title: The sonically evoked spaces of post-rock in an era of climate reality

authors: Schott, Gareth R.

abstract: While the transmediality of the early Icelandic literature is palpable in contemporary Icelandic art and music, this chapter highlights how the resultant vast, textured landforms of Iceland are mirrored not only within the praxis of Sigur Rós’ post-rock but also in its sonic sentiments of isolation (paired with exterior threats, instability and change) representative of a culture bounded by water. Today, rapid “ocean acidification” due to increases in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the ocean as a result of human actions is predicted to have a profound impact on the surrounding marine ecosystem. Sigur Ros’ ambient, haunting and affective compositions exist in the context of a broader artistic construction of “landscape as nation” in postcolonial Iceland. That is, the inclination for Icelandic cultural production to draw on the distinctive and natural features of the landscape – as a “land of fire and ice [ominous volcanos and stunning glaciers], cascading waterfalls, black sand beaches and vast, volcanic plains”.

text: The sonically evoked spaces of post-rock in an era of climate reality While the transmediality of the early Icelandic literature is palpable in contemporary Icelandic art and music, this chapter highlights how the resultant vast, textured landforms of Iceland are mirrored not only within the praxis of Sigur Rós’ post-rock but also in its sonic sentiments of isolation (paired with exterior threats, instability and change) representative of a culture bounded by water. Today, rapid “ocean acidification” due to increases in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the ocean as a result of human actions is predicted to have a profound impact on the surrounding marine ecosystem. Sigur Ros’ ambient, haunting and affective compositions exist in the context of a broader artistic construction of “landscape as nation” in postcolonial Iceland. That is, the inclination for Icelandic cultural production to draw on the distinctive and natural features of the landscape – as a “land of fire and ice [ominous volcanos and stunning glaciers], cascading waterfalls, black sand beaches and vast, volcanic plains”.

year: 2022-12-30

title: Evolution of the global carbon cycle and climate regulation on Earth

authors: Isson, Terry T.

subjects: Carbon cycle

abstract: The existence of stabilizing feedbacks within Earth's climate system is generally thought to be necessary for the persistence of liquid water and life. Over the course of Earth's history, Earth's atmospheric composition appears to have adjusted to the gradual increase in solar luminosity, resulting in persistently habitable surface temperatures. With limited exceptions, the Earth system has been observed to recover rapidly from pulsed climatic perturbations. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) regulation via negative feedbacks within the coupled global carbon‐silica cycles are classically viewed as the main processes giving rise to climate stability on Earth. Here we review the long‐term global carbon cycle budget, and how the processes modulating Earth's climate system have evolved over time. Specifically, we focus on the relative roles that shifts in carbon sources and sinks have played in driving long‐term changes in atmospheric pCO₂. We make the case that marine processes are an important component of the canonical silicate weathering feedback, and have played a much more important role in 𝘱CO₂ regulation than traditionally imagined. Notably, geochemical evidence indicate that the weathering of marine sediments and off‐axis basalt alteration act as major carbon sinks. However, this sink was potentially dampened during Earth's early history when oceans had higher levels of dissolved silicon (Si), iron (Fe), and magnesium (Mg), and instead likely fostered more extensive carbon recycling within the ocean‐atmosphere system via reverse weathering—that in turn acted to elevate ocean‐atmosphere CO₂ levels.

text: Evolution of the global carbon cycle and climate regulation on Earth The existence of stabilizing feedbacks within Earth's climate system is generally thought to be necessary for the persistence of liquid water and life. Over the course of Earth's history, Earth's atmospheric composition appears to have adjusted to the gradual increase in solar luminosity, resulting in persistently habitable surface temperatures. With limited exceptions, the Earth system has been observed to recover rapidly from pulsed climatic perturbations. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) regulation via negative feedbacks within the coupled global carbon‐silica cycles are classically viewed as the main processes giving rise to climate stability on Earth. Here we review the long‐term global carbon cycle budget, and how the processes modulating Earth's climate system have evolved over time. Specifically, we focus on the relative roles that shifts in carbon sources and sinks have played in driving long‐term changes in atmospheric pCO₂. We make the case that marine processes are an important component of the canonical silicate weathering feedback, and have played a much more important role in 𝘱CO₂ regulation than traditionally imagined. Notably, geochemical evidence indicate that the weathering of marine sediments and off‐axis basalt alteration act as major carbon sinks. However, this sink was potentially dampened during Earth's early history when oceans had higher levels of dissolved silicon (Si), iron (Fe), and magnesium (Mg), and instead likely fostered more extensive carbon recycling within the ocean‐atmosphere system via reverse weathering—that in turn acted to elevate ocean‐atmosphere CO₂ levels.

year: 2020

title: The concept of partnership and The Treaty of Waitangi: Three case studies

authors: Morrison, Sandy

subjects: Te Tiriti o Waitangi

abstract: There has been, and continues to be, considerable debate about the meaning and intent of different versions of the Treaty of Waitangi and about the extent of its relevance to contemporary New Zealand. It is in this context that a number of organisations and institutions in New Zealand, anxious to demonstrate their positive support for the creation of a just society, have attempted to restructure in ways that allow for a 'partnership' between Māori and Pākehā. With reference to three different case studies, I argue here that such restructuring, although generally very well intentioned and very welcome, should not be seen - as it frequently is - as an expression of the fulfilment of partnership obligations arising out of the Treaty of Waitangi. To treat organisational restructuring in this way, particularly where it does not provide both 'partners' with an equal right to determine the operational parameters and future direction of the organisation, is to misrepresent (often wholly unintentionally) the nature of the Treaty. Nevertheless, one way of resolving some of the debates concerning the meaning and intent of the Treaty of Waitangi might be to establish a principle of equal partnership in the governance and management of state institutions.

text: The concept of partnership and The Treaty of Waitangi: Three case studies There has been, and continues to be, considerable debate about the meaning and intent of different versions of the Treaty of Waitangi and about the extent of its relevance to contemporary New Zealand. It is in this context that a number of organisations and institutions in New Zealand, anxious to demonstrate their positive support for the creation of a just society, have attempted to restructure in ways that allow for a 'partnership' between Māori and Pākehā. With reference to three different case studies, I argue here that such restructuring, although generally very well intentioned and very welcome, should not be seen - as it frequently is - as an expression of the fulfilment of partnership obligations arising out of the Treaty of Waitangi. To treat organisational restructuring in this way, particularly where it does not provide both 'partners' with an equal right to determine the operational parameters and future direction of the organisation, is to misrepresent (often wholly unintentionally) the nature of the Treaty. Nevertheless, one way of resolving some of the debates concerning the meaning and intent of the Treaty of Waitangi might be to establish a principle of equal partnership in the governance and management of state institutions.

year: 2005