Nationally, Aotearoa New Zealand, through the Paris climate agreement is committed to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 30 % over the next10 years. Today on a local level Waikato University in collaboration with PTC Trust sensitised a vibrant group of Year 9s from Tauranga Colleges on the human impact of the environment.

Students joined Teaching Fellow, Dr Martina Pietsch Brown and her postgraduate team from the earth and science and chemistry labs, to conduct several tests including plastic degradation, ocean acidification and distillations.

Dressed in lab coats and safety goggles, these budding university students looked quite the part as they engaged and focussed on their experiments making. copious notes of their results and findings.

Today’s workshop enabled these students to actively see and understood how carbon dioxide emissions affect all habitats. As Dr Brown explained, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is absorbed by seawater increasing acidity levels and lowering ph levels. The question that arises is what does this mean for future generations? And can these young people find the answers required to solve these challenging complexities?

PTC will continue doing its part to raise awareness amongst youth of the science challenges facing future generations.