title: Ten New Insights in Climate Science 2023/2024

authors: Bustamante, Mercedes

abstract: Non-technical summary:
We identify a set of essential recent advances in climate change research with high policy relevance, across natural and social sciences: (1) looming inevitability and implications of overshooting the 1.5°C warming limit, (2) urgent need for a rapid and managed fossil fuel phase-out, (3) challenges for scaling carbon dioxide removal, (4) uncertainties regarding the future contribution of natural carbon sinks, (5) intertwinedness of the crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, (6) compound events, (7) mountain glacier loss, (8) human immobility in the face of climate risks, (9) adaptation justice, and (10) just transitions in food systems.
Technical summary:
The IPCC Assessment Reports offer the scientific foundation for international climate negotiations and constitute an unmatched resource for climate change researchers. However, the assessment cycles take multiple years. As a contribution to cross- and interdisciplinary understanding across diverse climate change research communities, we have streamlined an annual process to identify and synthesise essential research advances. We collected input from experts on different fields using an online questionnaire and prioritised a set of ten key research insights with high policy relevance. This year we focus on: (1) looming overshoot of the 1.5°C warming limit, (2) urgency of phasing-out fossil fuels, (3) challenges for scaling carbon dioxide removal, (4) uncertainties regarding the future of natural carbon sinks, (5) need for join governance of biodiversity loss and climate change, (6) advances in the science of compound events, (7) mountain glacier loss, (8) human immobility in the face of climate risks, (9) adaptation justice, and (10) just transitions in food systems. We first present a succinct account of these Insights, reflect on their policy implications, and offer an integrated set of policy relevant messages. This science synthesis and science communication effort is also the basis for a report targeted to policymakers as a contribution to elevate climate science every year, in time for the UNFCCC COP.
Social media summary:
We highlight recent and policy-relevant advances in climate change research - with input from more than 200 experts.

text: Ten New Insights in Climate Science 2023/2024 Non-technical summary:
We identify a set of essential recent advances in climate change research with high policy relevance, across natural and social sciences: (1) looming inevitability and implications of overshooting the 1.5°C warming limit, (2) urgent need for a rapid and managed fossil fuel phase-out, (3) challenges for scaling carbon dioxide removal, (4) uncertainties regarding the future contribution of natural carbon sinks, (5) intertwinedness of the crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, (6) compound events, (7) mountain glacier loss, (8) human immobility in the face of climate risks, (9) adaptation justice, and (10) just transitions in food systems.
Technical summary:
The IPCC Assessment Reports offer the scientific foundation for international climate negotiations and constitute an unmatched resource for climate change researchers. However, the assessment cycles take multiple years. As a contribution to cross- and interdisciplinary understanding across diverse climate change research communities, we have streamlined an annual process to identify and synthesise essential research advances. We collected input from experts on different fields using an online questionnaire and prioritised a set of ten key research insights with high policy relevance. This year we focus on: (1) looming overshoot of the 1.5°C warming limit, (2) urgency of phasing-out fossil fuels, (3) challenges for scaling carbon dioxide removal, (4) uncertainties regarding the future of natural carbon sinks, (5) need for join governance of biodiversity loss and climate change, (6) advances in the science of compound events, (7) mountain glacier loss, (8) human immobility in the face of climate risks, (9) adaptation justice, and (10) just transitions in food systems. We first present a succinct account of these Insights, reflect on their policy implications, and offer an integrated set of policy relevant messages. This science synthesis and science communication effort is also the basis for a report targeted to policymakers as a contribution to elevate climate science every year, in time for the UNFCCC COP.
Social media summary:
We highlight recent and policy-relevant advances in climate change research - with input from more than 200 experts.

year: 2023

title: A micromorphological study of pedogenic processes in an evolutionary soil sequence formed on Late Quaternary rhyolitic tephra deposits, North Island, New Zealand

authors: Bakker, L.

