On August 2, the human race was deemed to have used up the resources the Earth produces in a year. It took us just seven months. 
 
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August 5, 2017
 
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Earth Overshoot Day

On August 2, humans were deemed to have used up the resources the Earth produces in a year. It took us just seven months to release more carbon than the oceans and forests can absorb in 12 months, and we also felled more trees, caught more fish and used more water than the Earth produces in the same period.

The Earth has always had a dynamic climate, but it has never changed as fast as it is changing now. What forces are driving this massive flux? How can we adapt to the new normal?

 
 
 
 
 
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Reading the tea gene

Tea plants make large amounts of caffeine and flavonoids compared to other varieties of camellia. It does this it by copy-pasting particular genes like crazy.

 
 
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#SundayDoco

After the Maori and the British settlers, the next major ethnic group to arrive in New Zealand was the Chinese.

 
 
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Time for tea

New Zealanders once consumed more tea per capita than any other nation in the world. A resurgence in the popularity of boutique varieties may make it time for tea once again.

 
 
 
 
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Tale of the tui

Iridescent shadows that zoom, bustle and warble through the canopy—tui have adapted and thrived while others have perished.

 
 
 
 
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The merchant of Taranaki

In a climate of fanatical anti-Chinese sentiment, Chew Chong saved the bacon of Taranaki pioneer farmers, contributed significantly to New Zealand’s dairy industry, and was acknowledged for it in his lifetime.

 
 
 
 
 
#NZGeoRadio
 
 
0408-1

PROTESTORS BLOCK IRRIGATION PROJECT
Greenpeace protesters have locked themselves to construction equipment to try to block a multi-million dollar irrigation scheme in central Canterbury.

 
 
0408-2

FLOOD-HIT FARMS TO GET ASSISTANCE
The government has announced a support package for flood-hit farmers in Otago. Two weeks ago, heavy rain caused severe flooding throughout the region.

 
 
0408-3

WHEN GRUBBY IS GOOD
Growing up in Dunedin in the 1970s and 80s, parents didn’t typically worry about kids getting dirty, and didn’t lather them in anti-bacterial gel.