Carbon
The Week in Detail: Smokefree, Judith Collins, and woke-washing
The Detail podcast brings you the issues behind the news every weekday. Here's what we covered this week. Audio
The deep tech sector dreaming up ways to save the planet
A look inside an Auckland building that's an incubator for the deep tech sector, aimed at finding solutions for some of the world's biggest carbon-emitting materials. Audio
How do market based carbon pricing schemes work around the world?
New Zealand's carbon pricing system, the Emissions Trading Scheme, is a central tool in the country's climate change policy. Industries covered by the ETS must give the government a carbon unit for… Audio
Funding for carbon checks cut, why it matters
Roughly every five years, conservation workers go deep into the forests of Aotearoa to count animal droppings, birds and carbon. But government funding for the task has quietly been halved, meaning… Audio
Fall from grass: ditching lawns to make way for trees
A lot of urban areas are grassed by default and the planet would be better off if we planted trees instead, says AUT professor Len Gillman. He's been writing about the downsides of mowed grass for… Audio
Wood makes solid construction comeback
Wood is making a comeback as the construction industry looks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from high carbon materials like concrete and steel. The government's Building for Climate Change… Audio, Gallery
Is DOC missing the mark on new wild animal strategy?
Conservationists are concerned the Department of Conservation is standing by as wild animals wreck havoc on New Zealand's biodiversity. Susie Ferguson speaks with DOC's operations director Ben… Audio
Motoring money makes moral conundrum for media
New car sales have never been higher with more being spent on slick ads and sponsorships to make vehicles visible via the media. But for our media that much-needed money jars with commitments to cover… Audio
ETS: reward native not pine forest
The Ministry of Primary Industries is suggesting changing the forestry settings here in New Zealand so further planting of stands of pinus radiata aren't rewarded by the Emissions Trading Scheme… Audio
Christopher Boyle: the rise of green hydrogen
How viable is hydrogen as a major power alternative? Is it the key to a lower carbon economy and this country being more energy self-sufficient? Christopher Boyle believes so. He's the co-founder and… Audio
Why our brains solve problems by adding things
We're told that we shouldn't complicate matters, but a new study from the University of Virginia shows that our brains tend to default to addition rather than subtraction when it comes to finding… Audio
Time to recognise farmers for their carbon sequestration?
Sheep and beef farmers are arguing their operations are close to carbon neutral. In the first study of its kind, spacial analysis mapping of sheep and beef farms has revealed significant levels of… Audio
Have we reached the end of the Periodic Table?
You mightn't know that 2019 is the International Year of the Periodic Table, but Professor Allan Blackman certainly does. He's doing all he can to ensure people can enjoy the Periodic Table in all its… Audio
Turning green waste into black gold
Energy consultant Phil Stevens wanted to reduce his carbon footprint so on his Manawatu lifestyle block he's experimenting taking old logs and tree trimmings and turning them into a special ingredient… Audio
Emissions auditor: Small businesses 'free-riding'
Are smaller New Zealand companies riding the coat-tails of those businesses that are more conscientious about their carbon footprint? The concern is being raised by Dr Ann Smith, chief executive of… Audio
Carbon: the wonder and mystery of the sixth element
Carbon's ubiquitous presence in fossil fuels can sometimes give it a bad rap - but it is also the element of life, of energy, of climate, and of the environment. It's a building block for everything… Audio
Carbon - life & times of the 'king of elements'
Carbon underpins life as we know it, fuels our world and gets its own branch of chemistry, according to AUT professor Allan Blackman, in ep 17 of Elemental. Audio
Tracking carbon in cities. If you can't measure it how can you regulate it ?
Knowing exactly the amount of fossil fuel emissions that comes from urban areas is essential to track the progress carbon mitigation plans. That's why researchers from GNS Science have been… Audio
New science in a grain of sand
Silicon dioxide, the raw material found in sand, is an earth abundant resource. However, beach and riverbed sand, isn't the only source of silicon dioxide and this is where the potential lies. Dr Erin… Audio
Alpine Fault earthquakes release large amounts of carbon
A new study has revealed that earthquakes, much like landslides, release large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. Dr Jamie Howarth from Victoria University tells Susie Ferguson that quakes on the… Audio