Articles in ‘Environment’

As night falls in the rainforests, orangutans climb into the canopy to construct intricate tree nests, displaying remarkable ingenuity. · These comfy platforms are carefully engineered beds, providing warmth, comfort, protection from predators, and even reduce mosquito bites. · Scientists have long wondered how young orangutans learn to master such complex architecture. Recent findings reveal that they acquire this skill through close…

When you take into account the way we live in society today it is an incontrovertible fact that Mining is essential to our way of life. Everything we touch or use outside of living creatures requires a product from either a mine or a quarry at some stage of its lifecycle. · From the time that Stone Age man picked up the first rock and started to use it as a tool we have been committed to the need for mining and quarrying to support our way of…

Carbon & Food Production · Part 1 · Part 2 · Part 3 · A three part series of articles explaining the United Nations change in climate warming predictions; the effects those changes will have on New Zealand’s agricultural industries and the impact that those changes will have on carbon sequestration and GHG emissions from agriculture. · Carbon footprint of New Zealand beef and lamb: · New research has confirmed the carbon…

Engineers design plants using genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to improve taste, nutritional content, and resilience. However, people have concerns over their safety, and there is much debate about the pros and cons of using GMOs. Scientists create GMO foods by introducing genetic material, or DNA, from a different organism through genetic engineering. Most of the currently available GMO foods are plants, such as fruit and vegetables. In…

exclusivley on Voice Media The Rural Vote. The Farmers Voice. Govt NOT Listening! · Trevor Simpson has been involved in farming for much of his life. The family farm, Simpson Farm dates back to 1964 when his Dad bought a small block which his lawyer warned was “undesirable” swampy bushland. Based in Rangiriri, North Waikato, it now milks over 1200 cows and claims to have the largest feed pad in the Waikato. The Simpsons have heavily invested…

In December 2020 Jacinda Ardern called climate change ‘one of the greatest challenges of our time’ and pledged a carbon-neutral government by 2025 The declaration of a climate emergency was supported by the Green Party and Māori Party and opposed by the National and Act parties. · Speaking in parliament after its introduction, Ardern said the country must “act with urgency”. · “This declaration is an acknowledgement of the next generation. An…

In the lead-up to the 2020 general election, the Prime Minister announced Labour will bring the target of 100% renewable electricity generation forward five years to 2030. Renewable electricity You’ve probably heard the terms renewable electricity and green electricity used a lot lately. While there are subtle differences, both terms refer to the fuel source used to produce electricity. Broadly speaking ‘renewable’ relates to the…

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover used its black-and-white navigation cameras to capture panoramas of this scene at two times of day. Blue, orange, and green color was added to a combination of both panoramas for an artistic interpretation of the scene. · On Nov. 16, 2021 (the 3,299th Martian day, or sol, of the mission), engineers commanded Curiosity to take two sets of mosaics, or composite images, capturing the scene at 8:30 a.m. and again at 4:10…

Over the past three years ratepayer-funded Tūpuna Maunga Authority has been on a mission to rid Auckland’s volcanic cones (maunga) of exotic trees – some 2500 in all. · In defending its actions, the Authority claims it will replace them with thousands more natives, giving the impression it will “cloak” the maunga in trees. · Yet it has become clear there is no intention to return the volcanic cones to their lush pre-human state. Instead, it has…

In my late teens I spent time hunting in the bush around lake Waikaremoana. Off the forest tracks, I stood in places that I was sure no man had ever stood. In unspoiled bush, there is a sense of peace and quietness so tangible, that people often catch themselves speaking in whispers, just as they would entering an ancient church. It seems like the presence of God hangs in the air with the sweet smell of the bush. I never saw any…