Topics tagged with 'Politics'
Macron’s win is good news for climate
27 Apr 2022
The French president had to redouble his commitments to fighting climate change as he courted the left-wing vote, but his efforts could be thwarted if he fails to win a parliamentary majority in June.
Aussie climate change war erupts as MP declares net zero ‘dead’
27 Apr 2022
Australian prime minister Scott Morrison is facing divisions over climate change with Queensland senator Matt Canavan declaring net zero by 2050 is “dead”.
African economies risk suffocation by 'shock' carbon tax
22 Apr 2022
The climate is surely one area where the European Union and African Union should be in step with one another. Curbing global warming and agreeing how to produce clean power would help keep more of the world habitable and prosperous.
Singapore and NZ agree to tackle “existential threat” of climate change
20 Apr 2022
New Zealand and Singapore have agreed to collaborate on a raft of initiatives aimed at tackling the "existential threat" of climate change.
Climate wars enter Aussie election campaign
20 Apr 2022
If you thought Australia's infamous "climate wars" were staying out of the election campaign, think again.
Macron uses climate change to attack Le Pen
19 Apr 2022
In a bid to woo left-wing voters for the final round of the French presidential election, Emmanuel Macron on Saturday slammed his far-right opponent Marine Le Pen as a “climate skeptic” and trumpeted his own plans to build a green economy.
Climate change looms large in US treaty talks in the Pacific
13 Apr 2022
At least one Pacific nation wants funding to help with climate change resiliency as the U.S. renegotiates three critical security treaties ahead of a looming deadline next year.
Meet a climate scientist who just risked arrest to save the planet
13 Apr 2022
On a typical day, Peter Kalmus goes to work at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory near Los Angeles, where he studies biological systems and climate change
Covid stalls NZ's GHG emissions
12 Apr 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic has achieved what politicians have failed to do for decades: stall the growth in New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions.
This is Australia's climate change election
12 Apr 2022
It is not just the Pacific region angered by Prime Minister Morrison’s unchanged coal-loving stance. Next month, he will have to answer to the Australian electorate on this critical issue.
$1.5 billion urgently needed for flood protection: local government group
7 Apr 2022
Te Uru Kahika - Regional and Unitary Councils Aotearoa’s Chief Executive Officers Group is calling on the government to commit $1.5 billion over the next decade for flood protection.
EU Commission lays out plan to become climate neutral by 2030
7 Apr 2022
The European Commission unveiled plans to cut its own greenhouse gas emissions by 60% before the end of the decade, saying the remainder will be compensated with carbon removals
New Zealand’s 150 million tonne carbon headache
6 Apr 2022
How to best reduce New Zealand’s stockpile of more than 150 million carbon credits is one of the conundrums being worked through by the Climate Change Commission as it prepares its recommendations to government on future unit limits and price controls.
Chile's new constitution likely to enshrine rights of nature
5 Apr 2022
Chile’s constitutional convention, underway in Santiago since July 4, 2021, is the first time a country has re-written its foundational document in the wake of the Paris Agreement and comes as the world reckons with three interconnected environmental crises: climate change, biodiversity loss and toxic pollution
ACT takes aim at National's climate policies
4 Apr 2022
The ACT Party is using National's recruitment of the NZ Initiative's former senior economist and leading proponent of the "leave it to the ETS" school of thought, Matt Burgess, to criticise the opposition party's climate policies.
Government to set up advisory group on decarbonising aviation
1 Apr 2022
The New Zealand government is set to follow the UK’s example and set up a public – private advisory body focussed on decarbonising aviation.
Aotearoa and Fiji commit to combatting climate change
30 Mar 2022
Fiji prime minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama and New Zealand minister of foreign affairs Nanaia Mahuta yesterday signed a document pledging their countries to combatting climate change.
Canada lays out C$9.1 billion roadmap to meet 2030 climate targets
30 Mar 2022
Canada released its first real roadmap to meeting 2030 climate targets on Tuesday, laying out detailed plans and C$9.1 billion in new spending to cut planet-warming carbon emissions after years failing to meet its goals.
