Topics tagged with 'Science'
Australia could phase out coal in a decade
10 Sep 2021
With coal prices reaching all time highs, professor economics John Quiggan argues its time for the lucky country to commit to phasing out coal within the next decade.
Harmonizing green incentives
10 Sep 2021
Thomas Pogge is an academic philosopher with a practical bent. His idea of a health impact fund was a practical solution to incentivise the development of drugs that would benefit those in poor countries. Now he's proposing a scheme tackle the problems of banks investing in fossil fuels in the developing world.
Fossil fuels must remain in ground to avoid missing Paris target
9 Sep 2021
A new study in Nature reports that oil, gas and coal production must begin falling immediately to have even a 50 percent chance of keeping global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Digital twins key to creating net-zero cities
9 Sep 2021
Digital twins of buildings and cities could become an essential tool in the battle against climate change, according to technology experts.
Around 10% of science grants go to climate related research
8 Sep 2021
In the midst of a self-declared climate emergency the government has committed around 10% of this year’s Endeavour Fund to projects tackling climate change.
Can land as carbon sink save us?
8 Sep 2021
Land-based climate mitigation and adaptation is fast becoming a central theme in the response to the climate crisis.
Carbon capture—dream or nightmare—could be coming. Or not.
8 Sep 2021
In early September, at an industrial facility located about 25 miles southeast of Reykjavik, Iceland, the Swiss company Climeworks will mark the opening of a new project named “Orca.”
Over 200 health journals urge world leaders to tackle “catastrophic harm”
7 Sep 2021
More than 200 health journals have called on governments to take emergency action to tackle the “catastrophic harm to health” from climate change.
Recalculating the social cost of carbon
7 Sep 2021
The social cost of carbon dioxide is one of the most influential indicators of climate change as it allows us to estimate the cost of greenhouse gas emissions to humanity.
Cataract surgery top target for reducing emissions in health care
6 Sep 2021
But Dr Jesse Gale, a Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Otago, Wellington, says reducing the carbon emissions of our most commonly-performed surgical procedure could also aid in the fight against climate change.
One billion kids at risk from climate change
6 Sep 2021
The #FridaysforFuture movement exploded in late 2018 after the now-famed teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg began a protest outside of the Swedish parliament. Her actions sparked global protests from children and young adults worldwide, telling adults that there was no point in attending school when their futures were in danger.
It's possible to both eradicate poverty and meet climate goals: study
6 Sep 2021
A new study has shown it's possible to both eradicate poverty and cut greenhouse gas emissions to the extent necessary to stay within 1.5 degrees of warming.
Climate change is threatening Komodo dragons
6 Sep 2021
Scaly and with forked tongues, Komodo dragons are the largest lizards to still walk the Earth. But their days here may be numbered because of climate change a new report claims.
Air quality improvements from COVID lockdowns confirmed
6 Sep 2021
Media Release - COVID-19 lockdowns brought rapid and “unprecedented” improvements in air quality in some parts of the world - but not enough to halt climate change caused by global warming, UN weather experts said on Friday.
Decaying forest wood releases 10.9 billion tonnes of carbon annually
3 Sep 2021
If you’ve wandered through a forest, you’ve probably dodged dead, rotting branches or stumps scattered on the ground. This is “deadwood”, and it plays several vital roles in forest ecosystems
UN says weather disasters becoming more frequent and costly
2 Sep 2021
The number of disasters, such as floods and heatwaves, driven by climate change have increased fivefold over the past 50 years, killing more than 2 million people and costing $3.64 trillion in total losses, a U.N. agency said yesterday.
Almost a third of world’s tree species face extinction: report
2 Sep 2021
Almost a third of the world’s tree species are at risk of extinction, while hundreds are on the brink of being wiped out, according to a new report.
Public confused by climate jargon
2 Sep 2021
If you’ve ever furrowed your brow trying to remember what “mitigation” meant, you’re not alone, a new study has found.
Forced farm buy outs mooted in Netherlands
31 Aug 2021
One solution to reduce the Netherlands’ nitrogen compound emissions would be for the state to buy out farmers, according to experts.
Is deep-sea mining a cure for the climate crisis or a curse?
30 Aug 2021
Trillions of metallic nodules on the sea floor could help stop global heating, but mining them may damage ocean ecology, the Observer's Robin McKie reports.
Has methane-free vegan icecream arrived?
30 Aug 2021
Nothing hits quite so good as a cone full of ice cream on a sweltering summer day. Alas, that single serving of classic vanilla may cool you off, but it has the exact opposite effect on the Earth. The dairy industry accounts for a massive 3.5 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions, and the US's 8.8 million cows are a huge source of the planet-warming gas methane.
