Greenhouse gases & climate change
New Zealand needs to minimise potential risks resulting from global change to protect its unique natural environment.
Research
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Agricultural greenhouse gas exchange at the farm scale
Provision of robust methods to quantify and forecast emissions and removals of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) at multiple temporal and spatial scales, reducing the uncertainty in New Zealand´s agricultural greenhouse gas inventories. -
Biodiversity & global change
No part of the landscape can escape global change. Alpine areas, drylands, and wetlands are highly sensitive to climate change and fire. Knowing how ecosystems have responded in the past, and how and why they are changing now, will allow end–users to plan strategies, restoration initiatives, and reserve design to reverse biodiversity decline. Maori wish to manage their forests for specific values and products, and need to know how climate impacts on their biodiversity -
Business & sustainability
The Business & Sustainability team work at the interface between research and consultancy where our focus is corporate sustainability. -
Carbon exchange and inventory
Development of least–cost methods to quantify and forecast sources and sinks of carbon dioxide (CO2) and the effects of land–use change and management on land–atmosphere CO2 exchange at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Working with our EBEX21® programme we also enable businesses and landowners to measure, manage and mitigate CO2 emissions. -
Global Change Processes
Science underpinning New Zealand’s ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, develop new mitigation options, adapt to the effects of a changing climate, and manage in land–based systems the risks and opportunities arising from global change. -
New technologies for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions
Research to understand the processes that regulate emissions and removals of nitrous oxide and methane, including measurement and modelling, to develop novel mitigation technologies, and estimation of potential of efficacy of mitigation strategies. -
Risks and opportunities
Identification of risks and opportunities of the impacts of global change to the biophysical functioning and resilience of natural and managed terrestrial systems, using a process-based understanding to develop models for integrative analysis of responses, including feedback effects. -
Socio-economic implications of adaptation to global change
Development of knowledge, networks and strategies to embed mitigation and adaptation practices into regional and national economic and sustainable development initiatives. An integrated assessment in collaboration with other providers will enable key decision-making agencies to plan appropriate policy for New Zealand’s economic and social responses to global change. -
Sustainable export
This research is focused on developing tools and resources that enable producers and exporters to improve their environmental and social performance in ways that are both proactive and strategic. -
Sustainable futures
Investigating long–term sustainable development policies in New Zealand and overseas, researching ways to enable change towards sustainability, developing tools and methods to support this.