The Conversation

From property to local government, economic sectors are meeting the climate change challenge head on. Now the federal government must get on board. Anna Malos, Project Manager, climate and energy policy, ClimateWorks Australia Amandine Denis-Ryan, Head of National Programs, ClimateWorks Australia, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Life-cycle assessments of food packaging often omit the impact and possible toxicity of plastics leaking into the environment. Excluding these factors gives plastics an unjustified advantage. Trisia Farrelly, Senior Lecturer, Massey University Hannah Blumhardt, Senior Associate at the Institute of Governance and Policy Studies, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Takunda Y Chitaka, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of the Western Cape Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The royal commission made welcome and necessary recommendations around helping wildlife after hazards. But it's not enough to focus only on response. Ashleigh Best, PhD Candidate and Teaching Fellow, University of Melbourne Christine Parker, Professor of Law, University of Melbourne Lee Godden, Director, Centre for Resources, Energy and Environmental Law, Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Under a Biden administration, fireside chats in the White House will come with new expectations that Australia significantly increases its ambitions under the Paris agreement. Christian Downie, Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Smoke from the Black Summer fires likely caused more than 400 deaths. A national set of air quality categories is long overdue. Gabriel da Silva, Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Waste-to-energy incinerators could help Australia deal with its mounting waste crisis, but burning rubbish may come with risks to public health. Thomas Cole-Hunter, Research fellow, Queensland University of Technology Ana Porta Cubas, Knowledge and Translation Broker- Centre for Air pollution, energy and health Research (CAR), University of Sydney Christina Magill, Senior Natural Hazards Risk Scientist, GNS Science Christine Cowie, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Air Quality & Health Research and Evaluation, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney; Senior Research Fellow, South West Sydney Clinical School, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The bushfire royal commission handed down its final report last week, but stopped short of recommending a national town planning policy. Mark Maund, Research Affiliate, School of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Newcastle Kim Maund, Discipline Head – Construction Management, School of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Newcastle SueAnne Ware, Professor and Head of School of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Newcastle Thayaparan Gajendran, Associate Professor, School of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Newcastle Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

To let others decide how our money will be used is an abrogation of responsibility. Peter Mares, Lead Moderator, Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

This year marks a decade since the Millennium Drought ended. The Murray-Darling Basin has endured a lot since, but two species are making an impressive comeback. Brenton Zampatti, Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO Chris Bice, Research scientist at SARDI, University of Adelaide Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

State governments, councils, researchers and entrepreneurs are slowing our slide to disaster – but they need others to step up. Tim Flannery, Professorial fellow, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

When humpback whales shift their distribution and behaviour, it can lead to unexpected human encounters and new challenges. Olaf Meynecke, Research Fellow in Marine Science, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Queenslanders head to the polls tomorrow. The Palaszczuk Labor government has vocally backed the resources industry – but our research suggests the issue will not decide the election result. Bruce Tranter, Professor of Sociology, University of Tasmania Kerrie Foxwell-Norton, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia is still grappling with the devastation wrought by the bushfires earlier this year. The Royal Commission's final report marks the first step in the country's disaster adaptation journey. David Bowman, Professor of Pyrogeography and Fire Science, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Human damage to biodiversity is leading us into a pandemic era. A new report shows we must urgently transform our relationship with the environment. Katie Woolaston, Lawyer, Queensland University of Technology Judith Lorraine Fisher, Adjunct Professor University of Western Australia, Institute of Agriculture Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Southern right wales have been hunted to near extinction. Now their genome has been sequenced to help biologists track their recovery and understand the impacts of climate change, past and future. Emma Carroll, Rutherford Discovery Fellow, University of Auckland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

It's a big-engineering solution that costs twice as much the equivalent amount of batteries. Bruce Mountain, Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University Steven Percy, Senior Research Fellow, Victoria University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A new poll from The Australia Institute shows 71% of Aussies want the country to be a global leader in climate action. Yet Australia lags behind the rest of the world. Rebecca Colvin, Lecturer, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

It's not only nuclear bomb tests that disrupt the atmosphere, there are a number of natural events that can do the same. But how long does any damage last? Brett Carter, Senior lecturer, RMIT University Rezy Pradipta, Research scientist, Boston College Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Many Asian nations are shunning fossil fuels, presenting a huge opportunity for Australia's renewables sector. And one massive project has stepped up to the plate. John Mathews, Professor Emeritus, Macquarie Business School, Macquarie University Elizabeth Thurbon, Scientia Associate Professor in International Relations / International Political Economy, UNSW Hao Tan, Associate professor, University of Newcastle 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.

The bushfire royal commission is due to hand down its findings this week. Our research shows the fires left young people deeply worried about their future, and they need support. Amy Lykins, Associate Professor, University of New England Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.