Africa's mountain forests store more carbon than previously thought
27 Aug 2021
Tropical forests may be local to the tropics, yet they all have global benefits. In addition to serving as refuges of the planet’s stunning, if shrinking, biodiversity, these forests store large amounts of carbon, which helps offset our emissions and mitigate climate change.
Global greenhouse gas levels were highest ever in 2020
26 Aug 2021
Any hopes that pandemic lockdowns dented the build up of greenhouse gases have been dashed as a new report confirmed that global levels reached their highest on record in 2020.
Australia bushfires of 2020 had cooling effect on climate
26 Aug 2021
Wildfires are getting so big, and wildfire seasons are lasting so long, that they’re now impacting the earth’s climate.
Is climate change to blame for extreme weather events?
26 Aug 2021
For years climate scientists warned against attributing single weather events to climate change. That's been changing lately. An expert in weather attribution Xubin Zeng, a professor of atmospheric sciences, provides an overview of the changing science of climate change attribution in this piece for The Conversation.
Experts clash over cost of carbon
25 Aug 2021
An academic debate over a key metric for greenhouse gases is heating up, just as a high-profile courtroom battle is scheduled to begin.
Europe's extreme rains made more likely by humans
25 Aug 2021
The heavy rainfall behind deadly flooding in Europe in July was made more likely by climate change, scientists say.
Carbon dividends: a win-win for people and climate
24 Aug 2021
Putting a price on emissions and sending the proceeds to the public is a sound environmental and economic strategy, writes James K. Boyce in the Scientific American.
Climate change will lead to changes in crop diseases
24 Aug 2021
A new study that looked at climate change models has predicted that with rising temperatures, the burden of crop diseases will increase in some parts of the world and fall in others.
Reforestration fails to make up for Amazon's destruction
23 Aug 2021
Driven largely by the expansion of farm land to meet increasing global demand for products such as soya bean, over 810,000 km² of forest in the Amazon has been cleared – an area nearly as big as Norway and Sweden combined.
The soaring carbon footprint of wildfires
20 Aug 2021
Devastating wildfires that have ravaged parts of the northern hemisphere this summer have released soaring amounts of carbon, EU data shows.
CFC ban bought us time to fight climate change: scientists
19 Aug 2021
A worldwide ban on ozone-depleting chemicals in 1987 has averted a climate catastrophe today, scientists say.
Waste material from bauxite mining helps create climate-friendly cement
19 Aug 2021
A climate-friendly cement has been developed that produces up to two-thirds fewer carbon emissions during its production than conventional cement.
Climate change will reduce the cooling effect of volcanoes
17 Aug 2021
Climate change will transform the cooling effects of volcanic eruptions, according to researchers at the University of Cambridge and the UK Met Office.
NZ could be at forefront of blue carbon market: report
16 Aug 2021
Government support is needed if New Zealand is to position itself at the forefront of an emerging market in seaweed-based environmental services including ‘blue carbon’, a report released today says.
July Earth's hottest month on record
16 Aug 2021
Earth sizzled in July and became the hottest month in 142 years of record keeping, United States weather officials have announced.
“Blue” hydrogen is worse for the climate than coal
16 Aug 2021
Gas companies and utilities are in a pickle. Their entire business model relies on the extraction, transport, and combustion of methane, one of the most potent greenhouse gases known to humankind. With many countries aiming to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, these companies face an uncertain future.
Sicily may have recorded highest ever European temp - 48.8C
13 Aug 2021
UN weather experts said on Thursday that they’re “actively looking” into a possible record temperature for Continental Europe of 48.8 Celsius near the town of Syracuse in Sicily, amid devastating wildfires in Mediterranean countries and Russia.
Three things we must do now to stabilise the planet
13 Aug 2021
David King and Jane Lichtenstein of the Cambridge Centre for Climate Repair outline the three urgent actions that need to be taken to stabilise the planet in this piece from The Conversation.
The IPCC understated need for methane emission cuts: experts
13 Aug 2021
The IPCC missed a key opportunity to underscore the urgent need for rapid reductions in emissions of methane and other short-lived climate pollutants in the roll out of a seminal report on the science of climate change on Monday, climate experts say.
Carbon budget will exhaust in 10 years at current emission levels: IPCC report
12 Aug 2021
The first installment of the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has provided an updated estimate of the carbon budget — the maximum amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that can be emitted while still having a chance to limit warming to 1.5°C or 2°C.
The IPCC environmental warning India cannot ignore
11 Aug 2021
If the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report was just about rushing countries to cut their carbon emissions to avoid a climate catastrophe, India could perhaps afford to look the other way.
Mother of all climate science reports
10 Aug 2021
It’s here, it’s intensifying, and if the world doesn’t act now, we’re fucked. That in a nutshell is the message of the most comprehensive scientific report on climate change in years.
Pacific Island nations could be lost within the century
10 Aug 2021
Global heating above 1.5C will be “catastrophic” for Pacific island nations and could lead to the loss of entire countries due to sea level rise within the century, experts have warned.
