Topics tagged with 'Science'
Antarctic expedition unearths clues to climate catastrophe
15 May 2025
Media release | Rocks from the coldest continent hold clues to an extinction event 183 million years ago.
Greens promise to rapidly reduce emissions in new Green Budget
14 May 2025
By Shannon Williams | The Green Party has unveiled its alternative Green Budget, promising bold investments to tackle the climate crisis and deliver cleaner air, water, and soil.
‘Serious’ game looks at coastal climate change
13 May 2025
Media release | A new online game that enables New Zealanders to experience a climate-changed future and explore choices has been launched this month to get 10,000 game-plays over the wettest time of the year.
New study reveals climate change is already impacting The Andes
12 May 2025
Media release | Seven nations sharing world’s longest mountain range already impacted by climate change.
Media round-up
9 May 2025
In our weekly round-up of climate coverage in local media: When climate resilience meets resident resistance in Auckland; atmospheric and marine heatwaves in and around New Zealand are increasing climate extremes; and seaweed's climate superpowers.
Real-world geoengineering experiments revealed by UK agency
9 May 2025
Trials will test ways to block sunlight and slow climate crisis that threatens to trigger catastrophic tipping points.
Scientists are reviving climate and nature research efforts in the wake of Trump cuts
9 May 2025
The National Climate Assessment and National Nature Assessment were set to offer a status check for the environment in the U.S. Then they were axed.
Concern at new science appointments
8 May 2025
The prime minister's appointment of John Roche as chief science advisor has received a mixed response, with some experts saying the government has made it obvious it doesn't value science.
AgriZeroNZ backs methane-cutting probiotic in first Australian investment
8 May 2025
Media release | AgriZeroNZ, the public-private partnership accelerating development of tools to help farmers cut emissions, is investing NZ$1.5 million in Bovotica, a pioneering Australian start-up aiming to reduce methane emissions from cattle and boost productivity.
Microplastics found in every layer of the ocean – study
7 May 2025
A new study by New Zealand and international researchers shows microplastics in every layer of the ocean - enough to change the chemical fingerprint of ocean carbon.
Scientific societies say they’ll step up after Trump puts key climate report in doubt
7 May 2025
Two major scientific societies on Friday said they will try to fill the void from the Trump administration’s dismissal of scientists writing a cornerstone federal report on what climate change is doing to the United States.
Carbon capture company wins $5m to scale up
6 May 2025
UNDO, founded by Jim Mann, won an Xprize competition offering cash prizes for projects that could combat climate change.
New research tests wastewater carbon capture potential
5 May 2025
Treating wastewater with alkaline minerals could potentially remove more than 18 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year, according to new research.
Climate effects of volcanoes beneath the waves
5 May 2025
Media release | Volcanoes erupting underwater have a distinctive effect on the climate that is larger and more widespread than previously thought, according to an international group led by University of Auckland and Tongan scientists.
UK project trials carbon capture at sea to help tackle climate change
1 May 2025
The world is betting heavily on carbon capture — a term that refers to various techniques to stop carbon pollution from being released during industrial processes, or removing existing carbon from the atmosphere, to then lock it up permanently.
Warm water affecting Antarctica’s largest ice shelf - new research
22 Apr 2025
While Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf is currently stable, new research shows warm water is reaching up to 170 kilometres under the front of the ice shelf.
Environmental summit to tackle costs of economic reform
14 Apr 2025
As the government pushes ahead with sweeping reforms to unlock economic growth, the upcoming Environmental Defence Society annual summit will ask a critical question: at what cost?
Trump’s actions are already having consequences for climate, especially for the IPCC - expert
11 Apr 2025
Leading climate scientist, Dr Kevin Trenberth, left the US and came home to New Zealand because of the rise of Donald Trump. In this comment piece, he writes that he is appalled in multiple ways by the so-called “war on science” unfolding through staff cuts and the president’s policy edicts.
