The Conversation

China and the US could supercharge global climate action. But if they fail to cooperate, there will be dire consequences for all. Hao Tan, Associate Professor, Newcastle Business School, University of Newcastle Elizabeth Thurbon, Scientia Associate Professor in International Relations / International Political Economy, UNSW John Mathews, Professor Emeritus, Macquarie Business School, Macquarie University Sung-Young Kim, Senior Lecturer in International Relations, Discipline of Politics & International Relations, Macquarie School of Social Sciences, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A steadily-tightening emissions car ceiling of the kind common in other countries could save drivers money and do the bulk of the work needed to reach Australia’s first emissions target. Marion Terrill, Transport and Cities Program Director, Grattan Institute Lachlan Fox, Graduate Assistant, Grattan Institute Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The real decisions on Australia’s emissions reduction are being made by state governments and civil society, or outside the country altogether. John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Pacific island nations have shaped the international response to climate change. At the United Nations summit in Glasgow, they’ll draw a line in the sand. Wesley Morgan, Researcher, Climate Council, and Research Fellow, Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Rabbits destroy huge numbers of critical regenerating seedlings over more than half the continent. This has devastating flow-on effects for the rest of the ecosystem. So how do we control them? Pat Taggart, Adjunct Fellow, UNSW Brian Cooke, Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Canberra Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia is now taking a 2050 target to Glasgow, but this does not mean we are fulfilling the undertakings we made in Paris. Peter Christoff, Senior Research Fellow and Associate Professor, Melbourne Climate Futures initiative, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

After soil, water and food, microplastics have now entered the atmosphere, where they influence the climate system and may even change atmospheric chemistry. Laura Revell, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Physics, University of Canterbury Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

If we all collect and understand scientific data as citizens, we’ll be a step closer to a society able to make better collaborative decisions. Hugh Possingham, Professor, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We need to urgently address the gaps in Australia’s capacity to manage disasters that have widened since climate adaptation was relegated to the back burner. Johanna Nalau, Research Fellow, Climate Adaptation, Griffith University Hannah Melville-Rea, Research fellow, New York University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

In countries where the right to a healthy environment is part of domestic law, court decisions are already resulting in stronger climate action. Nathan Cooper, Associate Professor of Law, University of Waikato Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Māui dolphins are at risk of extinction. With a marine mammal sanctuary in place since 2008, the risk from fisheries is now largely under control. It’s time to take other threats more seriously. Rochelle Constantine, Associate Professor of Marine Biology, University of Auckland Wendi Roe, Professor, Massey University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Nations must work with their neighbours to manage and protect species and human rights. An international environmental deal called the Escazú Agreement shows what’s possible. Rebecca K. Runting, Lecturer in Spatial Sciences and ARC DECRA Fellow, The University of Melbourne Leslie Roberson, Postdoctoral research fellow, The University of Queensland Sofía López-Cubillos, Postdoctoral research fellow, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

International cooperation is crucial if we are to have the best chance of limiting global warming. So who are the key players? Matt McDonald, Associate Professor of International Relations, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia’s top economists say Australia can’t “free-ride”, allowing others to cut emissions while it gets the benefits. Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Setting this as our target would see Australia become a valued and relevant party to negotiations at Glasgow, rather than a resented freeloader. So how do we get there? Andrew Blakers, Professor of Engineering, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A new analysis shows almost all emissions reductions will be the result of state government policies, and will have virtually nothing to do with the federal government. Bill Hare, Director, Climate Analytics, Adjunct Professor, Murdoch University (Perth), Visiting scientist, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A new modelling approach improves projections of Antarctica’s future ice loss. It shows a low-emissions scenario would avoid the collapse of West Antarctica’s ice sheet and limit sea-level rise. Dan Lowry, Ice Sheet & Climate Modeller, GNS Science Mario Krapp, Environmental Data Scientist, GNS Science Nick Golledge, Professor of Glaciology, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Click through a timeline to make sense of Australia’s long, tumultuous years of shifting climate policies ahead of next month’s international climate summit in Glasgow. Kate Crowley, Associate Professor, Public and Environmental Policy, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The United Nations climate summit in Glasgow next month is the first real test of whether the world can limit global warming below catastrophic levels. Wesley Morgan, Researcher, Climate Council, and Research Fellow, Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Japan, South Korea and China are all moving away from overseas coal financing. For Australia, the writing is on the wall – the clean energy transition is inevitable. Christian Downie, Associate Professor, Australian National University Llewelyn Hughes, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.