Topics tagged with 'Greenhouse Effect'
Forest credits must find place in Asia
11 May 2012
New Zealand is moving to secure access to emerging Asian carbon markets.
NZ wants new deal for carbon markets
11 May 2012
Negotiations for a new framework for international carbon markets will be a priority for the New Zealand delegation at international climate change talks in Bonn next week.
ETS changing forestry, says minister
11 May 2012
The Emissions Trading Scheme is shifting New Zealand towards renewable energy and investment in forestry, the Government says.
She'll be right, Combet tells public
11 May 2012
The Australian Government says it is committed to supporting jobs and households through putting a price on carbon.
Toolbox ticks climate change boxes
11 May 2012
Local authorities have been given a toolbox to help them to assess the impact climate change could have on their territories.
Think-tank asks the big questions
4 May 2012
The Club of Rome – the international think-tank that published the ground-breaking 1972 The Limits to Growth report – will next week release a new analysis of the world’s future.
Report lists banks as coal’s ‘Filthy Five’
4 May 2012
The largest banks in the United States, including Bank of America, have been listed in a new report’s “Filthy Five” as major financiers of the coal industry.
Climate drives security fears in Arctic
4 May 2012
Ways must be found to head off potential conflicts in the Arctic as climate change reshapes the geopolitics of the area, says a new report.
Australia revises carbon offset scheme
4 May 2012
A revised National Carbon Offset Scheme has just been released, allowing Australian businesses to offset their products with pollution reduction under the Government's Carbon Farming Initiative.
Scientists get down to sea level
4 May 2012
Latest projections about the impact of climate change-induced sea level rise on New Zealand will be aired in Wellington next week.
Foresters should have their say on new rules
4 May 2012
While forestry talks at the 2011 UN climate change summit in Durban focused predominantly on the reduction of deforestation through mechanisms such as REDD and REDD+, there were other changes proposed to international carbon forestry laws which may have a profound effect on New Zealand foresters, Carbon Market Solutions says.
NZ eyes regional common carbon market
27 Apr 2012
New Zealand is maintaining a “watching brief” on developments in Asia that Australia believes could lead to a common carbon market.
Islands face big fresh water problems
27 Apr 2012
Climate change will exacerbate water stress in Pacific Islands, particularly small islands that rely on seasonal rain for their freshwater needs, says a new United Nations report.
Talks urge film-makers to spread the word
27 Apr 2012
Film-makers have been urged to use the power of story-telling and documentaries to help to bring sustainability issues to life in a compelling manner.
Towns learn how landfill can make money
27 Apr 2012
The Australian Government has teamed up with the Australian Local Government Association to explain how landfill can be used to reduce pollution and earn carbon credits.
Obama warms to climate change action
27 Apr 2012
United States President Barack Obama has recently voiced his intention to address climate change issues during the up-coming election cycle, after criticism from environmentalists who have been disappointed with his lack of attention on the subject, Carbon Market Solutions says.
Mexico eyes carbon trading system
20 Apr 2012
Mexico has moved a step closer to passing legislation which will lead to a carbon trading system.
Scientists find which plants will survive
20 Apr 2012
New research by Californian scientists could lead to predictions of which plant species will escape extinction from climate change.
Buy coal ... and fight climate change
13 Apr 2012
Environmental policy historically has been driven by a demand-side mindset - attempting to limit consumption of precious fossil fuels through pollution permits, taxation and multi-national climate change treaties.
Important steps in ETS proposals
13 Apr 2012
Changes the Government is proposing to the Emissions Trading Scheme could have important consequences for those participating in the ETS, says Carbon Market Solutions – especially plans to limit the use of CERs and to introduce a cap-and-auction mechanism.
Govt wants hold on international credits
11 Apr 2012
The Government intends restricting the number of international carbon credits New Zealand emitters can use to meet their obligations, it has been revealed today.
Australia and EU want ETS links
5 Apr 2012
The Australian Government and the European Union have confirmed their strong commitment to working towards linking their emissions trading schemes.
