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4 false solutions that won’t solve the plastic pollution crisis
Plastic pollution has managed to invade even the most remote areas of our environment and has also been reported in several tissues of the human body.
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Emperor Seamounts – oases of life governments are failing to protect
Deep beneath the northern Pacific Ocean lies a remote chain of more than 800 seamounts. These oases of life, known as the Emperor Seamounts, are home to a rich variety…
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Just 56 multinationals are responsible for more than half of the world’s plastic pollution – Coca-Cola is the worst
A new study has shown that just 56 big multinationals are responsible for more than half of the world’s plastic pollution, with six responsible for a quarter of that, based…
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Can granting legal ‘personhood’ to nature stem biodiversity loss?
Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on giving legal rights to nature.
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Ecosystems are deeply interconnected – environmental research, policy and management should be too
Why are we crossing ecological boundaries that affect Earth’s fundamental life-supporting capacity? Is it because we don’t have enough information about how ecosystems respond to change? Or are we unable,…
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Climate change and human rights: how a landmark legal victory in Europe could affect NZ
A seven-year campaign by a group of over 2,000 Swiss women – average age 73 – recently ended with a European Court of Human Rights decision variously described as a…
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5 ways the Fast-track Approvals Bill threatens NZ’s already fragile ecosystems
Conservation “good news” stories – the release of native birds into new habitats, for example – are always welcome. They recognise the work of conservation staff and volunteers who do…
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The heat is on: what we know about why ocean temperatures keep smashing records
Over the last year, our oceans have been hotter than any time ever recorded. Our instrumental record covers the last 150 years. But based on proxy observations, we can say…
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The government’s fast-track approvals bill is a race to the bottom
RMA Reform Minister, Chris Bishop, is one of three ministers who will have unprecedented power to approve any development project under the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. He has written to over…
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What if whales took us to court? A move to grant them legal personhood would include the right to sue
In a groundbreaking declaration earlier this month, Indigenous leaders of New Zealand and the Cook Islands signed a treaty, He Whakaputanga Moana, to recognise whales as legal persons.
