title: Cost-effective mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from different dairy systems in the Waikato region of New Zealand

authors: Adler, Alfredo A.

subjects: dairy production

abstract: The New Zealand dairy industry produces approximately 17% of this country's total greenhouse gas emissions (GHG-e) and it is also this nation's largest export industry. The industry needs to reduce GHG-e under proposed policy directives and for ongoing market security. Given these pressures, there is the need to identify cost-effective management strategies to reduce on-farm GHG-e. The objective of this study was to investigate how the management of dairy farms in the Waikato region of New Zealand could change to minimise the abatement costs associated with GHG-e mitigation. Three typical farm systems importing low (less than 10%), medium (10–20%), and high (more than 20%) amounts of supplement are modelled using a non-linear optimisation model.

A reduction in nitrogen fertiliser application was the production factor that changed the most to achieve the cap in all of the simulated systems, followed by a reduction in stocking rate. With the prices used in this study, decreasing farming intensity by reducing nitrogen fertiliser by 21–42% and stocking rate by 8–10% represented a cost of $68–$119/ha and a production reduction of 54–117 kg MS/ha for the three systems studied. Improving reproductive performance proved to be effective in reducing GHG-e, allowing for fewer replacement cows to be supported. However, it did not have a significant effect on profit when emissions were unconstrained. Nitrification inhibitors and stand-off pads were not identified as useful mitigation options, given their high cost relative to de-intensification.

text: Cost-effective mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from different dairy systems in the Waikato region of New Zealand The New Zealand dairy industry produces approximately 17% of this country's total greenhouse gas emissions (GHG-e) and it is also this nation's largest export industry. The industry needs to reduce GHG-e under proposed policy directives and for ongoing market security. Given these pressures, there is the need to identify cost-effective management strategies to reduce on-farm GHG-e. The objective of this study was to investigate how the management of dairy farms in the Waikato region of New Zealand could change to minimise the abatement costs associated with GHG-e mitigation. Three typical farm systems importing low (less than 10%), medium (10–20%), and high (more than 20%) amounts of supplement are modelled using a non-linear optimisation model.

A reduction in nitrogen fertiliser application was the production factor that changed the most to achieve the cap in all of the simulated systems, followed by a reduction in stocking rate. With the prices used in this study, decreasing farming intensity by reducing nitrogen fertiliser by 21–42% and stocking rate by 8–10% represented a cost of $68–$119/ha and a production reduction of 54–117 kg MS/ha for the three systems studied. Improving reproductive performance proved to be effective in reducing GHG-e, allowing for fewer replacement cows to be supported. However, it did not have a significant effect on profit when emissions were unconstrained. Nitrification inhibitors and stand-off pads were not identified as useful mitigation options, given their high cost relative to de-intensification.

year: 2013

title: Can we be friends with AI? What risks would arise from the proliferation of such friendships?

authors: Munn, Nicholas

abstract: In this paper we analyse friendships between humans and artificial intelligences, exploring the various arguments that have been or could be offered against the value of such friendships, and arguing that these objections do not stand up to critical scrutiny. As such, we argue that there is no good in-principle reason to oppose the development of human-AI friendships (although there may be some practical defeasible reasons to worry about such friendships becoming widespread). If we are right, there are important implications for how friendship is conceptualised and valued in modern times. Furthermore, if human-AI friendships are in-principle valuable, the moral responsibilities for how governments and corporations should act in regards to AI friends are quite different to those generated by human-AI friendships being dis-valuable.

text: Can we be friends with AI? What risks would arise from the proliferation of such friendships? In this paper we analyse friendships between humans and artificial intelligences, exploring the various arguments that have been or could be offered against the value of such friendships, and arguing that these objections do not stand up to critical scrutiny. As such, we argue that there is no good in-principle reason to oppose the development of human-AI friendships (although there may be some practical defeasible reasons to worry about such friendships becoming widespread). If we are right, there are important implications for how friendship is conceptualised and valued in modern times. Furthermore, if human-AI friendships are in-principle valuable, the moral responsibilities for how governments and corporations should act in regards to AI friends are quite different to those generated by human-AI friendships being dis-valuable.

year: 2023-05-23

title: Māori language research

authors: Barbour, Julie Renee

subjects: Māori language research

abstract: The theme of this special issue is Māori language research. Contributions to the special issue cover linguistic topics surrounding language revitalisation and pedagogy topics, ranging from acoustic to morphosyntactic analysis. At its heart, each paper is concerned with te reo Māori, as it is learned, taught, spoken and valued in Aotearoa New Zealand in the 21st century. The inspiration for this special issue came from the global events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2022), and the realisation that the linguistic community in Aotearoa New Zealand could, and should, be doing more to support our Indigenous language.

text: Māori language research The theme of this special issue is Māori language research. Contributions to the special issue cover linguistic topics surrounding language revitalisation and pedagogy topics, ranging from acoustic to morphosyntactic analysis. At its heart, each paper is concerned with te reo Māori, as it is learned, taught, spoken and valued in Aotearoa New Zealand in the 21st century. The inspiration for this special issue came from the global events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2022), and the realisation that the linguistic community in Aotearoa New Zealand could, and should, be doing more to support our Indigenous language.

year: 2024