Why high-tech is vital in carbon economy
5 Apr 2012
The use of broadband in information and communication technology can help the world transition to a low-carbon economy and address the causes and effects of climate change, according to a new United Nations-backed report.
Policy uncertainty makes for a foggy market
5 Apr 2012
The New Zealand Government has confirmed that it is considering changes to the current Emissions Trading Scheme, and that the law and policy could be changed this year.
Worried scientists push for global action
30 Mar 2012
Thousands of scientists meeting in London are calling for radical economic and social reorganisation on a global scale to avert an environmental crisis.
Agriculture key to ETS credibility
30 Mar 2012
New Zealand could play a strong role in developing an international carbon market – but it needs to bring agriculture into the Emissions Trading Scheme, says an American geographer.
Greenhouse group shuts doors
30 Mar 2012
The Greenhouse Policy Coalition will be no more from tomorrow.
Sustainability students in demand
30 Mar 2012
Learning how to save the world is proving to be a career-boosting strategy for graduates.
Court gives go-ahead to mega mine
30 Mar 2012
The Queensland Land Court has recommended that the Wandoan coal mine proceed despite concerns raised by Friends of the Earth about the impacts of burning coal.
Grassroots groups win UN prizes
30 Mar 2012
Twenty-five community are the winners of a United Nations-backed partnership prize for promoting local sustainable development solutions.
Our focus wrong, says think-tank head
23 Mar 2012
Departing New Zealand Institute chief executive Rick Boven says that New Zealand is failing to grasp the full implications of the environmental crisis.
Australia stands alone in low-carbon slide
23 Mar 2012
Australia is the only G20 country that has gone backwards on its low-carbon competitiveness since 1995, according to the Global Climate Leadership Review 2012 released by The Climate Institute.
Europe tells China to start own ETS
23 Mar 2012
The European Union has hinted that it hopes to avoid levying its controversial carbon-emissions tax on flights from China, if Beijing introduces its own carbon-trading scheme to cover aviation.
Cloud forests heading for destruction
23 Mar 2012
Many of the world’s rarest and richest forests – its high-altitude cloud forests – could be all but obliterated by 2080 due to the combined impact of man-made climate change and habitat destruction.
No doubt about it, Australia’s getting hotter
16 Mar 2012
Australia’s land and oceans have continued to warm in response to rising CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels.
China sees sense of low-carbon economy
16 Mar 2012
A low-carbon economy is among China’s major goals as it tries to leave itself more room to improve the way in which it grows.
World needs water plan, says report
16 Mar 2012
An unprecedented rise in the demand for food, rapid urbanisation and climate change are significantly threatening global water supplies, according to a new United Nations report.
We're late, but no worries, says Smith
9 Mar 2012
New Zealand might have missed the deadline for submissions on increasing international emissions reduction levels, but Climate Change Minister Nick Smith says it’s not a problem.
NZ will target fossil fuels at Rio
9 Mar 2012
New Zealand will use the Rio+20 Summit to push for reform of fossil fuel subsidies.
Shipping shapes as next target of EU
9 Mar 2012
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) could soon find itself butting heads with Brussels over how best to tackle emissions from international shipping, analysts say.
Nepal registers 40‚000 biogas plants
9 Mar 2012
Nepal’s 40,000 biogas plants have been registered with the Clean Development Mechanism of the United Nations Climate Change Convention for carbon trading.
Government's mining plans worry Greens
9 Mar 2012
The Government's proposed changes to the Crown Minerals Act are concerning, the Green Party says.
Campaign aims to to cut emissions
2 Mar 2012
Australia has launched a national public engagement programme aimed at showing how the country can reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
Australia eases impact of carbon price
2 Mar 2012
Rules are in place for providing assistance for Australia’s most emissions-intensive, trade-exposed industries to prosper in a carbon constrained economy.
Antarctic call shonky, says ice-man Morgan
2 Mar 2012
Climate change, not fishing, is the biggest threat to the Southern Ocean, says economist Gareth Morgan.
Lucy joins oil ship boarding party
24 Feb 2012
Lucy Lawless and Greenpeace activists have occupied a Shell-contracted drillship due to depart the port of Taranaki for the Arctic, where its exploratory oil drilling programme threatens to devastate the Alaskan coastline.
