Topics tagged with 'Greenhouse Effect'
EU set to turn climate agenda upside down
24 May 2013
Europe’s plan to decarbonise its economy by 2050 could be turned on its head at a high-level meeting today.
Scientists believe man to blame, says study
24 May 2013
New research shows that the vast majority of scientists believe in anthropogenic climate change.
Yes, NZ is in the carbon trading club
17 May 2013
New Zealand is contributing to the development of international carbon-trading markets, the Government says.
Top scientist to look into the future
17 May 2013
Climate change commentator and the United Kingdom’s former Government chief scientific adviser, Sir David King, will give lectures at all three of Massey University’s campuses later this month.
World must wake up, says UN
17 May 2013
A stepped-up coordinated response is needed to fend off the impacts of climate change after the world’s carbon-dioxide concentrations surpassed their highest level in four million years, says the United Nations.
Power sector warns of costly 'lost decade'
17 May 2013
Europe faces a ‘lost decade’ of climate and energy policy inaction between 2020-2030, says a new report.
Students protest at Shell science funding
17 May 2013
Students and alumni of Oxford University have protested at the opening of a new lab in its Earth sciences department that is funded with €7 million from the Shell oil company.
Have we joined the carbon power brokers?
10 May 2013
New Zealand is apparently part of a “club” that will set international standards on carbon trading.
Leaders to talk climate change
10 May 2013
Business and political leaders from across the spectrum will come together next month to see whether they can find common ground on climate change policies.
Europe embraces green infrastructure
10 May 2013
A strategy aimed at promoting green infrastructure and putting natural processes at the heart of its spatial planning has been adopted by the European Union.
Carbon trading tax cut put on hold
10 May 2013
A 2015 tax cut in Australia associated with the carbon trading scheme will not go ahead because of the drop in the carbon price in Europe.
Signs worrisome, says world weather watchdog
10 May 2013
The World Meteorological Organisation says there are now “clear” and “worrisome” signs that climate change is taking place.
Charles takes royal crack at corporates and sceptics
10 May 2013
Prince Charles has attacked corporate lobbyists and climate change sceptics for turning the Earth into a "dying patient", making his most outspoken criticism yet of the world's failure to tackle global warming.
Gas emissions about to hit critical level
3 May 2013
For the first time in human history, concentrations of carbon dioxide this month could rise above 400 parts per million and remain there for sustained lengths of time.
Asia’s resource use unsustainable, UN warns
3 May 2013
The Asia-Pacific region must boost its resource efficiency or risk losing ground in lifestyle, economic growth and environmental sustainability, says a new UN report.
States miss renewable energy targets
3 May 2013
Twenty-two out of 29 states in India have failed to meet their renewable energy targets, says a new report.
Move over sci-fi ... here comes cli-fi, the hot new fiction
3 May 2013
Climate change has been cited as the cause behind a raft of recent phenomena, from increasing turbulence on planes to rising rates of malaria, dengue, and even domestic abuse.
How climate change could be giving Europe the runs
3 May 2013
Heavier rainfall and bigger storms could be responsible for more unsettled stomachs in parts of Europe, scientists believe.
Here come the new supereconomies
26 Apr 2013
More than 40 southern countries experienced significantly greater human development than specialists would have predicted 20 years ago, but global temperature shifts could yet undermine their progress, says a United Nations report.
On yer bike … it could be the best way to go
26 Apr 2013
The bicycle could come into its own as a major part of city transport systems if an international forum meeting in Bali has its way.
Australia cuts emissions … slightly
19 Apr 2013
The Australian Government is facing calls to strengthen its carbon tax, as new figures show the country’s emissions fell only slightly last year.
Pacific refugees not urgent problem, says PM
19 Apr 2013
Decisions about whether New Zealand should take climate change refugees from the Pacific will be up to a government “some way in the future”, the Prime Minister says.
Women want out of the barn and into the boardroom
19 Apr 2013
The dairy industry is looking to girl-power to combat problems like climate change and the global recession.
US gives pass mark to climate change ... but UK says no
12 Apr 2013
The American school system is incorporating climate change into its science curriculum.
Australia's weather bad and getting worse
5 Apr 2013
The heatwaves, flooding and bush fires striking Australia have already been intensified by climate change and are set to get worse, says a new report.
Stern: It could be worse than we thought
5 Apr 2013
The world could be headed toward warming even more catastrophic than expected, says the author of an influential 2006 study on climate change.
Pioneer activist quits job … to get busy
5 Apr 2013
One of the United States’ most prominent voices on climate change, NASA scientist James Hansen, is retiring so he can get busier with activism.
