Topics tagged with 'Paris Agreement'
Rich countries break $100bn annual climate pledge
27 Oct 2021
The world’s richest countries admitted Monday that they broke a promise to deliver $100 billion a year to developing nations to help them cope with climate change.
Wealthy countries spending more on border security than climate aid
27 Oct 2021
Wealthy countries are giving more money to defence contractors to beef up their border security than to fulfilling their climate aid commitments, a new study has found.
UN praises updated NDCs but still"nowhere near goal"
27 Oct 2021
Media release - New or updated climate action plans by governments can be effective in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but greater efforts are needed to keep global warming at bay, the UN climate change office says.
New Zealand might not announce its NDC until after COP26: Shaw
26 Oct 2021
Climate change minister James Shaw told an online forum last week that he wasn’t sure whether he would be announcing a renewed Nationally Determined Contribution before or even at next month’s COP26 Conference in Glasgow.
Why 25 previous conferences have failed to stop climate change
26 Oct 2021
THERE have been 25conferences under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change since the body first met in 1995. Over that period, some 894 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide, about 37% of all greenhouse pollution in human history, has been emitted.
India wants compensation for climate damage caused by rich nations
26 Oct 2021
India is seeking payment for the losses caused by climate disasters, its environment ministry said while laying out the country's positions on critical issues that will be negotiated at the United Nations' COP26 climate summit in the coming weeks.
Document leak reveals nations lobbying to change key climate report
22 Oct 2021
A huge leak of documents seen by BBC News shows how countries are trying to change a crucial scientific report on how to tackle climate change.
European MPs push for binding methane target
22 Oct 2021
The European Parliament yesterday passed a resolution calling for a binding international agreement limiting methane emissions to be agreed on at next month's COP26 in Glasgow.
Greenpeace chief warns of ‘greenwashing’ at UN climate talks
22 Oct 2021
The head of environmental group Greenpeace on Thursday warned against efforts by countries and corporations at the forthcoming U.N. climate talks in Glasgow to “greenwash” their ongoing pollution of the planet.
Fossil fuel production set to soar over next decade
21 Oct 2021
A UN report says governments are currently planning to extract more than double the amount of fossil fuels by 2030 required to keep the 1.5C threshold alive.
The broken $100-billion promise of climate finance — and how to fix it
21 Oct 2021
Twelve years ago, at a United Nations climate summit in Copenhagen, rich nations made a significant pledge. They promised to channel US$100 billion a year to less wealthy nations by 2020, to help them adapt to climate change and mitigate further rises in temperature.
Government commits $1.3 billion to climate change aid
18 Oct 2021
The government has this morning announced a four-fold increase in the support it provides to countries most vulnerable to climate change.
Global carbon price of US$100 needed according to Nobel Prize-winning economist
18 Oct 2021
Economist William Nordhouse, who won the 2018 Nobel Prize in economics for his work on climate change, argues a global carbon price of around US$100 per tonne is needed if the world is to successfully tackle climate change.
How Australia got blindsided in the great Pacific climate coup
11 Oct 2021
As the Glasgow climate talks loomed closer last week Fiji’s Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama addressed an international forum hosted by the former US vice president Al Gore, with slightly more than customary bluntness.
Turkey becomes last G20 nation to ratify Paris agreement
8 Oct 2021
Turkey became the last G20 nation to ratify the Paris climate agreement on Wednesday, almost six years after initially signing it, but at the same time, lawmakers protested a key detail -- the country's classification as a developed nation.
Vanuatu campaign for World Court ruling on climate change gathers momentum
5 Oct 2021
Vanuatu has called for the Hague-based International Court of Justice to weigh in on whether nations have a legal responsibility to prevent their greenhouse gas emissions from harming other countries.
PM urged to go hard and go early against climate change
4 Oct 2021
Prime minister Jacinda Ardern is being urged to go hard and go early against climate change in an open letter being promoted by activist group Extinction Rebellion
An international carbon market key to COP26 success: ACT
30 Sep 2021
The ACT Party says New Zealand should push for an international carbon trading market, which includes the largest emitters the EU, USA, Russian, India and China, at November’s COP26 talks.
Australia needs to commit to net zero emissions by 2050: Frydenberg
24 Sep 2021
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will prepare the way for Scott Morrison to take a target of net zero emissions by 2050 to Glasgow, when he warns on Friday capital inflow will be at risk if Australia is seen as a climate laggard.
