Topics tagged with 'United Nations'
Controversy around methane review heats up
28 Nov 2024
The government’s proposal to align methane targets with ‘no additional warming’ is self-serving, unfair to developing nations, and could ultimately harm New Zealand’s reputation and free trade agreements, according to a new report.
Labour slams National Party’s lack of action on climate
28 Nov 2024
Labour leader Chris Hipkins has attacked the National Party’s recent performance on climate, saying National has given up on climate action.
Plastics treaty needed to avert environmental and human health disasters
27 Nov 2024
As global talks kick off aiming to finalise a treaty to combat plastic pollution, a New Zealand expert says that an ambitious and legally binding treaty is essential.
United Nations carbon market rules agreed but concerns remain
25 Nov 2024
New carbon market rules agreed at the fractious UN climate summit will be a relief to New Zealand and Singapore, who were leading the negotiations, but concerns about greenwashing and disadvantaging nature-based solutions remain.
Complex Article 6 rules pave way to unruly carbon markets
25 Nov 2024
Media release | Despite the best efforts of activists and some climate negotiators, the agreement reached on Article 6 carbon markets at COP29 in Baku risks facilitating cowboy carbon markets at a time when the world needs a sheriff.
New govt to blame for drop in climate rankings
22 Nov 2024
New Zealand has fallen seven places to rank 41st in this year’s Climate Change Performance Index, with experts saying the country has taken significant backwards steps in climate policy since the new National-Act-NZ First coalition government came into power.
Minister at fraught summit as NZ downgraded in global climate rankings
21 Nov 2024
Climate change minister Simon Watts reaffirmed his commitment to New Zealand’s emission reduction targets at the global climate summit at the same time as the country was downgraded in global climate rankings.
‘Underwhelming’: Poor countries push for way more climate funding than the EU is floating
21 Nov 2024
Privately, however, some conceded they may have to settle for the lower figures for now as COP29 talks amble toward the finish line.
Delaying agricultural emissions pricing comes with a cost
20 Nov 2024
Holding back on agricultural emissions pricing could cost New Zealand hundreds of millions more in future offshore climate mitigation.
Govt opens consultation on next international climate target
20 Nov 2024
The government has opened public consultation on its international climate change target, which needs to be set by February 2025.
New carbon market rules could lock out forestry
19 Nov 2024
By Liz Kivi | New carbon market rules negotiated at the United Nations climate summit could have negative consequences for carbon forestry in New Zealand, experts are warning.
What is the ‘new collective quantified goal’ on climate finance?
19 Nov 2024
Countries need to invest trillions of dollars to build clean-energy systems, prepare for an increasingly hotter world and deal with the aftermath of climate change-fuelled disasters, and the UN climate convention specifically requires developed nations to provide climate finance to help developing countries do this.
Will govt consult the public over climate target?
15 Nov 2024
The government seems to be planning to limit public consultation around its next international climate target, which must be set by early February.
Why (and how) I’m taking the two tonne challenge
15 Nov 2024
OPINION: By Emily Mabin Sutton | To meet our “fair share” of international climate targets, every person on Earth needs to emit less than 2.5 tonnes of carbon each year by 2030. But what does this look like in reality in New Zealand?
Media round-up
15 Nov 2024
In our weekly round-up of climate coverage in local media: A spotlight on COP29; United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres says the world is in the final countdown to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius; and NZ is warned against 'blood offsets'.
Zero chance NZ pulls out of climate agreement: Upton
13 Nov 2024
If Donald Trump pulls the United States out of the Paris Agreement, it’s not likely other countries such as New Zealand will follow, according to Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton.
Critics say approval of ‘climate credits’ rules on day one of COP29 was rushed
13 Nov 2024
Agreement on rules paving way for rich countries to pay for cheap climate action abroad breaks years-long deadlock.
The world’s best hope to beat climate change is vanishing
13 Nov 2024
To have a chance against global warming, key economies and industries need to hit crucial emissions targets by 2030. They’re far off track.
NZ experts on UN climate conference
12 Nov 2024
With the United Nations’ major climate summit kicking off in oil-rich Azerbaijan, New Zealand’s climate policy experts are divided over the value of the meeting.