Science data under duress
11 Apr 2025
Climate change and climate action are socially and politically divisive topics in many countries. In addition to contributing to political disparity, climate research is also affected by political context, with consequences not only for scientists but for society as well.
Experts back scepticism about carbon forestry
10 Apr 2025
Experts from around the country agree that the Environment Commissioner's 'Alt-F Reset' report is "incredibly timely" as the world faces unprecedented climate change.
Can the future of energy be affordable, secure and sustainable?
9 Apr 2025
Media release | Global experts are coming together to address the challenge of creating energy solutions that are both sustainable and achievable by 2050.
Are carrots threatened by climate change?
8 Apr 2025
Media release | The humble carrot is a staple in many diets worldwide, but it may soon be under threat as the effects of climate change intensify, impacting seed production and global food security.
Biofuels key to food security and shipping resilience for NZ
7 Apr 2025
By Shannon Williams | Aotearoa New Zealand's reliance on imported fossil fuels poses significant risks for food security and shipping resilience in the face of global catastrophes, according to experts speaking at a recent webinar on biofuel self-sufficiency.
Aspiring Materials opens critical minerals pilot production plant
4 Apr 2025
Cleantech startup Aspiring Materials opened a pilot processing plant for critical minerals in Ōtautahi Christchurch last week.
By zapping seawater with electricity, scientists make a solid carbon-negative building material
3 Apr 2025
In a double whammy, the method sucks up carbon dioxide and upcycles it into a material that can be used to make concrete, cement, plaster, and paint.
More than 1,900 scientists write letter in ‘SOS’ over Trump’s attacks on science
2 Apr 2025
Members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine warned Americans of ‘real danger in this moment’.
Giving rivers more room to move could benefit people and nature
26 Mar 2025
Media release | Giving rivers space to roam rather than increasing conventional flood infrastructure to control them would help keep human settlements safer in a changing climate while also supporting freshwater ecosystems, says University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha (UC) School of Biological Sciences Associate Professor Jonathan Tonkin.
'Profound' drop in oxygen in the world's lakes in past 20 years
24 Mar 2025
Media release | Globally, dissolved oxygen levels in lakes are dropping due to climate change and heatwaves, modeling suggests.
'Our world is melting'
20 Mar 2025
Signs of human-induced climate change reached new heights in 2024, with some of the consequences irreversible over hundreds if not thousands of years, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organisation.
Extreme atmospheric rivers could double in future climate
19 Mar 2025
Media release | New Zealand could face twice as many of the most extreme atmospheric rivers by the end of the century, according to new research by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research.
Trump officials decimate climate protections and consider axeing key greenhouse gas finding
14 Mar 2025
EPA takes aim at almost every major pollution rule in what environmentalists call act of 'malice toward the planet.'
The pot is already boiling for 2% of the world's amphibians
6 Mar 2025
Media release | Amphibians are increasingly vulnerable to global warming, according to new research.
Odds favour a warmer than usual autumn for parts of NZ
5 Mar 2025
Media release | Seasonal air temperatures are expected to be above average for the north and west of both the North and South Islands, according to NIWA's Season Climate Outlook for March-May 2025, with about equal chances for near average or above average seasonal temperatures for the east of the North Island and the east of the South Island.
NZ tops list of countries most at risk of urban fire in severe warming scenario
4 Mar 2025
New Zealand will be one of the countries worst affected by fires as a result of climate change, with fires expected to increase by over 40% by 2100 under extreme climate scenarios, according to new research.
Atlantic Ocean currents might withstand future warming
27 Feb 2025
Media release | The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) may be able to withstand future global warming and could avoid collapse, a modelling study presented in Nature suggests.
Carbon capture framework coming
24 Feb 2025
The government wants to bring carbon capture and storage into the Emissions Trading Scheme, with plans to introduce legislation for a Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage framework this year.
Harvesting fog?
24 Feb 2025
Media release | A field study spanning a year showed that water collected from fog could ease water scarcity.
Invasive pines triple seed supply to spread across Aotearoa
21 Feb 2025
Lodgepole pines, a major weed in Aotearoa, have three times more seeds here than in their native North America, according to new research.
