The Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Ms Christiana Figueres, has called for New Zealand to adopt a binding emissions reduction target. Ms Figueres was speaking at the Greens-organised Climate Change Conference in early … Read more
By Amelia Reynolds A 1.6 million litre crude oil spill from Ecuador’s main oil company, Petroecuador, in the country’s Amazonian region, has polluted water supplies and threatens to leak into Brazilian territory. A landslide on June 1 destroyed a 100 … Read more
By Sophie Barclay. An Amazonian indigenous community says they will “go to war” with the Brazilian Government over plans to build a series of hydropower dams in the Amazon basin and see how hidden smartphones can stop illegal logging. The … Read more
A new study has shown that glaciers on Mt Everest have shrunk by 13 per cent in the past five decades as temperatures have risen and snowfall decreased. The snowline on the mountains, meanwhile, has risen by 180 metres. The … Read more
2º The scientific view that the increase in global temperature should be below two degrees Celsius to avoid climate calamity. 565 Gigatons Scientists estimate that humans can pour roughly 565 more gigatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by … Read more
It’s about exercise and nutrition, you see. By Lani Lopez Eyes are a big part of wellbeing. Lifelong good eyesight is a key contributor to enjoyment and quality of life. As with most of our body, eyes benefit from nutrition … Read more
Last month, the Heartland Institute – the US organisation dedicated to denying anthropogenic climate change, and infamously funded in the past from oil company Exxon Mobil – distributed 100,000 booklets called The Mad Mad World of Climatism. It got the … Read more
Recent research shows that 626 common dolphins were caught accidentally in New Zealand by commercial mackerel trawlers between 1995 and 2011. Little is known about the New Zealand dolphin populations, although it is not believed to be a threatened species. … Read more
Steve August is a Dunedin-based physiotherapist who has been sorting our necks and backs for 30 years. His desire to help those burdened by neck and back pain led to the creation of the Backpod, a “high-tech cushioned paua” designed … Read more
Students and alumni of Oxford University have protested at the opening of a new lab in its Earth sciences department that is funded with €7 million from the Shell oil company. Campaigners say the partnership undermines the university’s credibility and … Read more
By Sophie Barclay Earlier this month the European Commission put in place a two-year moratorium on pesticides called neonicotinoids, which are known to harm bees. Neonicotinoids target the nervous system of insects resulting in paralysis and death. Recent studies show … Read more
John Wathen is an award winning photo journalist who recently toured Aotearoa recounting his experience both on the ground and in the air documenting the catastrophic 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. John flew out over the gulf … Read more
For 57 years the scientists high up on the rocky slopes of Mauna Loa mountain in Hawaii have been diligently measuring atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, but on May 9 they saw something no human has ever seen before – a … Read more
According to Generation Zero, a youth climate organization, the Government’s $250 million motorway between Palmerston North and Waikanae is being contructed – despite the fact that there are no traffic congestion problems. In emails obtained under the Official Information Act, … Read more
By Amelia Reynolds. The Monarch Butterfly New Zealand Trust (MBNZT) is asking New Zealanders to report sightings of tagged butterflies and over-wintering clusters to create a better understanding of the changing migration patterns. Due to their long migration, the endangered … Read more
Photos: Phil Brown. The saddleback, or tieke, is one of the two remaining wattle birds we have in New Zealand from the ancient Callaeidae family. The other members include the kokako and the now-extinct huia. Recently, 40 of these beautiful birds were … Read more
The University of Essex recently gave the world’s first underwater lecture off the coast of Indonesia. The lecture, delivered by University lecturer Professor David Smith, took place in the Wakatobi Marine National Park at a depth of 18 metres. The … Read more
Prime Minister John Key’s recent claim that building the Kapiti Expressway will create “about one thousand jobs” means the project is a costly taxpayer subsidy of about $500,000 per job, say youth environmental NGO Generation Zero. Mr Key made the … Read more
Phil’s image this week shows a North Island Brown kiwi chick only 18 hours old. “When kiwi come out of the egg, they look like a miniature adult – fully feathered and ready to go,” says Brown. “The chick stays … Read more
The world’s poorest countries are uniting together to tackle climate change. The 49 nations of the LDC – the Least Developed Countries – have until now insisted that responsibility for tackling climate change lies with the large emitting nations. Now … Read more