Major Pacific climate study launches at COP29
12 Nov 2024
Climate adaptation strategies, including relocating households and villages, are already being employed across the Pacific region, according to a new study.
COP29 chief exec filmed promoting fossil fuel deals
11 Nov 2024
A senior official at COP29 climate change conference in Azerbaijan appears to have used his role to arrange a meeting to discuss potential fossil fuel deals.
Govt could make significant domestic reductions towards second NDC - but needs to hurry up
8 Nov 2024
The government could find much of the needed emissions reductions for its next Paris Agreement pledge at home – but needs to get on with it, says new analysis from the Climate Change Commission.
Constraints on forestry set to slash unit supply
8 Nov 2024
COMMENT: Carbon unit supply from forestry looks set to be limited by multiple factors - and by 2040 NZUs from new forestry are likely to fulfill only a fraction of demand, writes Ollie Batelier-Belton.
Carbon price inching up as auction looms
7 Nov 2024
The carbon price is still inching up towards the auction floor, with the final auction for 2024 less than a month away. But the US election result means uncertain times for global environmental markets, according to an expert.
UN’s biodiversity conference equal parts inspiring and infuriating
6 Nov 2024
COMMENT: New Zealand’s Indigenous Peoples were underrepresented at the global biodiversity summit, writes Manu Caddie.
Carbon markets could boost climate action in least developed countries
6 Nov 2024
Media release | UNCTAD’s Least Developed Countries Report 2024 highlighted on Monday that the group of 45 least developed countries (LDCs) could use carbon market projects to enhance climate action by offsetting the buyers’ emissions at improved rates which will allow more investment.
‘The world is watching’: Why US election result could dictate global progress on climate action
6 Nov 2024
The US presidential election comes just days ahead of the world’s most important climate negotiations at COP29. Experts say the outcome will have a profound impact on the US’ leadership role at the talks, and beyond.
Biodiversity summit makes some breakthroughs but fails to progress finance
5 Nov 2024
COMMENT: The UN’s biodiversity summit ended in a race against the clock at the weekend, writes David Hall, who was at the conference representing Aotearoa start-up the Toha Network.
Govt should expect scrutiny over international climate targets
31 Oct 2024
The government should expect international scrutiny over progress towards its climate pledge, according to its own advisors.
Upcoming auction pivotal for carbon market
29 Oct 2024
With the final carbon auction of the year less than six weeks away, experts are watching keenly to see if any carbon units are likely to enter the market at auction.
Planet will warm as much as 3.1°C under current policies: UN Report
29 Oct 2024
Without greater action, the planet will warm as much as 3.1 degrees Celsius, with a “massive gap between rhetoric and reality” that must be closed by new climate pledges under the Paris Agreement, according to the UN.
UK’s next Paris pledge should commit to ‘81% emissions cut by 2035’: govt advisors
29 Oct 2024
The UK should make an international pledge to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to 81% below 1990 levels by 2035, according to the government’s advisory Climate Change Committee.
Eighty-eight countries to present oral arguments in international court’s climate hearing
25 Oct 2024
The International Court of Justice will determine the existing financial liability of countries for their contribution to climate change, with over 100 countries and organisations presenting over 12 days at the hearing starting in December.
Humanity is on the verge of ‘shattering Earth’s natural limits’, warn biodiversity experts
22 Oct 2024
As the Cop16 conference begins, scientists and academics say human activity has pushed the world into a danger zone.
Urgent calls for action at biodiversity summit undermined by poor govt decisions
18 Oct 2024
By Manu Caddie | COMMENT: As I arrive in Colombia for the United Nations Biodiversity Conference, COP16, I am struck by the glaring contradictions between New Zealand's international commitments and its domestic policies.
Tracking negotiating texts at the UN’s COP16 biodiversity summit
18 Oct 2024
Delegates are descending on Cali, Colombia for the first set of biodiversity negotiations since the world’s nations agreed a landmark deal in 2022 to “halt and reverse” nature loss by the end of the decade.
