The Conversation

A complete switch to biofuels is neither feasible nor desirable, but they could replace some fossil fuels in transport and heating. If biofuels are produced from waste products, that's even better. Troy Baisden, Professor (Environmental Sciences), University of Waikato Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A better understanding of the science behind falling trees – followed by informed action – will help keep us safe and ensure trees continue to provide their many benefits. Gregory Moore, Doctor of Botany, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

For phascogales, tree hollows are getting harder to find. I venture into forests and study how well artificial hollows made with chainsaws can replace them. William Terry, PhD Researcher, Southern Cross University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Keeping global warming under 1.5℃ is still achievable with rapid deployment of renewables. A new report found solar and wind can supply the world's energy demand more than 50 times over. Sven Teske, Research Director, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney Sarah Niklas, Research Consultant, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

One cold winter doesn't negate more than a century of global warming. We need the political leadership to set the world on a safer path. Ill-informed tweets by government senators won't help. Nerilie Abram, Professor; ARC Future Fellow; Chief Investigator for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes; Deputy Director for the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science, Australian National University Martin De Kauwe, Senior lecturer, UNSW Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, ARC Future Fellow, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Renewables form an ever-greater share of the electricity mix. But elsewhere in the energy sector – in transport, industry and buildings – emissions reduction is very slow. Hugh Saddler, Honorary Associate Professor, Centre for Climate Economics and Policy, Australian National University Frank Jotzo, Director, Centre for Climate and Energy Policy, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Erika Thompson is clearly a competent beekeeper, who's educating the public about honeybees in her own way on social media. Caitlyn Forster, PhD Candidate, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney Eliza Middleton, Laboratory Manager, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The electric vehicle transition is about more than just scrapping petrol cars. We must also ensure quality technology, anticipate the future and make sure no-one gets left behind. Bjorn Sturmberg, Research Leader, Battery Storage & Grid Integration Program, Australian National University Kathryn Lucas-Healey, Research Fellow, Australian National University Laura Jones, Senior Analyst - Economics and Business models, Australian National University Mejbaul Haque, Research Fellow, Battery Energy Storage and Grid Integration Program, Research School of Engineering, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

New research looked at wave conditions over the past 40 years, and found wave power has increased since at least the 1980s, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere. Thomas Mortlock, Senior Risk Scientist, Risk Frontiers, Adjunct Fellow, Macquarie University Itxaso Odériz, Research assistant, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) Nobuhito Mori, Professor, Kyoto University Rodolfo Silva, Professor, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Indigenous marine governance is experiencing a revival throughout Oceania, building on traditional worldviews that acknowledge connections between people and all parts of ocean ecosystems. Meg Parsons, Senior Lecturer, University of Auckland Lara Taylor, Kairangahau Māori - Māori Researcher, Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Rather than considering the job done, Tasmania should seize opportunities including renewable energy, net-zero industrial exports and forest preservation. Rupert Posner, Systems Lead - Sustainable Economies, ClimateWorks Australia Simon Graham, Senior Analyst, ClimateWorks Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Don't share your toilet with your pet, or treat your toilet like a flushable garbage bin. It could lead to dangerous diseases, and clog sewer pipes. Ian Wright, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australians should see the rainforest as a cultural landscape – one that has been managed and maintained by people, rather than just a relic unchanged since the dinosaurs. Barry Hunter, Djabugay Aboriginal Corporation, Kuranda, Indigenous Knowledge Alice Buhrich, Adjunct Researcher, College of Arts, Society and Education, James Cook University Asa Ferrier, Honorary Research Associate, La Trobe University Gerry Turpin, Ethnobotanist, James Cook University Patrick Roberts, Research Group Leader, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Many flood-ravaged homes have not been repaired, while others are infested with mould. Farmers are dealing with financial stress and the memories of livestock killed in traumatic circumstances. Ian Wright, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Ocean waves are a massive source of energy, but it's challenging to design power generators for the harsh environment. Allowing marine organisms to grow on engineered structures could help. Craig Stevens, Associate Professor in Ocean Physics, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Louise Kregting, Lecturer in environmental interactions of marine renewables, Queen's University Belfast Vladislav Sorokin, Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering, University of Auckland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Bubble-net feeding is when whales blow bubbles from their nose to encircle their food, trapping their prey into a tight ball. A citizen scientist was the first to capture this behaviour in Australia. Vanessa Pirotta, Wildlife scientist, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

When a big old tree dies or is cut down, even if we plant a new one we might have to wait hundreds of years before it provides a good possum house. Kylie Soanes, Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

I look at fragments of the Earth's mantle under a microscope to learn how fast molten rock moves from deep in the Earth to the surface. This can help us prepare for future volcanic eruptions. Heather Handley, Honorary Associate Professor in Volcanology and Geochemistry, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia's abundant wind and solar resources mean we're well placed to produce the hydrogen a green steel industry needs. But there are technical and economic challenges ahead. Jessica Allen, Senior Lecturer and DECRA Fellow, University of Newcastle Tom Honeyands, Director, Centre for Ironmaking Materials Research, University of Newcastle Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

After more than 300 years of effort, scientists have documented fewer than one-third of Australia's species. The remaining 70% are unknown, and essentially invisible, to science. Kevin Thiele, Adjunct Assoc. Professor, The University of Western Australia Jane Melville, Senior Curator, Terrestrial Vertebrates, Museums Victoria Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.