Worst polluting countries must make drastic carbon cuts: Cop26 chief
10 Aug 2021
The world’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases must produce clear plans to cut their carbon output drastically, the president of vital UN climate talks has urged, after scientists warned there was only a small chance of escaping the worst ravages of climate breakdown.
IPCC interactive atlas provides a glimpse into possible futures
10 Aug 2021
An IPCC interactive atlas lets you see what kind of climate impacts—like floods, drought, or heat—will happen in your region, depending on how fast we cut greenhouse gas emissions.
'Final warning': US lawmakers
10 Aug 2021
Lawmakers and top climate officials in President Joe Biden's administration sounded the alarm on Monday in response to a new report from the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, urging nations to swiftly limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
An insider's view on why tonight's IPCC report is a big deal
9 Aug 2021
An extremely important report on the physical science of climate change will be released to the world tonight (8pm NZ time). CSIRO chief research scientist David Karoly explains why it's such a big deal.
Global warming could lead to some countries freezing
9 Aug 2021
A large system of ocean currents in the Atlantic – which includes the Gulf Stream – has been disrupted due to human-caused climate change, scientists reported in a new study published last week. If that system collapses, it would lead to dramatic changes in worldwide weather patterns.
How can artificial intelligence help fight climate change?
9 Aug 2021
Algorithmic machine learning systems are being lauded as an 'integral' part of the new clean energy economy, but critics see them as an energy-intensive distraction.
Govt weakens climate legislation, strips CCC’s powers
Today 12:00pm
By Liz Kivi | The Government has announced sweeping changes to key climate legislation, including stripping the independent Climate Change Commission of one of its core roles, and removing the requirement that Emissions Trading Scheme settings align with international climate targets.
Govt delays will damage carbon market confidence, experts warn
Tue 4 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | Emissions Trading Scheme experts have warned the Government that its move to delay decisions on the country’s emissions budgets will further undermine confidence in an already weak carbon market.
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.
Celebrities slam mining plans
28 Oct 2025
Actor Sam Neill has slammed plans for a gold mine in Otago, while Denniston Rose author Jenny Pattrick is backing a petition that would stop a coalmine on the West Coast.
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.
Another hit to market as Govt uncouples ETS from international climate target
Today 12:00pm
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s surprise move to break the connection between the Emissions Trading Scheme and New Zealand’s Paris Agreement climate target is a brutal hit to confidence in an already moribund market.
UNEP: New country climate plans ‘barely move needle’ on expected warming
Today 12:00pm
Executive director Inger Anderson made the comments as UNEP published its 16th annual assessment of the global “emissions gap”.
Carbon price drops, now trading 30% below auction floor
Mon 3 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | Secondary carbon market prices took a sharp downward turn last week, with traders blaming a continued lack of interest from buyers.
Scrutiny on energy security
Mon 3 Nov 2025
A special debate in Parliament put the Government’s energy security agenda under scrutiny, with parties splitting sharply over the role of gas, the place of an LNG import terminal, and how far to push market reform to ease pressure on power bills.
'Little to be hopeful about' – NZ scientists caution ahead of COP30
Fri 31 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Record heat, worsening climate impacts and global backsliding on emission reduction commitments have left some New Zealand climate experts with little optimism as COP30 approaches.
$235 billion worth of NZ buildings exposed to flooding
Thu 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.
Brazil opens three weeks of COP30-linked climate events
Tue 4 Nov 2025
Brazil on Monday opens three weeks of events linked to the COP30 climate summit, hoping to showcase a world still determined to tackle global warming
Hutt City Council slashes gas emissions
Mon 3 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Hutt City Council is set to cut its gas emissions by 60% by 2026 as it speeds up phasing out fossil fuels from public facilities.
From nuisance to crisis: New report on pest wasps In Aotearoa
24 Sep 2025
Media release: Moths and Butterflies NZ Trust | Just published is the Final Report of the Pest Wasps Survey carried out by the Moths and Butterflies of NZ Trust (MBNZT) offering a comprehensive look at New Zealanders’ awareness, experiences, and attitudes toward wasps and the growing ecological, health, and social issues associated with them.
Auckland Council toughens up on building in flood risk areas
Today 12:00pm
Media release: Auckland Council | From Monday 3 November 2025, stronger planning rules take effect in Auckland to better protect people and property from natural hazards.
NZ marine heatwaves could double in intensity under high-emissions pathway
16 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show marine heatwaves will grow more intense around the North Island and more frequent around the South Island as the climate warms – raising risks for fisheries, aquaculture, coastal ecosystems and tourism.
Media round-up
Fri 31 Oct 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: A controversial seabed mining project could lead to sediment flows knocking over rigs and damaging wind turbines; weather-related insurance claims climb; and is the government playing Russian Roulette with our future over methane targets?