Windfarm upgrade on path to fast-tracked consent process
29 Mar 2022
Environment minister David Parker has accepted NZ Windfarms' application to refer the Te Rere Hau wind farm repowering project to an expert consenting panel for consideration under the COVID-19 Recovery Fast-track Consenting Act (FTCA).
Germany’s new government had big plans on climate, then Russia invaded Ukraine
28 Mar 2022
Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has made Germany’s reliance on Russian oil and gas untenable, and led the center-left government of Chancellor Olav Scholz to accelerate the transition to clean energy.
White House office seeks public opinion on crypto-climate implications
28 Mar 2022
The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), an Executive Office of the President of the United States, commenced a study to identify the scope for offsetting energy use and climate changes related to digital assets.
Minister responds to PCE hydrogen letter
25 Mar 2022
Minister for the environment Megan Woods has thanked the parliamentary commissioner for the environment, Simon Upton, for his letter highlighting concerns about the development of a green hydrogen industry but says the government sees real potential for the gas in New Zealand's energy mix.
Taihoa on hydrogen plans: Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment
24 Mar 2022
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton, has warned the government that the opportunity costs of developing a green hydrogen industry are likely to outweigh the benefits.
Appeal Court allows White House to calculate social cost of carbon
24 Mar 2022
The Biden administration’s climate plans have one less constraint after a 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling stayed a Louisiana District Court’s order preventing agencies from considering the social cost of carbon.
Putin’s climate envoy Anatoly Chubais quits
24 Mar 2022
Anatoly Chubais, the architect of Russia's market reforms in the 1990s and President Vladimir Putin's climate envoy, has quit his post, becoming the highest-ranking official to stand down following the invasion of Ukraine.
No carless days on horizon
23 Mar 2022
Minister of energy Megan Woods has ruled out an International Energy Agency (IEA) proposal for car free Sundays.
Proposed SEC climate rules sparks fight over indirect emissions
23 Mar 2022
THE US Securities and Exchange Commission broke new ground yesterday when it unveiled a 510-page rulebook that, if finalized, would force companies to provide investors with more information to help them better account for the economic realities of a warming world.
South Korea commits to slashing emissions
23 Mar 2022
South Korea has passed the Carbon Neutrality Act which commits the country to cutting emissions to 40% of those in 2018 by 2030.
The U.S. may force companies to disclose climate risks
21 Mar 2022
How much do companies contribute to climate change and how are they impacted by it? Those questions are at the heart of a major announcement expected today from the Securities and Exchange Commission.
UN report to lay out options to halt climate crisis
21 Mar 2022
Nearly 200 nations gather today to confront a question that will outlive Russia's invasion of Ukraine: how do we stop carbon pollution overheating the planet and threatening life as we know it?
Discounting our grandchildren’s wellbeing
18 Mar 2022
New Zealand’s current approach to evaluating the long-term environmental impacts of investments is sacrificing the wellbeing of our grandchildren for the benefit of those alive today, a select committee heard this week.
Public consultation opens on climate-related disclosures
17 Mar 2022
The External Reporting Board (XRB) yesterday released part-two of the climate-related disclosure standards for public consultation.
French election campaign ignores ‘humanity’s greatest challenge’
17 Mar 2022
It’s a key preoccupation of the French and the greatest challenge to our planet – and yet the subject of climate change has all but vanished from France’s presidential campaign, sidelined by the war in Ukraine, a lack of media exposure, and candidates’ own reluctance to broach the subject.
Is the government sacrificing planetary gain to ease pump pain?
15 Mar 2022
If there’s a positive side to the skyrocketing price of fuel it’s that it will speed up the transition to a decarbonised transport sector, right? One of the country’s leading experts isn’t convinced petrol at $3 a litre was ever going to make much difference.
Back to the future: bottle drives on the horizon
14 Mar 2022
The government has announced plans for the reintroduction of a refundable deposit on drink containers – something not seen since the 1980s.
