Climate

Climate and health experts warn storms like Cyclone Gabrielle will have increasingly devastating public health consequences as the world warms.

Analysis - New Zealand is in an unusual position in the developed world when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions.

The report - which Desley Simpson called "grim reading" - was highly critical of the council's handling of the disaster. Audio

But net emissions were up due to "historically high harvest rates in our plantation forests".

The funding would support research into stopbank damage, air and water quality and mapping landscape changes.

Until then, Howick councillor Sharon Stewart was in the dark. She says the flood is a wake-up call for the council and it needs to learn a lot from it. Audio

The US has proposed ambitious targets for cutting vehicle emissions which its Environmental Protection Agency says could mean two thirds of new cars sold will be electric by 2032.

Analysis - The issue of 'carbon leakage' is used to argue against domestic pricing policy, but NZ farmers could benefit if competing countries also take action, Lincoln University researchers say.

One council plan says transport emissions must come down by 50 percent. Other council plans make those cuts impossible.

A new Treasury report says New Zealand's economy is resilient and well-placed to cope with what climate change will bring.

Marlborough's council is working towards new modelling of sea level rise that will work in with previous climate change work.

Households struggling with the cost of living are ignoring concerns and actions about the environment and sustainability, according to a new survey.