Biden to announce ‘good news’ on $100bn UN climate fund
22 Sep 2021
United States President Joe Biden is expected to announce “good news” on addressing a shortfall in a $100bn global climate fund, a UN official said on Monday following a closed-door meeting on the sidelines of the general assembly.
Taranaki protests planned to coincide with COP26
21 Sep 2021
Environmentalist group, Climate Justice Taranaki is coordinating a series of protests to coincide with the COP26 talks in Glasgow in November.
‘Verge of the abyss’: Climate change to dominate UNGA talks
21 Sep 2021
Pressure is building on world leaders to rapidly ratchet up efforts to fight global climate change, a topic expected to top the agenda at the United Nations General Assembly
Rich nations all but stall on key $100bn climate fund goal
20 Sep 2021
Developed countries made almost no progress toward their goal of providing $100 billion a year to help poor countries tackle climate change, figures from the OECD showed on Friday.
OECD boss: Carbon pricing should come through us
13 Sep 2021
Efforts to price carbon should be elevated to the international level, the head of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development told EU finance ministers on Saturday.
No time left tor ‘incremental’ climate action, warns leaked IPCC report
13 Sep 2021
Our planet has no time left for “incremental change” to avert climate disaster, says a leaked draft of the upcoming IPCC report. The draft is the third part of the IPCC assessment due to be published next March.
NZ working with UK and Australia to help Pacific Island delegates attend COP26
9 Sep 2021
The New Zealand, Australian and UK governments are working together to ensure Pacific Island delegations can attend the COP26 meetings in Glasgow in November.
ESG and climate funds fall short of Paris Agreement goals
3 Sep 2021
The scale of greenwashing in the asset management industry was laid bare in new research from think-tank, InfluenceMap, which claimed most ESG and climate strategies are not aligned with the goals of the Paris Agreement and often invested in the world’s top polluters.
Glasgow records hottest summer in run-up to Cop26 climate summit
2 Sep 2021
Glasgow, the host city of the crucial Cop26 UN climate summit in November, has experienced its hottest summer on record, the Met Office has said.
IMF urges countries to raise carbon price
1 Sep 2021
The International Monetary Fund is urging countries to scale up green investments and set a higher global carbon pricing floor to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.
Emissions reduction consultation document on its way
25 Aug 2021
The government is set to launch a consultation document on its emission reduction plan, possibly as soon as next week.
Central banks failing on climate action
25 Aug 2021
Released in advance of the Federal Reserve’s annual Jackson Hole meeting, a study assessing twelve of the world’s largest central banks against ten climate-related policy criteria has found all failing to align their lending, asset purchases and regulatory activities with the Paris Agreement target.
Date set for Climate Commission court case
18 Aug 2021
The High Court will hear a case brought by Lawyers for Climate Action NZ objecting to the Climate Change Commission's recommendations to the Government at the end of February.
Rich world should pay poor countries' carbon debts
11 Aug 2021
Rich countries should ditch privileged debates over the legacy of colonialism and pay off poorer countries’ carbon instead, an influential investor has told The Independent.
Time running out to stop catastrophe - Alok Sharma
9 Aug 2021
The world is "dangerously close" to running out of time to stop a climate change catastrophe, the UK government's climate chief Alok Sharma has said.
South Korea sets 3 options for carbon reduction
6 Aug 2021
The Korean Presidential Committee on Carbon Neutrality yesterday unveiled three options for reducing carbon emissions by 2050, but only one of them achieves carbon neutrality.
UN climate panel models show 'implausibly fast' warming
4 Aug 2021
Next week, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will unveil its latest scientific assessment, widely considered the most authoritative review of climate research.
NZ misses NDC report deadline
2 Aug 2021
New Zealand has missed the cutoff date to submit an updated Nationally Determined Contribution to the United Nations to be included in a synthesis report ahead of the COP26 meeting.
More countries hike climate pledges
2 Aug 2021
A group of mostly smaller countries submitted new, more ambitious climate pledges to the United Nations this week, raising pressure on big emitters including China to do the same ahead of a major U.N. climate summit in November.
China and India miss UN deadline to update targets
2 Aug 2021
China and India, among the world's worst offenders for emissions, have failed to submit updated target proposals to curb the release of carbon dioxide.
New Zealand scores zero on climate commitment scorecard
19 Jul 2021
New Zealand is one of just five countries to score zero on a Global Climate and Health Alliance scorecard ranking countries by how their nationally determined commitments (NDCs) incorporate public health.
French court orders government to act on climate
7 Jul 2021
France’s top administrative court has ordered the government to take “all necessary additional steps” within the next nine months to enable it to reach its climate crisis targets or face possible sanctions, including substantial fines.
