The deforestation statistic is really shocking. But I remember being really surprised by how much deforestation the Maori had already done when the Europeans arrived. I think I saw the original maps at Te Papa, but they're here too: https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/11674/deforestation-of-new-zealand. According to that page 6.7 million hectares had been destroyed before European settlement began, and a further 8 million happened after that.
I wasn't sure what the size of the Maori population was when Europeans arrived, most of what I can find (e.g.: https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/27240/maori-population-changes) puts the population around 80k at that time. That's a simply massive amount of land they cleared.
I remember Sapiens discussing this as well. As far as we can tell, wherever humans of any type have gone in any non-trivial amounts, they've pretty much always caused massive ecosystem disruption and extinctions.
While still new to your Newsletter Melanie, I am learning so much about New Zealand! What seems promising is NZ seems to have avoided some agriculture practices that have come to dominate elsewhere. Raising animals is an intense generator of GHGs so it is not surprising that in some measures , NZ trails in reductions. I look forward to catching up on your writing. Very well researched and referenced.
What an interesting and counterintuitive article! Kudos for raising awareness. Do most people in New Zealand generally believe the country is doing pretty well on climate change, or are they aware of the work still remaining?
I know in the US I generally assume we will rank near the bottom on climate mitigation, so it's refreshing to hear that even some US efforts are going okay, because doing even *somewhat* well is a surprise.
Love how thorough and thoughtful you are in these investigations. Well done.
The deforestation statistic is really shocking. But I remember being really surprised by how much deforestation the Maori had already done when the Europeans arrived. I think I saw the original maps at Te Papa, but they're here too: https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/11674/deforestation-of-new-zealand. According to that page 6.7 million hectares had been destroyed before European settlement began, and a further 8 million happened after that.
I wasn't sure what the size of the Maori population was when Europeans arrived, most of what I can find (e.g.: https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/27240/maori-population-changes) puts the population around 80k at that time. That's a simply massive amount of land they cleared.
I remember Sapiens discussing this as well. As far as we can tell, wherever humans of any type have gone in any non-trivial amounts, they've pretty much always caused massive ecosystem disruption and extinctions.
Talking or writing?
While still new to your Newsletter Melanie, I am learning so much about New Zealand! What seems promising is NZ seems to have avoided some agriculture practices that have come to dominate elsewhere. Raising animals is an intense generator of GHGs so it is not surprising that in some measures , NZ trails in reductions. I look forward to catching up on your writing. Very well researched and referenced.
What an interesting and counterintuitive article! Kudos for raising awareness. Do most people in New Zealand generally believe the country is doing pretty well on climate change, or are they aware of the work still remaining?
I know in the US I generally assume we will rank near the bottom on climate mitigation, so it's refreshing to hear that even some US efforts are going okay, because doing even *somewhat* well is a surprise.