Topics tagged with 'Greenhouse Effect'
Big banks take new look at dirty industries
3 Sep 2010
Two international banks operating in New Zealand are among financial institutions reportedly growing wary of environmental risks in lending.
Biofuel demand driving Africa land grab
3 Sep 2010
Biofuel demand is driving a new land grab in Africa, with at least five million hectares acquired by foreign firms to grow crops in 11 countries, a study by an environmental group said this week.
Carbon traders setting up shop in Singapore
3 Sep 2010
More companies trading in carbon offsets and those financing emissions reduction projects are setting up shop in Singapore.
Lomborg changes tune in new book
3 Sep 2010
Climate change sceptic Bjørn Lomborg, once compared to Adolf Hitler by UN climate chief Rajendra Pachauri, will publish a book next month that calls climate change “one of the chief concerns facing the world today.”
Indonesia ripe for trading fraud, warn experts
27 Aug 2010
Ambitious plans to harness Indonesia’s millions of hectares of forest to offset carbon emissions could give rise to a new strain of corruption and financial fraud unless managed properly, experts warn.
Traders demand EU act to bolster market
27 Aug 2010
European carbon market traders have called on the European Union to act now to inject some much needed confidence into the market.
EVENT: Carbon Forum Asia 2010: October 27-28, Singapore
27 Aug 2010
As of July 2010, the United Nations Framework on Climate Change Convention has registered more 2300 CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) projects globally, an increase of more than 35 per cent over a year ago.
Southern Ocean reveals role in greenhouse gas regulation
27 Aug 2010
The fossil record from oceans around New Zealand reveals a sudden discharge of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere at the end of the last ice age, raising the possibility that a similar process may occur as a result of global warming.
Govt might have to boost new plantings
20 Aug 2010
The Government should underwrite the growing of millions of forestry seedlings if it wants to meet its climate change planting goal.
PHEW! Welcome to 2010, the world's hottest year
20 Aug 2010
This year has been the hottest in recorded history, according to weather scientists.
Floods might have set new benchmark
20 Aug 2010
Flooding that has swamped one-fifth of Pakistan and left millions homeless could be the worst natural disaster to date attributable to climate change, UN officials and climatologists believe.
Journals not court is place for scientific debate - experts
20 Aug 2010
The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) faces a legal challenge by climate sceptics group the Climate Science Coalition which is taking the Crown Research Institute to court over the accuracy of its climate data.
High Court asked to invalidate NIWA’s official NZ temperature record
20 Aug 2010
The High Court has been asked to invalidate the New Zealand official temperature record as promoted by the Crown Research Institute, Niwa.
Boardroom doesn't get it, says climate talks chief
13 Aug 2010
The business community has not yet got its head around the implications and opportunities of climate change, says the chair of the latest Australia New Zealand Climate Change and Business Conference.
Kiwi ETS wins minister a rare bouquet
13 Aug 2010
Climate Change Issues Minister Nick Smith has had an unusual experience this week – he’s being feted for the Emissions Trading Scheme.
What Nick Smith said to transtasman business leaders
13 Aug 2010
This week Climate Change Issues Minister Nick Smith spoke at the 6th annual Climate Change and Business Conference, being held in Sydney. This is what he said:
The Carbon Traders 3: Wayne King, Carbon Market Solutions
13 Aug 2010
Wayne King has been behind some of the biggest carbon deals in New Zealand, but he got into the business almost by accident.
Tasman challenge: Cut emissions by 15 per cent
13 Aug 2010
Australia and New Zealand can cut their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 15 per cent by 2020 in economically beneficial ways, say business leaders at the 6th Australia-New Zealand Climate Change and Business Conference in Sydney.
Ecuador touts world's first really green oil deal
13 Aug 2010
Ecuador's ambition to save its rainforest from exploitation could point the way to sparing other threatened landscapes
Making biochar makes sense, study shows
13 Aug 2010
If every bit of biomass that could be collected sustainably were converted to biochar and the gas produced in the conversion process used for energy, human-caused greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by 12 per cent annually, according to new research.
Americans sceptical about change, says poll
13 Aug 2010
Americans are increasingly sceptical of issues around climate change, a new poll shows.
Australian car emissions rules well off pace
13 Aug 2010
National standards for car emissions in Australia, even after recently announced Labor policy, will still be weaker than that of the EU and of California, a Sydney conference has been told.
Foresters want ban on illegal lumber imports
13 Aug 2010
The government needs to urgently adopt measures to prevent products from illegally logged forests being sold in New Zealand, says the Forest Owners' Association.
MAF allocates funds for soil erosion work
13 Aug 2010
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has allocated two more erosion treatment projects a total of $7.62 million under its Sustainable Land Management Hill Country Erosion Fund.