Kiwi climate solutions up for Earthshot Prize
20 Feb 2025
An ocean remediation project, a predator-free blueprint, cleaner greenhouses, and a company recovering metals from waste are all New Zealand-based nominees for one of five NZD$1.9m Earthshot Prizes.
There isn't enough 'sustainable' aviation fuel to make a dent in our emissions - and there won't be for years
13 Feb 2025
Burning SAF actually emits a similar amount of CO2 to fossil jet fuel. Most emissions 'savings' come from how we account for the waste and renewable energy that is used to produce it.
As Trump administration purges climate data and web pages, research groups scramble to save information
13 Feb 2025
The Trump administration has directed federal agency staff to remove climate references and scientific data from many web pages. Researchers are rushing to archive it.
Researchers look to underground future for hydrogen
5 Feb 2025
Kiwi researchers are modelling the injection, storage and extraction of 10,000 tonnes of underground hydrogen at a natural gas storage site in Taranaki.
Hundreds of native species highly vulnerable to climate change
3 Feb 2025
Media release | A major assessment released by DOC shows many of New Zealand's native plants and animals are in for a rough time as climate change impacts increase.
Higher temperatures may result in 2.3m extra deaths in European cities by 2100
24 Jan 2025
Temperature-related deaths in European cities could increase by up to 50% to reach up to 2.3 million additional deaths by the end of the century if we fail to tackle climate change, warn international researchers.
Siloed thinking hindering solutions to climate, health, and food crises – report
19 Dec 2024
'Siloed thinking' is holding back solutions to biodiversity, human health, climate change, water, and food security, according to a new report.
Cuts to science funding will hurt climate response
12 Dec 2024
Scientists and academics have slammed the government’s “horrifying” decision to cut humanities and social science funding, with some saying it will hinder the country’s ability to combat climate change.
2024 is the hottest year on record, EU scientists say
10 Dec 2024
This year will be the world's warmest since records began, with extraordinarily high temperatures expected to persist into at least the first few months of 2025, European Union scientists said on Monday.
Scientists find huge trove of rare metals needed for clean energy hidden inside toxic coal waste
10 Dec 2024
Millions of tons of coal ash left over from burning the planet’s dirtiest fossil fuel are sitting in ponds and landfills, able to leach into waterways and pollute soil. But this toxic waste may also be a treasure trove for the rare earth elements needed to propel the world toward clean energy.
NZ wildlife among most vulnerable to climate-driven extinction
6 Dec 2024
New Zealand species are among the most vulnerable to extinction in a warming world, according to a global analysis of 30 years of research.
Scientists find link between temperature and carbon storage rates
4 Dec 2024
Media release | A huge global study has used teabags to measure carbon storage in wetlands.
Lobby group launches ‘blueprint’ for ocean management reform
Thu 18 Sep 2025
The Environmental Defence Society yesterday released its plan to tackle widespread ecological decline in our oceans.
Carbon price steady after failed quarterly auction
Tue 16 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | The carbon price has continued to trade in its familiar moribund range in the high $50s following last week’s failed quarterly auction, with ample supply still trading on the secondary market at about $10 below this year’s $68 auction floor.
NZ needs to be part of a regional SAF strategy: Z, Air NZ
9 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand needs to be part of a regional strategic approach to sourcing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with domestic production less the aim than ensuring access to the fuel from one of a number of strategically positioned bio-refineries around the world.
'Non-negotiable' – EU carbon pricing to hit Kiwi exporters, expert warns
11 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | High carbon exports will inevitably face a high carbon tax at the EU border, possibly in the next five years, and high methane agricultural products might not be exempt, an international expert told a local audience yesterday.
UK foreign aid for nature hits £800m record due to cash for carbon credits
Tue 16 Sep 2025
The UK’s climate-aid spending on “nature protection and restoration” reached record levels of nearly £800m last year, according to government figures obtained by Carbon Brief.
