192 nations have pledged to agree a global treaty at a two-week negotiating marathon in Paris at the end of 2015 - the most ambitious political task in history.

Climate Change Minister Tim Groser says NZ faces "a big challenge" in making new commitments to cut emissions, following a global agreement in Peru.

At least the global climate change conference at Lima was not a train wreck, like Copenhagen five years ago.

From potential taxes on sugary drinks to the ancestry of our kiwi, science has offered plenty of headlines this year.

It wasn't quite fun in the sun for all beachgoers at Auckland's Mission Bay yesterday. Some wanted to send a message to the Government.

New Zealand's proposal to tackle climate change on an international scale is seen as "the only game in town" by the United States, Climate Change Minister Tim Groser says.

Sea levels will rise 30cm around New Zealand by 2050 and threaten coastal properties and infrastructure in low-lying areas, a new report warns.

After many years focused on creative accounting, New Zealand is facing pressure to deliver emission reduction results.

A persistent argument of those wanting to drag their feet over climate change has been that small countries, this one included, should feel no obligation to act until the world's biggest economies do.

G20 nations have backed moves on climate change in the wake of the Brisbane leaders' summit.

Australia looked increasingly isolated yesterday as it resisted pressure to put climate change on the main agenda of this weekend's G20 summit in Brisbane.

New Zealand is “off track” in transitioning to a low-carbon future amid increasing international pressure to slash emissions, according to a Government briefing.

The latest international report on climate change has been released and its findings came as little surprise.

If the country has just voted for three more years of the status quo, one area where that is not nearly good enough is climate policy.

Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio has brought star power to the UN summit on climate change on Tuesday, urging leaders to stop treating global warming as "fiction".

The planet will be drowned in love and good intentions from the United Nations today when leaders from around the world gather for a climate summit that will try to give fresh impetus to global negotiations.

As the world urbanises at break-neck speed, the way we design growing cities will heavily determine the environmental impact of the people who live there.

Tens of thousands of activists walked through Manhattan, New York, warning that climate change is destroying the Earth - in stride with demonstrators around the world who urged policymakers to take quick action.

Which town looks set to keep its crown as New Zealand's sunshine capital? A new climate report shows one place well out in front.

Researchers established that tiny life forms were thriving in a lake beneath 800 metres of pack ice, despite not seening sunlight or fresh air for around a million years.

A strong stance on climate change by New Zealand could inspire and embarrass other nations into following our lead, says a world-renowned climatologist.