Topics tagged with 'United Nations'
Europe shambles could boost value of NZ credits
19 Mar 2010
The value of New Zealand Kyoto credits could rise on the back of a European scandal over recycled CERs.
Arrogance undid Copenhagen summit, says Stern
19 Mar 2010
The "disappointing" outcome of December's climate summit was largely down to "arrogance" on the part of rich countries, according to Lord Stern.
Time to stop pointing fingers, says Maldives
19 Mar 2010
The climate change debate should be reframed in economic and security terms ahead of a year-end UN summit in Mexico seeking a binding climate deal, the president of the Maldives says.
UN chief sees progress toward next talks in Mexico
19 Mar 2010
Countries responsible for more than four-fifths of global emissions of greenhouse gases have now backed the accord that emerged from last year’s climate change summit in Copenhagen, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said yesterday.
World watches for a green world cup in South Afica
19 Mar 2010
The international community is hoping that hosting the world’s largest sporting event will have a positive impact on South Africa’s green energy projects.
Report lists 10 ‘fat cats’ getting rich from carbon
12 Mar 2010
Windfall profits from Europe’s system for trading industrial carbon quotas could discourage big regional polluters from doing anything to curb emissions.
IPCC review scientists won't revisit landmark report
12 Mar 2010
An outside review of the work of the United Nations’ climate change panel will not re-check the body’s controversial latest report but will instead focus on improving procedures for the future.
Uncertainty dries up Aussie carbon market
5 Mar 2010
The carbon market in Australia has come to a complete halt since the Labor Government announced last May that it would delay the introduction of emissions trading.
Green tech now must fight off the fakes
5 Mar 2010
Recycling used tech gear has a far less desirable, unintended consequence - contributing to a rise in fake computer chips.
New body to watch UN climate change panel
5 Mar 2010
The head of the United Nations-backed panel tasked with preparing scientific reports on the impact of climate change has announced the establishment of an independent review body to ensure that procedures are closely followed.
Australia, Indonesia sign forest carbon agreement
5 Mar 2010
Australia and Indonesia have signed a multi-million dollar pact to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation on Sumatra.
Climate problem urgent, says Chinese leader
26 Feb 2010
Chinese President Hu Jintao has said his country must urgently confront climate change and make it a central part of the government's development strategy.
Weather experts agree to collect better climate data
26 Feb 2010
World weather agencies have agreed to collect more precise temperature data to improve climate change science, officials said this week.
UN climate talks to resume in April
26 Feb 2010
The United Nations says formal negotiations on an international treaty to control global warming will resume in Bonn in April, four months after the failed climate change summit in Copenhagen.
UN must probe ‘bias’, says former climate chief
19 Feb 2010
The UN body that advises world leaders on climate change must investigate an apparent bias in its report that resulted in several exaggerations of the impact of global warming, according to its former chairman.
UN climate chief stepping down to go private
19 Feb 2010
United Nations climate change chief Yvo de Boer said today that he has made the “difficult decision” to step down from his position.
Pachauri toughs it out as pressure grows
12 Feb 2010
A couple of years ago, Rajendra Pachauri seemed destined for a scientist’s version of sainthood.
Does the IPCC need fixing?
12 Feb 2010
New Zealand climate scientist give their views on the call for reforms of the IPCC.
Country on alert as scammers steal carbon units
5 Feb 2010
The New Zealand carbon registry is issuing warnings to members after the theft of nearly $6 million worth of carbon units in an international email scam.
55 nations set 2020 goals under Copenhagen Accord
5 Feb 2010
Fifty-five nations accounting for almost 80 per cent of world greenhouse gas emissions have set national goals for fighting climate change by a deadline in the Copenhagen Accord, the United Nations says.
I won't resign, says posh-suits Pachauri
5 Feb 2010
Indian scientist Rajendra Pachauri has refused to apologise for a mistake in a 2007 climate change report and has hit out at his critics.
