, increasing the likelihood of avalanches, river floods, landslides, debris flows, and lake outburst floods.
Wellington’s emissions down nearly 10% since 2020
15 Dec 2022
Wellington’s emissions have dropped by 9% since 2020, according to the latest data.
Final July and August extreme weather claims top $123 million
15 Dec 2022
Media release | Final claims data released by the Insurance Council of New Zealand Te Kāhui Inihua o Aotearoa (ICNZ) show that extreme weather-related claims spanning five events across July and August has reached 11,086 claims valued at $123.8 million.
Climate change will fuel humanitarian crises in 2023: study
15 Dec 2022
Climate change will accelerate humanitarian crises around the world in 2023, adding to the issues created by armed conflict and economic downturns, according to a study by the NGO International Rescue Committee (IRC).
G7 sets out terms for global ‘climate club’
14 Dec 2022
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz presented the long-awaited terms for his ‘climate club’, a platform for countries wishing to protect the climate. However, it may be overshadowed by similar initiatives recently announced.
Large wild herbivores may help slow climate change
14 Dec 2022
Large animals, especially herbivores such as elephants, are often seen as being destructive of vegetation, so are not thought of as a nature-based climate solution. Scientists are proving otherwise.
Air travel emissions in Norway are double the global average
14 Dec 2022
Emerging research suggests that greenhouse gas emissions from Norwegian air travel are twice as high as the worldwide average.
NZ part of hidden global deep-sea network beneath the waves
Fri 25 Jul 2025
Media release - Earth Sciences New Zealand | A world-first study of marine life, including sea creatures found in New Zealand's dark, cold, pressurised ocean depths, has revealed that deep-sea life is surprisingly more connected than previously thought.
Does NZ need a national incentive scheme for wetlands?
Fri 25 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | An expert is calling for a national incentive programme to restore New Zealand’s wetlands and wants to stop schemes to drain these vital carbon-sequestering ecosystems.
NZ Post drops science-based climate target
8 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | NZ Post has dropped its science-based emissions reduction target of 42% by 2030 with no plans to replace it.
Airlines risk legal challenges by advertising jet fuel as “sustainable”, NGO warns
18 Jul 2025
Amid suspected fraud in the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a new report says the airline industry should stop calling all alternatives to kerosene “sustainable”.
Tipping points: Window to avoid irreversible climate impacts is ‘rapidly closing’
11 Jul 2025
In the midst of a record-breaking heatwave in Europe, the UK city of Exeter recently played host to the second international conference on “tipping points”.
Sustainability claims questioned as renewable diesel surges
14 May 2025
Critics are sceptical about industry claims of renewable diesel life-cycle greenhouse gas emission cuts and warn renewable diesel carbon releases will surge if sourcing is scaled up, triggering tropical deforestation as producers convert forests to energy crops, such as oil palm and soy.
Is extending Huntly power station to 2035 in consumers’ best interest?
Tue 22 Jul 2025
By Simon Orme | COMMENT: Genesis Energy is proposing a cartel to keep high-emitting Huntly Power Station in business to 2035. If extending Huntly has economic benefits, is a cartel necessary?
Greenpeace hails Italy court ruling allowing climate lawsuit against energy company to go ahead
Fri 25 Jul 2025
Italy’s highest court has ruled that a lawsuit brought by climate activists against Italian energy company ENI and its government shareholders can go ahead.
Bearish sentiment lingers for carbon market
11 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The compliance carbon market could be set for a gradual upward trajectory, however unsold volume from the quarterly Emissions Trading Scheme auctions continues to act as ‘a price ceiling,’ according to an expert.
EU wants to see China take more ambitious climate action
15 Jul 2025
The world needs China to show more leadership on climate action, highlighting the importance of cutting planet-heating emissions and reducing the Chinese economy's reliance on coal.
Forestry can be a big plus for sheep and beef farmers – but there are caveats
Tue 22 Jul 2025
By Keith Woodford | OPINION: These are good times for sheep and beef farmers with record product prices for meat, which is precisely why now is the time for sheep and beef farmers to be looking again at farm forestry.
Common low-grade clay strengthens low-carbon concrete
5 Jun 2025
Media release | Engineers at RMIT University have converted low-grade clay into a high-performance cement supplement, opening a potential new market in sustainable construction materials.