Air NZ declares surprisingly low SAF prices
3 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Air New Zealand is able to source sustainable aviation fuel at between 1.5 and 2.5 times the price of conventional fossil fuels used for flying, all sourced from the US.
No bidders front to carbon auction - again
10 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | Today’s quarterly carbon auction was a non-event yet again, making it the third consecutive auction this year with no bidders, with the secondary market price still limping along at nearly 20% below the auction floor.
IEA reiterates ‘no new oil and gas needed’ if global warming is limited to 1.5C
Thu 18 Sep 2025
The world would not need to invest in new oil and gas projects if demand for the fuels fell in line with the 1.5C limit on global warming, says the International Energy Agency.
'Atrocious' and 'bizarre': experts slam Act Party's climate policy
3 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Act Party is promising to challenge New Zealand’s Paris Agreement climate target, while the coalition Government’s other minor partner, NZ First, also says it wants to reevaluate the country’s commitment to the international treaty.
Industry struggles with double-digit power price hikes
Mon 15 Sep 2025
As power prices surge by double-digit amounts for the second year in a row, industrial users can’t keep absorbing cost increases, the Major Electricity Users’ Group says.
The merchants of doubt are back
3 Sep 2025
OPINION: If you don’t follow climate policy closely, you might not know that the Trump administration is launching an effort to overturn one of the most fundamental pillars of American climate policy.
Milestone for NZ Steel electrification
10 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | NZ Steel has passed an installation milestone for its new electric arc furnace, which will reduce emissions from the Glenbrook steel mill site by as much as one megatonne (1Mt) a year.
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.”
Watts not considering removing electricity from ETS
Tue 16 Sep 2025
Energy and Climate Change Minister, Simon Watts, says he is “not currently considering” removing electricity generation from the Emissions Trading Scheme, as proposed by NZ First Minister Shane Jones.
Gentailers told to behave as ministers weigh Frontier review
Wed 17 Sep 2025
The chief executives of Contact, Meridian, Mercury and Genesis met Energy and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts on Thursday for their regular monthly session.
Declining sea-ice is altering Antarctic food webs
11 Sep 2025
A new study shows a significant change in Antarctic phytoplankton over time that could cascade through the marine food web and affect the ocean’s capacity as a carbon sink.
Science cuts will hold back climate research
Wed 17 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | A crisis in government-backed science funding is worsening, with dire implications for climate research in New Zealand, according to experts from the scientific community.
Marginal drop in last year's regional emissions
27 Aug 2025
Regional greenhouse gas emissions were down slightly last year, with a fall in gas supply leading to a big drop in Taranaki, but more coal burnt leading to higher emissions in Waikato, according to new figures from Stats NZ
Indigenous forest 'islands' could help transition exotic plantations to native bush
11 Sep 2025
Native forest 'islands' within exotic plantations might be the key to transitioning plantations from exotic to Indigenous, according to new research.
Decline in global oil and gas field output accelerating, IEA says
Wed 17 Sep 2025
The decline in output from mature global oil and gas fields is accelerating amid greater reliance on shale and deep offshore resources.
A modest geothermal strategy
31 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The Government has unveiled a far more modest geothermal energy strategy than its primary backer, Resources Minister Shane Jones, had sought.
Why mega-polluters have little to fear from the European Central Bank and its new climate policy
12 Sep 2025
The European Central Bank plans to raise borrowing costs for climate offenders – but a new FTM analysis shows that big polluters such as Shell will barely feel it.
Media round-up
5 Sep 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: The great methane debate; law change scuppers legal challenge to irrigation scheme consent; and what are the energy and climate implications of the $7.5 billion Amazon Web Services data centre deal?
Coal imports up 650%
12 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams and Liz Kivi | Coal imports are up 650% as generators stockpile the most polluting fossil fuel ahead of next winter.
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.
Media round-up
29 Aug 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Changes to road user charges will increase New Zealand's emissions; Climate Change Minister Simon Watts promises better access to hazard data for homeowners; and Kiwis borrow over $1 billion in ‘green loans’ for heat pumps and electric cars.