Copenhagen - a letter from Gordon Brown
5 Feb 2010
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown reflects in an open letter to Labour MP Alan Williams on the way forward after the Copenhagen climate change conference - including financing the green economy.
Australia presses on with 5% reduction target
29 Jan 2010
The Australian Government has committed to introducing an emissions trading scheme with a floating carbon market in 2012 regardless of what the rest of the world does to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Nations must not delay, says UN climate chief
29 Jan 2010
The failure of last month’s UN summit in Copenhagen to agree on ambitious and immediate global action to combat climate change means that the task has become more, not less urgent, the UN’s senior climate official says.
Cool heads prevail over Copenhagen, says De Boer
22 Jan 2010
UN climate chief Yvo de Boer has admitted that last month’s conference in Copenhagen was not a success, but said that “cool heads” are seeing it as a way to reach an international agreement on climate change.
IPCC says sorry over glacier melting conclusion
22 Jan 2010
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has expressed regret over “poor application of well-established procedures” in substantiating an estimated rate of recession and date for the disappearance of the Himalayan glaciers.
Copenhagen in crisis: Why it all comes down to China
18 Dec 2009
China will shape whatever deal comes out of Copenhagen as the UN climate change conference heads into its final day.
Ban urges leaders to act as hours tick away
18 Dec 2009
The outcome of climate change negotiations in Copenhagen hinges on the issues of emissions reductions and financing, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said yesterday.
UN shuts clean coal out of emissions trading
18 Dec 2009
The clean-coal industry has been shut out of the global emissions trading scheme at the Copenhagen climate change talks, dealing a blow to the UK, US and Australia.
If diplomacy fails, there is always the fantastic Plan B
18 Dec 2009
Just five years ago, anyone who talked of easing Earth's climate crisis by fertilising the seas with iron, scattering particles in the stratosphere to reflect sunlight or building a sunshade in space courted ridicule.
IPCC winnings go to climate science scholars
18 Dec 2009
The Nobel Peace Prize will pay dividends in the developing world by funding scholarships for climate-science studies.
Copenhagen split as island states make stand
11 Dec 2009
A climate change stand led by the Pacific nation of Tuvalu has split the Copenhagen conference down the middle.
Leaked ‘Danish text’ pushes power for the rich
11 Dec 2009
The UN Copenhagen climate talks erupted after developing countries reacted furiously to leaked documents that hands more power to rich countries and sidelines the UN's role in all future climate change negotiations.
UN view: The talks are going well
11 Dec 2009
The United Nations says talks under way at the climate change conference in Copenhagen have entered the drafting phase towards reaching a final agreement.
The editorial that gave world the message …
11 Dec 2009
An editorial calling for action from world leaders on climate change was published by 56 newspapers around the world in 20 languages on the day the Copenhagen conference opened.
Carbon fraudsters rake in billions, say police
11 Dec 2009
Tax fraudsters have targeted the European Union’s carbon emissions trading system, pocketing about five billion euros, the Europol police agency says.
Organic farming key to cutting emissions
11 Dec 2009
Converting Britain to organic agriculture would cut that country’s carbon emissions by 3.2 million tonnes – the equivalent of taking nearly a million cars off the road, says the Soil Assocation.
We can do a deal by June, says UN climate chief
4 Dec 2009
A new climate treaty can be ready by June next year, says the UN's chief climate negotiator, Yvo de Boer.
India comes to the party with emissions cut promise
4 Dec 2009
India has became the last of the ''big four'' polluters to reveal its opening hand in the lead-up to the climate change talks in Copenhagen next week.
Danes are going green for the big summit
4 Dec 2009
Danes will be on their best green behaviour when a much-anticipated climate conference brings thousands of foreign visitors to Copenhagen next week.
UN suspends approval of China wind farms
4 Dec 2009
The UN body that oversees carbon credit trading has suspended approval of some Chinese wind farms amid questions about how Beijing obtains money through the system.