Cuts to climate finance put exports in jeopardy: Lawyers
23 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has halved international climate finance, a move aid organisations describe as “devastating,” and which lawyers say could put our Paris Agreement commitments and export market access at risk.
NZ voluntary carbon market’s sad state
14 Jul 2025
By John O’Brien | OPINION: A combination of scandals, challenging economic times, and cheaper offshore carbon credits, mean that the domestic voluntary carbon market in New Zealand remains absolutely tiny.
Media round-up
Fri 25 Jul 2025
In our round-up of the climate coverage in local media: Dairy conversions surge; Gore is hit with a drinking water crisis; meanwhile farming lobby groups Groundswell and Federated Farmers are up in arms about a plan to classify environmental impacts in the agriculture and forestry sector.
Key orange roughy population on verge of collapse, govt considers closure
9 Jul 2025
Media release - Deep Sea Conservation Coalition | New data reveals that New Zealand’s main orange roughy fishery, accounting for half of the country’s total catch, is on the brink of collapse, with one model showing it may have reached that point already, and the government’s considering closing it.
Extreme weather events are the new frontline of online climate denial – report
Thu 24 Jul 2025
Climate science deniers are flooding social media with false claims during extreme weather events, drowning out reliable information and putting lives at risk.
Latest trawl bycatch numbers 'a grim wake-up call'
24 Jun 2025
Media release – Greenpeace | The latest fisheries bycatch data paints a grim picture, with trawlers hauling up thousands of kilograms of coral and killing hundreds of fur seals and seabirds over a 12 month period.
‘Ideological sludge’: How NZ is quiet quitting climate action
17 Jul 2025
New Zealand once stood out as a world leader on climate change. In June it became the first country in the world to abandon a commitment to phase out oil, gas and coal.
NZ govt’s fossil fuel plans could break international law
Thu 24 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government could be breaching international law with its plans to subsidise and expand fossil fuel extraction, following a ruling overnight from the world’s highest court.
Watts talks big on energy reform, but barriers persist
29 May 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Energy and Climate Change minister Simon Watts says the government is doubling down on efforts to boost renewable energy generation, streamline regulation, and drive private sector investment as New Zealand faces mounting energy security and affordability challenges.
SBTi releases Net Zero Standard for banks, investors
Thu 24 Jul 2025
The Science Based Targets initiative announced the release of its finalised Financial Institutions Net-Zero Standard, aimed at enabling banks and investors to set net zero-aligned targets for their lending, investing, insurance and capital markets activities.
Methanex closure comes early this year
14 May 2025
The almost-now-annual closure of Methanex has come earlier this year, giving more confidence that the electricity system will get through the winter without a fuel shortfall.
Electric firebricks: decarbonising high-temperature industrial heat
13 Jun 2025
By Ian Mason | A new technology could offer a more cost-effective solution than hydrogen to decarbonise one ‘hard-to-abate’ sector of New Zealand’s economy, as well as having ample potential for demand response as the electricity grid becomes more renewable.
Climate catastrophes are creating a ‘new market reality’ for insurance carriers
Wed 23 Jul 2025
Raging wildfires and severe storms contributed to record-high global insurance losses — totalling an estimated US$84 billion — for the first six months of the year.
Will NZ walk away from the Paris Agreement?
20 Dec 2024
By Geoff Bertram | COMMENT: Unless the government can find very cheap offshore mitigation, the temptation to walk away from its Paris Agreement obligations may well be too strong to resist for a coalition government focused on fiscal austerity.
The ICJ’s ruling means Australia and other major polluters face a new era of climate reparations
Fri 25 Jul 2025
By Harj Narulla | OPINION: Australia has found itself on the wrong side of history.
Clear-sighted view to trade-offs crucial to reimagining our relationship with the land
7 Jul 2025
By Nick Swallow | COMMENT: New Zealand could see a 70% drop in the value of dairy land if we pursue our emissions targets for agriculture, according to a new report.
Elation as Whanganui gets voice in fast-track seabed mining decision
Thu 24 Jul 2025
By Moana Ellis, Local Democracy Reporter | A Whanganui District councillor is “elated” her council has been named a relevant authority in the fast-track application process for a seabed mining project off South Taranaki.
