Most students at the University of Auckland have no idea that their education provider has millions invested in fossil fuels. Fossil Free UoA would be happy to tell them about it – if the university only gave them the chance, writes member Ben Martelli. Early in the morning a couple of Thursdays ago I and … Read more
The term ‘evidence’ has a fascinating linguistic and social history – and it’s a good reminder that even today the truth of scientific evidence depends on it being presented in a convincing way, writes James A T Lancaster As recent climate change scepticism shows, the fortunes of scientific evidence can be swayed by something as fleeting … Read more
The government sprung a surprise today by announcing an end to offshore oil and gas exploration permits. The response was mixed, with criticism from industry and acclaim from environmental groups. The prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, formally revealed the move in this speech to students at Victoria University of Wellington. I want you for a moment to think … Read more
The latest inventory of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions shows a 20% increase in emissions from 1990 to 2016. The Science Media Centre has collected commentary from the experts Climate change minister James Shaw announced the result of the inventory this morning a few hours after Jacinda Ardern declared that the government would not hand out any new offshore … Read more
Good morning, and welcome back to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: The minimum wage has gone up, a rāhui on the Waitakere ranges is being violated, and New Zealand’s future food security is in focus. More money for those with less from this weekend, with the minimum wage rising, and the accommodation supplement being boosted. The minimum … Read more
Pressure is mounting on the government to halt oil and gas exploration. If New Zealand can successfully wean itself off fossil fuels, we can only accelerate action in other countries, argues James Renwick The pressure is really going on at a political level in New Zealand these days. The Green Party is pushing to introduce … Read more
The PM famously called climate change her generation’s ‘nuclear free moment’. Branko Marcetic asks environmental critics of the original agreement whether the deal updated as CPTPP allays their concerns Climate change is here. It’s only March, and we’ve already experienced a record-breaking heatwave, a “revved up” tropical cyclone, and now scientists are freaking out over … Read more
Good morning and welcome to the first ever edition of The Bulletin, a round up the best and most important NZ news of the day. Sign up here to get The Bulletin direct to your inbox every single morning. Another National heavyweight is bowing out, a report into referrals of kids to protection services is … Read more
EVs are taking over the world, in the same way that cars left the horse and cart floundering in their petrol guzzling wake. Vector’s Steve Heinen discusses why that might be a brilliant, planet-saving, massive headache. Electric vehicles (EV) are great. They’re quieter, need less maintenance, provide more acceleration, and in New Zealand, where our … Read more
In New Zealand, as in the rest of the world, the climate change conversation tends to focus on fossil fuels and renewable energy. But, asks Kieran Martin, when methane in the atmosphere can do far more damage than carbon dioxide, shouldn’t we thinking harder about cows? When it comes to fossil fuels we know what … Read more
In the past three years the Pacific Island nations have experienced the three most intense tropical cyclones on record. It’s our duty as tangata whenua and whanaunga to take a stand on climate change, for their sake, argues Graham Cameron. As our Pacific Islands cousins face the unprecendented impacts of climate change, they are looking … Read more
From November through to January, a multi-disciplinary team of experts from New Zealand melted a hole through the Ross Ice Shelf to explore the hidden ocean below. Team members Christina Hulbe and Craig Stevens take us through the findings. Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf is the world’s largest floating slab of ice: it’s about the size … Read more
From fan shortages to sweaty insomnia, New Zealand can’t get enough of heatwave talk. But there’s one subject that few media stories about high summer temperatures seem eager to discuss. Over the past two weeks, virtual gallons of digital ink have been spilled over the current record-breaking temperatures Kiwis are enduring all over the country. … Read more
Having observed the failure of many governments to effect real change at climate conferences, former Greens co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons shares what she has learned about community engagement to help the environment. Do we lobby the government to reduce climate emissions, or change our own light bulbs? Well, both of course – but actually, neither will … Read more