World news agencies join forces for Copenhagen
4 Dec 2009
Eleven international news agencies have launched a joint Facebook page to interact with news consumers across the globe during the UN climate conference in Copenhagen.
Senate shambles as Aussie ETS vote due today
27 Nov 2009
The Australian government is confident the Senate will vote late today on its emissions trading scheme following a day of political turmoil yesterday.
Chinese premier, too, taking cuts promise to Denmark
27 Nov 2009
China says it will trim its "carbon intensity" 40 to 45 per cent by the year 2020 as compared to 2005 levels.
Ban says Obama vital to Copenhagen success
27 Nov 2009
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday welcomed the announcement that US President Barack Obama will attend the Copenhagen climate conference next month.
US and India pledge common action on climate change
27 Nov 2009
The United States and India have pledged common action to fight climate change and to build a new global clean energy economy.
Hacker scandal sends ripples through science community
27 Nov 2009
The fallout continues over the theft of private e-mails from a server at a world-renowned climate change research unit in Britain.
‘Human’ CO2 emissions continue to rise
20 Nov 2009
Carbon dioxide emissions from human activities rose 2 per cent in 2008 to an all-time high of 1.3 tonnes of carbon per capita per year, according to a paper published yesterday.
Forum: Taking agriculture forward with the Emissions Trading Scheme
20 Nov 2009
Climate Change Issues Minister Nick Smith speaks to the Federated Farmers National Council Meeting in Wellington yesterday.
Obama and Hu shake hands on climate deal
20 Nov 2009
China and the United States, the largest producers of greenhouse gases, will team up to fight climate change and create clean energy, say their leaders.
NZ part of hidden global deep-sea network beneath the waves
Fri 25 Jul 2025
Media release - Earth Sciences New Zealand | A world-first study of marine life, including sea creatures found in New Zealand's dark, cold, pressurised ocean depths, has revealed that deep-sea life is surprisingly more connected than previously thought.
Does NZ need a national incentive scheme for wetlands?
Fri 25 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | An expert is calling for a national incentive programme to restore New Zealand’s wetlands and wants to stop schemes to drain these vital carbon-sequestering ecosystems.
NZ Post drops science-based climate target
8 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | NZ Post has dropped its science-based emissions reduction target of 42% by 2030 with no plans to replace it.
Airlines risk legal challenges by advertising jet fuel as “sustainable”, NGO warns
18 Jul 2025
Amid suspected fraud in the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a new report says the airline industry should stop calling all alternatives to kerosene “sustainable”.
Tipping points: Window to avoid irreversible climate impacts is ‘rapidly closing’
11 Jul 2025
In the midst of a record-breaking heatwave in Europe, the UK city of Exeter recently played host to the second international conference on “tipping points”.
Sustainability claims questioned as renewable diesel surges
14 May 2025
Critics are sceptical about industry claims of renewable diesel life-cycle greenhouse gas emission cuts and warn renewable diesel carbon releases will surge if sourcing is scaled up, triggering tropical deforestation as producers convert forests to energy crops, such as oil palm and soy.
Is extending Huntly power station to 2035 in consumers’ best interest?
Tue 22 Jul 2025
By Simon Orme | COMMENT: Genesis Energy is proposing a cartel to keep high-emitting Huntly Power Station in business to 2035. If extending Huntly has economic benefits, is a cartel necessary?
Greenpeace hails Italy court ruling allowing climate lawsuit against energy company to go ahead
Fri 25 Jul 2025
Italy’s highest court has ruled that a lawsuit brought by climate activists against Italian energy company ENI and its government shareholders can go ahead.
Bearish sentiment lingers for carbon market
11 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The compliance carbon market could be set for a gradual upward trajectory, however unsold volume from the quarterly Emissions Trading Scheme auctions continues to act as ‘a price ceiling,’ according to an expert.
EU wants to see China take more ambitious climate action
15 Jul 2025
The world needs China to show more leadership on climate action, highlighting the importance of cutting planet-heating emissions and reducing the Chinese economy's reliance on coal.