Climate Change Commission faces possible legal challenge
15 Jun 2021
Lawyers for Climate Action NZ are considering bringing a judicial review against the Climate Change Commission on the grounds that its recently released final advice to the government is incompatible with keeping global warming to 1.5c.
40% chance of hitting 1.5 °C in next five years
28 May 2021
There is about a 40 per cent chance of the annual average global temperature temporarily reaching 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels in at least one of the next five years – and these odds are increasing with time, according to a new climate update issued by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Australian states setting the pace on climate change
3 May 2021
MEDIA RELEASE - Investor Group on Climate Change director of policy Erwin Jackson welcomes the announcement by the Victorian Government that it will pursue a 45-50 per cent emissions reduction from 2005 levels by 2030.
Lest we forget: the carbon footprint of war
27 Apr 2021
With global spending on the military just shy of US$2 trillion in 2020, it’s hardly a surprise that the world’s armies are a major contributor to climate change.
Wise Response's response to climate summit
23 Apr 2021
MEDIA RELEASE - An appeal for economic transformation at President Biden’s Climate Summit, 22-23 April 2021
Governments not consulting workers on climate change
22 Apr 2021
MEDIA RELEASE - An analysis by the International Trade Union Confederation has found that most new climate plans submitted by governments under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change lack sufficient ambition, Just Transition plans and social dialogue.
Ardern should tackle issue of growth at summit
21 Apr 2021
MEDIA RELEASE - In meeting virtually with President Joe Biden and 39 other world leaders, PM Jacinda Ardern should press home the need to confront the current global economic model based on limitless growth. ‘It has failed us,’ says Wise Response chair, Prof. Liz Slooten.
The campaign against the climate
20 Apr 2021
A 30-year-long project by some in the oil industry, who have spent millions of dollars manipulating public opinion and perceptions of climate change, is revealed in a new Al Jazeera documentary by Danish filmmaker Mads Ellesoe.
UN chief calls for revolution in city planning
19 Apr 2021
Media release - The United Nations Secretary-General, on Friday, called for a “revolution” in urban planning and urban transport to beat back impacts of climate change and build a green and sustainable future for all.
How flying can be a climate solution
Today 10:45am
By Paul Callister and Robert McLachlan - Planetary Ecology | How can aviation contribute to tackling climate change when no practicable technology-based solutions are on the horizon?
Forestry consents and relaxed rules in erosion zones sow seeds of future disaster
Fri 13 Jun 2025
OPINION: The government’s move to restrict exotic forestry on our best food-growing soils will push even more forestry investment onto high erosion risk land on the East Coast, with the worst land becoming the only land left for the most intensive and destructive land use, writes Manu Caddie
Greenwashing is rife in Australia, but could its days be numbered?
28 May 2025
COMMENT: Have you ever ticked the box to “fly carbon neutral”, had something delivered via “carbon-neutral shipping” or chosen to pay a bit extra to buy “carbon-neutral gas” from your energy retailer?
Help sustainable aviation fuels take off or delay targets, airlines warn EU
20 May 2025
Earmarked funding, risk-reduction tools, and simplified imports top Airlines for Europe’s wish list for the EU’s upcoming Sustainable Transport Investment Plan.
'Time is right' for nature credits
Fri 13 Jun 2025
Media release | Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari and Ekos are thrilled to be partnering with central government on the development of a voluntary Nature Credits Market pilot programme, announced by Associate Minister for the Environment Andrew Hoggard yesterday.
Sustainability claims questioned as renewable diesel surges
14 May 2025
Critics are sceptical about industry claims of renewable diesel life-cycle greenhouse gas emission cuts and warn renewable diesel carbon releases will surge if sourcing is scaled up, triggering tropical deforestation as producers convert forests to energy crops, such as oil palm and soy.
Carbon auction odds-on to fail
Fri 13 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | The carbon price has rallied slightly in recent weeks, however with secondary market prices still hovering around the $57 mark, well below this year’s $68 auction floor price, next week’s Emissions Trading Scheme auction looks set to fail.
World leaders’ failure to act is pushing Earth past 1.5°C
Today 10:45am
Based on mounting evidence, some scientists now fear we’ve entered a new era of the climate emergency, characterized by accelerated warming and amplified disasters.
Govt mulls status quo for ETS auction settings
29 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has released its consultation on the Climate Change Commission’s latest advice on Emissions Trading Scheme auction settings and volumes, putting forward the option to ignore the commission’s advice to boost auction volumes from 2028-2030.
