Topics tagged with 'Science'
Research to solve climate challenges scoops millions in funding
17 Sep 2024
A range of sustainability and climate-related projects have been awarded funding from the 2024 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment Endeavour Fund.
Climate plan is high-cost and low ambition, says expert
9 Sep 2024
By Shannon Williams | The government’s Second Emissions Reduction Plan is high-cost, high-risk, and low ambition, says Massey University Professor, Robert McLachlan.
2024 New Zealand's third-warmest winter on record – NIWA
5 Sep 2024
This year saw Aotearoa New Zealand's third-warmest winter on record with the nationwide average temperature sitting at 9.6°C for the season, 1.0°C above the 1991-2020 average.
Thwaites Glacier won’t collapse like dominoes as feared, study finds, but that doesn’t mean the ‘Doomsday Glacier’ is stable
28 Aug 2024
Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier got its nickname the “Doomsday Glacier” for its potential to flood coastlines around the world if it collapsed.
$20 million supercomputer for NIWA
15 Aug 2024
Methane emissions will be subject to more effective monitoring thanks to a new supercomputer.
New map shows coastal erosion hotspots - but scientists warn lack of funding threatens further research
13 Aug 2024
A new map of Aotearoa New Zealand’s coastal erosion hotspots shows which areas are most at risk of coastal changes and sea-level rise.
Could geothermal power stations go carbon-negative?
12 Aug 2024
Retrofitting a geothermal power station could allow carbon capture from other sources like forestry residue, according to a new study.
Mass bleaching of marine sponges largest event recorded worldwide
7 Aug 2024
Media release | A mass bleaching of more than 50 million sponges in Fiordland was the largest event of its kind ever recorded and is estimated to have cut the population by close to half, a new study reports.
'Unprecedented' ocean change may impact fisheries - NIWA
30 Jul 2024
Substantial changes in the ocean to the east of New Zealand could impact important fisheries, according to NIWA scientists.
Researchers test new way to remove carbon dioxide from air
29 Jul 2024
Media release | A new method to pump carbon dioxide out of the air has been developed by scientists from the UK and New Zealand.
Media round-up
26 Jul 2024
In our weekly round-up of climate coverage in local media: major failings in Hawke's Bay Cyclone Gabrielle response; how fast-track delayed a key climate policy; and the problem with the government’s science and innovation policies.
Tasmanian 'Eco-Milk' tests shoppers' thirst for climate-friendly dairy
26 Jul 2024
A small dairy in Tasmania is stocking supermarket shelves with what it says is the world's first branded milk produced by cows fed with a seaweed that makes them emit lower levels of environmentally damaging methane gas.
Govt funding cuts “throttling” climate work
12 Jul 2024
A coalition of scientists say that the government axing half a billion dollars of science funding and scrapping more than 350 specialist science roles will sabotage vital work across climate, the environment, and farming.
At-risk islands are missing from climate change models, researchers warn
12 Jul 2024
Urgent international cooperation is required to provide small island states and territories with the information they need to respond effectively to the existential threat of climate change.
Oceanic and coastal water temperatures highest recorded
10 Jul 2024
Media release | Between 2022 and 2023, oceanic and coastal waters around Aotearoa New Zealand reached their warmest annual temperatures since the series began in 1982, according to data released by Stats NZ today.
Climate change is making scientists reassess what is "normal"
4 Jul 2024
Media release | NIWA has completed a major project to analyse how New Zealand’s "climate normals" are shifting.
NZ’s wettest and driest spells to become more extreme
4 Jul 2024
Media release | A new study published yesterday shows how a warming climate will impact New Zealand’s wet and dry weather extremes, giving decision-makers the power to plan for the future.
Media round-up
14 Jun 2024
In our weekly round-up of the climate coverage in local media: Uncertainty abounds in the ETS; a major Atlantic current collapsing could disrupt NZ’s climate again; and is the government focussing on drilling or climate ambition – it can’t be both.
University of Canterbury research 'curbing our carbon conundrum'
14 Jun 2024
Media release | Crushing rocks, injecting CO underground, and burning trees; UC researchers are finding solutions to Aotearoa New Zealand’s 100 million tonne carbon problem.
