David Hall, Auckland University of Technology dan Nina Ives, Auckland University of Technology
New Zealand has put just over half of its NZ$50 billion pandemic stimulus towards clean energy, but several fossil fuel powered projects will slow down the country’s shift to a low-emissions economy.
The weather-related impacts of climate change will increasingly threaten critical infrastructure in the future. Shifting electricity grids towards microgrids could help.
The unprecedented intensity of two summers of bushfires, first in the east and then in the west, offered harsh lessons for Australians. One is that some settlements must retreat from high-risk areas.
Permanently protecting large, mature forests is a faster and cheaper way to stabilize Earth’s climate than complex carbon capture and storage schemes, and more effective than planting new trees.
A new report pushes for a modern tourism model, including the introduction of airport departure taxes, to enhance New Zealand’s competitive advantage in a climate-conscious world.
Heat waves, droughts and deep freezes can all strain the electric grid, leading utilities to impose rolling blackouts. Climate change is likely to make these events more common.
As our cities get hotter, rebuilding whole suburbs better suited to the heat is not an option. Instead, we can draw from the best examples of how to adapt neighbourhoods and behaviours.
Investment in renewable electricity needs bipartisan political support and some bold decisions if New Zealand is to meet its future energy commitments.
Queensland was a smoking ruin for federal Labor in 2019. As we head towards a possible election later this year, the sunshine state presents a big challenge — and opportunity — for Anthony Albanese.