Clouds give clue to changing climate
24 Feb 2012
Research from The University of Auckland on changes in cloud height in the decade to 2010 has provided the first hint of a cooling mechanism that may be in play in the Earth’s climate.
Farmers tackle climate change challenge
24 Feb 2012
Representatives of millions of smallholders, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers have agreed at a United Nations forum in Rome on the need to jointly address the global challenges of food insecurity and climate change.
Agencies chase slice of farm carbon pie
17 Feb 2012
More than 500 applications have been received from Australian universities, land managers, industry and government agencies for government funding to test and develop new ways for farmers to reduce carbon emissions.
Business must do sustainability, says UN
17 Feb 2012
More businesses must embrace the principle of sustainability in their strategies, says United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon.
Urgent need to rethink tourism says expert
Mon 18 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The post-pandemic recovery has created an urgent need to rethink how tourism operates, who benefits from it, and how it impacts the social and environmental systems it depends on, according to new research.
Media round-up
Fri 15 May 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: The government's move to change climate law removes a key protection for NZ citizens, farmers should be paid to use methane-busting tools, and it's one step forward, three steps back on environment policy.
$30m airline fund risks ‘burning public money’ without lasting benefit – expert
20 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A $30 million government package to support regional air routes risks delivering poor value for money while increasing emissions, according to transport strategist Tim Adriaansen.
Europe has 'maybe six weeks of jet fuel left', energy boss warns
20 Apr 2026
Stocks would reach a tipping point in June if Europe was unable to replace at least half of its imports from the Middle East, the organisation said in a report this week.
Govt unveils long-awaited voluntary carbon market guidance
Fri 15 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has released long-awaited guidance for New Zealand’s voluntary carbon and nature markets, as questions continue for the sector despite ministers signalling support for its growth.
Biomass sector asks: where did the love go?
Mon 18 May 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand has sufficient biomass in its plantation forests to replace natural gas for industrial process heat at lower costs than electrification, but is failing to get the attention it deserves, sector leaders say.
Carbon News updates forward curve
Wed 13 May 2026
Carbon News has updated its ten-year NZU forward curve, following a recent rise in spot market prices, with NZUs rallying from about $34 in January to nearly $54 in early May.
Vanuatu’s legal battle against climate superpowers heads to the UN
Mon 18 May 2026
COMMENT: The United Nations General Assembly upcoming vote responding to the International Court of Justice’s landmark 2025 advisory opinion on climate change could help move climate responsibility from political promise to legal accountability.
Drop in ETS forestry registrations
5 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | ETS forestry registrations have dropped off this year, with the new mandatory emissions return period, new land-use rules, and carbon price volatility all meaning participants aren’t rushing to register forestry in the emissions trading scheme.
Coal pollution is cutting solar power output worldwide, study finds
Mon 18 May 2026
New research led by the University of Oxford and University College London has revealed pollution from coal-fired power plants is significantly reducing the energy output of solar photovoltaic installations, particularly where these are expanding side by side.
Tairāwhiti deserves better than weakened forestry rules
5 May 2026
OPINION: The government's proposed amendments to forestry standards, released yesterday, ignore the hard lessons learned in our region and ignore the voices that have fought hardest to protect it, writes Manu Caddie.
Green building council calls for clean energy policies
Mon 18 May 2026
The New Zealand Green Building Council has released its 2026 election manifesto calling for policies to reduce energy waste in buildings, lower household and business energy costs, and improve New Zealand’s energy security.
What Magyar’s defeat of Orbán in Hungary means for climate and energy
21 Apr 2026
Hungary has played a disproportionate role in EU climate and energy policy in recent years, by repeatedly vetoing climate action and by delaying the phaseout of Russian fossil-fuel imports.
Conservation land open for voluntary carbon market schemes
12 May 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The government is to open up the Crown-owned conservation estate to private investment in voluntary carbon market projects.
Natural gas to play key role in strategy to double Canada’s electricity grid by 2050
Mon 18 May 2026
A new national strategy will double the capacity of the country’s electricity grid by 2050, Prime Minister Mark Carney said as he announced the plan last week.
