Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions are the main driving force of climate change, and all economic sectors need to internalize their costs. Food systems (including land use, production, refrigeration, food processing) account for a quarter of global GHG emissions. Agricultural exports in Asia-Pacific account for 18% of total exports, twice as …
Drawing from seven case studies – Chile, Italy, Japan, Namibia, New Zealand, Turkey and the United States – this joint OECD‑FAO report argues for a new approach to building resilience to NHID in agriculture. Natural hazard‑induced disasters (NHID), such as floods, droughts, severe storms, and animal pests and diseases have …
SDSN’s National and Regional Networks promote the localization and implementation of the SDGs, develop long-term transformation pathways, provide education for sustainable development, and launch Solutions Initiatives to address challenges. Each network focuses on distinct projects and priorities in line with their local contexts and challenges. The 2020 Networks in Action …
Thirteen of the world’s largest dairy corporations combined to emit more greenhouse gases (GHGs) in 2017 than major polluters BHP, the Australia-based mining, oil and gas giant or ConocoPhillips, the United States-based oil company. Unlike growing public scrutiny on fossil fuel companies, little public pressure exists to hold global meat …
Constructing and renovating New Zealand buildings between now and 2050 could pump out climate change pollution equivalent to one million cars on the road every year, a new report by New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC) has revealed. This figure – around three million tonnes of carbon – only includes …
Several small experimental studies and cross-sectional observational studies have shown that exposure to the natural environment might protect against attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or moderate the symptoms of ADHD in children. The researchers aimed to assess whether exposure to the natural environment protects against ADHD and whether this hypothesised protective …
The major focus on climate change in Environment Aotearoa 2019, a stocktake on New Zealand's environment released today, is a welcome change. The report describes an environment that faces serious pressures, including species at risk of extinction, polluted rivers and streams, the loss of productive land as cities expand, and …
During austral summer (DJF) 2017/18, the New Zealand region experienced an unprecedented coupled ocean-atmosphere heatwave, covering an area of 4 million km2. Regional average air temperature anomalies over land were +2.2 °C, and sea surface temperature anomalies reached +3.7 °C in the eastern Tasman Sea. This paper discusses the event, …
Most developing and transition countries do not have vehicle manufacturing capabilities hence rely on import of their entire vehicle fleet. A large percentage of these vehicles are imported as used or second-hand. The global demand for the export of used vehicles from developed countries to developing and transitional countries has …
A national park in New Zealand has been expanded by 64,000 hectares – the largest gain for a national park in the country’s history. Kahurangi national park is situated in the north-west corner of New Zealand’s South Island, and is already the second-largest national park in the country. Now, the …
Paleontologists are begging the New Zealand government to immediately halt the trade in the priceless bones of the extinct moa bird, fearing that millions of years of science is disappearing as entire skeletons are broken up and sold over the internet or smuggled overseas. Moa, giant flightless birds which stood …
This is the first joint publication from the Natural Hazards Research Platform and Resilience to Nature’s Challenges in New Zealand. The document provides an update on programmes that are exploring New Zealand's resilience to natural hazards, enhancing the understanding of geological and weather processes, and improving the functions of the …
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said New Zealand uses "hundreds of millions" of single-use plastic bags each year, many of which end up harming marine life New Zealand became the latest country Friday to outlaw single-use plastic shopping bags, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saying they will be phased out over …
WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A magnitude 5.2 earthquake on Sunday was experienced by thousands of people on both of New Zealand’s islands. The quake struck central New Zealand’s Picton at a depth of 73 kilometres at about 3.15 pm on Sunday. It was centered 20 kilometres east of Nelson in …
The mode and tempo of extinctions and extirpations after the first contact phase of human settlements is a widely debated topic. As the last major landmass to be settled by humans, New Zealand offers a unique lens through which to study interactions of people and biota. By analyzing ancient DNA …
New Zealand, the world’s biggest dairy exporter, will spend more than NZ$880 million ($610 million) in a bid to eradicate the mycoplasma bovis cattle disease, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday. About 1,26,000 cows are expected to be culled, mainly over the next two years, as government and industry …
New Zealand will become the first country in the world to try to eradicate the cow disease Mycoplasma bovis, culling tens of thousands of cows in the largest mass animal slaughter in the country’s history. Government and farming sector leaders have agreed to cull 126,000 cows and spend more than …
Countries rely on out-of-pocket (OOP) spending to different degrees and employ varying techniques. The article examines trends in OOP spending in ten high-income countries since 2000, and analyzes their relationship to self-assessed barriers to accessing health care services. The countries are Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, …
This document provides an overview of the projected effects of climate change on environmental health, and how it may impact on the health of New Zealanders. A review of the relevant local and international literature was conducted to identify environmental health risks for New Zealand linked to climate change, and …
Wellington - New Zealand has sweltered through its hottest summer on record and can expect more of the same if climate change continues unabated, the government's scientific agency said on Tuesday. Daily temperatures averaged 18.8°C, 2.1°C more than normal, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) said. With …
Māori oral histories from the northern South Island of Aotearoa – New Zealand provide details of ancestral experience with tsunamis. Exchanges with key informants from the Māori kin groups of Ngāti Koata and Ngāti Kuia reveal that these histories, recorded in a narrative form, are not merely another source of …