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.
Young activists won a landmark state climate trial. Now they’re challenging Trump’s orders
Thu 18 Sep 2025
Young climate activists and their attorneys who won a landmark global warming trial against the state of Montana are trying to convince a federal judge to block President Donald Trump’s executive orders promoting fossil fuels.
Forest carbon stores massive blind spot - study
4 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Aotearoa New Zealand’s planted forests hold significant deep soil organic carbon — with over half of it stored below 30 cm, and much of it over 1,000 years old.
Govt tweaks offshore energy bill with 'declared areas' model
Wed 17 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government is making changes to the Offshore Renewable Energy Bill to address offshore wind developers' concerns about competing for space with other industries.
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.
A steady ocean pattern just failed for the first time ever observed
Wed 17 Sep 2025
The failure of the Gulf of Panama’s seasonal upwelling system has left scientists wondering what happens next.
Watts full-throated in National’s support for Paris
10 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Climate Change Minister Simon Watts came to this week’s Climate Change and Business Conference with nothing to announce.
Govt resilience plan 'dangerous fantasy' - thinktank
29 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | An independent thinktank, whose members include former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer and multiple academics, is warning that the government’s long-term resilience strategy ignores physical and energy realities and exposes Kiwi households and businesses to systemic failure.
‘Plastic Cup’ competitions are cleaning up rivers in Hungary
1 Sep 2025
Afloat on DIY boats, teams of volunteers have removed over 450 tons of plastic waste from the Danube and its tributaries.
Can certificates solve NZ's heavy vehicle emissions problem?
Thu 18 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Sustainable Business Council has launched a new framework for a national system to cut freight emissions.
Climate change collaboration and competition law
Thu 18 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The revamped competition law regime needs to be able to take into account the benefits of companies that collaborate for action on climate change, says the panel that reviewed both the Commerce Commission and the Commerce Act.
Underestimating support for climate action limits political decision making, study says
8 Sep 2025
Research reveals huge disparity between perceived and actual willingness of public to contribute to fixing climate.
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.
One city’s race to ‘solarise everything we possibly can’
Thu 18 Sep 2025
Bordeaux is quickly transforming itself into France’s top solar-powered city, banking on innovations like transparent panels that preserve its historic architecture.
Climate groups want UK wealth tax to make super-rich fund sustainable economy
17 Jul 2025
Growing number of campaigners urge government to ensure green investment is not done ‘on backs of the poor’.
Ara Ake backs 13 projects to unlock NZ’s energy flexibility
11 Sep 2025
Media release | Ara Ake has approved over $600,000 in funding from the National Flex Discovery Fund for 13 flexibility service providers (FSPs).
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.
Most EU carmakers on track to meet emission targets: study
10 Sep 2025
Almost all European carmakers are on track to meet EU emission targets after winning a reprieve this year as electric vehicles (EV) sales pick up, a study showed.
Hotter, longer, more frequent: NZ’s escalating heat risk
26 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Heat extremes in New Zealand will intensify faster than previously thought, according to a new study.
Echo Tech secures growth investment to tackle NZ's e-waste crisis
Mon 15 Sep 2025
Media release | Echo Tech Limited, New Zealand’s leading provider of e-waste recycling and IT asset recovery services, is proud to announce a strategic investment from growth equity firm Altered Capital.
La Niña set to prolong NZ hydro shortfall
9 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With La Niña favouring a drier-than-normal spring across much of the South Island, hydro lakes are unlikely to recover without substantial rain and late snowmelt – keeping national storage levels below average.
Record UK wildfires have burned an area twice the size of Glasgow in 2025
12 Aug 2025
Wildfires have scorched more than 40,000 hectares of land so far this year across the UK – an area more than twice the size of the Scottish city of Glasgow.
Which countries are scaling solar and wind the fastest?
12 Sep 2025
The leaderboard is quite different depending on what metric you look at.