Farmers get $30m to help them to adapt
5 Apr 2013
The Australian Government has pumped $30 million into a project that will look at how farm practices can be adapted to reduce carbon emissions and earn farmers a second income stream by generating and selling carbon credits.
NZ firms win solar fresh water contracts
28 Mar 2013
Two New Zealand companies are taking fresh water to the Pacific.
China outlines carbon trading road map
28 Mar 2013
China has laid out an ambitious road map to reduce emissions by 40-45 per cent by 2020, including the world’s largest national carbon trading scheme.
Climate change could make us a better wine producer
28 Mar 2013
New Zealand is one of a handful of countries that could benefit as the Earth's warming phase drives a wave of change through the world of wine, according to climate change experts.
Combet becomes minister of everything
28 Mar 2013
It’s one of the great political job titles … Minister of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education.
Islands eye switch to renewable energy
22 Mar 2013
Most of New Zealand’s Pacific neighbours should move closer to achieving 50 per cent of their electricity from renewable means as a result of the two-day Pacific Energy Summit to behosted in Auckland jointly by New Zealand and the European Union next week, the Government says.
Japan might re-open carbon discussion
15 Mar 2013
Japan might revive discussions regarding a carbon market to effectively reduce pollution levels after elections for the Upper House of parliament in July.
Climate the enemy, says top Navy man
15 Mar 2013
Climate change is the biggest long-term security threat in the Pacific, says the US Navy’s top man in the area.
Climate challenges in the spotlight
8 Mar 2013
International attempts to curb climate change will be put under the microscope by one of New Zealand's leading climate scientists.
Droughts ... you'd better get used to them
8 Mar 2013
Extensive droughts across parts of New Zealand are part of a long-term trend toward increased frequency of anticyclones over New Zealand, a University of Canterbury weather expert says.
Expense puts farmers off, says expert
8 Mar 2013
Many current livestock emission reduction technologies would not be adopted by farmers at the current price for carbon without a significant reduction in their cost, an Australian conference has been told.
Europe gives airlines a break
1 Mar 2013
European Union lawmakers have backed a Commission plan to suspend for a year a law that would make all airlines using EU airports pay for their carbon emissions.
It's official ... NZ banned from Kyoto deals
22 Feb 2013
New Zealand will not be allowed access to Kyoto-based carbon credits – including CERs – from 2015.
Question for PM: UN is serious, are you?
22 Feb 2013
Green Party MP Kennedy Graham told Parliament this week that the United Nations Security Council is starting to consider climate change a serious risk.
European Parliament votes for backloading
22 Feb 2013
Lawmakers on the European Parliament’s environment committee voted by 38-25 in favour of an amendment in support of the EU’s ‘backloading’ plans for the Emissions Trading System, throwing a lifeline to the crisis-hit carbon market.
Obama vows to take tough line
15 Feb 2013
United States President Barack Obama wants a carbon market.
US stand puts Abbot on the spot
15 Feb 2013
The Australian Labor Party is using US President Barack Obama’s tough new line on climate change to launch an offensive against Opposition Leader Tony Abbot.
Companies adrift on climate-change score
15 Feb 2013
New Zealand companies are going backwards on climate-change disclosure, a new report says.
EPA updates trading platform
15 Feb 2013
The Environmental Protection Authority is updating the emissions trading platform.
Ban slams leaders who ignore climate change
15 Feb 2013
Too many world leaders seem content to keep climate change at arm’s length and in its policy silo, says UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Solar sponge soaks up gas emissions
15 Feb 2013
Australian scientists have created a 'solar sponge' which captures and then releases carbon dioxide using the power of natural sunlight.
Australia helps embattled Kiribati
15 Feb 2013
Australia will pay $15 million to rehabilitate 40 kilometres of main road on Tarawa, Kiribati, which has been undermined by rising sea levels and coastal erosion.
NZ art focussing on climate on display at Beijing Biennale
Thu 12 Feb 2026
An artist responding to the consequences of climate disruption is the first New Zealander in six years to feature at the prestigious Beijing Art Biennale.
Carbon market rallies but auction floor still out of reach
Fri 13 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The carbon market has rallied, with secondary market prices up more than 25% in the past two weeks, although current prices in the mid-$40s are still far below this year’s $71 auction floor, with the first auction of 2026 less than three weeks away.
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.
Why Trump might be onboard with a UN carbon-offset programme for airlines
Thu 12 Feb 2026
The president’s team has backed the rollout of an initiative that calls for the use of sustainable aviation fuel and carbon credits, even as Trump has pulled back from other international emissions-reduction efforts.