Environmental groups call for ETS reform
20 Feb 2026
Several environmental organisations are calling on political parties to make climate and biodiversity central to the 2026 election campaign, with reforming the Emissions Trading Scheme seen as a key priority.
Future big droughts may be worse than we think – NZ’s past shows why
Mon 18 May 2026
By Adam Brown, University of Waikato; Dave Frame, University of Canterbury, and Luke Harrington, University of Waikato | For an agricultural nation like New Zealand, severe drought is one of the most ominous consequences of a warming planet.
EDS urges MPs to scrap the Fisheries Amendment Bill
5 May 2026
Media release | The Environmental Defence Society today lodged a substantive submission on the Fisheries Amendment Bill.
Govt presses ahead with forestry rule changes despite opposition
Thu 14 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government is pushing ahead with changes to commercial forestry rules despite most submitters opposing the proposals, with critics warning the reforms will weaken councils’ ability to manage erosion and forestry slash risks in vulnerable regions such as Tairāwhiti.
GIDI-style help cheaper than LNG: MBIE
11 May 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Officials advised ministers last July that the lowest-cost way to free up gas for use during dry winters was to assist industrial gas users to switch to electricity.
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.”
New funding for low methane farming uptake
29 Apr 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The government will co-fund projects under an Early Adoption Accelerator scheme announced today to accelerate the uptake of low emissions farming technologies emerging from the AgriZero public-private partnership.
Why ‘greenhushing’ signals deeper issues with NZ’s climate risk reporting regime
Fri 15 May 2026
By Hang Pham, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington | Most of us are familiar with the concept of greenwashing: organisations exaggerating or overstating their environmental credentials. But in New Zealand, there are signs the country’s climate disclosure regime may inadvertently be driving a very different trend: not saying much at all.
‘Formidable’ El Niño expected this winter
29 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Meteorologists are anticipating a significant El Niño influence on weather patterns across the country from winter onwards, with predicted lower rainfall for some areas and heavier rain for others likely to impact multiple sectors of the economy as well as the carbon market.
Victorian Hydrogen announces Southland urea fertiliser project using coal
22 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Australian-based Victorian Hydrogen has announced it is developing a new 1.5 million-tonne-a-year urea fertiliser operation in Southland, which it will apply for under fast-track legislation.
Media round-up
24 Apr 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: What is the real cost of storm-hit infrastructure? Urgency is needed over climate adaptation funding; and a community conservation group has won a legal victory against multinational mining company OceanaGold.
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.
Labour condemns Govt plan to stop climate litigation
Fri 15 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Labour Party has slammed the Government’s move to block climate lawsuits against big emitters but won’t say if they would repeal the legislation if elected in November.
Methanexit: writing on the wall for NZ’s biggest gas user
6 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s biggest fossil gas user, Methanex, is expected to stop production by the end of this year, with the company confirming its Motunui methanol operation won’t survive Māui gas field’s closure.
Govt missing tricks to save fuel in crisis
30 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government is being urged to shift its response to the fuel crisis away from short-term relief and towards measures that reduce demand, with public health experts warning it is missing an opportunity to boost energy security and lower household costs.
Climate risks could reshape business finances, new guidance warns
15 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New guidance warns climate change is set to fundamentally reshape financial outcomes for businesses, including difficult-to-model climate “tipping points” – irreversible changes such as ice sheet collapse or ocean circulation shifts – which threaten severe and sudden financial impacts.
Move to block lawsuits could strengthen climate case against Govt
Thu 14 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s plan to block climate lawsuits – while potentially fatal for one groundbreaking climate case – could actually bolster claims in another live climate case underway against the Government.
Coal mine challenge reaches Aus High Court
Wed 13 May 2026
What climate change impacts should a planning authority have to take into account when assessing a mining project?
Australian operator to run NZ ETS auctions
11 May 2026
The Government has appointed an Australian company to run its Emissions Trading Scheme auctions, taking over from NZX, which has operated the ETS auctions since they began in 2021.
