The Conversation

Insects are vital to sustaining life on Earth – and their numbers are falling fast. So consider ditching the fly spray and see what you can do to help. David Yeates, Director of the Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO Katja Hogendoorn, University of Adelaide Manu Saunders, Research fellow, University of New England Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Carbon emissions will hit a record high for the second year in a row, but there is a small silver lining: the rate of emissions growth has slowed dramatically. Pep Canadell, Chief research scientist, CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere; and Executive Director, Global Carbon Project, CSIRO Corinne Le Quéré, Royal Society Research Professor, University of East Anglia, University of East Anglia Glen Peters, Research Director, Center for International Climate and Environment Research - Oslo Pierre Friedlingstein, Chair, Mathematical Modelling of Climate, University of Exeter Robbie Andrew, Senior Researcher, Center for International Climate and Environment Research - Oslo Rob Jackson, Chair, Department of Earth System Science, and Chair of the Global Carbon Project, globalcarbonproject.org, Stanford University Vanessa Haverd, Senior research scientist, CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Weeks out from summer, new research says there is no evidence shark nets keep us safe from sharks. Leah Gibbs, Senior Lecturer in Geography, University of Wollongong Lachlan Fetterplace, Environmental Assessment Specialist, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Quentin Hanich, Associate Professor, University of Wollongong Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

New Zealand is a net exporter of many fruit and vegetables. While climate-change induced food shortages are not an imminent risk, some crops may be affected by rising temperatures and extreme weather. Julian Heyes, Head of School of Food and Advanced Technology@ISHS_CMFV, Massey University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia’s threatened birds have declined by 59%, on average, between 1985 and 2016 based on 400,000 surveys at more than 17,000 locations according to Australia's world-first Threatened Bird Index. Elisa Bayraktarov, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Conservation Biology, The University of Queensland Jaana Dielenberg, Science Communication Manager, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Plant-based meats are disrupting the food market and some companies. Samuel Becher, Associate Professor of Business Law, Victoria University of Wellington Jessica C Lai, Senior Lecturer in Commercial Law, Victoria University of Wellington Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Recent bushfires and extreme weather are just a small taste of what is to come if this week's climate negotiations in Madrid fail to deliver. Robert Hales, Director Centre for Sustainable Enterprise, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Coal and gas have been proposed as a way to make 'clean' hydrogen. But that road is full of challenges. Frank Jotzo, Director, Centre for Climate and Energy Policy, Australian National University Fiona J Beck, Senior research fellow, Australian National University Thomas Longden, Research Fellow, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

New research has revealed 100 plant and animal species have become extinct in the past two centuries – a far higher number than previously thought. John Woinarski, Professor (conservation biology), Charles Darwin University Brett Murphy, Associate Professor / ARC Future Fellow, Charles Darwin University Dale Nimmo, Associate professor/ARC DECRA fellow, Charles Sturt University Michael F. Braby, Associate Professor, Australian National University Sarah Legge, Professor, Australian National University Stephen Garnett, Professor of Conservation and Sustainable Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Species counts drive conservation science and policy, yet a major component of biodiversity is excluded from the data: non-native species. Arian Wallach, Lecturer, Centre for Compassionate Conservation, University of Technology Sydney Chelsea Batavia, Postdoctoral research associate, Oregon State University Danielle Celermajer, Professor of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Sydney Daniel Ramp, Associate Professor and Director, Centre for Compassionate Conservation, University of Technology Sydney Erick Lundgren, PhD Student, Centre for Compassionate Conservation, University of Technology Sydney Esty Yanco, PhD Candidate, Centre for Compassionate Conservation, University of Technology Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia is heading into a scorching summer, but the factors causing the hot and dry weather are expected to ease later in the season. Catherine Ganter, Senior Climatologist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Andrew B. Watkins, Head of Long-range Forecasts, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia's capital cities have collectively lost 30% of their stored water over the last six years. But this loss is not evenly distributed across the country. Ian Wright, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University Jason Reynolds, Research Lecturer in Geochemistry, Western Sydney University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A researcher who's worked for decades to improve the health of the Murray Darling Basin fears the coming months will be among the worst in history. Jamie Pittock, Professor, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Globally, emissions from air travel account for only about 3% of the warming human activities are causing, but aviation affects our climate in a number of ways. Shaun Hendy, Professor of Physics, University of Auckland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Researchers have uncovered what appears to be widespread logging of steep slopes in Victoria, which has the potential to damage critical water supplies. David Lindenmayer, Professor, The Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University Chris Taylor, Research Fellow, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Just 1kg of hydrogen can power a split-cycle air conditioner for 14.5 hours. The possibilities are endless - and now we have a plan to get there. Alan Finkel, Australia’s Chief Scientist, Office of the Chief Scientist Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Smoke haze appears to make it hard for participants in financial markets to make the right decisions. The finding has far-reaching implications. Naomi Soderstrom, Professor of Accounting and Deputy Head of Department, University of Melbourne Chao Kevin Li, Lecturer School of Accounting, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

In the same decade we are supposed to be cutting emissions under the Paris goals, our coal production is projected to increase by 34%. Peter Christoff, Associate Professor, School of Geography, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia can become a renewable energy exporting superpower, but timidity won't get us there. Scott Hamilton, Strategic Advisory Panel Member, Australian-German Energy Transition Hub, University of Melbourne Changlong Wang, Researcher, The Energy Transition Hub, University of Melbourne Falko Ueckerdt, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research Roger Dargaville, Senior lecturer, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

After the woolly mammoth and other megafauna became extinct, surviving animals mingled less. This has big implications for modern conservation. Aniko Blanka Toth, Postdoctoral Fellow, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.