US charges against carbon-offsetting boss highlight wider industry problems
18 Oct 2024
Kenneth Newcombe, a carbon-offsetting pioneer, is accused of a 100-million-dollar fraud scheme that could see him sentenced to 20 years in jail.
Govt finances still don’t recognise climate liability
17 Oct 2024
Treasury has failed to recognise a liability for New Zealand’s international climate commitments in its latest financial statement, with its position unchanged on the multibillion dollar price tag of purchasing offshore mitigation.
NZ must work with other countries to reach climate goals: new research
14 Oct 2024
By Liz Kivi | Aotearoa’s international climate targets can only be met through funding significant emissions reductions in other countries. But a lack of public support to spend this money overseas is paralysing New Zealand’s progress towards its goal, according to researchers.
UN carbon trading expert group agrees deal on market framework
14 Oct 2024
A UN expert group has reached a compromise on key elements of a global carbon trading system, in a bid to resolve nearly a decade of talks on what is seen as an important tool for raising climate finance.
The EU’s (vague) climate aid stance: Want more money? Get more donors
14 Oct 2024
The bloc won’t say how much money it’s willing to put up before other details are firmed up.
Minister to co-chair carbon market negotiations at COP29
11 Oct 2024
Climate change minister Simon Watts will chair negotiations on carbon markets at this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), in Azerbaijan next month.
Increased volatility as carbon price inches up towards auction floor
11 Oct 2024
The secondary carbon market saw a slight increase in volatility last week, with carbon trading platform Jarden noting higher volumes above the $62 mark.
New climate ambassador appointed
9 Oct 2024
New Zealand has a new top climate diplomat, with Stuart Horne stepping up as the country’s newly minted climate change ambassador, climate change minister Simon Watts announced this morning.
Azerbaijan is using COP29 to ‘peacewash’ its global image
3 Oct 2024
Azerbaijan is hosting the next UN climate summit, COP 29, in November. Their proposed agenda omits discussions on phasing out fossil fuels and excludes civil society participation.
Minister to meet Pacific Islands climate leaders
30 Sep 2024
Climate change minister Simon Watts is travelling to Fiji today to attend a Ministerial Meeting (Talanoa) with Pacific Island Countries, Australia, and New Zealand.
Govt allows only five days for submissions on repeal of oil and gas ban
27 Sep 2024
By Liz Kivi | The government is allowing only five days for the public to make submissions on legislation to restart oil and gas exploration.
Countries can transform global energy sector by fully implementing 2030 goals: IEA
26 Sep 2024
A new report from the International Energy Agency shows tripling renewables and doubling energy efficiency are possible with the right enabling conditions.
Poor nations ask world's richest to do more on climate
26 Sep 2024
Developing nations on Monday pleaded at the U.N. General Assembly for the world's richest to do more to help them cope with the hardships they face from climate extremes.
Cop31 is a chance for Australia to go from climate laggard to global leader
20 Sep 2024
OPINION: Australia’s bid to co-host the UN’s climate conference is not just a diplomatic event; it is a pivotal opportunity to redefine the nation’s role in the global fight against climate change.
Media round-up
Fri 14 Nov 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Simon Watts acknowledges he may face ‘challenging’ conversations with Pacific nations at COP30, New Zealand's climbdown on its methane emissions target is "embarrassing", and corporates are the real winners of the gutting of the Zero Carbon Act this week.
South Korean growers sue state power utility, blaming climate change for crop damage
Mon 17 Nov 2025
Five South Korean farmers recently sued the state utility Korea Electric Power Corporation and its power-generating subsidiaries, alleging that their reliance on coal and other fossil fuels has accelerated climate change and damaged their crops.
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.
NZ’s shameful new role as ‘international climate pariah’
Thu 13 Nov 2025
OPINION: New Zealand has ratcheted up its climate backsliding in the past month – losing any shred of climate credibility we once had and showing the world we’re giving up on a net zero future, writes Kayla Kingdon-Bebb.
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.
Ministry won’t investigate pre-announcement price drop
Mon 17 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Ministry for the Environment won’t be investigating a drop in the price of NZUs on the secondary market just days before the government announced a policy change causing carbon prices to plummet.