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.
Deep-sea mining risks biodiversity loss lasting decades, scientists warn
11 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The first comprehensive review of deep-sea mining research has found mining could cause ecological damage lasting decades and, in some ecosystems, irreversible biodiversity loss, with New Zealand experts warning the industry poses major risks to fragile ocean environments.
Environmental groups sue Trump administration over approval of new ultra deep-water drilling project
23 Apr 2026
Environmental groups sued the Trump administration on Monday over its approval last month of oil company BP’s ultra deep-water drilling project in the Gulf of Mexico.
Opposition slams environment ministry merger
Wed 13 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Opposition MPs accused the Government of downgrading climate and environmental protections as legislation to abolish the Ministry for the Environment and merge it into a new mega-ministry passed its second reading in Parliament.
A real ‘intergenerational equity’ budget would address Australia’s unceasing environmental decline
Fri 15 May 2026
Labor has unveiled a budget designed to tackle intergenerational equity in Australia through bold tax reform.
ESG funds include petrochemical companies, report finds
5 May 2026
Global banks have invested US$133bn into US petrochemical expansion, even as the industry is linked to climate change.
Thousands protest in Germany urging faster shift to renewable energy, amid Iran war
20 Apr 2026
Thousands of people demonstrated across Germany on April 18, urging a faster shift to renewable energy and accusing conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition of putting the brakes on the transition.
Green Party calls for national electrification plan
20 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party is calling for a national plan to electrify homes, transport and industry using renewable energy, to reduce fossil fuel dependence in response to the Middle East crisis.
China widens its clean energy lead
Mon 18 May 2026
Chinese companies account for more than half of global investments in clean energy manufacturing since 2019, while new U.S. investments declined last year.
‘Landmark’ conservation reform bill – boost or bust for nature?
8 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government has announced an overhaul of the country’s conservation system, which environmental organisation Forest & Bird says will undo the work of many generations of Kiwis to protect public conservation land.
Combined climate extremes may prompt carbon budget rethink
Thu 14 May 2026
Media release: Springer Nature | Combined extreme climate events are likely to become more common in the future if carbon emissions continue to rise, a paper in Nature suggests.
Africa secures major clean energy deals as France deepens investment push
Fri 15 May 2026
French and African leaders have announced more than $11 billion in renewable energy investments across Africa, underscoring the continent’s growing importance in the global push for cleaner energy and industrial development.
Carbon trading schemes cut more emissions than carbon taxes, according to global study
20 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Carbon trading schemes are more effective than carbon taxes at reducing emissions, cutting fossil fuel use, and accelerating the shift to renewable energy, a global study has found.
Why both trees and technology are important in the race to mitigate carbon emissions
4 May 2026
Different carbon‑removal approaches solve different problems, and pitting these technologies against each other could slow progress.
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.
More red lights for cars might mean more green lights for sustainable transport
7 May 2026
Media release: Royal Society Open Science | Reducing the amount of green light time for cars at traffic lights could encourage commuters to switch to more sustainable transport.
UN members prepare for pivotal vote on landmark ICJ climate justice ruling
Fri 15 May 2026
If the resolution is passed, governments will recognise their legal responsibility to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
NZ First moves to revive container return scheme
4 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | NZ First is aiming to launch a national container return scheme, which could recycle over a billion wasted containers each year, reviving a policy shelved by the previous Labour-led Government in 2023.
Commission urges Govt action on climate risks
7 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | Climate change currently poses major risks to our water infrastructure with “significant gaps” in readiness to manage risks and increasing hazards, according to the Climate Change Commission.
Why is Northern Ireland facing a growing threat from wildfires?
7 May 2026
Figures show that spring drought events are happening more often while there has been a sharp rise in "fire weather" - a mix of warmth, dryness, and wind that allows fires to ignite and spread rapidly. Experts warn this combination, along with climate change, is creating a longer and more volatile wildfire season.
Trump has hindered offshore wind while China and other countries invest heavily
Mon 18 May 2026
President Donald Trump is stopping offshore wind projects in the United States, just as the industry was poised to grow significantly.