Hottest June temperature ever
13 Jun 2024
The mercury hit a high on Monday, setting a new national temperature record of 25.7C for June.
Basic income can double global GDP while reducing carbon emissions
11 Jun 2024
Media release | Giving a regular cash payment to the entire world population has the potential to increase global gross domestic product (GDP) by 130%.
‘No additional warming’ for methane target - but relative to when, asks expert?
7 Jun 2024
Advocates of the government’s methane review will probably be disappointed to learn that aligning the target with “no additional warming” might not give farmers the green light to relax about their methane emissions.
Humanity must extract seven to nine billion tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere every year
5 Jun 2024
Media release | New State of Carbon Dioxide Removal report shows the need for a much stronger set of policies.
Flood damage a growing risk for NZ’s kelp forests
27 May 2024
Media release | Timber slash and debris from flooding events is decimating Aotearoa New Zealand’s vital underwater kelp forests, a nationwide study shows.
Environment commissioner calls for separate ETS for methane
23 May 2024
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has again called for forestry to be phased out of the Emissions Trading Scheme and is calling for a separate ETS for methane.
We’ve underestimated the ‘Doomsday’ glacier - and the consequences could be devastating
23 May 2024
The Thwaites Glacier, dubbed ‘Doomsday’, could trigger a two-foot rise in global sea levels if it melts completely.
Antarctica likely storing more carbon than previously thought
21 May 2024
Media release | Antarctica is likely a carbon storage powerhouse, according to NIWA.
Concern over job losses at Scion
17 May 2024
Foresters are “deeply apprehensive” over potential redundancies of scientists at Scion, with a proposed 30 jobs losses - about 10% the forestry crown research institute’s workforce.
Carbon pricing works: major meta-study
17 May 2024
Media release | Carbon pricing systems achieve between 5% and 21% emission reductions in their first few years of operation, according to a new study.
‘Unprecedented’: CO2 in the atmosphere is rising 10 times faster than at any point over 50,000 years
17 May 2024
Ice built up in the Antarctic over hundreds of thousands of years is helping scientists to understand today's climate.
Major conference for Pacific experts on Indigenous knowledge and climate crisis
9 May 2024
More than 60 Pacific experts are at a conference looking at the intersection between Indigenous knowledge and the climate crisis, hosted by the University of Canterbury.
Kiwi company aims to make alternative protein from carbon emissions
6 May 2024
A New Zealand-based start-up has raised $1 million towards commercialising production of an alternative protein made with carbon emissions.
Commission rejects basis for review of methane targets - but methane vaccines could be good news for ag sector
9 Apr 2024
The Climate Change Commission has rejected the basis of a new, separate review of Aotearoa’s methane target in its advice released yesterday.
Best by the rest...
5 Apr 2024
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: How to avoid a billion climate deaths? Why pressure must increase to cut emissions; and the Maōri king and other indigenous Pacific leaders sign up to granting whales legal personhood.
Scientists warn Australians to prepare for megadroughts lasting more than 20 years
5 Apr 2024
New research shows megadroughts lasting up to 20 years or more have occurred in Australia in the past and could happen again.
Half of Tairāwhiti at risk of erosion - new data
28 Mar 2024
An estimated 182 million tonnes of eroded soil entered New Zealand's rivers in 2022, according to new research.
Mountain species at risk of extinction due to climate change
28 Mar 2024
Experts say an international study that has found species in mountain regions are at risk of extinction due to rapidly rising temperatures has worrying implications for New Zealand.
Methane-detecting satellite launched with NZ govt backing
6 Mar 2024
A long-awaited satellite designed to accurately detect methane emissions from space finally launched yesterday, with New Zealand backing.
Native snails heading for extinction
27 Feb 2024
Media release | New Zealand has some of the most spectacular land snails in the world, but they’re sliding to extinction – and climate change is a major factor.
Researchers looking to develop ‘resilience credit’
20 Feb 2024
Researchers are hoping to develop the world’s first 'resilience credit' as the ultimate goal of a project looking at how salt marshes and mangroves could protect the Bay of Plenty’s coastline from climate change.
Kiwi researchers rewriting climate history
13 Feb 2024
New Zealand researchers say they have rewritten the deep time history of Earth’s temperature record with findings that disprove ideas that early oceans were hot.
A leading data scientist's journey from doomism to climate hope
12 Feb 2024
Data scientist Hannah Ritchie argues that planetary damage could be about to peak – but that the US election result could be "pivotal".
Scientists call for a new hurricane category as storms intensify
7 Feb 2024
Kiwi scientists are welcoming international research suggesting we need a new hurricane category to communicate just how much more intense the biggest tropical cyclones are expected to become under climate change.
Sustainability and climate change concerns for Central Otago - new research
26 Jan 2024
Sustainability and climate are high on the list of concerns for people in Central Otago - and they don’t want a new airport, according to research released today.
Climate crisis to blame for more extreme weather - NIWA
24 Jan 2024
Scientists have been working on joining the dots between human-driven climate change and more extreme weather since the Auckland Anniversary floods and Cyclone Gabrielle.
Octopus DNA contains grave warning for sea level rise
22 Dec 2023
Media Release | Scientists have used octopus DNA to discover that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) likely collapsed during the Last Interglacial period around 120,000 years ago when global temperatures were similar to today.
NZ a consistent carbon sink - new research
21 Dec 2023
Aotearoa is a consistent carbon sink, while Australia switches between being a carbon sink and a carbon source, according to new research.
Powerful climate deniers delay action in NZ: new report
18 Dec 2023
Most New Zealanders believe in climate change and its human cause - but climate change deniers are often over-represented in powerful positions and are delaying action, according to new research.
Climate change might be to blame for ozone hole - new research
22 Nov 2023
Ozone levels above Antarctica may not be recovering after all, and climate change might be to blame, according to NZ scientists.
Bottom trawling risks releasing massive ocean CO2 sink: new report
17 Nov 2023
New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone contains about 2,240 million tonnes of organic carbon or 1% of the estimated global carbon stocks in marine sediments, a report commissioned by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has found.
Auckland Council opens $1m Climate and Emergency Readiness Fund
4 Feb 2026
Community groups across Tāmaki Makaurau are being invited to apply for a new $1 million Climate and Emergency Readiness Fund, designed to support locally led action on climate change, disaster preparedness and climate adaptation.
Hydrogen plant to start construction
Tue 10 Feb 2026
Construction is set to start this month on Hiringa Energy’s long delayed green hydrogen project in South Taranaki, after years of consenting fights that culminated in the Court of Appeal rejecting Greenpeace’s challenge in late 2023.
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.
World fight against invasive species comes to Auckland
Tue 10 Feb 2026
Media release: University of Auckland | From countering invasive pink salmon in Norway to controlling feral cats in the Cayman Islands, knowledge on eradicating invasive species will be shared by international experts in New Zealand.
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.
EU weighing options to support industry in carbon market overhaul
Mon 9 Feb 2026
The European Commission is looking at various ways to support industries in an upcoming overhaul of the EU carbon market to prevent them moving to areas with lower pollution standards, the head of the Commission’s climate department said late on Wednesday.
IPBES: Four key takeaways on how nature loss threatens the global economy
Today 11:30am
The “undervaluing” of nature by businesses is fuelling its decline and putting the global economy at risk, according to a major new report.
Minister’s letters: Mildly positive or just virtue signalling?
Thu 5 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The carbon market was buoyed slightly yesterday, after letters between the Government and the Climate Change Commission were proactively released.
LNG plan risks fossil fuel dependency: Environment Commissioner
Today 11:30am
By Pattrick Smellie | Importing liquefied natural gas risks creating a “new path dependency on fossil fuel” unless LNG is ring-fenced for use only in the electricity system and only during extended periods of hydro-electricity water shortages, says the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton.
LNG: a rational choice compared to unpalatable alternatives
Tue 10 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: By deciding to underwrite the private construction of a liquefied natural gas import facility in Taranaki, the Government has made a rational choice in favour of energy security and affordability.
RMA’s successors hinge on two untested bets
17 Dec 2025
Two ideas sit at the heart of the Government’s replacement for the Resource Management Act: regulatory relief and spatial planning.
Opposition attacks Govt over fossil fuel phaseout backdown
2 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | Revelations that Resources Minister Shane Jones ruled out New Zealand signing up to a 'road map' away from fossil fuels at last year’s global climate summit show the National Party’s minor coalition partners’ undue influence over the Government, according to Labour leader Chris Hipkins.
Govt looks to Commission for ways to shore up carbon price
4 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government has asked the Climate Change Commission to look at lower auction volumes and an increase in the auction floor price as options to revive the Emissions Trading Scheme, as carbon prices remain weak.
Govt missing opportunity to slash electricity prices, says expert
Today 11:30am
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s fixation on eliminating the "dry-year risk margin" as a lever to reduce costs misses a much bigger opportunity to lower electricity prices, according to Christina Hood, head of Compass Climate.
DOC trims costs and winds down jobs for nature
10 Nov 2025
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is entering a new phase of tighter budgets and structural change as it winds down the pandemic-era Jobs for Nature programme and reshapes its operations to absorb long-term cost pressures.
$8.9m research project to map future ocean change around Aotearoa
Tue 10 Feb 2026
The major research project aims to better understand how warming oceans are driving extreme weather events around New Zealand, from heavy rainfall to tropical cyclones.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transport pollution was the biggest contributor to an increase in New Zealand’s consumption-based emissions in 2023, with emissions from household travel up 12%, and consumption-based emissions totalling 58.3 million tonnes – up 1.6% from the previous year.
'Damning' report challenges forestry’s role in Tairāwhiti as sector rejects conclusions
4 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New independent analysis commissioned by Mana Taiao Tairāwhiti challenges long-standing claims that industrial forestry underpins the Tairāwhiti economy.
Australian ministers met Japanese gas companies 20 times amid fossil fuel lobbying push
Today 11:30am
Australian government ministers met Japanese gas company executives more than 20 times in the last term of parliament as Labor encouraged investment in the fossil fuel industry.
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.”
US is canceling almost $30 billion in Biden-era energy loans
27 Jan 2026
The Trump administration said it’s canceling almost $30 billion of financing from the Energy Department’s green bank after reviewing transactions approved under former President Biden.
Green Member’s Bill aims to give whales legal ‘personhood’
Mon 9 Feb 2026
The Green Party wants to give whales legal rights, including the right to sue.
Govt slammed for weakening methane target
15 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams The Government has pushed through legislation under urgency to almost halve New Zealand’s 2050 methane target – a move Opposition parties say disregards scientific advice, breaks the country’s hard-won political consensus on climate action, and shifts the burden of higher warming and higher future costs onto the next generation.
COP30 microcosm of difficult geopolitics, says Vanuatu's Climate Minister
15 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Despite ‘intransigent’ states blocking multilateralism and a disappointing official outcome, Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister Ralph Regenvanu says he left the COP30 climate summit feeling more positive than after previous UN climate conferences.
Hydrogen emissions are ‘supercharging’ the warming impact of methane
19 Dec 2025
The warming impact of hydrogen has been “overlooked” in projections of climate change, according to authors of the latest “global hydrogen budget”.
Wales council to buy and demolish homes prone to flooding
4 Feb 2026
A row of homes in a village in south Wales is to be bought by a local authority and demolished as they can no longer be protected from flooding caused by the climate crisis.
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.
Greenpeace set to take UK Government to court over deep-sea mining licences
Thu 5 Feb 2026
Environmental NGO Greenpeace has kick-started a legal challenge against the UK Government’s decision to approve the transfer of two seabed exploration licences to a newly-formed mining company with US links.
Govt unveils plans for carbon storage regulations – and ETS rewards
18 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government has released plans to regulate carbon capture and storage in natural geological formations, which include Emissions Trading Scheme incentives, with the aim of introducing related legislation in 2026.
Ministers celebrate fast-track milestone amid criticism
Tue 10 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government is marking the first anniversary of its fast-track approvals regime, saying it is helping “build New Zealand’s future”, despite continued criticism from environmental groups, opposition parties, and industry voices following several controversial project decisions.
Court rejects challenge to Minister and Commission over climate targets
28 Jan 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Supreme Court has rejected Lawyers for Climate Action’s bid to challenge the Climate Change Commission and former Climate Minister James Shaw over climate targets, ending a long-running case which had been working its way through the courts since 2021.
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 turning point for our ocean: why the High Seas Treaty matters for the Pacific
Tue 10 Feb 2026
Media release: UNDP | The global ratification of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Treaty marks a decisive moment in international cooperation and ocean governance. Referred to as the High Seas Treaty, the agreement establishes a legally binding framework to protect marine biodiversity in areas of the ocean that lie beyond national jurisdiction.
Out of Paris, but will the US formally quit the UN climate regime?
30 Jan 2026
The Trump administration has decided to withdraw the US from the broader UN climate convention, raising questions about the legality of the move and what it means in practice.
Commentators slam Govt inaction in aftermath of climate change-fuelled storms
30 Jan 2026
By Liz Kivi | Climate action - or inaction - is shaping up to be an election issue, with multiple commentators drawing a line between the Coalition Government’s backsliding on climate targets and the deadly extreme weather events of the past week.
Major health risks linked to plastics emissions set to soar by 2040
28 Jan 2026
The adverse health consequences stemming from the global plastics system are projected to more than double by 2040, driven by greenhouse gases, air pollutants and toxic chemicals released throughout its lifecycle.
Rushed resource management reform bills unworkable: Environmental Defence Society
Today 11:30am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Environmental Defence Society says significant amendments are needed to the government’s Natural Environment and Planning Bills, warning the proposed reforms risk weakening environmental limits, public participation, and regulatory certainty.
Three Greenpeace activists removed by police from Fonterra
17 Dec 2025
Media release | Three Greenpeace activists were removed by police from Fonterra’s downtown Auckland offices, following a protest on Monday at the Shareholders’ Fund meeting over the corporation’s role in the contamination of rural communities’ drinking water.
Critical minerals talks with US questioned in Waitangi Tribunal climate inquiry
Mon 9 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand and the United States' negotiations over critical minerals have raised questions for the Waitangi Tribunal’s long-running inquiry into climate change.
Australia's renewables boom delivers coveted power price payoff
Today 11:30am
Australia's wholesale electricity prices fell to the lowest in four years in 2025, bucking the rising price trends seen elsewhere and validating claims that renewables-heavy power system overhauls can help lower consumer power costs.
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.
NZ-UAE partnership boosts advanced tech
Mon 9 Feb 2026
Media release | A new Antarctic science partnership with a leading UAE university will grow New Zealand’s advanced engineering and modelling capability, supporting high-value jobs, encouraging economic growth, and enabling smarter climate risk management, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti says.
Pacific climate response in question as NZ finance remains unclear
19 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With New Zealand's $1.3 billion international climate finance commitment set to end with no clarity on what follows, the Auditor-General says oversight of that funding remains patchy and long-term outcomes are unclear.
China maximises battery recycling to shore up critical mineral supplies
Today 11:30am
Beijing is bracing for a tsunami of spent EV batteries by taking steps to boost recycling – a strategy that could also cut its reliance on imports of clean energy minerals.
Vanuatu introduces draft UN resolution on ICJ demanding full climate compensation
Today 11:30am
Media release: Vanuatu Government | Vanuatu has introduced the zero draft of a United Nations General Assembly resolution to endorse the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion on the obligations of states in respect of climate change, delivered on 23 July 2025.
Kaicycle celebrates ten years of collective climate action in Pōneke
14 Nov 2025
Media release: Kaicycle | Since 2015, Kaicycle has grown from a humble pilot project growing kai and collecting compost on bicycles into the thriving urban farm and composting hub that Wellingtonians know and love.
Heatwaves, downpours and droughts – Auckland on track for more extreme weather
1 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show Auckland will face more heatwaves, heavier downpours, worsening droughts and growing coastal threats as climate extremes intensify, according to a new report from Earth Sciences New Zealand.
Argentina fires ravage pristine Patagonia forests, fueling criticism of Milei’s austerity
4 Feb 2026
The wildfires, among the worst to hit the drought-stricken Patagonia region in decades, have devastated more than 45,000 hectares (174 square miles) of Argentina’s forests in the last month and a half, forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists.
World's first 20 MW offshore wind turbine powers grid in China
Tue 10 Feb 2026
The world's most powerful offshore wind turbine has begun feeding electricity into the grid off the coast of southeast China, marking a major technological leap in the country's wind power industry.
