Environment – Views & Research

Hurricane with added wind speed direction

COP29: who pays for climate action in developing nations – and how much – becomes more urgent

Nina Ives, Auckland University of Technology and David Hall, Auckland University of Technology

In your face: our acceptance of facial recognition technology depends on who is doing it – and where

Nicholas Dynon, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University

3D rendered digital human head outlined with neon contour lines that resemble a fingerprint's unique swirls, against a deep blue background.

Extreme weather has already cost vulnerable island nations US$141 billion – or about US$2,000 per person

Emily Wilkinson, ODI Global; Ilan Noy, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Matt Bishop, University of Sheffield, and Vikrant Panwar, ODI Global

NZ must step up to protect its own oceans to match international commitments made at Commonwealth leaders’ meeting

Karen Scott, University of Canterbury

Sitiveni Rabuka, Prime Minister of Fiji (left) and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (right) attending the Chommonwealth leaders meeting in Samoa.

Stoneflies change colour in response to deforestation, suggesting humans can alter evolution – new research

Jonathan Waters, University of Otago and Graham McCulloch, University of Otago

Three different colourings of stoneflies

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Majority of NZ researchers see Māori Indigenous knowledge as relevant to their work – but there is a gender divide

Katharina Ruckstuhl, University of Otago; Madeline Judge, University of Otago, and Urs Daellenbach, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

An abstract image of a binary data stream

NZ is encouraging the use of AI – but it’s largely outsourcing the risks and societal costs

Nathan Cooper, University of Waikato and Amanda Turnbull, University of Waikato

An example of Slickenlines on the Kekerengu Fault, taken days after the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake.

Clues left by the Alpine Fault’s last big quake reveal its direction – this will help NZ prepare for the inevitable next rupture

Jesse Kearse, Kyoto University and Nicolas Barth, University of California, Riverside

Will the Earth warm by 2°C or 5.5°C? Either way it’s bad, and trying to narrow it down may be a distraction

Jonny Williams, University of Reading and Georgia Rose Grant, GNS Science

Manawanui sinking: an expert explains why a speedy cleanup will be crucial – and the main challenges ahead

Christopher Battershill, University of Waikato

Happy, sad or angry? AI can detect emotions in text according to new research

Sanghyub John Lee, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Ho Seok Ahn, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau, and Leo Paas, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

A woman's face appears within a network of computer circuitry.

The common raupō once kept NZ’s wetlands and lakes thriving – now it could help restore them

Rewi Newnham, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

NZ’s government plans to lift a ban on gene tech outside the lab – here’s what people think

Marie McEntee, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Fabien Medvecky, Australian National University; Marcus Rongowhitiao Shadbolt, Indigenous Knowledge; Melanie Mark-Shadbolt, Indigenous Knowledge; Micheal Heimlick, Indigenous Knowledge, and Vicki Macknight, University of Otago

From waste to power: how floating solar panels on wastewater ponds could help solve NZ’s electricity security crisis

Faith Jeremiah, Lincoln University, New Zealand

The genes tell a story: new research offers much-needed certainty for autistic New Zealanders

Jessie Jacobsen, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau and Suzanne Musgrave, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

Pacific nations want ecocide to become a crime – here’s why NZ should support the proposal

Nathan Cooper, University of Waikato and Leilani Tuala-Warren, University of Waikato

Aerial view of the coastline of Port Vila in Vanuatu.