Morrison government blasted for 'bungling' eastern Australian flood disaster
14 Mar 2022
High-ranking former Australian emergency services chiefs have attacked the Morrison government for "bungling" the flood disaster still affecting communities along the nation's east coast.
NZ Green Investment Finance confident it’s not funding muscle cars
9 Mar 2022
The chief executive of the NZ Green Investment Finance told the Finance and Infrastructure Committee, this morning, that the green bank had sufficient safeguards in place to ensure it didn’t end up funding muscle cars instead of EVs.
Time will tell whether lawyers had a knockout blow in climate case
8 Mar 2022
If there’s a cliché that defines how New Zealand likes to see itself on the world stage, it’s “punching above our weight”. A group of lawyers spent much of last week arguing that when it comes to climate change not only do we not punch above our weight we’ve cooked the books to relegate ourselves to the featherweight division.
Berlin to unleash €200 billion for climate protection until 2026
8 Mar 2022
The German government will funnel an extra €200 billion into climate protection, Finance Minister Christian Lindner said in a move widely considered a bid to pacify their Green coalition partners over increased military spending.
Tariffs on 290 environmentally beneficial goods flushed down the loo
4 Mar 2022
A 5% tariff on composting toilets is one of more than 290 tariffs on environmentally beneficial goods flushed down the loo in the recently announced free trade agreement between the UK and New Zealand – but will it really make any difference?
Govt proposes excluding permanent exotic forests from ETS
3 Mar 2022
The government has released a discussion document that proposes removing exotic forests – such as pinus radiata – from being registered under the permanent post-1989 category of New Zealand’s Emission Trading Scheme
Police action against protesters delays climate court case
2 Mar 2022
The Climate Change Commission was set to begin its defence in the judicial hearing brought by Lawyers for Climate Action NZ this morning but the case was adjourned till this afternoon - presumably as a result of police attempts to clear the Covid-deniers currently occupying parliament grounds.
Electric milk tanker receives government grant
24 Feb 2022
Media Release - The country’s first electric milk tank tanker, a solar-panelled bus, electric off-road farm vehicles and new high powered EV charging stations are among projects to receive co-funding from the Government’s new-look Low Emission Transport Fund (LETF), the Minister of Energy and Resources Dr Megan Woods announced today.
Award-winning businessman calls on government to subsidise commuter e-bikes
22 Feb 2022
AN award-winning designer of carbon fibre e-bikes says the government should look at offering a rebate on the country’s most environmentally friendly form of electric transport in the same way its subsidising EVs.
Irish opposition demands scrapping of carbon tax increase to fight cost of living crisis
22 Feb 2022
Opposition party Sinn Féin will this week table a motion to scrap the increase in carbon tax scheduled for this spring in response to Ireland’s cost of living crisis.
Court ruling on social cost of carbon upends Biden’s climate plans
22 Feb 2022
A recent court ruling that bars the Biden administration from accounting for the real-world costs of climate change has created temporary chaos at federal agencies, upending everything from planned oil and gas lease sales to infrastructure spending.
Judge bars Biden from using "social cost of carbon" metric
15 Feb 2022
A Trump-appointed judge dealt another blow to Biden's climate agenda on Friday, barring the administration from using a metric that estimates the societal cost of carbon emissions.
Greenpeace International boss appointed as Germany's climate envoy
9 Feb 2022
Jennifer Morgan, who heads the environmental group Greenpeace International, is to become Germany's new climate envoy.
‘We need politicians and experts’: how Chile is putting the climate crisis first
8 Feb 2022
Hidden behind the Andes in a quiet corner of South America, a formidable generation of former student leaders are putting together one of the world’s most exciting progressive movements.
Road User Charge Act could be amended to take climate change into account
4 Feb 2022
The government is considering amending the Road User Charge Act to allow it to charge motorists for externalities – including climate change.