abstract: The influence of time as a soil forming factor was studied on an evolutionary sequence of five soils (1850 radiocarbo years BP-ca. 120,000 BP) developed in rhyolitic tephra deposits in New Zealand. New micromorphological observations were combined with existing macromorphological, chemical, textural, and clay mineralogical analyses to assess the extent of polygenesis in the soils. The younger soils (1850 BP to ca. 22,600 BP) are characterised by initial weathering and little secondary mineral formation. This status is expressed by abundant pumice fragments and fresh, easily weatherable minerals, as well as a low clay content with an isotropic character. Comminution and neoformation are the main pedological processes. The older soils (ca. 120,000 BP) are characterised by a high degree of alteration of primary minerals, little or no pumice fragments, clay illuviation, gleying, and a high clay content (>80%) consisting of a range of crystalline clay minerals including halloysite, gibbsite, kaolinite, and vermiculite, plus crystalline iron oxides. Evidence of polygenesis can be observed in the micromorphology of the older soils: (1) the range of secondary minerals is the result of the integration and succession of soil-forming processes through time; (2) the accumulatory character of the tephra deposits has resulted in stronger weathering of the lower horizons than upper horizons because of continuous pedogenesis. Such polygenesis in the older soils supports the view that the older the soil, the more polygenetic it is likely to be.

text: A micromorphological study of pedogenic processes in an evolutionary soil sequence formed on Late Quaternary rhyolitic tephra deposits, North Island, New Zealand The influence of time as a soil forming factor was studied on an evolutionary sequence of five soils (1850 radiocarbo years BP-ca. 120,000 BP) developed in rhyolitic tephra deposits in New Zealand. New micromorphological observations were combined with existing macromorphological, chemical, textural, and clay mineralogical analyses to assess the extent of polygenesis in the soils. The younger soils (1850 BP to ca. 22,600 BP) are characterised by initial weathering and little secondary mineral formation. This status is expressed by abundant pumice fragments and fresh, easily weatherable minerals, as well as a low clay content with an isotropic character. Comminution and neoformation are the main pedological processes. The older soils (ca. 120,000 BP) are characterised by a high degree of alteration of primary minerals, little or no pumice fragments, clay illuviation, gleying, and a high clay content (>80%) consisting of a range of crystalline clay minerals including halloysite, gibbsite, kaolinite, and vermiculite, plus crystalline iron oxides. Evidence of polygenesis can be observed in the micromorphology of the older soils: (1) the range of secondary minerals is the result of the integration and succession of soil-forming processes through time; (2) the accumulatory character of the tephra deposits has resulted in stronger weathering of the lower horizons than upper horizons because of continuous pedogenesis. Such polygenesis in the older soils supports the view that the older the soil, the more polygenetic it is likely to be.

year: 1996

title: Software development: Involving Tangata Whenua and incorporating Tikanga Māori

authors: Taia, Ivy

subjects: software engineering

abstract: Over the past fifty years, software development (SD) has been dominated by Western approaches, which is widely accepted as the standard way of doing things (Diaz Andrade et al., 2021). Consequently, many software applications for specific Indigenous cultures, especially health interventions and educational software (Dobson, Whittaker, Bartley, Connor, Chen, Ross & McCool, 2017; Fleer, 1989), were developed using traditional software engineering (SE) methodologies. Although these methodologies provide the workflows and methods for developing software, they do not provide guidelines for developing Indigenous software. While there have been numerous studies on diversity, such as gender and ethnicity in the field of Information Systems, there is very little research on the practices of involving Indigenous people and incorporating their traditional customs in the software development process. This thesis examines the participation of Indigenous people in software development. The research specifically focuses on Tangata Whenua (Māori people, the Indigenous population of Aotearoa New Zealand) and Tikanga Māori (Māori cultural methods). Our findings are useful to those attempting to enhance Indigenous representation in software development, especially those wanting to involve Māori people and their cultural methods in the development process and design of software.

text: Software development: Involving Tangata Whenua and incorporating Tikanga Māori Over the past fifty years, software development (SD) has been dominated by Western approaches, which is widely accepted as the standard way of doing things (Diaz Andrade et al., 2021). Consequently, many software applications for specific Indigenous cultures, especially health interventions and educational software (Dobson, Whittaker, Bartley, Connor, Chen, Ross & McCool, 2017; Fleer, 1989), were developed using traditional software engineering (SE) methodologies. Although these methodologies provide the workflows and methods for developing software, they do not provide guidelines for developing Indigenous software. While there have been numerous studies on diversity, such as gender and ethnicity in the field of Information Systems, there is very little research on the practices of involving Indigenous people and incorporating their traditional customs in the software development process. This thesis examines the participation of Indigenous people in software development. The research specifically focuses on Tangata Whenua (Māori people, the Indigenous population of Aotearoa New Zealand) and Tikanga Māori (Māori cultural methods). Our findings are useful to those attempting to enhance Indigenous representation in software development, especially those wanting to involve Māori people and their cultural methods in the development process and design of software.

year: 2025