Greenpeace says despite the election of Donald Trump to the US presidency, not all hope is lost for the environment.

The President-elect has chosen climate change sceptic Myron Ebell to lead the Environmental Protection Agency's transition plans.

Mr Ebell has claimed it's impossible to determine humans' level of impact on climate change and temperature rises. Mr Trump himself has claimed global warming "was created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing non-competitive".

Mr Trump has also threatened to pull out of the Paris Agreement, the largest international deal to combat climate change.

"On climate change, it will make it harder to make the changes that we need," Greenpeace executive director Russel Norman told Newshub.

The last five years have been the hottest ever recorded, according to the United Nations.

The Republicans not only won the presidency, but the House and Congress too. But Greenpeace is hoping Republicans more open to the science on climate change will temper Mr Trump's push to expand the use of fossil fuels.

"There is a large majority amongst Republican voters who support renewable energy. It's a little bit more of a mixed bag than it appears on the surface," says Dr Norman.

"Because of the multi-level government in the United States, there are all these good things going on at a state level. It's at the President level that it's a problem."

Dr Norman used to co-lead the Green Party, which on Thursday voted against a motion in Parliament to congratulate Mr Trump on his victory.

"I will not support this motion to congratulate Trump and neither will the Green party," co-leader Metiria Turei said.

"We vow to fight the climate change denial, the misogyny, the racism represented by Trump."

Newshub.