Fossil fuel lobbyists outnumber all COP30 delegations except Brazil, report says
Mon 17 Nov 2025
One in every 25 participants at 2025 UN climate summit is a fossil fuel lobbyist, according to Kick Big Polluters Out.
ETS price spike fears drove NDC decoupling
Thu 13 Nov 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Fears about the economic and fiscal costs of failure to buy enough offshore carbon credits to meet New Zealand’s Nationally Determined Contribution drove last week’s key climate change policy decision.
Act-NZ First split over future of the energy sector
Fri 14 Nov 2025
Act leader David Seymour has set out an energy policy platform that diverges sharply from coalition partner NZ First, arguing New Zealand must accept coal-fired backup generation, consider nuclear power, remove political interference from the electricity sector and sell down the government’s majority stakes in the gentailers.
'Little to be hopeful about' – NZ scientists caution ahead of COP30
31 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Record heat, worsening climate impacts and global backsliding on emission reduction commitments have left some New Zealand climate experts with little optimism as COP30 approaches.
$235 billion worth of NZ buildings exposed to flooding
30 Oct 2025
More than 750,000 New Zealanders live in locations exposed to one-in-100-year floods, according to a nationwide study which shows escalating flood risk.
A fossil fuel fight brews at COP30 as delegates draft road map
Mon 17 Nov 2025
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva surprised many at the opening ceremony of the COP30 leaders summit in Belém last week when he called for world leaders to prepare a road map to “overcome dependence on fossil fuels.”
NZ backs international government push for high-integrity carbon markets
Thu 13 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand has joined a coalition of governments aiming to strengthen corporate demand for voluntary carbon credits.
Clean energy could become a huge political winner
Wed 12 Nov 2025
Rising power bills quietly shaped this year’s races – and gave Democrats a new attack line on 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.
Rural Wairarapa communities on climate change frontline
Mon 17 Nov 2025
By Sue Teodoro, Local Democracy Reporter | Droughts, long hot days, more pests and invasive plants and increasingly severe weather are all risks faced by the Wairarapa rural community, leaders heard this week.
NZ marine heatwaves could double in intensity under high-emissions pathway
16 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show marine heatwaves will grow more intense around the North Island and more frequent around the South Island as the climate warms – raising risks for fisheries, aquaculture, coastal ecosystems and tourism.
Foresters warn ETS reforms could fell innovation
Mon 17 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Elizabeth Heeg, chief executive officer for the Forest Owners Association, says forestry must not be stripped from the Emissions Trading Scheme, arguing that carbon income underpins forest management and rural resilience.
Govt gas expansion 'climate vandalism' – Greens
7 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Green Party has labelled the Government’s move to broaden the scope of its $200 million fossil gas investment fund as vandalism, accusing Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of breaking trust with New Zealanders.
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.”
Oxfam urges NZ to renew climate funding as Pacific projects face closure
Wed 12 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Oxfam Aotearoa is calling on the Government to urgently renew New Zealand’s climate finance commitments, warning that vital projects supporting Pacific communities’ resilience are running out of funding.
Building resilient cities in a time of climate change
Thu 13 Nov 2025
Media release: Otago University | Local and international experts are meeting in Wellington this month to share their knowledge on creating healthier, more resilient cities in the face of the challenges posed by climate change.
TotalEnergies loses in Paris court, marking a turning point for fossil fuel truth-in-advertising
5 Nov 2025
TotalEnergies was found to have misled consumers about its role in the energy transition.
Lake Onslow battery project set for revival?
29 Oct 2025
A newly formed private consortium has emerged with plans to finance and build the massive Lake Onslow pumped-hydro project, despite the coalition government’s decision to abandon the scheme.
Hiringa eyes green methanol plant near Whanganui
29 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Green hydrogen pioneer Hiringa Energy is deep in planning to develop an “eight-to-nine figure” methanol plant near Whanganui, using a combination of biomass and hydrogen produced using renewable energy.