Forestry can be a big plus for sheep and beef farmers – but there are caveats
Tue 22 Jul 2025
By Keith Woodford | OPINION: These are good times for sheep and beef farmers with record product prices for meat, which is precisely why now is the time for sheep and beef farmers to be looking again at farm forestry.
Common low-grade clay strengthens low-carbon concrete
5 Jun 2025
Media release | Engineers at RMIT University have converted low-grade clay into a high-performance cement supplement, opening a potential new market in sustainable construction materials.
Cuts to climate finance put exports in jeopardy: Lawyers
23 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has halved international climate finance, a move aid organisations describe as “devastating,” and which lawyers say could put our Paris Agreement commitments and export market access at risk.
NZ voluntary carbon market’s sad state
14 Jul 2025
By John O’Brien | OPINION: A combination of scandals, challenging economic times, and cheaper offshore carbon credits, mean that the domestic voluntary carbon market in New Zealand remains absolutely tiny.
Media round-up
Fri 25 Jul 2025
In our round-up of the climate coverage in local media: Dairy conversions surge; Gore is hit with a drinking water crisis; meanwhile farming lobby groups Groundswell and Federated Farmers are up in arms about a plan to classify environmental impacts in the agriculture and forestry sector.
Key orange roughy population on verge of collapse, govt considers closure
9 Jul 2025
Media release - Deep Sea Conservation Coalition | New data reveals that New Zealand’s main orange roughy fishery, accounting for half of the country’s total catch, is on the brink of collapse, with one model showing it may have reached that point already, and the government’s considering closing it.
Extreme weather events are the new frontline of online climate denial – report
Thu 24 Jul 2025
Climate science deniers are flooding social media with false claims during extreme weather events, drowning out reliable information and putting lives at risk.
Latest trawl bycatch numbers 'a grim wake-up call'
24 Jun 2025
Media release – Greenpeace | The latest fisheries bycatch data paints a grim picture, with trawlers hauling up thousands of kilograms of coral and killing hundreds of fur seals and seabirds over a 12 month period.
‘Ideological sludge’: How NZ is quiet quitting climate action
17 Jul 2025
New Zealand once stood out as a world leader on climate change. In June it became the first country in the world to abandon a commitment to phase out oil, gas and coal.
NZ govt’s fossil fuel plans could break international law
Thu 24 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government could be breaching international law with its plans to subsidise and expand fossil fuel extraction, following a ruling overnight from the world’s highest court.
Watts talks big on energy reform, but barriers persist
29 May 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Energy and Climate Change minister Simon Watts says the government is doubling down on efforts to boost renewable energy generation, streamline regulation, and drive private sector investment as New Zealand faces mounting energy security and affordability challenges.
SBTi releases Net Zero Standard for banks, investors
Thu 24 Jul 2025
The Science Based Targets initiative announced the release of its finalised Financial Institutions Net-Zero Standard, aimed at enabling banks and investors to set net zero-aligned targets for their lending, investing, insurance and capital markets activities.
Local govt bill 'completely misses the point,' passes first reading
18 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government’s bill making changes to the Local Government Act to "refocus" councils on their core functions passed its first reading in Parliament last night, with critics saying it will set back climate resilience.
Methanex closure comes early this year
14 May 2025
The almost-now-annual closure of Methanex has come earlier this year, giving more confidence that the electricity system will get through the winter without a fuel shortfall.
Electric firebricks: decarbonising high-temperature industrial heat
13 Jun 2025
By Ian Mason | A new technology could offer a more cost-effective solution than hydrogen to decarbonise one ‘hard-to-abate’ sector of New Zealand’s economy, as well as having ample potential for demand response as the electricity grid becomes more renewable.
Climate catastrophes are creating a ‘new market reality’ for insurance carriers
Wed 23 Jul 2025
Raging wildfires and severe storms contributed to record-high global insurance losses — totalling an estimated US$84 billion — for the first six months of the year.
