Topics tagged with 'United Nations'
World's glaciers melting at record rate - UN
18 Mar 2008
With global glaciers - a vital water source for millions, or even billions, of people worldwide - melting at a record rate, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) urged countries to agree on a new emissions reduction pact.
Blair back on big nation campaign for bold global deal
16 Mar 2008
Former UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, will lead a major new climate change initiative aiming to "break the deadlock" on achieving a global deal on climate change.
Climate Change natural - unstoppable
12 Mar 2008
By Dr Muriel Newman, Director NZ Centre for Political Research www.nzcpr.com (http://www.nzcpr.com/). I have just returned from an historic meeting of more than 500 people from around the world who gathered in New York to address the question of whether man-made global warming is really threatening the future existence of our planet.
Conservation bill risks climate goals, lawyers say
Wed 1 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Lawyers for Climate Action NZ says the Government's plan to change the law to encourage economic development on conservation land could undermine New Zealand's climate goals by weakening the land's ability to store carbon, as well as allowing new sources of emissions such as mining.
Strong El Niño raises drought and wildfire concerns
Thu 2 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A newly declared El Niño is expected to bring drier conditions to parts of New Zealand over the coming months, increasing the risk of drought, water shortages and wildfires, while experts warn communities should prepare for potentially significant impacts.
$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.
‘They want to destroy Corsia’: Brussels takes aim again at airline emissions
Thu 2 Jul 2026
The European Commission is planning to shoot down the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) largely voluntary decarbonisation scheme, CORSIA, when it presents plans to overhaul the EU’s carbon pricing system, sources suggest.
Upton warns of 'expensive mess' if catchments carved up
Wed 1 Jul 2026
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has warned the Government risks creating an "expensive mess" if it abolishes regional councils without first deciding which environmental functions must still be managed at catchment or regional scale.
Inaction on shipping decarbonisation could cost NZ up to $94b by 2050, report says
Tue 30 Jun 2026
By Oli Lewis | Failing to support and enable the decarbonisation of the shipping industry could result in losses of $17.5 billion to $94.4b to the New Zealand economy by 2050, according to a report from the Aotearoa Circle.
Tens of millions swelter as heatwave blasts US
Thu 2 Jul 2026
Tens of millions of Americans sweltered under furnace-like temperatures Tuesday as central and eastern cities hunkered down for a heat wave set to last through the July 4 holiday weekend.
Ocean surface temperatures hit record high as world enters ‘uncharted territory,’ scientists warn
Fri 3 Jul 2026
“The planet is warming because we’re emitting vast quantities of greenhouse gases, primarily from fossil fuel burning,” one expert said.
Carbon markets and biochar: a golden opportunity for NZ?
Wed 1 Jul 2026
By John O’Brien | COMMENT: New Zealand’s abundant and increasing forestry waste could become a multi-billion dollar opportunity for biochar carbon sequestration – as long as the right policies, programmes, and incentives are in place.
China's coal power on the rise again in 2026, reversing first-in-a-decade decline
25 Jun 2026
China's coal-fired power generation is set to rebound this year from its first fall in a decade, analysts said, due to the impact of El Nino and the Iran war and as renewable sources of energy have failed to keep pace with demand.
Politicians need to lead on climate: Carr
Tue 30 Jun 2026
As the election campaign heats up, former Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr has a list of actions he's hoping to see from our aspiring leaders, which includes confronting climate denial as well as refusing funds or policy advice from vested interests.
Green building council calls for clean energy policies
18 May 2026
The New Zealand Green Building Council has released its 2026 election manifesto calling for policies to reduce energy waste in buildings, lower household and business energy costs, and improve New Zealand’s energy security.
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.
BNZ and Pāmu team up on ‘carbon insetting’ with existing native forests
Tue 30 Jun 2026
By Liz Kivi | BNZ and state-owned enterprise Pāmu (Landcorp) have teamed up on what they say could be a model for landowners to earn revenue from existing native forests, while businesses pay for carbon removals. The organisations involved say this is “not offsetting,” with less stringent rules needed than for carbon credits.
Taranaki offshore wind developer eyes mid-2030s commissioning after law change
Fri 3 Jul 2026
By Oli Lewis | The first offshore wind farm in New Zealand could be commissioned by the mid-2030s, with its developer saying a new permitting framework has bolstered investor confidence.