Media round-up
31 Oct 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: A controversial seabed mining project could lead to sediment flows knocking over rigs and damaging wind turbines; weather-related insurance claims climb; and is the government playing Russian Roulette with our future over methane targets?
Why I’m not outraged at the Govt’s latest climate backsliding
7 Nov 2025
COMMENT: The Government’s latest climate rollbacks underline New Zealand’s long history of a lack of genuine desire to cut emissions, writes Geoff Bertram.
Z Energy settles greenwashing case over ‘quitting petrol’ claims
4 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Z Energy has settled a landmark greenwashing case over claims it misled the public about moving away from petrol – a result Lawyers for Climate Action NZ says delivers long-overdue accountability.
Nelson commuters urged to ditch car once a week
22 Oct 2025
By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | Nelson has a bold carbon emission reduction target and residents are being encouraged to leave the car at home one day a week to help meet it.
Supermarket fast-track a ‘cynical ploy’, risks climate and environmental protections
5 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s “express lane for supermarkets” announcement has been met with fierce backlash, with critics calling the Fast-track Approvals Amendment Bill a Trojan horse that strips environmental protections, sidelines communities, and hands sweeping powers to ministers at the expense of democracy.
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 crucial system of ocean currents may be on course to collapse. This country just declared it a national security threat
Mon 17 Nov 2025
As evidence mounts these currents could be on course for collapse, Iceland’s government has made the unusual move of designating the risk a national security threat.
Carbon Finance Program upscales efforts to close climate investment gap in climate vulnerable nations
22 Oct 2025
Media release | The Climate Vulnerable Forum and its V20 Finance Ministers (CVF-V20) will work with the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) to upscale the Carbon Finance Program in reach and impact, supporting more climate-vulnerable countries to host high-integrity carbon projects that yield tangible climate, nature, and sustainable development benefits.
Lobby group launches ‘blueprint’ for ocean management reform
18 Sep 2025
The Environmental Defence Society yesterday released its plan to tackle widespread ecological decline in our oceans.
Coastal roads in the climate spotlight
Fri 14 Nov 2025
By Sue Teodoro, Local Democracy Reporter | Vulnerable coastal roads across New Zealand, including in Masterton district, are coming under the spotlight as the Government works on a plan to address the cost of climate-related damage.
Protesters and UN security clash at climate summit in Brazil
Thu 13 Nov 2025
Activist groups and United Nations security clashed in chaotic scenes late Tuesday after protesters appeared to force their way into the COP30 climate conference venue, in the most serious act of unrest seen in years inside one of the annual gatherings.
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.
Scotland's first wind farm 'supercharged' after upgrade
11 Nov 2025
Scotland's first commercial wind farm will be able to deliver five times more clean power than before after being upgraded.
New national dataset to unlock blue carbon potential in NZ’s coastal wetlands
Wed 12 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Ministry for the Environment and the Nature Conservancy have collaborated on a dataset to inform a framework to potentially include coastal wetlands into compliance and voluntary carbon credit schemes.
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.
AgriZero backs first nitrous oxide solution with $1.2m investment
6 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A Kiwi ag-tech start-up developing a device for cows to wear to drastically cut nitrous oxide emissions has secured $1.2 million in government-industry funding.
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.
EV and hybrid sales soar in Australia as internal combustion cars fall below 70% market share for first time
Thu 13 Nov 2025
Data from peak motoring body shows battery-electric vehicles accounted for 9.7% of new cars sold in September quarter, the highest proportion on record.
Kaicycle celebrates ten years of collective climate action in Pōneke
Fri 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.
Climate impacts hit NZ with increasing wild weather
23 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand is facing a triple whammy of climate impacts today, with severe winds and rainfall predicted for much of the country while some areas are still dealing with wildfires ignited earlier in the week.
Adaptation plan at odds with public sentiment: survey
21 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s position on climate adaptation buyouts shows a disconnect with public opinion, according to survey findings from insurer Suncorp NZ.
We have more renewable energy than ever before. Why are we switching it off?
11 Nov 2025
Experts say until more storage is installed to soak up the waves of renewable energy flooding the grid, much of that power will occasionally have to be curtailed.