World fight against invasive species comes to Auckland
Tue 10 Feb 2026
Media release: University of Auckland | From countering invasive pink salmon in Norway to controlling feral cats in the Cayman Islands, knowledge on eradicating invasive species will be shared by international experts in New Zealand.
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.
EU weighing options to support industry in carbon market overhaul
9 Feb 2026
The European Commission is looking at various ways to support industries in an upcoming overhaul of the EU carbon market to prevent them moving to areas with lower pollution standards, the head of the Commission’s climate department said late on Wednesday.
Point of no return: a hellish ‘hothouse Earth’ getting closer, scientists say
Fri 13 Feb 2026
The world is closer than thought to a “point of no return” after which runaway global heating cannot be stopped, scientists have said.
Minister’s letters: Mildly positive or just virtue signalling?
5 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The carbon market was buoyed slightly yesterday, after letters between the Government and the Climate Change Commission were proactively released.
NZ still lacking coherent energy strategy
Fri 13 Feb 2026
By Rod Carr | COMMENT: The government’s levy-funded foreign gas proposal for an LNG terminal shows New Zealand’s politicians being outmanoeuvred yet again by the multi-trillion dollar energy industry.
LNG: a rational choice compared to unpalatable alternatives
Tue 10 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: By deciding to underwrite the private construction of a liquefied natural gas import facility in Taranaki, the Government has made a rational choice in favour of energy security and affordability.
RMA’s successors hinge on two untested bets
17 Dec 2025
Two ideas sit at the heart of the Government’s replacement for the Resource Management Act: regulatory relief and spatial planning.
Opposition attacks Govt over fossil fuel phaseout backdown
2 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | Revelations that Resources Minister Shane Jones ruled out New Zealand signing up to a 'road map' away from fossil fuels at last year’s global climate summit show the National Party’s minor coalition partners’ undue influence over the Government, according to Labour leader Chris Hipkins.
Lawyers seek answers on climate impacts of LNG import facility
Fri 13 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Lawyers for Climate Action has written to Climate Change and Energy Minister Simon Watts warning that the Government's plan for an LNG import terminal could be in conflict with New Zealand’s climate obligations and emissions reduction targets.
DOC trims costs and winds down jobs for nature
10 Nov 2025
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is entering a new phase of tighter budgets and structural change as it winds down the pandemic-era Jobs for Nature programme and reshapes its operations to absorb long-term cost pressures.
Media round-up
Fri 13 Feb 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Senior UK ministers have asked their New Zealand counterparts to explain new climate policies, National’s LNG blunders are a warning ahead of election campaign, and what are the lessons New Zealand should take from another summer of weather disasters?
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transport pollution was the biggest contributor to an increase in New Zealand’s consumption-based emissions in 2023, with emissions from household travel up 12%, and consumption-based emissions totalling 58.3 million tonnes – up 1.6% from the previous year.
'Damning' report challenges forestry’s role in Tairāwhiti as sector rejects conclusions
4 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New independent analysis commissioned by Mana Taiao Tairāwhiti challenges long-standing claims that industrial forestry underpins the Tairāwhiti economy.
LNG plan risks fossil fuel dependency: Environment Commissioner
Wed 11 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Importing liquefied natural gas risks creating a “new path dependency on fossil fuel” unless LNG is ring-fenced for use only in the electricity system and only during extended periods of hydro-electricity water shortages, says the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton.
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.”
European Central Bank's green supervision grows teeth, but will banks avoid being bitten?
Fri 13 Feb 2026
After several years of issuing guidance and repeatedly calling on banks to take climate and environmental risk management seriously, the European Central Bank is moving from guidance and expectations to enforcement.
Kiwi startup takes on global plastic pollution
Thu 12 Feb 2026
A New Zealand startup is launching what it says is the world’s first plastic-free effervescent drink tablet, with the ambitious aim of eliminating bottled beverages to reduce global plastic pollution.
Govt missing opportunity to slash electricity prices, says expert
Wed 11 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s fixation on eliminating the "dry-year risk margin" as a lever to reduce costs misses a much bigger opportunity to lower electricity prices, according to Christina Hood, head of Compass Climate.
Hydrogen emissions are ‘supercharging’ the warming impact of methane
19 Dec 2025
The warming impact of hydrogen has been “overlooked” in projections of climate change, according to authors of the latest “global hydrogen budget”.
Wales council to buy and demolish homes prone to flooding
4 Feb 2026
A row of homes in a village in south Wales is to be bought by a local authority and demolished as they can no longer be protected from flooding caused by the climate crisis.
