Climate change

A melt of ice on Greenland and Antarctica is likely to be less severe than expected this century, limiting sea level rise to a maximum of 69 cm, an international study said today.

Individuals need to take action and use their citizenship rights to put pressure on the Government to act on climate change, Victoria University School of Government professor Jonathan Boston says.

Global warming sceptic Lord Christopher Monckton, who will speak in Dunedin next Tuesday, responds to claims made about him.

It is in New Zealand's best interests to know much more about how climate change is affecting the Antarctic, University of Otago Prof Gary Wilson says.

A leading global warming sceptic, Lord Christopher Monckton, will speak in Dunedin next month. His visit is part of a national ''Climate Freedom Tour'' and will include a lunch and an evening function on April 23.

An appeal to politicians to confront the critical risks facing New Zealand, its environment and way of life has been launched in Dunedin.

Last week's announcement by China's Ministry of Finance that the country will introduce a carbon tax, probably in the next two years, did not dominate the international headlines.

The increasing intensity of extreme weather events, and associated hugely damaging bushfires in Australia, are starting to influence public opinion over climate change issues, a leading ecologist, Prof Lesley Hughes, says.

The world must spend an extra $US700 billion ($NZ837bn) a year to curb its addiction to fossil fuels blamed for worsening floods and heat waves and rising sea levels, a study issued by the World Economic Forum (WEF) shows.

A judge has reserved his decision about whether the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research used invalid methods to gather temperature data, as alleged by a group sceptical of global warming.