The Conversation

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Human health depends on having a liveable planet and this is inextricably linked to food systems. Dora Marinova, Professor of Sustainability, Curtin University Diana Bogueva, Research Fellow, Curtin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Western Sydney residents whose homes often get hotter inside than outside during heatwaves have learnt to be resourceful in adapting to the increasing heat. Abby Mellick Lopes, Associate Professor, Design Studies, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney Cameron Tonkinwise, Professor, School of Design, University of Technology Sydney Stephen Healy, Associate Professor, Human Geography and Urban Studies School of Social Sciences/ Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

More efficient water use is one of the most cost-effective steps we can take to cut emissions. Steven Kenway, Research Group Leader, Water-Energy-Carbon, The University of Queensland Liam Smith, Director, BehaviourWorks, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University Paul Satur, Research Fellow for Water Sensitive Cities, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University Rob Skinner, Professorial Fellow, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Transmission towers bent like soft plastic when extreme winds whipped through Victoria last week. Fixing it means asking hard questions. Bruce Mountain, Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The recent Port Hills fires highlight the increasing wildfire risks caused by climate change. Reducing the threat is going to take a shift in strategy, investment and community engagement. Nathanael Melia, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow – Climate Science, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The best strategy to protecting Earth’s coral reefs is to dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions. But in the meantime, we must urgently make corals more resilient. Kate Marie Quigley, DECRA Research Fellow (James Cook University), Principal Research Scientist (Minderoo Foundation), James Cook University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australian vehicle emissions are even worse than official figures show and are likely to fall even further behind the rest of the world unless much more ambitious policies are adopted. Robin Smit, Adjunct Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

From sacrificial bark to fire-germinating gumnuts to stealthy buds the eucalyptus has evolved an arsenal of protective measures. Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

One of the world’s largest programs to eradicate multiple predators and pests has started to restore the island and its once vast nesting colonies to their former glory. Jeremy Bird, Research Associate, Ecology and Biodiversity, University of Tasmania Justine Shaw, Senior Research Fellow in Antarctic and island conservation science, Queensland University of Technology Richard Fuller, Professor in Biodiversity and Conservation, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We’re all familiar with fire. But do you really know what it is and how it starts? Here’s the chemistry of fire – and why Australia is so prone to going up in flames. Jason Dutton, Professor of Chemistry, La Trobe University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.