China's approvals of coal power plants grow after 2024 decline
Wed 11 Jun 2025
China approved 11.29 gigawatts of new coal power plants in the first three months of 2025, already exceeding the 10.34 GW approved in the first half of 2024.
A credible UN carbon market needs rules that count – we’ve just set them
Wed 11 Jun 2025
COMMENT: The broad standards for a more ambitious market are now in place. But without a steady flow of investment, this progress will remain largely on paper.
Common low-grade clay strengthens low-carbon concrete
5 Jun 2025
Media release | Engineers at RMIT University have converted low-grade clay into a high-performance cement supplement, opening a potential new market in sustainable construction materials.
Cuts to climate finance put exports in jeopardy: Lawyers
23 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has halved international climate finance, a move aid organisations describe as “devastating,” and which lawyers say could put our Paris Agreement commitments and export market access at risk.
Legal experts sue Climate minister over ‘glaring holes’ in climate plan
Wed 11 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | Legal experts are taking the government to court over its Emissions Reduction Plan, alleging it fails to fulfil basic requirements of the law – with one of the arguments focussing on an over-reliance on tree-planting.
Electric firebricks: decarbonising high-temperature industrial heat
Fri 13 Jun 2025
By Ian Mason | A new technology could offer a more cost-effective solution than hydrogen to decarbonise one ‘hard-to-abate’ sector of New Zealand’s economy, as well as having ample potential for demand response as the electricity grid becomes more renewable.
Govt budgets $200m for would-be gas investors
23 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | Energy Resources Aotearoa has welcomed the government's plan to co-invest $200 million in fossil gas expansion, while environmental and climate groups have reacted with horror.
Extreme ocean warming engulfed South-West Pacific in 2024
6 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Unprecedented ocean warming engulfed the South-West Pacific in 2024, with extreme heat and rainfall causing deadly and devastating impacts and sea level rise threatening entire islands.
Government undermines regional powers to protect coastal biodiversity
Today 10:45am
Media Release | The Environmental Defence Society opposes the Government’s decision to press ahead with amendments to the Resource Management Act that severely curtail the ability of regional councils to manage the impacts of fishing on coastal marine biodiversity.
UN University report warns against carbon credits from REDD, tree planting, and improved forest management
Fri 13 Jun 2025
But the report stops short of recommending banning the trade in carbon temporarily stored in trees.
Labor accused of ‘gaslighting’ Australians on climate crisis as fossil fuel projects keep getting approved
9 Jun 2025
‘They offer sympathy and then just go and approve massive fossil fuel projects anyway,’ one advocate says.
Watts talks big on energy reform, but barriers persist
29 May 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Energy and Climate Change minister Simon Watts says the government is doubling down on efforts to boost renewable energy generation, streamline regulation, and drive private sector investment as New Zealand faces mounting energy security and affordability challenges.
Electrification challenge for politicians, regulators
27 May 2025
Rewiring Aotearoa is calling for stronger political leadership to bring its vision of a cheaper, cleaner and stronger energy system to life, with the launch of its policy manifesto today.
As methane climate impacts soar, NGOs, scientists, and advocates launch campaign to 'pull the methane emergency brake'
Fri 13 Jun 2025
Media release | International NGOs, scientists, and climate advocates are launching a global campaign calling for deep, rapid, mandatory cuts in methane emissions as the best way to lower near-term global temperature rise.
Govt uses climate change as ‘Trojan horse’ for other objectives
Tue 10 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Waitangi Tribunal has heard that the New Zealand Government’s international trade and investment agreements are failing to meet Tiriti o Waitangi obligations in the context of climate change – prioritising commercial interests while sidelining Māori rights and worldviews.
Methanex closure comes early this year
14 May 2025
The almost-now-annual closure of Methanex has come earlier this year, giving more confidence that the electricity system will get through the winter without a fuel shortfall.
What happened to the hydrogen economy?
3 Jun 2025
The hydrogen car that was supposed to carry us into a cleaner future is still not in the driveway. In fact, outside of a few test markets, it’s not in anyone’s driveway.
Climate change could drive surge in foreclosures and lender losses, new study finds
22 May 2025
Extreme weather linked to climate change could spell financial ruin for many American homeowners and lead to billions in losses for lenders, a new study finds.
Will NZ walk away from the Paris Agreement?
20 Dec 2024
By Geoff Bertram | COMMENT: Unless the government can find very cheap offshore mitigation, the temptation to walk away from its Paris Agreement obligations may well be too strong to resist for a coalition government focused on fiscal austerity.
