Cheer up, at least it’ll all soon be over. So scientists have helpfully let us know that come 2050 we will all be burnt alive slash drown slash muslide slash rocks falling on your head. Climate change they say could become an “existential threat to human civilisation” that can never be undone. If that doesn’t … Read more
Reducing food waste is a win-win solution for everyone as less food goes to landfill and more food goes to those who need it. So what’s being done to make this a reality? And what can you do to help? In 2020, New Zealand will vote in a general election with poverty and climate change … Read more
Millennials and post-Millennials continue to have it out with the ever defensive Baby Boomers over the environment. Jai Breitnauer asks where are Gen X and what can they offer? It’s 1987: my parents have just traded their old fridge for a CFC-free version. Roll on deodorant is now a thing. The phrase ‘global warming’ is … Read more
Despite being in its infancy, Thorvald had won multiple awards and could barely keep up with demand for its sheep’s milk cheese and yoghurt. But Tasman’s devastating drought has effectively put the company out of business. For many, particularly those geographically and socially removed from rural life, it was hard to come to grips with … Read more
How will schools respond to their students walking out on strike later in March? The actions of two Auckland schools show competing visions on how to deal with the activism, with one Principal coming out in full support, reports Alex Braae. Schools are at odds with each other over how to respond to upcoming student … Read more
Alex Casey went speed dating with some Heartbreak Island contestants and things got real serious, real fast. Everything around us is slowly sinking. Foot Island. The Tropicana Bar. Even Auckland’s hottie factory The Lula Inn, where I have returned to my favourite booth to do my favourite thing – date a bunch of young, attractive … Read more
As the Australian heatwave spills across the Tasman pushing up temperatures in New Zealand, we take a look at the conditions that caused a similar event last year and the impacts it had. Last summer’s heatwave gave New Zealand its warmest summer and the warmest January on record. It covered an area of four million square … Read more
Alex Casey scours the internet for the top tips to keep your pets cool in this horrendous heatwave. I don’t know about your cats, but mine are pissed off. Zelda in particular. Where her brother Link, cold-blooded Prince of Darkness, spends his blistering summer days lying in the hot water cupboard like the anarchic goth … Read more
The astonishing decision by the West Coast Regional Council to refuse to back major climate change legislation shows there are still major communication hurdles to be overcome, even when the science is settled. One of the first things to understand about the science of climate change is that it’s actually quite simple. The projected effects … Read more
Signs of another marine heat wave should direct attention to the serious impact of warming oceans, write Craig Stevens and Ben Noll of Niwa As New Zealanders are enjoying their days at the beach, unusually warm ocean temperatures look to be a harbinger of another marine heatwave. Despite the exceptional conditions during last year’s heatwave in … Read more
Tired of the procrastination and timidity of government-led change, climate rage is now ripe for rebellion. Cordelia Lockett explains why. All mouth and no trousers. That pretty much sums up New Zealand’s response to climate change. A lot of words but little demonstrable action. Remember Alister Barry and Abi King-Jones’ excellent documentary on the history … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Climate change report says it’s now or never for action, legislation aimed at anti-competitive markets prioritised, and Chorus contractors under scrutiny. The latest report from the intergovernmental panel on climate change has been released, and it’s a brutally stark warning. Radio NZ reports that it calls for “unprecedented … Read more
Monday sees the release of a new IPCC report that will tell us whether keeping warming under 1.5deg is possible. The next question will be: do we have the will, writes Adelia Hallett One of the most important scientific papers ever produced will be released on Monday, and the ramifications for New Zealand could be … Read more
Our Climate, Your Say is the government’s invitation for public input on its Zero Carbon Bill. Climate campaigner (and former Green Party co-leader) Jeanette Fizsimons explains what she’ll be telling them. The government is seeking input to its ground-breaking Zero Carbon Bill which will set a target for emissions, appoint a commission to advise it, … Read more
From November through to January, a multi-disciplinary team of experts from New Zealand melted a hole through the Ross Ice Shelf to explore the hidden ocean below. Team members Christina Hulbe and Craig Stevens take us through the findings. Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf is the world’s largest floating slab of ice: it’s about the size … Read more
From fan shortages to sweaty insomnia, New Zealand can’t get enough of heatwave talk. But there’s one subject that few media stories about high summer temperatures seem eager to discuss. Over the past two weeks, virtual gallons of digital ink have been spilled over the current record-breaking temperatures Kiwis are enduring all over the country. … Read more
The coincidences have mounted to the point where it must be asked – has Pitbull come back to the future to warn us about our impending ecological demise? On the release day of his new album Climate Change, Carys Goodwin dares to investigate. This post first published March 17, 2017. It’s 3:05am and I’m staring … Read more
With much of New Zealand’s water infrastructure particularly vulnerable to the growing dangers of climate change, Iain White and Alexandra Keeble argue that investing in new systems and flexible solutions are key to future-proofing for an uncertain future. It’s not something you expect to see on the streets of New Zealand: raw sewage bubbling up … Read more
Climate change is the defining challenge of our times. The Spinoff is devoting a week of coverage to the issue, its advocates, complexities, and solutions. Today, five journalists discuss the intricacies and importance of covering climate change. Climate change is the biggest story on any editor’s newslist right now. Legendary environmentalist David Suzuki wants journalists to … Read more
The increasing impact of South Pacific cyclones on our own weather systems are the latest evidence that ‘kick the can down the road’ global warming policies aren’t enough. Lisa McLaren of youth-led climate change organisation Generation Zero explains why they’re campaigning for a legally binding target of net zero carbon by 2050. New Zealanders are … Read more
A major new report gives New Zealand a road map for achieving zero greenhouse gas emissions by the end of this century. Now it’s time for business to stand up and be counted, says the Sustainable Business Council’s Abbie Reynolds. You’ve probably never heard of UK-based independent economics consultancy Vivid Economics, but the report they’re … Read more
The coincidences have mounted to the point where it must be asked – has Pitbull come back to the future to warn us about our impending ecological demise? On the release day of his new album Climate Change, Carys Goodwin dares to investigate. It’s 3:05am and I’m staring at a Zumba choreography video set to … Read more
As editor of the superb new collection of essays in Dispatches from Continent Seven: An anthology of Antarctic science, Rebecca Priestley has chosen wisely and wittily. Her book includes a frightening vision of natural disaster by Kathryn Smith, who examines how a rapidly warming ocean has encouraged the invasion of the complete bastards of the … Read more