Topics tagged with 'Science'
Farmers given early warning about hungry crop pest
25 May 2015
It is small, bright green and an unwelcome visitor. But global warming means that this particular agricultural menace arrives earlier than ever − and consumes more than ever.
Why lack of leadership breeds lack of concern
18 May 2015
A lack of leadership on climate change is probably behind a drop in public concern over the issue, says a lecturer in science communication.
World Bank advocates long-term thinking on climate change
18 May 2015
Switching to a zero-carbon economy is more than just a dream, according to the World Bank. But costs will be high for countries that fail to act quickly.
No green shoots for sustainability in this Budget
18 May 2015
Last week’s Australian Budget is very disappointing in the broad area of environmental protection.
Geraldton pools get in the swim
18 May 2015
The indoor swimming pools and air temperature inside the Aquarena in Geraldton are now heated using state-of-the-art geothermal technology as part of the Western Australian city’s bid to go green.
We've got the chance to turn green into gold
11 May 2015
New Zealand could turn “green into gold” by capitalising on emerging clean technologies and showing leadership on climate change.
Pope aims to win hearts and minds on climate change
11 May 2015
A declaration at the end of a meeting in Rome hosted by the Vatican made a plea to the world’s religions to engage and mobilise on the issue of climate change.
WORLD TODAY: What does Cameron's election win mean for the environment?
11 May 2015
* Australia PM's adviser: climate change is UN hoax to create new world order * Tesla says Powerwall sold out for 12 months, demand ‘just nutty’ * Canadian water for California’s drought? * South Africa prepares to give shale gas go-ahead * Food waste an enormous economic problem, say G20 ministers * Community energy model is speeding US move to renewables
Farming our forests could be the answer to green-world prayers
11 May 2015
Forests may be the green investment with the richest returns for humankind, according to new research.
Our best brains to take a look at climate change
4 May 2015
New Zealand’s leading scientists are putting their heads together to predict how climate change will affect New Zealanders.
Rather than divest, advocate for carbon balancing
4 May 2015
At many universities and other institutions, heartfelt campaigns are under way to divest from fossil fuel companies as a way to address climate change.
Man-made climate change increases extinction dangers
4 May 2015
Climate change threatens one in six of the world’s species with extinction, according to new research.
US braces itself for even worse wildfire season
4 May 2015
The firefighters are primed, hoses at the ready. May and June are often the peak months for forest fires in the southwest of the US, and the outlook for this year is grim.
The word is out ... dairying costs more than income
28 Apr 2015
Research claiming New Zealand’s dairy industry could be costing the country more than it is making it has been published in an international science journal.
Watchdog calls for 30% emissions cut by 2025
28 Apr 2015
Australia should pledge far deeper cuts to greenhouse gas emissions than its current target if it is to do its fair share in tackling climate change, according to a report by the Climate Change Authority, which advises the federal government on climate policy.
Call for an end to ‘business as usual’ option on climate
28 Apr 2015
The whole issue of climate is much too important to be left to governments and their leaders, says Mary Robinson, the UN Secretary-General’s special envoy on climate change.
Additives to make plastic biodegradable don’t cut it
20 Apr 2015
One of the common concerns about plastic packaging is that it is generally non-biodegradable and will persist in the environment for extremely long periods of time once thrown away.
New fishing method proves potential
13 Apr 2015
A new fishing method with the potential to revolutionise the New Zealand fishing industry, boosting earnings and improving sustainability is proving itself, says a government-industry joint venture developing the technology.
An economy focused solely on growth is unsustainable
13 Apr 2015
Most world leaders seem to believe that economic growth is a panacea for many of society’s problems.
New ocean energy plan could worsen global warming
7 Apr 2015
One of renewable energy’s more outspoken enthusiasts has delivered bad news for the prospects of developing ocean thermal energy. His prediction is that although the technology could work for a while, after about 50 years it could actually exacerbate long-term global warning.
