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Ever heard of the Maritime Continent? It’s not far from Australia – and channels heat around the world

Wed, 2024-03-06 05:10
Is there really a secret continent to Australia’s north? Not quite. The Maritime Continent is a region where hot seas and islands shape the world’s climate. Michael Hewson, Senior Lecturer Geography, CQUniversity Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Lumpy skin disease is a threat to Australia and could decimate our cattle industries – we need to know how it could enter and spread

Tue, 2024-03-05 13:00
A disfiguring disease of cattle and buffalo has arrived on our doorstep. We need to keep lumpy skin disease out of Australia, while preparing for the almost inevitable outbreak. Kei Owada, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Queensland Ben Hayes, Director, Centre of Animal Science, University of Queensland, The University of Queensland Ricardo J. Soares Magalhaes, Professor, The University of Queensland Timothy J. Mahony, Professor, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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In a dangerously warming world, we must confront the grim reality of Australia’s bushfire emissions

Tue, 2024-03-05 05:22
Australia’s approach to estimating bushfire emissions is credible and sophisticated. But it must be refined as technology improves and the climate changes. Robert Hortle, Research Fellow, Tasmanian Policy Exchange, University of Tasmania Lachlan Johnson, Research fellow, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Yabby traps and discarded fishing tackle can kill platypuses - it’s time to clean up our act

Mon, 2024-03-04 11:46
Platypuses are drowning in Australian waterways, tangled in fishing line and trapped in closed nets meant for freshwater crayfish or yabbies. But we can fix this. Katherine Warwick, PhD Candidate, Western Sydney University Ian A. Wright, Associate Professor in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University Michelle Ryan, Senior lecturer, Western Sydney University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Greenwashing claims on trial: should NZ ban fossil fuel advertising?

Mon, 2024-03-04 11:44
Consumer NZ’s case against Z Energy under the Fair Trading Act may be a sign of things to come. But new legislation would be a cleaner way to regulate fossil fuel advertising. Matthew Hall, Visiting Scholar, Faculty of Law, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Why move species to islands? Saving wildlife as the world changes means taking calculated risks

Mon, 2024-03-04 09:36
Translocation may have been the key to survival for the eastern barred bandicoot but it might not be the golden ticket for every species. Anthony Rendall, Lecturer in Conservation Biology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Amy Coetsee, Threatened Species Biologist, The University of Melbourne Aviya Naccarella, PhD Candidate, Deakin University Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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The National Electricity Market wasn’t made for a renewable energy future. Here’s how to fix it

Mon, 2024-03-04 05:19
Big changes are needed to create a consumer-centric National Electricity Market that’s able to manage the rise of rooftop solar. Vikki McLeod, PhD Graduate, Centre for Clean Energy Technologies and Practices, Queensland University of Technology Marcus Foth, Professor of Urban Informatics, Queensland University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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On fisheries, Australia must be prepared for New Zealand as opponent rather than ally

Fri, 2024-03-01 12:15
For years, Australia and New Zealand have been united in working for sustainable fishing in the South Pacific. That just changed. Lynda Goldsworthy, Research Associate, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Not such a bright idea: cooling the Earth by reflecting sunlight back to space is a dangerous distraction

Fri, 2024-03-01 09:00
A UN meeting this week considered a motion on a suite of technologies known as ‘solar radiation modification’, but no consensus could be reached on the controversial topic. James Kerry, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, James Cook University, Australia and Senior Marine and Climate Scientist, OceanCare, Switzerland, James Cook University Aarti Gupta, Professor of Global Environmental Governance, Wageningen University Terry Hughes, Distinguished Professor, James Cook University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Baiting foxes can make feral cats even more ‘brazen’, study of 1.5 million forest photos shows

Fri, 2024-03-01 05:06
We analysed photos of predators and prey from 3,667 camera traps in southwest Victoria. We found feral cats were more abundant and behaved differently in areas where foxes were baited. Matthew Rees, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, CSIRO Bronwyn Hradsky, Research Fellow in Ecology, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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From crickets in Melbourne to grasshoppers in Cairns, here’s what triggers an insect outbreak

