What can we expect out of COP 26?
By Shelley Inglis Here’s how global climate negotiations work and what’s expected from the Glasgow summit. Over two weeks in November, world leaders and national negotiators will meet in Scotland to discuss what to do about climate change. It’s a complex process that...
How should Aotearoa respond to the Taiwan-China flashpoint?
By Alexander Gillespie The political temperature is rising in the South China Sea, and its effects will be felt in the South Pacific before long. Recent incursions by the Chinese air force into Taiwan’s air defence zone have ratcheted up already tense relations, with...
What next for Aotearoa’s COVID strategy?
By Michael Plank The COVID-zero strategy may be past its use-by date, but New Zealand still has a vaccination advantage. The announcement today that New Zealand will introduce a vaccination certificate by November is welcome news. Whether by “carrot” or “stick”,...
Why are global food prices higher today than for most of modern history?
By Alastair Smith Global food prices shot up nearly 33% in September 2021 compared with the same period the year before. That’s according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)‘s monthly Food Price Index, which also found that global prices have risen by...
How much of the world’s energy comes from fossil fuels and could we replace it all with renewables?
By Robert McLachlan How are fossil fuels formed, why do they release carbon dioxide and how much of the world’s energy do they provide? And what are the renewable energy sources that could replace fossil fuels? Fossil fuels were formed over millions of years from the...
Is AUKUS just ANZUS without New Zealand?
By Alexander Gillespie ANZUS without NZ? Why the new security pact between Australia, the UK and US might not be all it seems. We live, to borrow a phrase, in interesting times. The pandemic aside, relations between the superpowers are tense. The sudden arrival of the...
Could fungi help in the development of new antibiotics?
By Siouxsie Wiles The world is desperate for new antibiotics, and New Zealand’s unique fungi are a source of promising compounds. While we’re all rightly focused on the COVID-19 pandemic at the moment, the SARS-CoV-2 virus isn’t the only microbial threat we face....
Is our COVID tracer app data protected enough?
By Andrew Chen New Zealand is introducing mandatory record keeping to help contact tracers. But is the data protected enough? From 11:59pm on Tuesday September 7, every person in Aotearoa New Zealand over the age of 12 will be required to keep a record of their...
What are the true costs of the war in Afghanistan?
By Neta C. Crawford Calculating the costs of the Afghanistan War in lives, dollars and years. The U.S. invaded Afghanistan in late 2001 to destroy al-Qaida, remove the Taliban from power and remake the nation. On Aug. 30, 2021, the U.S. completed a pullout of...Subscribe by Email
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