The Big Q
Questions - Ideas - Scholarship - DebatesProject for Public Interest Media
Politics & Society
What if China wins?
A winning China would regain what the Qing Dynasty enjoyed three centuries ago: a central geo-political leadership role among its periphery of tributary states.
COP27: Breakthrough? Or an inadequate response to the climate crisis?
For 30 years, developing nations have fought to establish an international fund to pay for the “loss and damage” they suffer as a result of climate change. As the COP27 climate summit in Egypt wrapped up over the weekend, they finally succeeded. While it’s a historic moment, the agreement of loss and damage financing left many details yet to be sorted out. What’s more, many critics have lamented the overall outcome of COP27, saying it falls well short of a sufficient response to the climate crisis.
How does COP27’s loss and damage deal really look to the Global South?
After two weeks of fractious discussions, at the very last minute COP27 came up with an agreement on ‘loss and damage’ – providing financial assistance to poorer nations who are already facing the catastrophic impacts of climate change. But how long will it take for these words to translate into actions?
What should New Zealand do to commit fully to tackling climate change?
We need to invest in clean technologies and circular economies to build a sustainable, diversified economy. And that will also lessen our dependence on carbon-emitting industries, say leading Auckland academics.
Why do social ties matter to climate politics?
Policy-makers frequently fail to communicate scientific knowledge about climate change effectively, with the result that targeted groups often reject potentially useful advice. Our research addressed New Zealand dairy farmers’ perceptions of climate conditions and their perceptions of climate science. Dairy farmer understandings of climate change matter: they are politically influential in the New Zealand context, and farming practice may either exacerbate or mitigate the challenges posed by climate change. Despite being in many ways at the frontline of climate change, New Zealand farmers demonstrate relatively low confidence in the policy-making and scientific agencies that support the agricultural sector. They are often reluctant to accept advice coming from official agencies.
COP27: Why can rich countries no longer ignore calls to pay the developing world for climate havoc?
Payments from high-emitting countries to mitigate the harm that climate change has caused in the most vulnerable parts of the world is finally on the agenda for discussion at a global climate change summit, more than 30 years after the idea was first articulated by delegates from small island developing states.
Science & Technology
From farming to fermentation: Could New Zealand ‘brew up’ new foods to reduce agricultural emissions?
Addressing the problem of New Zealand’s agricultural emissions has mainly focused on technical fixes aimed at reducing methane and nitrous oxide produced by livestock and fertiliser and relying on voluntary agreements with the industry. But these measures may not result in substantial emissions reductions any time soon. Exploring alternatives to conventional farming is therefore timely and urgent. One such alternative with the potential to drastically reduce agricultural emissions – while at the same time helping restore ecological quality – is to use fermentation technology.
IPCC report: Is the window closing for a liveable future?
The latest UN climate report finds that in the absence of ambitious action on climate change, the worst is yet to come for human populations.
The cow in the room… A problem of production or consumption?
Techno-scientific solutions have been thrown at the problem of farm-based greenhouse gas emissions. It’s an economy in and of itself.
How can we address Covid anxiety?
Listening to other people’s stories is a powerful way to unite people, and instead of belittling anxieties as illogical, addressing fears with understanding can help us design responses which enable all people to experience security in uncertain times, writes Dr Mary Breheny.
What should New Zealand do to commit fully to tackling climate change?
We need to invest in clean technologies and circular economies to build a sustainable, diversified economy. And that will also lessen our dependence on carbon-emitting industries, say leading Auckland academics.
Will Antarctica’s under-ice rivers contribute to sea level rise?
Exploring Antarctica’s hidden under-ice rivers and their role in future sea-level rise.
Business & Economics
Why do social ties matter to climate politics?
Policy-makers frequently fail to communicate scientific knowledge about climate change effectively, with the result that targeted groups often reject potentially useful advice. Our research addressed New Zealand dairy farmers’ perceptions of climate conditions and their perceptions of climate science. Dairy farmer understandings of climate change matter: they are politically influential in the New Zealand context, and farming practice may either exacerbate or mitigate the challenges posed by climate change. Despite being in many ways at the frontline of climate change, New Zealand farmers demonstrate relatively low confidence in the policy-making and scientific agencies that support the agricultural sector. They are often reluctant to accept advice coming from official agencies.
What should New Zealand do to commit fully to tackling climate change?
We need to invest in clean technologies and circular economies to build a sustainable, diversified economy. And that will also lessen our dependence on carbon-emitting industries, say leading Auckland academics.
From farming to fermentation: Could New Zealand ‘brew up’ new foods to reduce agricultural emissions?
Addressing the problem of New Zealand’s agricultural emissions has mainly focused on technical fixes aimed at reducing methane and nitrous oxide produced by livestock and fertiliser and relying on voluntary agreements with the industry. But these measures may not result in substantial emissions reductions any time soon. Exploring alternatives to conventional farming is therefore timely and urgent. One such alternative with the potential to drastically reduce agricultural emissions – while at the same time helping restore ecological quality – is to use fermentation technology.
Is Russia’s invasion the end point for Putin’s kleptocracy?
Putin is the product of a corrupt economic system that we must now reform, writes Mary Kaldor.
The cow in the room… A problem of production or consumption?
Techno-scientific solutions have been thrown at the problem of farm-based greenhouse gas emissions. It’s an economy in and of itself.
Will an income insurance scheme work in New Zealand?
Susan St John responds to the newly-announced income insurance scheme with some suggestions on how to tweak and improve what we already have.
Arts & Culture
The fall into the abyss
In April 1909, two waves of massacres shook the province of Adana, located in the southern Anatolia region of modern-day Turkey, killing more than 20,000 Armenians and 2,000 Muslims.
How did the U.S. come to collectively own over 600 million acres of land? How has that changed over time? 🔊
In this two-part special episode of the Scholars’ Circle, Doug Becker explores the history of public land in the United States.
Who are you calling a Nazi?
While it is all too easy and comfortable to indulge in our Nazi fascination to demonise our enemies, maybe we should still the media chaos just for a moment and reflect. Who are you calling a Nazi? And why?
Why did a record number of journalists get jailed in 2021?
Journalists’ Nobel Peace Prize casts a shadow on failures of our democracy.
What cultural values belong in science?
The University of Auckland’s Julie Rowland examines the notion that education should be secular and devoid of any form of spirituality.
How can we use art to understand war?
Two former official war artists are using art to research how we respond to and cope with, conflict.