Nau mai haere mai – welcome to this week’s pānui.
The dual mission of universities to be a “repository of knowledge and expertise" and a "critic and conscience of society” is enshrined in law and not to be taken lightly. So when the work or ideas of scholars are challenged or found wanting, the limits of academic freedom are tested.
Recent cases involving the criticism and subsequent retraction of a paper about vaccination risk during pregnancy, and the controversy over an open letter questioning the scientific status of mātauranga Māori, have shown just how difficult those limits are to define and police.
But, as the University of Auckland’s Matheson Russell writes, institutions need to be more ready to confront these difficult issues. “In today’s political and media environment, the challenge of mis- and disinformation is only going to intensify. Institutional culture, practices and policies need to account for this.”
You’ll find more to read in this newsletter or on our home page, including a call for a legislative tidy-up of climate change regulation and a challenge to appreciate the ecological contribution of introduced
species.
Many thanks for your support and interest. Until next time, mā te wā.
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Matheson Russell, University of Auckland
Recent controversies involving academic freedom and responsibility raise important questions about how publicly accountable Aotearoa’s universities should be.
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Lynn Grieveson – Newsroom via Getty Images
Nathan Cooper, University of Waikato
New Zealand’s international pledges, domestic laws and carbon budgets run on different timelines. They could be better aligned to make sure everyone understands how Aotearoa plans to cut emissions.
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Shutterstock/rfranca
Sebastian Leuzinger, Auckland University of Technology
Introduced species that become invasive are clearly destructive, but many exotic species are not detrimental to the existing ecosystem – some become complementary or take on lost ecological roles.
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GettyImages
Alexander Gillespie, University of Waikato
Nearly a year ago, New Zealand’s intelligence services warned of the ‘realistic possibility’ of future COVID-related violent extremism. How concerned should people be now?
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Shutterstock/Richard Whitcombe
Karen Scott, University of Canterbury
Carbon dioxide can be classed as pollution under the UN law of the sea and countries have an obligation to prevent it from entering the ocean.
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David McNew/Getty Images
Kevin Trenberth, National Center for Atmospheric Research
Reducing methane emissions could slow global warming quickly and buy time for the world to wean itself off fossil fuels. But it must not distract from the challenge to cut carbon dioxide emissions.
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From our international editions
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Paul Taucher, Murdoch University; Dean Aszkielowicz, Murdoch University
With travel to Afghanistan is nearly impossible right now and difficult questions over the types of evidence that would be admissible in court, investigators have their work cut out for them.
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James Ha, Grattan Institute; Alison Reeve, Grattan Institute
Grattan Institute analysis shows it’s possible to achieve a vastly lower-emissions electricity system in less than two decades – if governments can muster the courage.
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Christopher Ziguras, RMIT University
The federal government has for months been unclear about when international students could return to Australia. And there are still many uncertainties about the latest announcement.
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Mia Bloom, Georgia State University
At least five people were killed and many more were injured after an SUV crashed into a Christmas parade. A terrorism expert explains how vehicles have been weaponized.
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Morgan Marietta, University of Massachusetts Lowell
The upcoming debate at the Supreme Court is less about the existence of the right to abortion and more about how that right is limited by the emerging personhood of a fetus.
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Arjan Stegeman, Utrecht University
Each year in spring and summer, waterbirds mingle on their breeding grounds in Siberia and mix their flu viruses, creating new variants they then bring to Europe, Asia and Africa.
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Noir Primadona Purba, Universitas Padjadjaran; Muhamad Maulana Rahmadi, Universitas Padjadjaran
Rising sea levels mean bigger waves will “redesign” coastlines.
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Simon McCarthy-Jones, Trinity College Dublin
It may seem odd that we get pleasure from sad songs.
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David Weitzner, York University, Canada
Employees are demanding a more human-centric workplace, with space for trust and vulnerability. Management is over. The era of co-creation is underway.
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Maria Suriano, University of the Witwatersrand
Despite a succession of different challenges, Bgoya’s approach has been consistent.
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