I would love for Doug Edmeades to be right, as I would sleep better at night, but the arguments he trots out have been debunked over and over again, writes climate scientist James Renwick. Some memes never die. Every time you shoot them down they just get up again like the zombies they are. “Satellite … Read more
The coincidences have mounted to the point where it must be asked – has Pitbull come back to the future to warn us about our impending ecological demise? On the release day of his new album Climate Change, Carys Goodwin dares to investigate. This post first published March 17, 2017. It’s 3:05am and I’m staring … Read more
Climate change is arguably the single greatest issue facing society today, but too much focus is being put on the likely challenges and costs. The Sustainable Business Council’s Abbie Reynolds argues that instead of worrying about the negatives, businesses need to understand that New Zealand’s transition to a low emissions economy is an opportunity for … Read more
New Zealand’s new government plans to create the world’s first humanitarian visa for climate refugees. If the policy goes ahead, 100 Pacific Islanders could be granted access to New Zealand on the basis that their lives are at risk from rising seas. Nina Hall writes that the commitment to tackle climate injustice should be applauded, … Read more
Kera Sherwood-O’Regan (Kāi Tahu) is an Aotearoa Youth Leadership Institute delegate to COP23, the United Nations Climate Talks in Bonn, Germany, reporting over the three-week conference. This week: COP23 is finally over, but what did it achieve? This is Kara Sherwood-O’Regan’s third report on the COP23 climate change talks and their outcomes for indigenous people. Read … Read more
Kera Sherwood-O’Regan (Kāi Tahu) is an Aotearoa Youth Leadership Institute delegate to COP23, the United Nations Climate Talks in Bonn, Germany, reporting over the three-week conference. This week: she’s tired and no one’s listening to indigenous people. If you were looking for a nice and neat overview of the COP23 UN Climate Talks, I’ll save you … Read more
The Climate Action Tracker reveals the NZ ambition is not ‘fine’ as claimed, writes Bill Hare, a physicist and climate scientist and a former lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. New Zealand’s new climate change minister James Shaw is stepping on to the international stage for the first time in his new … Read more
Branko Marcetic asks around to see if the new government can keep both its trade promises and its climate change commitments. Jacinda Ardern melted the anthropogenically warming hearts of many an environmentalist when she declared during the 2017 election campaign that climate change was her “generation’s nuclear free moment,” and that she was determined to “tackle … Read more
The issue is not the government’s target to reduce emissions, but how we will achieve it, argues Dave Frame of the New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute The verdict on New Zealand’s climate targets is in. The judge dismissed the case. This is not always clear in media reports – some of them focusing on details … Read more
Kera Sherwood-O’Regan (Kāi Tahu) is an Aotearoa Youth Leadership Institute delegate to COP23, the United Nations Climate Conference in Bonn, Germany. Over the next three weeks, she’ll be reporting on the conference’s outcomes for indigenous peoples. Talk to any climate nerd about this year’s UN Climate Negotiations, and you’ll likely be met with excited proclamations about … Read more
The High Court has dismissed law student Sarah Thomson’s audacious bid for a judicial review of the last government’s emission-reduction goals. But the ruling delivers some remarkable victories, Thomson writes. Read Sarah Thomson’s explanation of why she took the government to court here I received the judgment at the same time as the rest of … Read more
With much of New Zealand’s water infrastructure particularly vulnerable to the growing dangers of climate change, Iain White and Alexandra Keeble argue that investing in new systems and flexible solutions are key to future-proofing for an uncertain future. It’s not something you expect to see on the streets of New Zealand: raw sewage bubbling up … Read more
All eyes are on Winston, but still there’s a clamour for a National-Greens coalition. Simon Wilson looks at why the idea has such appeal and what it might mean for politics in this country. It’s like when your parents say they really like your music. Only they wish the words were a little easier to … Read more
Why did Bill English raise the prospect of slaughtering the dairy herd yesterday? As farmers prepare to protest in Jacinda Ardern’s hometown Morrinsville, Simon Wilson wants to know why we are suddenly being asked to believe there is a deep urban/rural divide. I’ve driven through quite a bit of the North Island in the last … Read more
Climate change is a harsh reality for the Pacific Islands. After travelling to the Solomon Islands to meet the communities already affected by climate change, Madeleine Chapman looks at New Zealand’s responsibility in the region and the campaign for the Zero Carbon Act. There’s a completely unfounded and illogical belief among humans that, at the … Read more