Politicians need to ‘get over themselves’ to reduce emissions
Fri 24 Jul 2026
New Zealand needs to face up to two big areas of climate emissions: transport and agriculture, says climate policy expert Bronwyn Hayward.
Greens promise to take forestry out of the ETS
Mon 27 Jul 2026
The Green Party launched its election manifesto at its AGM yesterday, promising action to reduce climate pollution and boost resilience, with an emphasis on Emissions Trading Scheme reform.
$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.
Media round-up
9 Jul 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: The Government re-wrote fast-track law after mining companies pushed for change; costs from inland flooding are expected to rise by up to 53% by 2075; and is there such a thing as a sustainable tourist?
National deer management strategy urgently needed to halt 'catastrophe' for native forests
Mon 27 Jul 2026
Scientists are calling for an urgent national deer management strategy, with deer numbers now at unsustainable levels and decimating native forests.
Biomass can free-up electrons to perform higher value roles – with multiple other benefits
Fri 24 Jul 2026
By Rob Mallinson | OPINION: New Zealand’s energy debate too often treats electricity as the universal solution.
Govt signs NZ up for carbon credit co-operation with Philippines
Today 12:00pm
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand has signed an agreement with the Philippines to establish a framework for Paris Agreement co-operation allowing offshore mitigation, including on Article 6 credits – despite the Coalition Government repeatedly telling the voting public they wouldn’t send “billions overseas”.
European wildfires may not be out for months, authorities warn, as flames rage near Bordeaux and Madrid
Today 12:00pm
President Macron said France's wildfire situation is toughest since WWII as higher temperatures loom again this week.
Red Stag boss questions $60m cement support as timber ETS reforms stall
Thu 23 Jul 2026
By Oli Lewis | The Government has granted $60 million to an emissions-intensive industry while dragging its feet on a proposal to allow firms making harvested wood products to earn carbon credits in the Emissions Trading Scheme, an industry leader says.
Coal is back in Australian Super’s portfolio. What happened to that net zero pledge?
13 Jul 2026
In 2020 Australia’s biggest super fund dumped its Whitehaven shares. Fast forward to 2026 and it is now the coalminer’s single biggest investor.
Politicians need to lead on climate: Carr
30 Jun 2026
As the election campaign heats up, former Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr has a list of actions he's hoping to see from our aspiring leaders, which includes confronting climate denial as well as refusing funds or policy advice from vested interests.
EMA pushes for steady hand on energy and regulation
13 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Employers and Manufacturers Association wants the next government to commit to a long-term energy plan and allow faster investment in renewable generation, at the same time as slowing the pace of policy change and providing businesses with greater certainty.
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.
Govt should bin draft voluntary market assurance and start again – expert
Fri 24 Jul 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government is consulting on its criteria for endorsing domestic nature and carbon markets, however market experts say the draft document falls short of what is needed to support trust in the market and stop low-integrity credits being sold.
Greens want one-year pause on AI datacentres
Today 12:00pm
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Datacentre opponents have welcomed the Greens' call to press pause on new operations, while others say the energy-hungry facilities will bring jobs to the regions.
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.
Every new UK home should have air conditioning, say Liberal Democrats
Today 12:00pm
All new UK homes should be built with air conditioning to cope with the effects of the climate crisis, according to the Liberal Democrats.
Tarakihi on verge of extinction: Stock collapse exposes major fisheries management failings
3 Jul 2026
Media release: Environmental Defence Society | Fisheries NZ is consulting on new sustainability measures for the country’s two tarakihi stocks.
Media round-up
Fri 24 Jul 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Labour leader Chris Hipkins floats the idea of a carbon border tax; two-way charging between the garage and the grid will slash power bills; and cost isn't everything when it comes to rooftop solar.
West Africa signs off $25bn mega gas-pipeline plan
Wed 22 Jul 2026
One of Africa's most ambitious energy infrastructure projects has finally been signed off at the highest level, with West African leaders formally endorsing the long-awaited Nigeria-Morocco Atlantic Gas Pipeline.