Urgent action needed to get on track for climate goals - commission
Fri 25 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand is making progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but more work is needed – urgently – to set up for future reductions, according to the latest report from the Climate Change Commission.
NZ's latest climate target 'weak' – Climate Action Tracker
24 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand's new international climate target to 2035 is weak, and could even allow for higher emissions than the 2030 target, according to a global scientific project that tracks government climate action.
Ocean heatwaves may signal climate tipping point
Fri 25 Jul 2025
A recent study that tapped into satellite data has revealed that 2023 marked an unprecedented year for marine heatwaves, with record-breaking levels of duration, reach and intensity across the world's oceans.
Markets aren't going to save us – Carr
9 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Consumerism is reaching its ecological and economic limits, and only systemic change - not market tweaks - can steer us away from climate catastrophe, according to former Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr.
Millions of tons of tiny plastic particles are polluting the ocean, study finds
15 Jul 2025
At least 27 million tonnes of nanoplastics are estimated to be floating in the North Atlantic Ocean, weighing more than all wild land mammals combined.
Another offensive launched in the government’s war on nature
Thu 24 Jul 2025
Media release - Environmental Defence Society | Last week the Minister for Resource Management Reform, Chris Bishop, announced that the government would be intervening, yet again, to prevent councils from progressing environmental protections under the Resource Management Act.
Activists sue US development bank over $4.6bn loan to massive Mozambique gas project
18 Jul 2025
Environmental groups claim loan is ‘unlawful’ in legal filing.
Straterra has a new name: the New Zealand Minerals Council
16 Apr 2025
Media release | Straterra has been renamed as New Zealand Minerals Council, says chief executive Josie Vidal.
Switching to renewables is ‘smart economics’ - Guterres
Thu 24 Jul 2025
The global energy transition is now “unstoppable” due to “smart economics”, UN secretary-general António Guterres has said in an online speech titled: “A moment of opportunity.”
Root intelligence: How old trees learn to suck more CO2 from the air
Thu 24 Jul 2025
New research finds that centuries-old oaks can dynamically rewire how they absorb nutrients—suggesting forests may be more resilient allies in the climate fight than once believed.
Climate groups want UK wealth tax to make super-rich fund sustainable economy
17 Jul 2025
Growing number of campaigners urge government to ensure green investment is not done ‘on backs of the poor’.
Can robot taxis solve NZ's transport woes?
Wed 23 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Ministry of Transport has tested the idea of driverless taxis as a futuristic fix. But while new modelling explores how "robotaxis" could ease congestion and reduce car ownership, critics say it misses a crucial point – the country’s worsening transport emissions.
United Nations carbon market rules agreed but concerns remain
25 Nov 2024
New carbon market rules agreed at the fractious UN climate summit will be a relief to New Zealand and Singapore, who were leading the negotiations, but concerns about greenwashing and disadvantaging nature-based solutions remain.
Fast, sustained phase-out of fossil fuels: best-performing countries in coal and transport sectors
10 Jul 2025
By Robert McLachlan | It’s true that climate change is getting worse – it will continue to get worse until emissions fall to near zero. But is action on phasing out fossil fuels really stalling?
UN court's decision could reshape approach to climate commitments
Tue 22 Jul 2025
The International Court of Justice will this week deliver its advisory opinion on what obligations countries have to address the impacts of climate change. It will be a vital step toward climate justice and equity, according to one local expert.
Waste Levy risks becoming ‘slush fund’ under proposed changes – Commissioner
5 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Proposed changes to New Zealand's waste legislation risk undermining public trust in the waste levy scheme, according to Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton.
The struggle for control of the Arctic is accelerating - and it's riskier than ever
11 Jul 2025
As the battle for one of the world’s coldest places heats up, an increasingly fragile security balance may be breaking down, leading to an escalating arms race.
UN University report warns against carbon credits from REDD, tree planting, and improved forest management
13 Jun 2025
But the report stops short of recommending banning the trade in carbon temporarily stored in trees.
For the first time, China invests more in wind and solar than coal overseas
29 May 2025
China’s Belt and Road Initiative, long derided for its heavy carbon footprint, was dominated by wind and solar power projects for the first time from 2022 to 2023, according to a new analysis. But coal plants financed in earlier years are still coming online.
