Topics tagged with 'Greenhouse Effect'
Scientists get excited about biochar
16 Dec 2011
Biochar could help to improve agricultural productivity and assist farmers and landholders to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, says a new Australian report.
Carbon hits new low, but expect a fightback
9 Dec 2011
Carbon prices are expected to rally today after hitting an all-time low yesterday, trading at less than half their value of just seven months ago.
Groser looks for more ETS partners
9 Dec 2011
New Zealand is working towards a regional carbon market.
Durban knows our foresters are there
9 Dec 2011
New Zealand Forest Owners' Association chief executive DAVID RHODES reports from the Durban climate change negotiations:
Drop Denniston, says business lobby
9 Dec 2011
Turning the Denniston Plateau into a coal mine threatens New Zealand’s clean green image, says the Pure Advantage green-growth business lobby group.
Why we must target the 2deg limit
9 Dec 2011
Scientists working on the Global Carbon Project have said that despite nearly 15 years of pledges to make cuts, the release of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels is still increasing at a record rate.
Business must take over, says green leader
9 Dec 2011
Business must step into the breach on climate change because government negotiators at the Durban climate conference are procrastinating, says one of Africa’s leading environmentalists.
Experts hand out warning to Pacific Islands
9 Dec 2011
Islands across the Pacific can expect rising sea levels, more very hot and wet days, and more damage to coral reefs, says a new report.
Black carbon moves could save millions
2 Dec 2011
More than two million lives can be saved each year by implementing measures to reduce black carbon, methane and ozone emissions, says a new report.
Health experts voice climate fears
2 Dec 2011
Australian health professionals say they have serious concerns about the impact of climate change on the nation’s health.
Farmers sign up to $99m green fund
2 Dec 2011
The first round of the $99 million Action on the Ground programme to help farmers to cash in on Australia’s clean energy future is under way.
Scientists see big job for southern seas
2 Dec 2011
Scientists say they are increasingly realising the importance of the Southern Ocean for New Zealand and Australia in the way that it acts as a "sink" absorbing a huge share of mankind's excess heat and carbon dioxide and slowing down the rate of climate change.
Hacker slams lignite on miner's website
25 Nov 2011
Solid Energy’s website has been hacked overnight by protesters opposed to the company’s Southland lignite development.
Europe a turn-off for our forest owners
25 Nov 2011
New Zealand’s carbon trading future probably lies with Australia, Japan and parts of the United States and Canada, and not with Europe, says the chief executive of the Forest Owners' Association.
Greenhouse gas levels reach worst-ever levels
25 Nov 2011
The presence of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere last year reached its highest levels since pre-industrial times, says a new report.
China to set up climate change think tank
25 Nov 2011
China will establish its first national-level think tank on climate change issues, to focus on strategic research and international cooperation, said a senior government official.
UN pleads for ‘global conversation’
25 Nov 2011
The United Nations has launched a campaign ahead of its major conference on sustainable development (Rio+20) in June next year, inviting governments, non-governmental organisations and people everywhere to engage in a global conversation about the communities they want to see in the future.
Durban ... good COP or bad COP?
25 Nov 2011
The latest round of international climate change negotiations starts in Durban next week with a lot of expectation and controversy on its back, Carbon Market Solutions says.
Scrap lignite plan, says energy expert
18 Nov 2011
A New Zealand scientist at the heart of the IPCC says Solid Energy’s lignite development should not go ahead.
ETS here to stay, vows Groser
18 Nov 2011
New Zealand will push for a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, but the Emissions Trading Scheme is here to say regardless of the outcome of international climate change negotiations in Durban this month.
Scientists issue warnings over Durban
18 Nov 2011
Scientists are warning world leaders against getting bogged down in the “holy grail” of a successor to the Kyoto Protocol at climate change negotiations in Durban this month.
Environment: Where the minor parties stand
18 Nov 2011
Both National and Labour are vowing that the Emissions Trading Scheme is here to say, but what do the smaller parties have to say about the environment?
Kauri might hold clues to climate secrets
18 Nov 2011
NIWA scientists will use geochemistry of precisely-dated kauri tree rings to examine New Zealand's climate during the last millennium.
New rules cut ship emissions, says report
18 Nov 2011
The implementation of United Nations-mandated energy-efficiency measures will lead to a significant reduction in carbon emissions from ships, says a new report.
Australia joins drive to change food system
18 Nov 2011
A major transformation in the global food system is needed to address future threats to food security, according to experts from some of the world’s leading science organisations.