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.
The ICJ’s ruling means Australia and other major polluters face a new era of climate reparations
Fri 25 Jul 2025
By Harj Narulla | OPINION: Australia has found itself on the wrong side of history.
Clear-sighted view to trade-offs crucial to reimagining our relationship with the land
7 Jul 2025
By Nick Swallow | COMMENT: New Zealand could see a 70% drop in the value of dairy land if we pursue our emissions targets for agriculture, according to a new report.
Elation as Whanganui gets voice in fast-track seabed mining decision
Thu 24 Jul 2025
By Moana Ellis, Local Democracy Reporter | A Whanganui District councillor is “elated” her council has been named a relevant authority in the fast-track application process for a seabed mining project off South Taranaki.
Urgent action needed to get on track for climate goals - commission
Fri 25 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand is making progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but more work is needed – urgently – to set up for future reductions, according to the latest report from the Climate Change Commission.
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.
Ocean heatwaves may signal climate tipping point
Fri 25 Jul 2025
A recent study that tapped into satellite data has revealed that 2023 marked an unprecedented year for marine heatwaves, with record-breaking levels of duration, reach and intensity across the world's oceans.
Markets aren't going to save us – Carr
9 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Consumerism is reaching its ecological and economic limits, and only systemic change - not market tweaks - can steer us away from climate catastrophe, according to former Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr.
Millions of tons of tiny plastic particles are polluting the ocean, study finds
15 Jul 2025
At least 27 million tonnes of nanoplastics are estimated to be floating in the North Atlantic Ocean, weighing more than all wild land mammals combined.
Another offensive launched in the government’s war on nature
Thu 24 Jul 2025
Media release - Environmental Defence Society | Last week the Minister for Resource Management Reform, Chris Bishop, announced that the government would be intervening, yet again, to prevent councils from progressing environmental protections under the Resource Management Act.
Activists sue US development bank over $4.6bn loan to massive Mozambique gas project
18 Jul 2025
Environmental groups claim loan is ‘unlawful’ in legal filing.
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.
Switching to renewables is ‘smart economics’ - Guterres
Thu 24 Jul 2025
The global energy transition is now “unstoppable” due to “smart economics”, UN secretary-general António Guterres has said in an online speech titled: “A moment of opportunity.”
Root intelligence: How old trees learn to suck more CO2 from the air
Thu 24 Jul 2025
New research finds that centuries-old oaks can dynamically rewire how they absorb nutrients—suggesting forests may be more resilient allies in the climate fight than once believed.
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’.
Can robot taxis solve NZ's transport woes?
Wed 23 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Ministry of Transport has tested the idea of driverless taxis as a futuristic fix. But while new modelling explores how "robotaxis" could ease congestion and reduce car ownership, critics say it misses a crucial point – the country’s worsening transport emissions.
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.
Fast, sustained phase-out of fossil fuels: best-performing countries in coal and transport sectors
10 Jul 2025
By Robert McLachlan | It’s true that climate change is getting worse – it will continue to get worse until emissions fall to near zero. But is action on phasing out fossil fuels really stalling?
Waste Levy risks becoming ‘slush fund’ under proposed changes – Commissioner
5 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Proposed changes to New Zealand's waste legislation risk undermining public trust in the waste levy scheme, according to Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton.
The struggle for control of the Arctic is accelerating - and it's riskier than ever
11 Jul 2025
As the battle for one of the world’s coldest places heats up, an increasingly fragile security balance may be breaking down, leading to an escalating arms race.
UN University report warns against carbon credits from REDD, tree planting, and improved forest management
13 Jun 2025
But the report stops short of recommending banning the trade in carbon temporarily stored in trees.
For the first time, China invests more in wind and solar than coal overseas
29 May 2025
China’s Belt and Road Initiative, long derided for its heavy carbon footprint, was dominated by wind and solar power projects for the first time from 2022 to 2023, according to a new analysis. But coal plants financed in earlier years are still coming online.
