Is more sea-ice in Antarctica a good thing or a bad thing? Seems like the answer depends on who you ask. Scientists have “asked” the Adelie penguins and gotten a surprising answer. Population trends and breeding success variability of Adélie penguins, a bioindicator of Antarctic environments, have been attributed to
How did this get published, one may ask. It seems that some scientists have discovered that coral atolls build themselves up to keep pace with the ever so slowly rising seas. Who’d have thunk it? Natural creatures like corals building their little homes in exactly the right place that
When Goldsmith suggested that the PM, a woman, should “Stick to her knitting” there was predictable lefty outrage about sexism. Any person with an IQ greater than that of a carrot knows that the expression means ‘concentrate on a familiar area of activity rather than diversify‘, but hey, outrage is
When one assembles a panel of green climate change wombles for an in-depth interview, there is only one possible outcome: “It’s worse than we thought!” Guyon Espiner conducted an in-depth interview with Simon Upton, NZ Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment; Christiana Figueres, “hugely acclaimed” global climate leader, former Executive
In September of 2019, with great fanfare, our esteemed Doctor of History and Minister of Energy and Resources and of Research, Science and Innovation Megan Woods announced a pathway to a hydrogen economy for New Zealand. The Government is charting the way towards a more renewable energy system with the
The renewable energy pricing anomalies strike again. Not only does the long-suffering taxpayer shell out to windfarms operators to not produce electricity it appears they may be subsidising the smugmobile owners as well. When the ‘renewable utility companies have more electricity available than they need to meet demand, what do
Sorry … Fake News. But imagine the headlines from the CO2-is-evil gang had there been the slightest detectable dip in measured CO2 as a result of the worldwide government mandated lockdowns. The evil aviation industry has, to all intents, been grounded. The evil private cars have been parked in garages or
The science is settled. There is nothing left to learn about how the climate works in our wonderful world. 97% of scientists agree and that number of learned folk simply cannot be wrong, can they? So why do pesky, inquisitive, minds keep finding out new stuff? In the latest news:
Around this time last year we were delivered a ‘well-being budget’. When introducing the well-being budget Ardern had this to say: It’s a reality because while economic growth is important – and something we will continue to pursue – it alone does not guarantee improvements to our living standards. Nor does
Back in 2010 the Rockefeller Foundation produced a paper entitled Scenarios for the Future of Technology and International Development which postulated four scenarios for what the future might look like. In the introduction, answering the question of “Why scenarios?” the report includes this: Scenario planning is a methodology designed to
No, not that sort of super model, the super computer model that was the basis for the lockdown which trashed the economy – that model. Apparently the decisions in New Zealand were based on models by a group called Te Punaha Matatini, a “Centre of Research Excellence” at Auckland University. Their
This abbreviated timeline was published by ABC News on 24 April 2020, 07:12. * Dec. 31, 2019: WHO says mysterious pneumonia sickening dozens in China * Jan. 11, 2020: China reports 1st novel coronavirus death * Jan. 21, 2020: 1st confirmed case in the United States * Jan. 23, 2020: China imposes strict
According to the official figures, and those supplied to WHO, New Zealand has had a total of 1,122 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since data was collected. Of those cases, 19 have sadly succumbed to the disease. This leaves 1,103 still alive but who have tested positive and been
According to the Slang Dictionary an 18-wheeler is a colloquial name for a semitrailer truck with 18 total wheels, and by extension, any large truck. It is an American term as here in New Zealand our High Productivity trucks (the ones with the yellow ‘H’) typically have nine axles and
Lab creates 3-D printed nasal swabs during emergency shortage The University of South Florida (USF) Health, Formlabs, a leading 3-D printing company, and Northwell Health, New York’s largest healthcare provider, have announced they have successfully produced and tested a 3-D printed nasal swab to address emergency shortages that hospitals
As we are all confined to barracks, it is a great opportunity to try new things. How about a virtual tour of a world famous museum or art gallery? Today’s tour is of The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. Wikipedia tells us: The J. Paul Getty Museum, commonly