Copenhagen loopholes ‘make farce' of rich pledges
6 Aug 2010
Wealthy nations’ pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions could be made farcical by loopholes in the UN climate change treaty put forward in Copenhagen last year.
Countries must step up action, says climate chief
6 Aug 2010
With the future of humanity at stake, governments must continue building common ground to further progress on climate change, the new United Nations chief on the issue said in the latest round of international negotiations which kicked off in Bonn this week.
US regulator shrugs off climate deniers
6 Aug 2010
America's environmental watchdog has rebuffed challenges to a scientific study it published declaring climate change real, manmade and a threat to human health and the natural world.
South Africa mulls over carbon tax at source
6 Aug 2010
South Africa is considering a proposal to introduce a carbon tax at source, probably of about 100 rand per tonne, according to industry sources.
Scientist lists soot as public enemy number two
6 Aug 2010
Soot is the second leading cause of climate change, says a new US study.
UN: Pacific needs help to cope with climate change
6 Aug 2010
Closer international cooperation is necessary to help Pacific island nations to combat the impact of climate change, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, pledging the United Nations’ commitment to mitigating the problem.
The Carbon Traders 1: Nigel Brunel, OMFinancial
30 Jul 2010
Nigel Brunel is not a typical greenie. In fact until recently, he would probably have been insulted to be called one. But then he discovered carbon, and started thinking about how putting a price on greenhouse gases could really change the world.
We want emissions trading, say Aussies
30 Jul 2010
Most Australians are not pleased that they don’t have an emissions trading scheme.
Obama vows to fight on for climate bill
30 Jul 2010
United States President Barack Obama has pledged to fight on for a climate change bill, despite the collapse of US Senate legislation designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Senate failure dismays climate experts
30 Jul 2010
A global group of policy reserch experts is expressing dismay at the US Senate's inability to pass strong climate control law.
'Climate migrants' will flood US, says study
30 Jul 2010
A wave of up to 6.7 million migrants from Mexico could head to the United States to escape the ravages of climate change on crops, say the authors of a new study.
Gillard pledges 'people's assembly' on climate
23 Jul 2010
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she will create a ''citizens' assembly'' of ''real Australians'' to investigate the science of climate change and consequences of emissions trading.
Big nations move on global clean energy
23 Jul 2010
The world’s major energy users have launched steps to get more clean energy into the global market, including moves toward TVs that waste less electricity, more cars that don't need gasoline, and buildings and factories that use power more efficiently.
UN has Kyoto 'plan B' option if climate talks fail
23 Jul 2010
The UN is considering reducing the number of countries involved in faltering international climate talks in an effort to push through a deal.
China to begin domestic carbon trading
23 Jul 2010
China will start carbon trading in domestic businesses during the next five-year plan beginning in 2011 with an aim to reduce carbon emission.
Cool roofs and pavements can cut global warming
23 Jul 2010
Light-coloured rooftops and roads can curb carbon emissions and combat global climate change, says a new US study. by searchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
UK might miss boat, warns green watchdog
23 Jul 2010
An independent watchdog group has advised the UK government to increase investment in low-carbon technologies in order to boost green, economic growth and to achieve the target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.
Sydney gets serious about bikes ... and e-cars
23 Jul 2010
The City of Sydney has secured one of 40 Mitsubishi i-MiEVs for its vehicle fleet, the first production electric vehicle to be released in the Australian market.
Scientists switch on super computer
23 Jul 2010
One of the most powerful supercomputers of its kind has been switched on at the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research.
Business leaders put muscle behind clean tech
16 Jul 2010
New Zealand will develop a clean-tech strategy to exploit what many business leaders believe is a multi-billion dollar opportunity for the country.
Rain and recession cut our pollution figures
16 Jul 2010
New Zealand’s emissions of greenhouse gases have fallen, thanks to rain and the recession.
UN to channel billions into coal-fired power plants
16 Jul 2010
The UN is set to channel billions of dollars of public money from rich countries to giant energy companies to build 20 heavily polluting coal-fired power plants on the basis that they will emit less carbon dioxide than older ones.
Japan's ETS plans hit electoral snag
16 Jul 2010
An upper-house election in Japan has cast doubt on the government’s plans to develop an emissions trading scheme to meet an ambitious carbon reduction target.
Pacific Islands call on rich countries to pay up
16 Jul 2010
Angry Pacific Islands states have called on rich countries to advance progress that has been stalled in delivering financial resources for climate change adaptation and mitigation projects.
Has Australian cabinet hit on quick carbon fix?
