The Conversation

This is no simple story, but one of a generational mining community on the brink of social change and an often thankless, hard-won battle for ecological recognition in the heart of coal country. Hannah Della Bosca, PhD Candidate and Research Assistant at Sydney Environment Institute, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

By introducing tactics of direct action and digital mobilisation, Fridays for Future and Extinction Rebellion have renewed the climate movement and accelerated climate action. Nina Hall, Assistant Professor of International Relations, Johns Hopkins University Charles Lawrie, Doctoral Researcher in International Relations, University of Sussex Sahar Priano, Researcher, Johns Hopkins University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Northern Australia’s tropical savanna is one of the most fire-prone regions on the planet. We need to change the way we manage fires so we can help native wildlife come back from the brink. Ben Corey, Adjunct Research Associate, Charles Darwin University Ian Radford, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, Charles Darwin University Leigh-Ann Woolley, Adjunct Research Associate, Charles Darwin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia’s bushfire response relies on foreign satellites, which are not designed to assess our highly flammable eucalypt-clad landscapes. Marta Yebra, Associate professor, Australian National University James Gilbert, Lead Engineer, Australian National University Nicolas Younes, Postdoctoral research fellow, Australian National University Rob Sharp, Professor, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Forest fires in Australia are burning more land across more of the year than ever before, as climate-linked fire weather worsens. Garry Cook, Honorary Fellow, CSIRO Andrew Dowdy, Principal Research Scientist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Juergen Knauer, Research fellow, CSIRO Mick Meyer, Post Retirement Fellow, CSIRO Pep Canadell, Chief research scientist, Climate Science Centre, CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere; and Executive Director, Global Carbon Project, CSIRO Peter Briggs, Scientific Programmer and Data Analyst, CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We need new experiments to model Earth’s climate if global warming is stabilised at 1.5℃. A new paper explains why. Andrew King, ARC DECRA fellow, The University of Melbourne Andrea Dittus, Research Scientist in Climate Variability, University of Reading Ed Hawkins, Professor of Climate Science, University of Reading Josephine Brown, Senior Lecturer, The University of Melbourne Kale Sniderman, Senior Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne Tilo Ziehn, Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The ocean has been buffering us from the impacts of climate change, but it is reaching the limit of this capacity. Integrating ocean and climate policy will be crucial. Sarah Seabrook, Microbial Ecologist, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Elisabeth Holland, The University of the South Pacific Lisa Levin, University of California San Diego Natalya Gallo, University of Bergen Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Why rely on unproven technologies when we can store carbon and cut emissions through Country-based and nature-based solutions? Rachel Morgain, Senior research fellow, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Brendan Wintle, Professor in Conservation Ecology, School of Ecosystem and Forest Science, The University of Melbourne Judy Bush, Lecturer in Urban Planning, The University of Melbourne Michael-Shawn Fletcher, Associate Professor in Biogeography, The University of Melbourne Thami Croeser, Research Officer, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

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. Nathan Cooper, Associate Professor of Law, University of Waikato Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

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. James Ha, Associate, Grattan Institute Alison Reeve, Deputy Program Director, Energy and Climate Change, Grattan Institute Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

If Australia plans to sell as much of its fossil fuels as possible, the least it can do is help us in Kiribati survive the rising seas. Akka Rimon, PhD Student, Australian National University Anote Tong, Distinguished Global Leader-in-Residence, University of Pennsylvania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

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. Sebastian Leuzinger, Professor, Auckland University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The roadmap predicts that by the 2030s, the sector could boost Australia’s annual GDP by around A$10 billion, create 26,200 jobs and reduce emissions by about 9%. Bernadette McCabe, Professor and Principal Scientist, University of Southern Queensland Ian O'Hara, Professor, Queensland University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

While some invasive animals have breached Antarctica, the continent is still pristine. Our challenge is keeping it that way. Dana M Bergstrom, Principal Research Scientist, University of Wollongong Shavawn Donoghue, Adjunct Researcher, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

For over a decade, the inclusion of oceans in climate talks has been piecemeal and inconsistent. And yet, the ocean is critical to help balance the conditions we need to survive. Dr Sali Bache, Strategic Advisor in International Policy and Oceans , ClimateWorks Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

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. Karen Scott, Professor in Law, University of Canterbury Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We need to rapidly reduce global emissions before 2030. Developing hydrogen for low-emissions road transport won’t happen fast enough. Robin Smit, Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney Enoch Zhao, PhD Candidate, University of Technology Sydney Hussein Dia, Professor of Future Urban Mobility, Swinburne University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Aluminium is hugely useful, but energy-intensive to produce. What if we didn’t have to smelt any more? Guy Keulemans, Faculty Research Fellow, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

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. Kevin Trenberth, Distinguished Scholar, National Center for Atmospheric Research Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We can evaluate the plan’s sincerity through a lens of good practice policy making. So how does the government’s net-zero plan rate? Dr Nadeem Samnakay, Research fellow, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.