Science Media Centre

Sam Fisher, in an opinion piece in the NZ Herald, looks at the legal action being threatened against NIWA by the CSC, making the case that courts aren’t the proper place to test science.
He also writes that denying anthropogenic climate change is a fool’s bet.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
“Courts aren’t the best place to [...]

Rob Fenwick writes in the New Zealand Herald about sea level rise and the conference he attended which saw 2500 polar scientists – the largest such group ever – gather to discuss ice melt and sea level rise.
While there is consensus amongst polar (and many other) scientists that sea level rise will occur, more detailed [...]

Last night, the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, gave a speech about climate change and the debate which continues to swirl around it.
In the speech, entitled Integrity in Science: Implications from and for the Climate Change Debate, he spoke at length about why he believes anthropogenic climate change is happening, what [...]

Bioethicist Gareth Jones writes about the creation of the first functional synthetic genome, arguing that placing a moratorium on the continuation of such research is not necessary.
He also points out that, while the breakthrough is significant, it is years away from having practical applications.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
“Humans have been increasing their control over [...]

Joe Bennett writes in an opinion piece in the Southland Times about Craig Venter’s recent creation of a functional synthetic genome, pointing out that those who would like to curtail any further such research are unlikely to be successful.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
“The consequences of Dr Venter’s actions will be terrifying. Our television [...]

Marine energy proponents, investors and researchers converged in Wellington today (19 Apr) for the start of Blue Energy — Aotearoa Wave and Tidal Energy Association (AWATEA)’s 2010 conference.
Opening speaker Mike Underhill – Chief Executive EECA – argues that renewable energy is one of New Zealand’s strategic advantages globally. Currently, 31% of NZ’s total [...]

Today marked the beginning of the inaugural meeting of the Global Research Alliance (GRA) in Wellington.  The GRA was launched at the Copenhagen talks last year, and is regarded in some circles as the best thing to come out of the negotiations.
Spearheaded by New Zealand and comprised of some 28 countries, as well as a [...]

Statement from Professor Keith A Hunter FNZIC, FRSNZ, Vice-President – Physical Sciences, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology, Royal Society of New Zealand.

Summary of Statement

The science of climate change has been the subject of recent harsh criticisms in the popular media, with attacks on the integrity and professionalism of scientists. There is fault on both sides [...]

Andrew Stone reviews the book Sex Bombs And Burgers: How War, Porn And Fast Food Created Technology As We Know It, by Peter Nowak.
In his book, Nowak discusses how the industries behind war, food and pornography have indelibly shaped the technology we use, and our culture with it, citing such examples as Lena, a [...]

Patrick Pilchar writes, in an opinion piece in the New Zealand Herald, about New Zealand’s poor innovation performance, most recently seen in the NZAhead report.
The report gave New Zealand a ‘C’, and Pilchar goes on to explore why innovation is key for New Zealand’s future, and the barriers currently standing in its way.
An excerpt: (read [...]

In an opinion piece, David Round (University of Canterbury) writes in The Press about the disastrous effects of climate change, and how we will live with them.
He expects that New Zealand will be less affected than some other countries, but believes that our future will nonetheless be less pleasant than our present, with conservative lifestyles [...]

Stern talk on climate change
British economist Nicholas Stern will bring his “get serious” message on climate change to New Zealand next week, when he undertakes a lecture series hosted by the University of Auckland.
Lord Stern is best known for the 2006 Stern Review, a 700 page document commissioned by the UK Government [...]