1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,160 Speaker 1: Now, I told you yesterday about that carbon zinc that 2 00:00:02,200 --> 00:00:05,360 Speaker 1: they've discovered in Fiordland's native bush. This carbon zinc is 3 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:07,600 Speaker 1: sucking in so much more carbon than we originally thought. 4 00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:09,480 Speaker 1: In fact, it's so much it may be three times 5 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:12,479 Speaker 1: as much carbon as us humans in New Zealand creating 6 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 1: a year now. The study has been done by Newer 7 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:20,160 Speaker 1: and Biata Bucosa is the atmospheric scientist who led the study. Hibieta, Hello, 8 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:22,720 Speaker 1: how sure are you about these numbers? 9 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 2: We're quite quite confident in these numbers. We were running 10 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:32,240 Speaker 2: tests for years and years now. Try to challenge our calculations, 11 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:35,120 Speaker 2: models in every possible way we could think of, but 12 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:36,680 Speaker 2: this sinc was always there. 13 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:41,879 Speaker 1: So does this mean that it really is sucking in? 14 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:45,199 Speaker 1: This carbon zinc is sucking in three times what us 15 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:47,000 Speaker 1: humans in New Zealand are burning. 16 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:52,800 Speaker 2: So it's just like carbon is mysteriously somewhere disappearing in 17 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:56,600 Speaker 2: this region. But something to be careful about at the 18 00:00:56,640 --> 00:00:59,520 Speaker 2: moment is that we don't know where that carbon actually goes, 19 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 2: if it's a long term carbon, or if it's maybe 20 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:05,479 Speaker 2: potentially exported somewhere else. So that's something that we still 21 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 2: need to figure out. 22 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:07,920 Speaker 1: Well, if it's a long term carbon that's going into 23 00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:09,040 Speaker 1: the trees, right. 24 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 2: That's correct. What's the alternative, Well, there's something also that 25 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:18,400 Speaker 2: we call lateral carbon transport. So if you think about 26 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:22,000 Speaker 2: these regions down in the Southwest coast or Fjordland, these 27 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:25,040 Speaker 2: are regions with a quite complex topography, quite a bit 28 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:28,840 Speaker 2: of rainfall, landslide erosion. So an additional thing that might 29 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:31,640 Speaker 2: be happening is that some of this carbon is being 30 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:34,320 Speaker 2: transported in the rivers and then out to the ocean, 31 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:37,800 Speaker 2: which might then be re emitted back to the atmosphere. 32 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:41,600 Speaker 2: But that may yeah that much. Yes, So we identified 33 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:44,120 Speaker 2: that about half of the difference that we see is 34 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:48,080 Speaker 2: due to these lateral transports. However, there are uncertainties with 35 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 2: these estimates. 36 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:52,200 Speaker 1: Okay, so even if it's just half of it that's 37 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 1: going down the river, the rest of it is going 38 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:56,920 Speaker 1: into the trees, right, which is more than we are 39 00:01:57,000 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 1: creating annually as New Zealanders. 40 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:04,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, so there's a specific amount that it seems is 41 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:08,920 Speaker 2: being kept somewhere potentially in the land. However, we still 42 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:12,320 Speaker 2: haven't identified the exact place or processes that take up 43 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:14,639 Speaker 2: this carbon, so that's still work that needs to be done. 44 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:16,240 Speaker 1: Does this mean that we have a bit of a 45 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 1: license to relax about what we're doing in this country 46 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:21,560 Speaker 1: and not beat ourselves up so much because actually Fieldland's 47 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 1: taking care of it. 48 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:27,640 Speaker 2: Well, not really, just because until we know exactly what's 49 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:31,120 Speaker 2: the fate of that carbon, we can't really relax, and 50 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:33,560 Speaker 2: we shouldn't relax because we still need to work to worry. 51 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:35,960 Speaker 1: I knew you again, I knew you again. I say that, 52 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:38,720 Speaker 1: how long is it going to take to be absolutely sure? 53 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:44,160 Speaker 2: So we have currently a quite comprehensive proposal where we 54 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 2: would do additional measurements and modeling and basically bring together 55 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:52,240 Speaker 2: everyone and everything to identify exactly identify exactly what is 56 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:55,320 Speaker 2: happening with that carbon and where does it disappear. But 57 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:56,799 Speaker 2: that would take another few years. 58 00:02:56,880 --> 00:02:59,079 Speaker 1: Oh no, really, how many is a few years? 59 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 2: Well, it really depends on when we could start that research. 60 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:06,840 Speaker 1: Okay, is it possible that the night of Bush is 61 00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:09,480 Speaker 1: just better at capturing carbon than we thought it originally was? 62 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:14,840 Speaker 2: There is an explanation yes there as well. And one 63 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:17,480 Speaker 2: of the specific things to think about is the fact 64 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:20,760 Speaker 2: that some of these forests and trees might be regenerating. Yeah, 65 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:23,799 Speaker 2: following some disturbance, which means that it can now take 66 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:27,079 Speaker 2: up more carbon than what we thought before. That we 67 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 2: also discuss in the study. There are also some efforts 68 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:33,399 Speaker 2: across New Zealand about pest and browser control which can 69 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 2: further contribute to a healthier, better forest, stronger forest that 70 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 2: can take up carbon. And there's also climate change, the 71 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:44,119 Speaker 2: overall impact of climate change and increase temperatures and other 72 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 2: conditions that would impact how these trees and environment. 73 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:50,760 Speaker 1: But it relates to us like the native forest is 74 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:52,400 Speaker 1: doing a bit of job, we might want to consider 75 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:54,120 Speaker 1: planting that instead of pine. Right. 76 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 2: Well, it's very hard to make a conclusion at the 77 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:04,240 Speaker 2: moment about you know, native forests versus pine and exotic forest. 78 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:06,640 Speaker 2: But I think our main message here is that we 79 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:09,560 Speaker 2: should focus quite a bit on maintaining these forests. 80 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:11,760 Speaker 1: Biata, it's good to talk to you. Thank you so much. 81 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:16,160 Speaker 1: I appreciated as Bata Bucosso, who is the newer atmospheric scientist. 82 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:20,080 Speaker 1: For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to 83 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:23,200 Speaker 1: news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow 84 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:24,960 Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio.