Topics tagged with 'Science'
Marine heatwaves worsening: new research
27 Jun 2023
Researchers are calling for better monitoring of Aotearoa’s near-shore coastal ecosystems, with marine heatwaves growing more extreme, leading to more severe impacts.
Solar-powered fuel cell recycles plastic waste and carbon dioxide
22 Jun 2023
By combining a solar fuel cell that converts carbon dioxide into fuel with a plastic recycling system, researchers can create sustainable fuels and useful chemicals.
Best by the rest...
16 Jun 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Antarctic tipping points: the irreversible changes to come if we fail to keep warming below 2℃, climate change minister says NZ must pick a team; and warming seas threaten Māori food sources.
New indicators will track climate change between IPCC reports
16 Jun 2023
The latest assessment of the climate system paints a stark picture of how human activity has led to unprecedented changes across the climate system.
New research looks at methane-munching microorganisms in forest soils
15 Jun 2023
Scientists are working on new research into how much methane is consumed by microorganisms in New Zealand’s planted forest soils - and what potential these soils have to counteract the country’s outsized agricultural emissions.
North Atlantic temperature anomaly sparks concern among climate scientists
15 Jun 2023
The combination of long-term ocean warming from human emissions plus short-term natural variation is thought to be responsible.
Blue carbon: could a solution to the climate challenge be buried in the depths of fiords?
12 Jun 2023
The Conversation - Cyclone Gabrielle has highlighted forestry slash as a problematic aspect of relying on plantation forests to draw down carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere.
Climate change is causing more turbulence on flights, say scientists
12 Jun 2023
Clear-air turbulence was long predicted to increase under climate change, but a new study from Reading University has painted the most detailed picture yet of the effects kicking in.
Saving tigers helped reduce India’s carbon emissions
12 Jun 2023
Research shows that tiger conservation interventions prevented forest loss, leading to reduced emissions and ecosystem benefits.
Best by the rest...
9 Jun 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Climate scientist James Renwick says, on a finite planet, never-ending growth of anything is unsustainable; National says He Waka Eke Noa is “dead”; and Taranaki council wants seabed mining banned.
GHG emissions: Earth is warming faster than ever
9 Jun 2023
Greenhouse gas emissions are at an all-time high, with yearly emissions equivalent to 54 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide.
El Niño planet-warming weather phase has begun
9 Jun 2023
A natural weather event known as El Niño has begun in the Pacific Ocean, likely adding heat to a planet already warming under climate change.
When were the Dry Valleys of Antarctica last wet?
30 May 2023
It’s a question that’s long puzzled Antarctic researchers, but Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington adjunct lecturer Dr Marjolaine Verret may now have the answer.
Carbon removal industry challenges findings of skeptical UN body
30 May 2023
Carbon removal industry representatives have challenged a document a United Nations scientific body released this week that casts doubt on the nascent technology's usefulness in efforts to limit global warming.
Protecting India's tigers also good for climate: study
26 May 2023
India's efforts to protect its endangered tigers have inadvertently helped avoid a large amount of climate change-causing carbon emissions by preventing deforestation, a study has revealed.
Global heating will push billions outside ‘human climate niche’
24 May 2023
World is on track for 2.7C and ‘phenomenal’ human suffering, scientists warn.
Methane must fall to slow global heating
24 May 2023
Methane—a potent greenhouse gas and the second biggest driver of global warming after carbon dioxide (CO₂)—had its moment in the spotlight in 2021.
El Niño and La Niña more extreme and frequent due to climate change
22 May 2023
The strength and frequency of La Niña and El Niño were once determined entirely by natural forces, but now the climate patterns are showing the fingerprints of humans.
Climate change worsened Asia's April heatwave by 2C - study
19 May 2023
Climate change raised temperatures by at least 2C in many parts of Asia last month as it suffered a crippling heatwave, a new study says.
Carbon emissions cause almost 40% western wildfires
19 May 2023
New research | Almost 40% of forest area burned by wildfire in the western United States and southwestern Canada in the last 40 years can be attributed to carbon emissions associated with the world’s 88 largest fossil fuel producers and cement manufacturers.
Global warming set to break key 1.5C limit for first time
18 May 2023
Our overheating world is likely to break a key temperature limit for the first time over the next few years, scientists predict.
Climate change makes cyclones more intense, destructive: scientists
17 May 2023
Climate change does not make cyclones, such as that battering Bangladesh, more frequent but it does render them more intense and destructive, according to climatologists and weather experts.
Studies find lower methane emissions in LA
16 May 2023
Two recent studies by researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory used contrasting approaches to measure drops in human-caused emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane in recent years in the Los Angeles region.
International sea level satellite spots early signs of El Niño
15 May 2023
The most recent sea level data from the U.S.-European satellite Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich indicates early signs of a developing El Niño across the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
Sweden to pave world’s first permanent e-road for EV charging while driving
12 May 2023
As countries across Europe scale up efforts towards fossil fuel-free mobility, Sweden is working on the world’s first permanent electric road — allowing electric cars and trucks to charge while driving.
Research breakthrough in predicting extreme rainfall
11 May 2023
Scientists from Canterbury University have made a breakthrough in predicting heavy rainfall, with new research aiming to provide earlier warnings of extreme weather events - now becoming increasingly common because of climate change.
World near positive 'tipping point' on climate solutions: expert
11 May 2023
With climate-enhanced droughts, heatwaves and fires ravaging three continents and the threat of a new surge in global warming, the world urgently needs to ramp-up solutions for slashing carbon pollution. But which solutions are most critical?
Almost half the planet predicted to enter new climate zones by 2100
10 May 2023
Our planet is teetering on the edge of several tipping points that once passed, will topple into a cascade of ecological changes.
April heat in western Med 'almost impossible without climate change'
8 May 2023
The extreme heat that engulfed the Iberian peninsula and parts of North Africa last week would have been "almost impossible without climate change", an international scientific study found on Friday.
Climate crisis could bring new crops – and blights – to NZ
5 May 2023
Invasive plant-destroying insects, weeds, and diseases will increasingly challenge New Zealand’s borders as global heating makes our plants and ecosystems more vulnerable, according to a new report.
Life in ocean ‘twilight zone' at risk from warming
4 May 2023
Global warming could curtail life in the so-called twilight zone by as much as 40% by the end of the century, according to new research.
Climate and biodiversity researcher wins PM’s science award
3 May 2023
A Canterbury University researcher working to forecast how climate change might affect biodiversity has won the Prime Minister’s award for an emerging scientist.
The surprising science of climate protests
3 May 2023
As an expected one billion people take part in Earth Day, the BBC's Jocelyn Timperley and Martha Henriques delve into the evidence behind protest as a force for change.
Wind turbine recycling breakthrough delivers promise in a test tube
3 May 2023
Wind energy uptake is soaring,. But the wind sector has an oversized problem on its hands: its massive blades, made up of carbon or glass fibre-reinforced epoxy plastic composites, have until now proven almost impossible to recycle.
Global ocean temperatures spike to record levels as El Niño nears
2 May 2023
Since mid-March, the world’s oceans have been hotter than at anytime since at least 1982, raising concerns among some climate experts about accelerated warming.
Soybean crops can take advantage of climate change to increase productivity
2 May 2023
As the climate continues to warm, atmospheric drying — the reduction of the amount of water the air can hold — is becoming a major concern for crop producers around the world.
Only 10 countries meeting basic needs of citizens in a sustainable way
2 May 2023
Just 10 countries are meeting the basic needs of their citizens in a sustainable way, according to a new study that looks at the water use and carbon emissions of 178 nations.
Carbon dioxide peaks over New Zealand
1 May 2023
Last Tuesday, NIWA’s CO2 reading at the Baring Head clean air station near Wellington reached an all-time high of 418.5 parts per million (ppm) - well above the “safe” level of 350 ppm that could keep warming below 1.5 degrees C.
Orbiting methane 'speed cameras' are catching polluters in the act
1 May 2023
Think of them as speed cameras, but for methane. Just like roadside instruments used to identify drivers breaking traffic rules, new powerful satellites are starting to catch oil and gas operators releasing the planet-warming gas into the atmosphere.
What it takes for a volcano to impact Earth's climate
28 Apr 2023
By Erik Klemetti - Discover | Whenever images of giant ash plume show up in the news, one of the first questions that arrives in my inbox is whether that eruption will impact the Earth's climate.
Kiwis in the running for Earthshot Prize
27 Apr 2023
A royal climate change mission is taking on a Kiwi flavour, with former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern joining its team, and several nominees from Aotearoa in the running for one of its five £1 million (NZ $1.9 million) prizes.
Record ocean temperatures put Earth in ‘uncharted territory’: scientists
27 Apr 2023
Temperatures in the world’s oceans have broken fresh records, testing new highs for more than a month in an “unprecedented” run that has led to scientists stating the Earth has reached “uncharted territory” in the climate crisis.
Wind farms and birds are learning to coexist
27 Apr 2023
The Fryslan wind farm in the Netherlands is a sprawling array of 109-meter turbines situated in the deep blue waters of Lake Ijssel, north of Amsterdam.
Border tax on carbon dioxide offers huge opportunity to fight climate change, say researchers
26 Apr 2023
A tax on CO2 emissions from products entering the EU offers unprecedented opportunities in the fight against global warming.
Study finds that media's climate crisis coverage sparks fear and favours avoidance
24 Apr 2023
A study has revealed that the media's coverage of climate research is, to a large extent, carried out in a way that doesn't provoke action.
Panamanian tribe to be relocated from coastal island due to climate change: "There's no other option"
24 Apr 2023
For hundreds of years, the ocean has protected the Guna Yala culture on Cardi Sugdub, or Crab Island, located off the coast of Panama.
California researchers attempt ocean climate solution
21 Apr 2023
Atop a 100-foot barge tied up at the Port of Los Angeles, engineers have built a kind of floating laboratory to answer a simple question: Is there a way to cleanse seawater of carbon dioxide and then return it to the ocean so it can suck more of the greenhouse gas out of the atmosphere to slow global warming?
World's climate plans make for a worrying read
21 Apr 2023
According to the climate plans submitted to the UN by 50 countries, 12 gigatons of CO2 per year will continue to be emitted by 2050 -- and need to be removed from the atmosphere.
Restaurant menu labels could help fight climate change: new research
18 Apr 2023
If people had more information about the carbon footprint generated by the food they eat, would they make different decisions when ordering in restaurants?
Drastic cut in climate pollution is best path to economic growth: study
17 Apr 2023
Early and stringent action to rapidly and dramatically cut climate pollution is the best path for the global economy, according to a new working paper by American scientists.
Move to block lawsuits could strengthen climate case against Govt
Today 11:45am
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s plan to block climate lawsuits – while potentially fatal for one groundbreaking climate case – could actually bolster claims in another live climate case underway against the Government.
Global shocks, fertiliser use and the importance of data: Insights on the environmental performance of agriculture
Today 11:45am
When shocks push producers to use less fertiliser, the environmental performance of agriculture tends to improve. But do improvements reflect the short-term effects of shocks or signal the beginning of a longer-term trend?
$30m airline fund risks ‘burning public money’ without lasting benefit – expert
20 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A $30 million government package to support regional air routes risks delivering poor value for money while increasing emissions, according to transport strategist Tim Adriaansen.
Europe has 'maybe six weeks of jet fuel left', energy boss warns
20 Apr 2026
Stocks would reach a tipping point in June if Europe was unable to replace at least half of its imports from the Middle East, the organisation said in a report this week.
Conservation land open for voluntary carbon market schemes
Tue 12 May 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The government is to open up the Crown-owned conservation estate to private investment in voluntary carbon market projects.
Burning wood for power worse for climate than gas equivalent, report finds
21 Apr 2026
Research casts doubt on plans by the UK government to offer subsidies for carbon capture attached to the power source.
Carbon News updates forward curve
Wed 13 May 2026
Carbon News has updated its ten-year NZU forward curve, following a recent rise in spot market prices, with NZUs rallying from about $34 in January to nearly $54 in early May.
Some inconvenient truths in bringing climate science to the judiciary
Today 11:45am
OPINION: Climate science had been knocking on the courthouse doors for quite some time when the Supreme Court of the United States finally invited it into the realm of legal action in 2007.
Drop in ETS forestry registrations
5 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | ETS forestry registrations have dropped off this year, with the new mandatory emissions return period, new land-use rules, and carbon price volatility all meaning participants aren’t rushing to register forestry in the emissions trading scheme.
GIDI-style help cheaper than LNG: MBIE
Mon 11 May 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Officials advised ministers last July that the lowest-cost way to free up gas for use during dry winters was to assist industrial gas users to switch to electricity.
Tairāwhiti deserves better than weakened forestry rules
5 May 2026
OPINION: The government's proposed amendments to forestry standards, released yesterday, ignore the hard lessons learned in our region and ignore the voices that have fought hardest to protect it, writes Manu Caddie.
Latest emissions inventory: ‘Something has gone very wrong’
16 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2024 decreased by just 0.1% compared to 2023, in what an expert says is a “terrible result”, compared to faster progress in previous years.
What Magyar’s defeat of Orbán in Hungary means for climate and energy
21 Apr 2026
Hungary has played a disproportionate role in EU climate and energy policy in recent years, by repeatedly vetoing climate action and by delaying the phaseout of Russian fossil-fuel imports.
Australian operator to run NZ ETS auctions
Mon 11 May 2026
The Government has appointed an Australian company to run its Emissions Trading Scheme auctions, taking over from NZX, which has operated the ETS auctions since they began in 2021.
World Nuclear Association chief to address NZ energy conference
Today 11:45am
The head of the World Nuclear Association will speak at a Hamilton energy conference as debate grows over whether emerging nuclear technologies could play a role in New Zealand’s future energy mix.
Environmental groups call for ETS reform
20 Feb 2026
Several environmental organisations are calling on political parties to make climate and biodiversity central to the 2026 election campaign, with reforming the Emissions Trading Scheme seen as a key priority.
Combined climate extremes may prompt carbon budget rethink
Today 11:45am
Media release: Springer Nature | Combined extreme climate events are likely to become more common in the future if carbon emissions continue to rise, a paper in Nature suggests.
EDS urges MPs to scrap the Fisheries Amendment Bill
5 May 2026
Media release | The Environmental Defence Society today lodged a substantive submission on the Fisheries Amendment Bill.
Govt presses ahead with forestry rule changes despite opposition
Today 11:45am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government is pushing ahead with changes to commercial forestry rules despite most submitters opposing the proposals, with critics warning the reforms will weaken councils’ ability to manage erosion and forestry slash risks in vulnerable regions such as Tairāwhiti.
Govt moves to block climate change litigation
Tue 12 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s move to limit lawsuits holding climate polluters accountable for damage is putting the interests of big emitters ahead of communities, according to Lawyers for Climate Action.
Methanexit: writing on the wall for NZ’s biggest gas user
6 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s biggest fossil gas user, Methanex, is expected to stop production by the end of this year, with the company confirming its Motunui methanol operation won’t survive Māui gas field’s closure.
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.”
New funding for low methane farming uptake
29 Apr 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The government will co-fund projects under an Early Adoption Accelerator scheme announced today to accelerate the uptake of low emissions farming technologies emerging from the AgriZero public-private partnership.
Commission urges Govt action on climate risks
7 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | Climate change currently poses major risks to our water infrastructure with “significant gaps” in readiness to manage risks and increasing hazards, according to the Climate Change Commission.
Fonterra ‘spins’ greenwashing research for favourable press
1 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | Dairy co-operative Fonterra has managed to ‘spin’ international research intended to highlight greenwashing, instead using it to generate unwarranted positive press, according to researchers behind the recent study into ag industry greenwashing.
‘Formidable’ El Niño expected this winter
29 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Meteorologists are anticipating a significant El Niño influence on weather patterns across the country from winter onwards, with predicted lower rainfall for some areas and heavier rain for others likely to impact multiple sectors of the economy as well as the carbon market.
Victorian Hydrogen announces Southland urea fertiliser project using coal
22 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Australian-based Victorian Hydrogen has announced it is developing a new 1.5 million-tonne-a-year urea fertiliser operation in Southland, which it will apply for under fast-track legislation.
Media round-up
24 Apr 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: What is the real cost of storm-hit infrastructure? Urgency is needed over climate adaptation funding; and a community conservation group has won a legal victory against multinational mining company OceanaGold.
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.
How big oil companies can slow the green transition by suing governments that ban fossil fuels
Wed 13 May 2026
Simply put, this rule lets big oil companies sue sovereign states and demand exorbitant amounts of money if they are prohibited from digging up fossil fuels.
Tehran will never cede control of Strait of Hormuz, senior Iranian politician tells BBC
21 Apr 2026
"Never." That's when a senior Iranian lawmaker says they'll be ready to give up their control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Govt missing tricks to save fuel in crisis
30 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government is being urged to shift its response to the fuel crisis away from short-term relief and towards measures that reduce demand, with public health experts warning it is missing an opportunity to boost energy security and lower household costs.
Climate risks could reshape business finances, new guidance warns
15 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New guidance warns climate change is set to fundamentally reshape financial outcomes for businesses, including difficult-to-model climate “tipping points” – irreversible changes such as ice sheet collapse or ocean circulation shifts – which threaten severe and sudden financial impacts.
‘Triple whammy of climate chaos’: Why Antarctica's sea ice collapse is no longer a mystery
Mon 11 May 2026
Scientists have finally identified the ‘triple whammy’ behind Antarctica’s dramatic collapse, shedding new light on the chain reaction that has pushed its sea ice to record lows.