Thu, 2024-02-29 09:33
In the wake of Melbourne’s spectacular cricket swarm, we asked the author of Australia’s Guide to Crickets why insects gather in such large numbers and how to keep them out of our homes. David Rentz, Adjunct Professorial Research Fellow, School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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What we know about last year’s top 10 wild Australian climatic events – from fire and flood combos to cyclone-driven extreme rain

Thu, 2024-02-29 05:15
Last year was the hottest in recorded history. That heat led to a range of unusually intense weather events across Australia. Laure Poncet, Research officer, UNSW Sydney Andrew King, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Victoria’s fire alert has knocked Australians out of complacency. Under climate change, catastrophic bushfires can strike any time

Wed, 2024-02-28 16:08
Many Australians probably thought the worst of the bushfire season was over. But climate change is bringing not just more frequent and severe fires, but longer fire seasons. David Bowman, Professor of Pyrogeography and Fire Science, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Dutton wants a ‘mature debate’ about nuclear power. By the time we’ve had one, new plants will be too late to replace coal

Wed, 2024-02-28 14:09
Small modular reactors are popular among conservative politicians and supposedly the Australian public. But they’re nowhere near ready to power Australia in time to replace coal-powered stations. John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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We can’t say yet if grid-breaking thunderstorms are getting worse – but we shouldn’t wait to find out

Wed, 2024-02-28 08:57
Extreme winds from thunderstorms have downed transmission towers from Victoria to Western Australia in recent years. What’s going on? Andrew Dowdy, Principal Research Scientist, The University of Melbourne Andrew Brown, Ph.D. student, The University of Melbourne Andrew King, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, The University of Melbourne Claire Vincent, Senior Lecturer in Atmospheric Science, The University of Melbourne Michael Brear, Director, Melbourne Energy Institute, The University of Melbourne Pierluigi Mancarella, Chair Professor of Electrical Power Systems, The University of Melbourne Todd Lane, Professor, School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Researchers found 37 mine sites in Australia that could be converted into renewable energy storage. So what are we waiting for?

Wed, 2024-02-28 05:10
Huge open-cut mining pits would be turned into reservoirs to hold water for renewable energy storage. It would give the sites a new lease on life and help shore up our low-emissions future. Timothy Weber, Research Officer for School of Engineering, Australian National University Andrew Blakers, Professor of Engineering, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Antarctica provides at least $276 billion a year in economic benefits to the world, new research finds

Tue, 2024-02-27 13:59
In our market-driven world, calculating the economic value of the environment can be a useful tool in garnering support for environmental protection. Rachel Baird, Senior Lecturer , University of Tasmania Natalie Stoeckl, Professor of Economics, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Is there an alternative to 10,000 kilometres of new transmission lines? Yes – but you may not like it

Tue, 2024-02-27 04:59
Australia’s main grid has 40,000 km of transmission lines. Building another 10,000 km quickly is proving hard. Magnus Söderberg, Professor & Director, Centre for Applied Energy Economics and Policy Research, Griffith University Phillip Wild, Senior Research Fellow, CAEEPR, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Secrets in the canopy: scientists discover 8 striking new bee species in the Pacific

Mon, 2024-02-26 15:03
By lifting their gaze to the treetops rather than poking around on the ground, researchers discovered eight new species of masked bees. James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Amy-Marie Gilpin, Lecturer in Invertebrate Ecology, Western Sydney University Olivia Davies, Flinders University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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Our native animals are easy prey after a fire. Could artificial refuges save them?

Mon, 2024-02-26 13:17
We need every tool at our disposal to stop feral cats and foxes from decimating Australia’s incredible wildlife after fires. Artificial refuges show promise. Darcy Watchorn, PhD Candidate, Deakin University Chris Dickman, Professor Emeritus in Terrestrial Ecology, University of Sydney Don Driscoll, Professor in Terrestrial Ecology, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
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