No matter how you cut it, the answer is ecosystem services
23 Mar 2015
As a professor of ecology, Shahid Naeem knows all too well that there’s no shortage of environmental ills to keep us awake at night – global warming, the spread of diseases, dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico, collapsing fisheries, mass extinction, and a hundred other things that are the stock and trade of environmental doomsayers.
Earth at risk in new epoch ruled by destructive humans
23 Mar 2015
Nature has been replaced by humans as the driving force behind changes on the planet − and we need to take urgent action if we are to avoid our own destruction.
Why is low-carbon energy innovation so slow? You can thank Economics 101
23 Mar 2015
The world needs a lot of energy. Global energy demand is expected to increase by 37 per cent percent over the next 25 years, according to the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook 2014.
Chemicals in fashion industry under spotlight
23 Mar 2015
Efforts by major fashion brands to remove toxic chemicals from their supply chains and to tackle water pollution are under the public spotlight.
Heat is on to slow down faster rise in temperatures
16 Mar 2015
Analysis of temperature records and reconstructions of past climates indicates that the pace of global warming is about to accelerate.
Anthropocene began with species exchange between Old and New Worlds
16 Mar 2015
Time is divided by geologists according to marked shifts in the Earth’s state. Human activity has clearly altered the land surface, oceans and atmosphere, and re-ordered life on Earth. This suggests that the planet has entered a new human-dominated geological epoch, called the Anthropocene.
How well prepared are businesses for climate change?
9 Mar 2015
The world is changing. The weather is becoming more volatile, with the number of extreme weather events on the rise. Climate change represents the new normal: the Earth is already showing the impacts of our actions, which will continue to become more visible.
Carbon could be key to better water, says researcher
9 Mar 2015
Adding carbon dioxide to waste water could improve water quality, says a NIWA scientist undertaking doctoral biological research at the University of Canterbury.
When it comes to N in effluent – fresher is better
2 Mar 2015
MEDIA RELEASE: The fresher the better – that’s one of the findings of new research which shows available nitrogen from farm dairy effluent diminishes the longer the effluent is stored.
New Zealand’s defective law on climate change, by Sir Geoffrey Palmer
23 Feb 2015
Distinguished law fellow Sir Geoffrey Palmer, QC, has been at or near the heart of our attempts to tackled climate change for nearly three decades.
Shell chief calls for climate action, but what are the motives?
23 Feb 2015
Shell chief Ben van Beurden is pointing the way for oil companies to demand greater certainty over future climate policy.
Climate impacts on European farmers’ yields per field
23 Feb 2015
Farmers in Europe have already begun to feel the pinch of climate change as yields of wheat since 1989 have fallen by 2.5 per cent and barley by 3.8 per cent on average across the whole continent.
Rice serves up double measure of biofuel and fodder
16 Feb 2015
Japanese scientists have found a potential answer to the biofuel dilemma that if you grow crops for energy, you have to sacrifice crops for food.
Geoengineering might work in a rational world … but we don’t live in one
16 Feb 2015
The publication of a hefty two-volume report on geoengineering by the US National Research Council represents a marked shift in the global debate over how to respond to global warming.
UN states agree on key document for climate change pact
16 Feb 2015
A key milestone on the route to a new, universal agreement on climate change has been reached by more than 190 states meeting in Geneva.
Welcome to 2015 where fracking changes everything
2 Feb 2015
Forget, for the moment, whether you think fracking is an energy godsend or an endtimes disaster. Just consider how it’s everywhere.
Energy pours into cutting-edge conservation ideas
27 Jan 2015
A battery that could treble electric car mileage and cut costs is among the innovations moving closer to reality on the frontiers of science.
Kiwi keeps an eye on Qatar project environment
27 Jan 2015
A New Zealander is in the Middle East working to reduce the environmental impacts of a major sea port project.
TWELVE ways to deal with a climate change denier (the BBQ guide)
22 Dec 2014
The end of the year is nigh and it’s a time for Christmas and New Year parties and gatherings. In the southern hemisphere that means barbecues and beaches. In the northern hemisphere it’s mulled wine and cosy fireplaces. But for all of us, it probably means we’ll be subjected to at least one ranting, fact-free sermon by a Typical Climate Change Denier (TCCD).