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.”
Bank of England must better address climate risk to tackle inflation
Tue 4 Nov 2025
The central bank is being urged to take a series of actions to better respond to environmental risks.
No major banks have yet committed to stop funding new oil, gas and coal, research finds
24 Oct 2025
‘The objectives of the Paris agreement are slipping further out of reach,’ say researchers.
TotalEnergies loses in Paris court, marking a turning point for fossil fuel truth-in-advertising
Today 12:00pm
TotalEnergies was found to have misled consumers about its role in the energy transition.
Lake Onslow battery project set for revival?
29 Oct 2025
A newly formed private consortium has emerged with plans to finance and build the massive Lake Onslow pumped-hydro project, despite the coalition government’s decision to abandon the scheme.
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.
Vero warns losses to rise 26% by 2050 over extreme weather
29 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Extreme weather could drive a 19–26% spike in annual insurance losses by 2050, fuelled by rising seas and more intense flooding, according to Vero’s latest Climate-Related Disclosures Report.
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.
Z Energy settles greenwashing case over ‘quitting petrol’ claims
Tue 4 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Z Energy has settled a landmark greenwashing case over claims it misled the public about moving away from petrol – a result Lawyers for Climate Action NZ says delivers long-overdue accountability.
Nelson commuters urged to ditch car once a week
22 Oct 2025
By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | Nelson has a bold carbon emission reduction target and residents are being encouraged to leave the car at home one day a week to help meet it.
Supermarket fast-track a ‘cynical ploy’, risks climate and environmental protections
Today 12:00pm
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s “express lane for supermarkets” announcement has been met with fierce backlash, with critics calling the Fast-track Approvals Amendment Bill a Trojan horse that strips environmental protections, sidelines communities, and hands sweeping powers to ministers at the expense of democracy.
Boost for voluntary carbon markets in Watts’ surprise package
Today 12:00pm
By Pattrick Smellie | Voluntary carbon market development gets a solid push in the package of climate change legislative reforms dropped by Climate Change Minister Simon Watts early last evening.
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 impacts hit NZ with increasing wild weather
23 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand is facing a triple whammy of climate impacts today, with severe winds and rainfall predicted for much of the country while some areas are still dealing with wildfires ignited earlier in the week.
Carbon Finance Program upscales efforts to close climate investment gap in climate vulnerable nations
22 Oct 2025
Media release | The Climate Vulnerable Forum and its V20 Finance Ministers (CVF-V20) will work with the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) to upscale the Carbon Finance Program in reach and impact, supporting more climate-vulnerable countries to host high-integrity carbon projects that yield tangible climate, nature, and sustainable development benefits.
Lobby group launches ‘blueprint’ for ocean management reform
18 Sep 2025
The Environmental Defence Society yesterday released its plan to tackle widespread ecological decline in our oceans.
Judge says Greenpeace must pay $345 million in pipeline lawsuit, cutting jury amount nearly in half
Fri 31 Oct 2025
A North Dakota judge has ordered Greenpeace to pay damages of $345 million, reducing an earlier jury award after it found the environmental group and related entities liable for defamation and other claims in connection with protests of an oil pipeline nearly a decade ago.
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.
Here comes the sun: solar surge gathers pace
Tue 4 Nov 2025
More than $700 million of new solar investment advanced last week, underscoring the pace of the renewable buildout.
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.
Climate scientists and republican lawyers are taking aim at Big Tech’s emissions
17 Oct 2025
Technology companies have long been one of the biggest investors in clean energy, but new accounting rules could upend that.
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.
How ‘vehicle-to-grid’ technology could boost China’s electricity system
Fri 31 Oct 2025
China’s surging electric vehicles ownership – now exceeding 25.5m – is opening the door to a new technology that can help to enhance the flexibility of electricity supply.
Fix it, don't ditch it: University of Auckland hosts first Repair Cafe
9 Oct 2025
Media release - Auckland University | The University's first-ever Repair Cafe is bringing students and staff together to give broken items a new lease on life, while promoting a culture of repair and reuse.
Council buys dairy farm to help clean up Lake Rotorua
21 Oct 2025
Bay of Plenty Regional Council has bought a 266-hectare dairy farm in the Lake Rotorua catchment and plans to retire it from production to reduce nitrogen entering the lake.
Adaptation plan at odds with public sentiment: survey
21 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s position on climate adaptation buyouts shows a disconnect with public opinion, according to survey findings from insurer Suncorp NZ.
‘Damp squib’ – Govt energy plan slammed for locking in fossil fuels
2 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Critics across business, climate groups and the opposition say the Government’s electricity reforms duck structural change, double down on LNG and gas, and offer little relief for soaring power prices – warning of an “expensive white elephant", deeper energy poverty and a missed chance to scale renewables.