Energy Australia apologises to 400,000 customers and settles greenwashing legal action
22 May 2025
Energy retailer says carbon offsetting ‘not the most effective way’ to reduce emissions.
Could ‘orange’ hydrogen be NZ’s key to net-zero?
30 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand could be sitting on resources for a thriving multi-billion-dollar, low-carbon hydrogen economy, which might even be capable of creating a net reduction of carbon dioxide, according to scientists.
Carbon News launches price index
24 Jun 2024
Today’s issue is the first to feature Carbon News’ own carbon price index for secondary market spot prices for NZUs on New Zealand’s compliance market.
Tribunal asked to halt seabed mine fast-track
Today 10:45am
By Craig Ashworth, Local Democracy Reporter | South Taranaki hapū want the Waitangi Tribunal to halt a fast-track bid to mine the seabed off Pātea.
Foresters baulk at restrictions, land ballots
Wed 11 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | Forestry groups say that new legislation will introduce further uncertainty for planting plans and poses a threat to climate targets.
Ocean current ‘collapse’ could trigger ‘profound cooling’ in northern Europe – even with global warming
Fri 13 Jun 2025
A “collapse” of key Atlantic ocean currents would cause winter temperatures to plunge across northern Europe, overriding the warming driven by human activity.
Fight over coal mine heats up
30 May 2025
Forest & Bird is calling on the government to create a new scientific reserve covering the Denniston Plateau on the West Coast, which would stop a fast-tracked coal mine.
Microplastics found in sand on dozens of NZ beaches
4 Jun 2025
Scientists have extracted microplastics from the sand of 22 beaches from the Far North to Banks Peninsula.
Legislation introduced to restrict farm-to-forest conversions
Tue 10 Jun 2025
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has today introduced a bill to Parliament that he says will put a stop to large-scale farm-to-forestry conversions.
Israel deports activist Greta Thunberg after military seized Gaza Freedom Flotilla ship
Thu 12 Jun 2025
Israel deported activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday, the country's Foreign Ministry said, a day after the Gaza-bound ship she was on with 11 other people was seized by the Israeli military.
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.
Could Queenstown become the world’s most electric city?
Wed 11 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Queenstown is set to become the focus of an ambitious initiative aiming to transform it into the world’s most electrified destination.
Climate progress slowing, says Auckland councillor
5 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The devastating cyclone that tore through Tāmaki Makaurau in 2023 left behind more than just broken infrastructure, sparking calls to focus on facts over ideology in the fight against climate change.
Green budget 'ludicrous la-la land' – govt
15 May 2025
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the budget was "clown show economics" and an "absolute circus".
Biochar's negative emissions tech coming to Fieldays
6 Jun 2025
Biochar Network New Zealand will showcase its negative emissions technology biochar at this year's Forestry Hub at Fieldays 2025.
United Nations carbon market rules agreed but concerns remain
25 Nov 2024
New carbon market rules agreed at the fractious UN climate summit will be a relief to New Zealand and Singapore, who were leading the negotiations, but concerns about greenwashing and disadvantaging nature-based solutions remain.
“It’s not the car – it’s how we move” – EECA
3 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams| New Zealand’s transport emissions conversation has focused heavily on electric vehicles – but Richard Briggs, group manager, delivery and partnerships at the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, says we’re asking the wrong question.
Rapid action vital following UN Ocean Conference – experts
Thu 12 Jun 2025
New Zealand-based experts are calling for rapid and transformative action to restore nature - and our relationship with it - at the third UN Ocean Conference in France this week.
Waste Levy risks becoming ‘slush fund’ under proposed changes – Commissioner
5 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Proposed changes to New Zealand's waste legislation risk undermining public trust in the waste levy scheme, according to Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton.
Govt's RMA overhaul sparks fears for nature and climate
30 May 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has opened public consultation on the biggest overhaul of environmental planning rules in New Zealand’s history, with critics warning it puts nature and climate at risk in favour of fast-tracked development and industry expansion.
Tropical forest loss hit new heights in 2024; fire a major driver in Latin America
23 May 2025
Tropical forest loss skyrocketed in 2024, with vast swaths of primary forest consumed by fire, according to new satellite data.
For the first time, China invests more in wind and solar than coal overseas
29 May 2025
China’s Belt and Road Initiative, long derided for its heavy carbon footprint, was dominated by wind and solar power projects for the first time from 2022 to 2023, according to a new analysis. But coal plants financed in earlier years are still coming online.