Australia's emissions targets are heading in the wrong direction
22 Dec 2014
Australia’s emissions of climate-changing greenhouse gases are going up and up – and are set to rise by more than 50% over 1990 levels by 2020, according to new research.
Organic techniques closing gap on farming yields
22 Dec 2014
The unintended consequences of the agricultural food system – polluted air and water, dead zones in coastal seas, soil erosion – have profound environment implications for human health and the environment. So more sustainable agricultural practices are needed as soon as possible.
Why climate policies are for life, not just for Christmas
22 Dec 2014
Devoted followers of international wrangling on climate change will see much that they recognise in the five-page text emanating from the UN climate talks in Lima.
Voluntary action isn't enough to make cities better
22 Dec 2014
Voluntary programmes are all the rage. From ratcheting up obesity cybersecurity to fighting obesity, firms in the United States and elsewhere voluntarily make pledges to do better than governmental regulation.
Climate talks off on the rocky road to Paris
15 Dec 2014
A deal struck in Lima between 196 nations today leaves open the possibility of saving the planet from dangerous overheating. But its critics say the prospects of success are now slim.
Our new energy mix is a game-changer, says India
15 Dec 2014
While the political spotlight focused on the world’s two biggest polluters − China and the US − in the run-up to the Lima climate talks, pressure is mounting on India to set emissions targets to help to prevent the planet overheating.
It doesn't take much to turn up the temperature
8 Dec 2014
Start the car, turn on the gas under the kettle, shovel some coal on the fire. Each time that happens, another pulse of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere.
Memo farmers: Learn to manage your methanotrophs
1 Dec 2014
Farmers could cut their future exposure to carbon prices by looking after the methanotrophs in their soils, a soil scientist says.
Why playing around with the climate could make things a whole lot worse
1 Dec 2014
Geoengineering – which sometimes seems to be the despairing climate scientist’s Plan B – simply won’t work.
Scientists find new fuel job for sawdust
1 Dec 2014
Researchers at KU Leuven’s Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, in Belgium, have converted sawdust into building blocks for gasoline.
New shadow minister eyes climate change priorities
24 Nov 2014
Labour's new climate change and environment spokesperson says there's never been a time when she didn't believe in climate change.
UN limits staff at COP30 climate summit over accommodation concerns
Today 11:45am
High hotel prices for Brazil's COP30 climate summit in November have prompted the United Nations to urge its staff to limit attendance, while government delegations are still scrambling to find rooms within their budgets.
Govt passes law to limit farm-to-forest conversions
Today 11:45am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has passed legislation intended to limit farm-to-forest conversions in the Emissions Trading Scheme, with ministers saying the changes “restore balance,” while opponents call it a band-aid that risks climate targets.
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.
Researchers say sealing old oil wells with bio-oil from crop waste is a dual carbon-removal solution
Today 11:45am
A new analysis shows that oil made from corn husks, wood chips, and other waste could plug greenhouse gas-belching abandoned oil wells while sequestering carbon for about $152 per ton.
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.
EU set to miss UN deadline for new target under Paris climate accord
Today 11:45am
The delay is intended to allow countries more time to agree to an ambitious goal.
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.
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.
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.
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
Australia leapfrogs NZ on climate ambition
Today 11:45am
By Liz Kivi | Lawyers for Climate Action say Australia’s new 2035 climate target should be a wake-up call for ‘clean, green’ New Zealand.
Exxon and Shell sue the Netherlands in secret tribunals for closing Europe’s biggest gas field
Today 11:45am
Following billions in profits and over a thousand gas extraction-related earthquakes, the oil and gas giants filed claims against the Dutch state in four separate investor-state disputes concerning compensation for home damages and the permanent closure of the Groningen gas field.
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.
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.
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.
Australia's 2035 climate targets on path to net zero judged by the experts
Today 11:45am
After much anticipation, Australia has set its new climate targets: a reduction of 62 to 70 per cent within the next 10 years.
‘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.
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.