Coal mine challenge reaches Aus High Court
Wed 13 May 2026
What climate change impacts should a planning authority have to take into account when assessing a mining project?
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.
Deep-sea mining risks biodiversity loss lasting decades, scientists warn
Mon 11 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The first comprehensive review of deep-sea mining research has found mining could cause ecological damage lasting decades and, in some ecosystems, irreversible biodiversity loss, with New Zealand experts warning the industry poses major risks to fragile ocean environments.
Environmental groups sue Trump administration over approval of new ultra deep-water drilling project
23 Apr 2026
Environmental groups sued the Trump administration on Monday over its approval last month of oil company BP’s ultra deep-water drilling project in the Gulf of Mexico.
Opposition slams environment ministry merger
Wed 13 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Opposition MPs accused the Government of downgrading climate and environmental protections as legislation to abolish the Ministry for the Environment and merge it into a new mega-ministry passed its second reading in Parliament.
Kiwis overly optimistic about state of environment
27 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New research suggests many New Zealanders believe the environment is in better shape than it really is, with public perceptions often out of step with scientific evidence.
ESG funds include petrochemical companies, report finds
5 May 2026
Global banks have invested US$133bn into US petrochemical expansion, even as the industry is linked to climate change.
Thousands protest in Germany urging faster shift to renewable energy, amid Iran war
20 Apr 2026
Thousands of people demonstrated across Germany on April 18, urging a faster shift to renewable energy and accusing conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition of putting the brakes on the transition.
Green Party calls for national electrification plan
20 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party is calling for a national plan to electrify homes, transport and industry using renewable energy, to reduce fossil fuel dependence in response to the Middle East crisis.
‘Landmark’ conservation reform bill – boost or bust for nature?
Fri 8 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government has announced an overhaul of the country’s conservation system, which environmental organisation Forest & Bird says will undo the work of many generations of Kiwis to protect public conservation land.
Renewable energy hub planned for Scottish coal museum
Today 11:45am
A former 19th Century coal mining 'super-pit' in Midlothian is to be turned into a renewable energy hub providing green electricity for the local community.
Planned coal mine borders internationally significant wetland
30 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Victorian Hydrogen, the company behind plans for a huge coal-to-urea project, has applied for a permit to explore for coal next to an internationally significant wetland in a sensitive catchment in Southland.
Govt launches solar red tape review to speed up installations
Fri 8 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has launched a review aimed at making residential and small-scale solar installations faster and easier, in a move Rewiring Aotearoa says could help cut costs and accelerate solar uptake across New Zealand.
Carbon trading schemes cut more emissions than carbon taxes, according to global study
20 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Carbon trading schemes are more effective than carbon taxes at reducing emissions, cutting fossil fuel use, and accelerating the shift to renewable energy, a global study has found.
Why both trees and technology are important in the race to mitigate carbon emissions
4 May 2026
Different carbon‑removal approaches solve different problems, and pitting these technologies against each other could slow progress.
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.
More red lights for cars might mean more green lights for sustainable transport
7 May 2026
Media release: Royal Society Open Science | Reducing the amount of green light time for cars at traffic lights could encourage commuters to switch to more sustainable transport.
UN methane alert system expanded to coal and waste sectors after Indian landfill named among world’s top emitters
6 May 2026
The United Nations is expanding its methane monitoring system to cover coal mines and waste facilities, after satellite analysis identified a landfill in India among the world’s three largest methane-emitting sites.
NZ First moves to revive container return scheme
4 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | NZ First is aiming to launch a national container return scheme, which could recycle over a billion wasted containers each year, reviving a policy shelved by the previous Labour-led Government in 2023.
Greens condemn planned coal mine next to protected wetland
4 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party says a new plan for a coal mine and fertiliser plant next to an internationally significant wetland is “ecological vandalism and climate denial.”
Why is Northern Ireland facing a growing threat from wildfires?
7 May 2026
Figures show that spring drought events are happening more often while there has been a sharp rise in "fire weather" - a mix of warmth, dryness, and wind that allows fires to ignite and spread rapidly. Experts warn this combination, along with climate change, is creating a longer and more volatile wildfire season.
Stripy wind turbines could save some birds
Fri 8 May 2026
Media release: Royal Society Interface | Preventing birds from colliding with wind turbine blades could be as simple as a few paint stripes, according to international researchers, who say this could help protect wildlife as renewable energy expands.