16 Jul 2010
The Australian Government has agreed to a climate-change policy based on a series of measures, including a commitment to set an interim carbon price that it will introduce over the next two years, says a national newspaper.
Schools sign up to national solar programme
16 Jul 2010
Primary and secondary schools across Australia will have access to funding for solar panels and rainwater tanks under new funding.
Govt consulting on Pacific Resilience Facility
Fri 12 Dec 2025
The Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee is calling for submissions on its international treaty examination of the Agreement to Establish the Pacific Resilience Facility.
Govt overhaul leaves the door open for coal mining on conservation land
Fri 12 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s sweeping reclassification of thousands of hectares of publicly-owned conservation land has met with sharp criticism, with environmental groups saying the decision leaves vulnerable ecosystems exposed to mining and development.
NZ’s government wants tourism to drive economic growth – but how will it deal with aviation emissions?
22 Oct 2025
By Robert McLachlan, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University | Following a brief dip during the COVID pandemic, aviation is back in a growth phase.
Air NZ inks deal for its first internationally verified carbon credits
9 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Air New Zealand has committed to buying 8000 tonnes of carbon removals by 2030, in partnership with local native forest investment platform My Native Forest.
Second fire tears through Tongariro National Park
Tue 9 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Fire crews have returned to Tongariro National Park this morning as a fast-moving fire that started yesterday threatens unburnt vegetation and nearby communities, just a month after a major blaze scorched 3000 hectares in the same area.
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.
Minister not concerned about potential economic impacts of ruling out offshore mitigation
Thu 11 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Climate Change Minister Simon Watts isn’t worried that ruling out using offshore mitigation is effectively reneging from the Paris Agreement with potential to damage New Zealand’s economy and access to export markets.
What are the causes of recent record-high global temperatures?
Fri 12 Dec 2025
The past three years have been exceptionally warm globally.
Is Govt rushing through changes to climate framework to avoid litigation?
Thu 11 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment says the Government’s motivation for proposed changes to the country’s climate framework law are unclear: “The only reason I can think of is one grounded in potential litigation risk.”
KiwiRail pauses coal trains amid rising climate protests
Tue 9 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate activists are ramping up actions this week, with a Christchurch protest leading to KiwiRail pausing some coal train operations on Saturday, and another protest against the Fast-Track Amendment Bill planned for parliament today.
Investors must support positive climate-tech
28 Nov 2025
OPINION: We need better leadership than the current ‘climate opportunism’ that is rife in the Beehive, and we need to back a marketplace that will make it happen, writes Rob Campbell.
$235 billion worth of NZ buildings exposed to flooding
30 Oct 2025
More than 750,000 New Zealanders live in locations exposed to one-in-100-year floods, according to a nationwide study which shows escalating flood risk.
India at COP30: A mismatch between grandstanding and climate action
Thu 11 Dec 2025
Despite India’s attempt to anoint itself as the leader of the developing world, at the COP30 summit, New Delhi’s track record remains contradictory.
Govt warned that scrapping ag emission pricing comes with risks
Thu 11 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s move to halt plans for agricultural emissions pricing without replacing it with any other action will leave New Zealand facing a bigger gap to meet its third emissions budget, Environment ministry officials have warned.
NZ ‘clearly’ breaching international law on climate – Vanuatu Climate Change Minister
Fri 12 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister, Ralph Regenvanu, says New Zealand restarting fossil fuel exploration and subsidies is an obvious breach of international law, exposing the country to international and domestic litigation.
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 12 Dec 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Another offshore wind firm exits New Zealand over a clash with seabed mining; Fonterra falls behind on its climate goals as farm emissions remain flat; and the businesses trapped by the gas 'death spiral'.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
Wed 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.
Australia has new laws to protect nature. Do they signal an end to native forest logging?
Thu 11 Dec 2025
Reforms to Australia’s nature laws have passed federal parliament. A longstanding exemption that meant federal environment laws did not apply to native logging has finally been removed from the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
Oil and gas majors would create $78bn more value by stopping exploration
Thu 11 Dec 2025
Media release | Ten of the world’s largest oil and gas companies would create significantly more shareholder value by ending exploration and sharply curtailing upstream development, according to new analysis released today by ACCR.
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.”
Analysis: Why COP30’s ‘tripling adaptation finance’ target is less ambitious than it seems
5 Dec 2025
One of the headline outcomes to emerge from COP30 was a new target to “at least triple” finance for climate adaptation in developing countries by 2035.
TotalEnergies loses in Paris court, marking a turning point for fossil fuel truth-in-advertising
5 Nov 2025
TotalEnergies was found to have misled consumers about its role in the energy transition.