$3m Govt boost for Tauranga geothermal energy
14 Jul 2026
By Liz Kivi | Resources Minister Shane Jones has announced a $3 million grant for the Gas to Geoheat Tauranga Geothermal System Project as part of the Government's plan to double geothermal energy by 2040.
Will new UK PM’s green measures at home cause climate finance pain overseas?
Thu 23 Jul 2026
Andy Burnham will cut bus fares and household electricity tax in a boost for UK climate action – but this will be funded partly by switching international climate finance from grants to loans.
The thriving coral reef that ‘defeated time’ in West Africa
Wed 22 Jul 2026
A 60-year mystery has been solved as researchers discover a coral ecosystem on the Benin-Togo continental shelf that is still teeming with marine life.
‘Master class in greenwash’ as Ottawa unveils CCS deal
20 Jul 2026
A multi-billion-dollar plan to transport and store greenhouse gas emissions from Canada’s emissions-intensive oil sands has received a major boost, even though the highly-touted deal between Ottawa, Alberta, and the five oil major sands companies will only capture a tiny fraction of the oil sands’ climate pollution.
Contact: New biodiversity goal may be 'highly problematic' for renewable projects
Fri 24 Jul 2026
By Oli Lewis | The goal of no net loss of indigenous biodiversity in the new resource management system may be highly problematic for renewable energy developments, Contact Energy says.
Groundbreaking steel startup cuts production time while slashing emissions
Mon 27 Jul 2026
Startup CullBeck has raised a record $20 million to commercialise its new ironmaking technology, which replaces coal with hydrogen to eliminate carbon emissions from one of the world's most emissions-intensive industries.
Climate change keeps adding to the list of uninsurable assets, Allianz executive says
Fri 24 Jul 2026
Extreme weather events — such as the heat wave that just hit Europe — are making more and more assets too risky to insure, according to a director at Europe’s largest primary insurer.
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.
TotalEnergies to appeal French court decision ordering it to adapt its business to climate change
Today 12:00pm
French oil major TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA), opens new tab will appeal a Paris court decision ordering it to bring its business in line with climate change goals.
NZ at risk of missing all its climate goals: Commission
Wed 22 Jul 2026
By Liz Kivi | Aotearoa New Zealand’s rate of emissions reduction needs to more than double, with progress stalling since 2024 after the Coalition Government took power, according to the latest report from the Climate Change Commission.
Planetary Facts dashboard aims to make environmental costs visible
15 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Consumers can now compare the environmental impacts of everyday products with a new online dashboard designed to do for sustainability what nutrition labels have long done for food.
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.
UN chief says fossil fuel industry must cut methane for warming “relief”
25 Jun 2026
UN chief António Guterres called for stronger action to cut emissions of planet-heating methane, taking aim at the fossil fuel industry’s practices and profits, and pointing to coal, oil and gas as the root of today’s climate and energy crises.
What’s next for Sams Creek after failed mining bid?
15 Jul 2026
Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | A controversial gold mining application at Sams Creek has been declined, leaving question marks hanging over the future of the land.
European fish are adapting to climate change in unexpected ways
Today 12:00pm
As climate change reshapes marine habitats, scientists have discovered European fish aren’t just moving north to stay cool. Instead, they’re diving deeper into darker waters.
Panama Canal braces for El Niño, announcing first transit restrictions
Fri 24 Jul 2026
The probability of a severe El Nino has risen from 25% to 81% and the Panama Canal is preparing to restrict transits.
NZ First promises $1 billion for offshore oil and gas
20 Jul 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand First wants to “drill baby drill,” and has made an election campaign promise of $1 billion to survey New Zealand’s offshore basins to extract oil and gas, in an announcement at the party’s campaign launch on Sunday.
‘I can’t work in the farce of climate change cruise tourism anymore’: why Antarctic guides quit their dream jobs
Wed 22 Jul 2026
“You’d see massive glacier calvings, and you’d just want to cry. But all the guests would be cheering. And you’d be like … ‘can you not put two and two together?’”