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.
Confidence in tackling climate risks remains low
Fri 3 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams |New Zealanders have little faith in the country's ability to tackle climate risks, with a new poll finding fewer than one in three are confident the country can reduce the impacts of climate change, while many are calling for stronger Government leadership on climate hazards.
Tarakihi on verge of extinction: Stock collapse exposes major fisheries management failings
Fri 3 Jul 2026
Media release: Environmental Defence Society | Fisheries NZ is consulting on new sustainability measures for the country’s two tarakihi stocks.
High Court upholds forestry directors' environmental liability
Thu 2 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The High Court has dismissed appeals by a forestry company, its directors, and a landowner, against enforcement orders over environmental damage in a Gisborne forest, reinforcing that company directors can be personally liable for environmental breaches.
EECA seeks answers on NZ's future fuel mix
Fri 3 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority is looking for specialists to assess the role future low-emissions fuels could play in New Zealand’s energy system.
Savings gap doubles: all-electric households stand to save $3000 a year, report finds
Mon 29 Jun 2026
By Oli Lewis | The economic incentive for households to electrify has become more compelling, although overcoming upfront installation costs remains a barrier.
Cabinet green-lights $55M super-critical geothermal drilling programme
9 Jun 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Cabinet has agreed to release the $55 million unspent of the $60m secured by Resources Minister Shane Jones to drill up to 5 kilometres deep into super-critical geothermal heat under the Taupō volcanic zone.
World Bank to abandon goal to devote 45% of lending resources to climate change projects
Wed 1 Jul 2026
The World Bank Group said on Monday it will "retire" its previous goal to devote 45% of its annual lending resources to projects with climate co-benefits, but extend its longstanding Climate Change Action Plan that was due to expire on Tuesday.
Carbon capture and the need for ‘net zero oil’
16 Jun 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The answer to making carbon capture and storage work is to make fossil fuel producers responsible for making it happen rather than consumers, says Oxford University climate change policy expert, Professor Myles Allen.
Govt climate claims don't match reality, lawyers say
17 Jun 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Lawyers for Climate Action has accused the Government of presenting an overly positive picture of New Zealand's climate progress at the United Nations climate summit in Bonn, arguing key claims on emissions reductions and support for the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C goal are not reflected in domestic policy.
Lake Onslow pumped hydro consortium secures funding for consent push
26 Jun 2026
By Oli Lewis | The consortium behind Lake Onslow pumped hydro has secured funding to finalise its resource consent application, aiming to lodge it under the fast-track process before 2027.
Ballance secures gas for 2026 as it progresses energy transition plan
16 Jun 2026
By Oli Lewis | One of the largest industrial gas users in New Zealand is working on an energy transition plan to futureproof domestic fertiliser manufacturing, while continuing to secure ongoing gas supply contracts.
$75k up for grabs for climate resilience and inclusion projects
25 Jun 2026
Community organisations and charities working to strengthen climate resilience and social inclusion can apply for a share of $75,000 through the QBE Foundation's 2026 Local Grants.
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.
Labour promises to repeal bill to block climate lawsuits
Fri 3 Jul 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government bill aiming to block climate lawsuits passed its first reading under urgency after a heated debate in Parliament last night, with the Labour Party promising it will repeal the bill if elected in November.
Commissioner ‘unconvinced’ LNG is the best dry-year solution
26 Jun 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has told the Energy Minister he is “unconvinced” the government’s proposed LNG import terminal is the best ‘dry year’ solution for the country, and criticised the Government’s “extremely limited” options analysis.
Australia is at least ten years ahead of us on solar. It’s time we caught up.
Fri 3 Jul 2026
By Ed Harvey | OPINION: Starting this week, millions of households across New South Wales, South Australia and Southeast Queensland will have access to three hours of free electricity every single day.
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.
UN chief says fossil fuel industry must cut methane for warming “relief”
25 Jun 2026
UN chief António Guterres called for stronger action to cut emissions of planet-heating methane, taking aim at the fossil fuel industry’s practices and profits, and pointing to coal, oil and gas as the root of today’s climate and energy crises.