Climate law change spanner in the works for Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry
19 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s controversial changes to New Zealand’s legal framework for climate policy have thrown a spanner in the works for a long-running Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry into climate change.
Green Member’s Bill aims to give whales legal ‘personhood’
9 Feb 2026
The Green Party wants to give whales legal rights, including the right to sue.
Govt unveils plans for carbon storage regulations – and ETS rewards
18 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government has released plans to regulate carbon capture and storage in natural geological formations, which include Emissions Trading Scheme incentives, with the aim of introducing related legislation in 2026.
Ministers celebrate fast-track milestone amid criticism
Tue 10 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government is marking the first anniversary of its fast-track approvals regime, saying it is helping “build New Zealand’s future”, despite continued criticism from environmental groups, opposition parties, and industry voices following several controversial project decisions.
Govt looks to Commission for ways to shore up carbon price
4 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government has asked the Climate Change Commission to look at lower auction volumes and an increase in the auction floor price as options to revive the Emissions Trading Scheme, as carbon prices remain weak.
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 change linked to decline in southern right whale
Thu 12 Feb 2026
Scientists in Australia are warning southern right whales are showing signs of climate-related stress, just days after a Green Party Member’s Bill was introduced in New Zealand proposing legal personhood for whales.
Climate ambassador moves on
Fri 13 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government is on the hunt for a new top climate diplomat, with previous climate ambassador Stu Horne moving on to a posting in Honolulu as New Zealand’s Consul General to Hawai’i.
Commentators slam Govt inaction in aftermath of climate change-fuelled storms
30 Jan 2026
By Liz Kivi | Climate action - or inaction - is shaping up to be an election issue, with multiple commentators drawing a line between the Coalition Government’s backsliding on climate targets and the deadly extreme weather events of the past week.
Major health risks linked to plastics emissions set to soar by 2040
28 Jan 2026
The adverse health consequences stemming from the global plastics system are projected to more than double by 2040, driven by greenhouse gases, air pollutants and toxic chemicals released throughout its lifecycle.
Greenpeace set to take UK Government to court over deep-sea mining licences
5 Feb 2026
Environmental NGO Greenpeace has kick-started a legal challenge against the UK Government’s decision to approve the transfer of two seabed exploration licences to a newly-formed mining company with US links.
Critical minerals talks with US questioned in Waitangi Tribunal climate inquiry
9 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand and the United States' negotiations over critical minerals have raised questions for the Waitangi Tribunal’s long-running inquiry into climate change.
January floods driven by tropical systems and La Niña conditions
Thu 12 Feb 2026
Record-breaking rainfall across parts of Aotearoa in January was fuelled by tropical moisture and persistent low-pressure systems, with some regions recording more than five times their normal monthly rainfall, Earth Sciences New Zealand says.
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.
NZ-UAE partnership boosts advanced tech
9 Feb 2026
Media release | A new Antarctic science partnership with a leading UAE university will grow New Zealand’s advanced engineering and modelling capability, supporting high-value jobs, encouraging economic growth, and enabling smarter climate risk management, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti says.
Pacific climate response in question as NZ finance remains unclear
19 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With New Zealand's $1.3 billion international climate finance commitment set to end with no clarity on what follows, the Auditor-General says oversight of that funding remains patchy and long-term outcomes are unclear.
China maximises battery recycling to shore up critical mineral supplies
Wed 11 Feb 2026
Beijing is bracing for a tsunami of spent EV batteries by taking steps to boost recycling – a strategy that could also cut its reliance on imports of clean energy minerals.
EU to ban destruction of unsold clothes and shoes
Thu 12 Feb 2026
The European Commission has adopted new measures that will require medium and large companies to stop discarding unsold clothing and footwear, in the bloc’s latest move to target textile waste.
Heatwaves, downpours and droughts – Auckland on track for more extreme weather
1 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show Auckland will face more heatwaves, heavier downpours, worsening droughts and growing coastal threats as climate extremes intensify, according to a new report from Earth Sciences New Zealand.
Argentina fires ravage pristine Patagonia forests, fueling criticism of Milei’s austerity
4 Feb 2026
The wildfires, among the worst to hit the drought-stricken Patagonia region in decades, have devastated more than 45,000 hectares (174 square miles) of Argentina’s forests in the last month and a half, forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists.
Hydrogen plant to start construction
Tue 10 Feb 2026
Construction is set to start this month on Hiringa Energy’s long delayed green hydrogen project in South Taranaki, after years of consenting fights that culminated in the Court of Appeal rejecting Greenpeace’s challenge in late 2023.