Tribunal warns govt geothermal strategy risks Treaty breach
2 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government's geothermal development strategy risks breaching the Treaty of Waitangi, according to a report from the Waitangi Tribunal released last week.
Hiringa eyes green methanol plant near Whanganui
29 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Green hydrogen pioneer Hiringa Energy is deep in planning to develop an “eight-to-nine figure” methanol plant near Whanganui, using a combination of biomass and hydrogen produced using renewable energy.
Insurers welcome govt decision to keep NHC levy unchanged
21 Nov 2025
Media release |The Insurance Council of New Zealand | Te Kāhui Inihua o Aotearoa (ICNZ) has welcomed the Government’s decision to leave the Natural Hazards Commission levy unchanged, amid ongoing concerns around the cost-of-living.
Why I’m not outraged at the Govt’s latest climate backsliding
7 Nov 2025
COMMENT: The Government’s latest climate rollbacks underline New Zealand’s long history of a lack of genuine desire to cut emissions, writes Geoff Bertram.
Shell facing first UK legal claim over climate impacts of fossil fuels
Fri 12 Dec 2025
Victims of a deadly typhoon in the Philippines have filed a legal claim against oil and gas company Shell in the UK courts, seeking compensation for what they say is the company's role in making the storm more severe.
NZ fails to back ‘roadmap’ to phase out fossil fuels at COP
24 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | Eighty-six countries including Australia, the UK, Germany, and Ireland backed a proposal at COP30 for national plans on how to quit oil, gas and coal – but New Zealand wasn’t one of them.
High risk of economic losses from Cook Islands nodule extraction and sales – new study
Fri 12 Dec 2025
Media release: Greenpeace | The economic potential of seabed polymetallic nodules in the Cook Islands has been overstated, according to a new independent study commissioned by Greenpeace International.
Govt rushes to pass climate law changes under urgency
Wed 10 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Legislation to amend the Climate Change Response Act was introduced to Parliament on Monday, and the government intends to rush the changes through under urgency in the next two weeks, avoiding the usual public consultation.
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.
Storms in the Southern Ocean are producing more rain – and the consequences could be global
8 Dec 2025
Storms in the Southern Ocean influence weather patterns across Australia, New Zealand and the globe.
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.
Govt green lights rural recycling scheme
4 Dec 2025
The Government has approved new regulations to bring rural waste schemes under one unified framework.
Shipping movements disrupted as climate change protesters block coal ships
2 Dec 2025
NSW police have arrested 141 people who attempted to block the shipping channel in Newcastle Harbour during Rising Tide protests, which began on Thursday.
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.
Neighbours fume over plans to axe trees for solar farm
Thu 11 Dec 2025
Diane McCarthy, Local Democracy Reporter | Whakatāne District Council has thrown its support behind residents of a country lane distressed about Genesis Energy’s plans to axe their trees.
NZ and US studying "huge unknown" in Antarctic climate science
Thu 11 Dec 2025
Media release: Earth Sciences New Zealand | Scientists are measuring a huge unknown in climate science: how much heat Antarctica emits into space.
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.
More than $2m up for grabs for low-emissions farming innovation
Wed 10 Dec 2025
The Ag Emissions Centre and AgriZeroNZ yesterday opened their 2026 innovation investment round.
Last minute change to oil and gas legislation over cleanup costs
31 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government is expected to repeal the oil and gas ban today, with a last-minute amendment handing discretionary power to two ministers over the controversial issue of decommissioning.
Seven EU countries pressure European Commission to rethink 2035 diesel and petrol car ban
Tue 9 Dec 2025
Pressure from EU countries, lawmakers and the automotive industry is likely pushing the European Commission to delay the revision of the bloc's ban on diesel and petrol cars by 2035.
Kaicycle celebrates ten years of collective climate action in Pōneke
14 Nov 2025
Media release: Kaicycle | Since 2015, Kaicycle has grown from a humble pilot project growing kai and collecting compost on bicycles into the thriving urban farm and composting hub that Wellingtonians know and love.
Study provides a step-change in understanding NZ’s groundwater
28 Nov 2025
Media release | Earth Sciences New Zealand has developed a world-first National Groundwater Age Map and a powerful suite of tools to support the sustainable management of our hidden groundwater resources, from national through to local scales.
NZ just had its hottest spring in at least 116 years
Wed 10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | This year New Zealand had its hottest spring since records began, with widespread heat, rainfall extremes and destructive wind driven by sudden stratospheric warming.
Australian market operator slashes wind farm predictions amid falling costs for solar and batteries
Thu 11 Dec 2025
The body that runs Australia's biggest power market has scaled back its plans for high-voltage power lines and wind farms to meet the country's green energy targets.