New report sounds alarm on risks of unregulated radioactivity from deep-sea mining
Fri 3 Jul 2026
Media release | A groundbreaking scientific report released today by the Deep Sea Mining Campaign exposes a critical, unaddressed threat to global ocean health: the mobilisation of naturally occurring radioactive materials by proposed deep sea mining operations.
Forestry at heart of ETS problems – commissioner
24 Jun 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Forestry is a central driver of growing problems within New Zealand's Emissions Trading Scheme, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton told the Environment Select Committee during Parliamentary Scrutiny Week.
Hipkins pans LNG plan as ‘massive step backwards’
19 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | Labour leader Chris Hipkins has told a Queenstown audience that a Government he leads would not proceed with a planned LNG import terminal, if elected at November’s election.
A real ‘intergenerational equity’ budget would address Australia’s unceasing environmental decline
15 May 2026
Labor has unveiled a budget designed to tackle intergenerational equity in Australia through bold tax reform.
UN plastics pact talks restart amid fears production curbs will be left out
Thu 2 Jul 2026
Diplomats reconvene a year after negotiations collapsed, but campaigners fear the agenda risks burying tricky discussions on key elements.
Media round-up
Fri 3 Jul 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Getting the most impact from the Government's investment in school solar; NZ needs an objective assessment of LNG imports and renewable storage options; and while greener suburbs are healthier on all kinds of metrics, achieving them isn’t straightforward.
Northern Thai residents march for action on polluted rivers. ‘This is an emergency’
9 Jun 2026
More than 600 residents of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces embarked May 31 on a roughly 68-kilometer, six-day ‘peace walk’ to demand the Thai government take action on the river pollution crisis that has seen Thai rivers polluted with heavy metals.
US defence spending on critical minerals surges in the last decade
22 Jun 2026
Members of communities affected by some of these projects said that U.S. state backing has meant projects are being fast-tracked without the necessary social and environmental checks or meaningful consultation.
A tale of two electricity systems as NZ and Australia roll out new cost-saving measures
Wed 1 Jul 2026
By Oli Lewis | New rules requiring electricity retailers to offer time-of-use pricing plans, where consumers can access lower-cost electricity at off-peak times, have come into effect.
Offshore renewable energy bill passes, opening path for developers
Thu 2 Jul 2026
By Oli Lewis | Feasibility permits for offshore wind developments could be issued within months after the Government passed a long-awaited law to establish a regulatory regime.
Labour won't scrap RMA replacement laws: Hipkins
26 Jun 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins says New Zealand needs to move beyond the "repeal and replace" approach to resource management, confirming the party would amend rather than scrap the Government's RMA reforms, if elected.
Climate scientist wins 'emerging scientist' prize
Wed 1 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | University of Waikato scientist Luke Harrington has been awarded the Prime Minister's MacDiarmid Emerging Scientist Prize for developing new ways to measure how climate change is increasing the likelihood and intensity of extreme weather.
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.
Lack of finance stalling sustainable innovation – report
12 Jun 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A lack of access to suitable finance is threatening growth in New Zealand's sustainable innovation sector, despite strong confidence and ambitious expansion plans among purpose-driven businesses, according to a new report.
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.
New Delhi offers residents $1,000 to scrap old cars for EVs to curb air pollution
Thu 2 Jul 2026
India's capital New Delhi will offer a cash incentive of over$1,000 to car owners willing to scrap their old vehicle for an EV, according to a new policy finalised by the government on Monday in a move aimed at reducing high levels of air pollution.
Next Govt must restart action on plastic pollution
Wed 1 Jul 2026
Media release - Zero Waste Aotearoa | Plastic Free July begins with an urgent call to put plastic pollution back on the political agenda. Plastic Free July is a worldwide campaign to reduce plastic waste and eliminate single use plastics.
Waikato Council advances water security action plan
23 Jun 2026
Waikato Regional Council has endorsed a new action plan to strengthen the region’s water security.
Increase in wildfire-driven ozone linked to premature deaths across the U.S.
10 Jun 2026
Smog linked to wildfires is getting worse across much of the U.S., playing a role in more than 300 additional premature deaths every year since 2013, researchers say.