Minister sets date for new carbon rules
18 Nov 2011
Australia’s new administrative body for the carbon pricing mechanism, the Clean Energy Regulator, will begin operation from next April 2.
Unhappy exporters voice ETS fears
11 Nov 2011
National's promise to slow down implementation of the Emissions Trading Scheme has failed to impress exporters.
Pig gas turns into nice little earner
11 Nov 2011
Australian pig farmers are to earn carbon credits for cutting methane emissions from their animals.
Gillard warns businesses to behave
11 Nov 2011
Australian businesses have been warned against trying to profiteer from the carbon tax passed into law on Tuesday.
UN expects firm decisions in Durban
11 Nov 2011
The Durban conference on climate change this month should produce agreement on limiting emissions of greenhouse gases, and launch the green climate fund for mitigation and adaptation in developing countries, says the head of the United Nations.
No plain sailing for marine life
11 Nov 2011
Direct effects of climate warming on biodiversity pose a serious conservation challenge for marine life, according to new research published today in Science.
Pew Centre morphs into C2ES
11 Nov 2011
The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), a new non-profit organisation promoting strong policy and action to address the twin challenges of energy and climate change, was launched this week in Washington with strong business backing.
NZ doctors 'asleep at the wheel'
11 Nov 2011
Senior doctors and other health professionals are backing calls in the New Zealand Medical Journal for the country to do much more to reduce the risks of climate instability to acceptable levels.
Environment needs urgent action, says report
4 Nov 2011
Concerted and rapid action is urgently needed to curb resource depletion and ensure human activities do not destroy the environment that supports economies and sustains life, warns a new report.
Ban names high-level team to push energy
4 Nov 2011
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced the members of a high-level group tasked with mobilising action among governments, the private sector and civil society to provide clean and affordable energy for everyone.
Scientists call for emissions audits
28 Oct 2011
Leading international climate scientists meeting in Wellington are calling for audits of countries’ greenhouse gas emissions.
Study urges care with harvesting for biofuel
28 Oct 2011
Turning trees into biofuel can release more carbon into the atmosphere than would have been released by fossil fuels, new American research says.
Solar seen as saviour of Great Barrier Reef
28 Oct 2011
The people charged with protecting Australia’s Great Barrier Reef are putting their money where their mouths are and going solar.
Dodgy ... that's Auckland City investment
28 Oct 2011
Council for Socially Responsible Investment chairman Dr ROBERT HOWELL questions Auckland City's investment strategy ...
Investment giants call for urgent climate action
21 Oct 2011
The world’s largest investors have urged governments and international policy makers to take new and meaningful steps in the fight against climate change.
Leaders must make changes, says report
21 Oct 2011
In light of recent extreme weather events, as well as long-term disruptions related to climate change, a major new report calls for different approaches to decision making by national leaders.
Why we need to ban industrial CERs soon
21 Oct 2011
A proposed Government ban on industrial CERs should go ahead as soon as possible, says DANIEL WATSON, of Carbon Market Solutions.
Historic moment as carbon tax gets a yes
14 Oct 2011
In what the Gillard Government is calling "a historic moment”, the Australian House of Representatives has passed clean energy legislation which will give the country a price on carbon.
Changing climate could lead to chocolate meltdown
14 Oct 2011
Climate change could transform the cherished chocolate bar into a luxury few can afford, according to a new study.
Islands need help to beat droughts
14 Oct 2011
Drought conditions in some Pacific islands have prompted calls for comprehensive risk reduction steps to be put in place to protect vulnerable populations living in delicate ecosystems.
Abbott will eat his words, says CMS
14 Oct 2011
The Australian emissions trading scheme legislation was passed through that country’s Federal Parliament this week, and is expected to begin being passed into law by the Senate next month.
Philips wins lighting award
14 Oct 2011
Philips Lighting’s work in developing LED technology has been recognised by an international award.
Change a challenge, says pioneer professor
7 Oct 2011
An eminent New Zealand geologist who played an instrumental part in proving the theory of plate tectonics says that getting the public to accept climate change is harder.
Eco question: What price our environment?
7 Oct 2011
A British environmentalist who started the first eco-tourism business in the Galapagos Islands says that New Zealand needs to follow the British example and put some dollar values on intrinsic worth of the environment.
Homeless could reach 200 million, says UN
7 Oct 2011
Climate-related events could force up to 200 million people worldwide to flee their homes by 2050, warns the United Nations.
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
Mon 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’
Mon 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
Mon 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
Mon 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.