UN plastics pact talks restart amid fears production curbs will be left out
2 Jul 2026
Diplomats reconvene a year after negotiations collapsed, but campaigners fear the agenda risks burying tricky discussions on key elements.
Greens bill aims to keep supermarket food out of landfill
Mon 27 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Green Party has introduced a member's bill that would require New Zealand's largest supermarkets to donate edible surplus food to food rescue organisations instead of sending it to landfill, saying the move would reduce waste, cut emissions and help tackle food insecurity.
Northern Thai residents march for action on polluted rivers. ‘This is an emergency’
9 Jun 2026
More than 600 residents of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces embarked May 31 on a roughly 68-kilometer, six-day ‘peace walk’ to demand the Thai government take action on the river pollution crisis that has seen Thai rivers polluted with heavy metals.
Swarbrick slams $50m critical minerals funding as 'Trump's war machine' subsidy
7 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Green Party has criticised the Government's investment into two West Coast critical minerals projects, claiming the funding could ultimately support the United States defence industry rather than New Zealand's clean energy transition, while Shane Jones dismissed opponents as "flat earth idiots".
China solar exports to South, Southeast Asia and Africa rise despite post-rebate slump
Wed 22 Jul 2026
China's solar exports to Southeast and South Asia as well as Africa rose year-over-year in June, customs data showed on Monday, though overall solar exports slipped for a second month after China removed an export tax rebate.
Resource management Bills 'not yet ready to be enacted', says Upton
Wed 22 Jul 2026
By Oli Lewis | The two Bills to replace the Resource Management Act are not ready to be enacted and there is no way of knowing how they will affect the environment, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment says.
Turning waste into climate-resilient soils for communities
Fri 24 Jul 2026
Media release: University of Canterbury | Christchurch’s Red Zone is being used as a test bed to see whether biological wastes (biowastes) can help transform contaminated soil into climate-resilient soil.
Green Party takes ‘electric election’ up a notch
21 Jul 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party is promising to cut power bills and establish a publicly owned company, ‘Kiwipower,’ to deliver affordable renewable energy.
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.
Big tech joins big oil in ruining summer
20 Jul 2026
The industry has abandoned its climate pledges in favor of fossil fuel-powered AI data centers.
'Shocking' changes to RMA replacement further weakens environmental protections –EDS
21 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The select committee's report back on bills to replace the Resource Management Act fails to address the Environmental Defence Society's "massive concerns" with the legislation.
How e-scooter company Lime cut its supply chain emissions
Fri 24 Jul 2026
The company’s latest sustainability report, shared exclusively with Heatmap, shows that carbon intensity per kilometer traveled has dropped 81% since 2019.
Experts call on Govt to withdraw ‘repugnant’ legislation to block climate lawsuits
13 Jul 2026
By Liz Kivi | Lawyers and climate policy experts are calling on the Government to withdraw legislation intended to block climate lawsuits, with an adaptation expert arguing that the legislation could worsen the insurance protection gap.
New funding round opens for Auckland zero waste projects – $500k available
Fri 24 Jul 2026
Media release | Auckland Council is inviting applications for the 2026 Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund (WMIF) with $500,000 available to support projects that reduce waste and increase recycling and reuse to help achieve Auckland’s goal of zero waste by 2040.
Calls for stronger protection of drinking water sources
Today 12:00pm
A new report has highlighted growing risks to New Zealand's drinking water supplies, with Water New Zealand warning stronger protection of source water is needed as almost half of all drinking water consents come up for renewal over the next decade.
The dangerous climate driving California’s wildfires — and a warning for Australia
Today 12:00pm
California’s escalating fires reveal how heat, drought and wind are converging to create mega-blazes — and foreshadow similar risks for an El Niño–primed Australia.
Faster consenting, harder trade-offs
7 Jul 2026
Faster consenting is starting to produce results, but this week's decisions show speed has not removed the harder trade-offs around electricity security, conservation, ecology and climate liability.
