Science Media Centre

Eloise Gibson of the New Zealand Herald reports on efforts to develop and grow a new type of grass – one which could be grown in paddocks, and which will help reduce the amount of methane produced by the cows which eat them. The research is being conducted by AgResearch, although it has also drawn [...]

Eloise Gibson of the NZ Herald reports on a recent study from NASA which suggests that New Zealand’s contribution to climate change could be bigger than we think. The study says that scientists have underestimated – by 40-60 percent- how much methane warms the planet, and New Zealand’s methane emissions form a far larger proportion [...]

In the fight to reduce New Zealand’s methane emissions, some tiny organisms could be major contenders. Eloise Gibson of the NZ Herald reports that methanotrophs – bacteria which consume methane – are being cultured from volcanic soils on the top of Taupo District Council’s  landfill.  Already used in landfills, the hope is that these bacteria [...]

As the world’s governments prepare to gather in Copenhagen to hammer out an agreement to lower greenhouse gas emissions, New Zealand’s scientists are researching ways to reduce emissions of one of the most potent of these gases – methane. The New Zealand Government yesterday revealed it will aim to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions by [...]

The current issue of New Scientist features an interesting article which draws on research underway in New Zealand and highlights the challenges the world faces in its atempts to combat climate change: “Rising populations and incomes are expected to double the global demand for meat and milk from 229 to 465 million tonnes and 580 [...]

Greenhouse gases produced by cow burps are growing at a faster rate than the man-made emissions responsible for global warming, according to the latest research. Dr Andy Thorpe, an economist at the University of Portsmouth, says his research was inspired by reports from New Zealand about belching cows and methane emissions. “The genesis of the [...]