The Conversation

Roaming pet cats kill 390 million animals per year in Australia. But keeping cats inside (or contained outside) 24/7 can actually be in their best interest. Andrea Harvey, Veterinary Specialist, PhD scholar (wild horse ecology & welfare), University of Technology Sydney Richard Malik, Veterinary Internist (Specialist), University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

How fast can an animal run? How intense was the fire? Picking which species to help after a bushfire tragedy is no easy task. John Woinarski, Professor (conservation biology), Charles Darwin University Dale Nimmo, Associate Professor in Ecology, Charles Sturt University Rachael Gallagher, Senior Lecturer/ARC DECRA Fellow, Macquarie University Sarah Legge, Professor, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Changes to Australia's emissions reduction policies may do little more than channel taxpayer money to industry. Frank Jotzo, Director, Centre for Climate and Energy Policy, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

New research reveals which sectors of the global economy fuelled the emissions decline during COVID-19. We have a narrow window of time to make the change permanent. 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 Felix Creutzig, Chair Sustainability Economics of Human Settlements, Mercator Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change Glen Peters, Research Director, Center for International Climate and Environment Research - Oslo Matthew William Jones, Senior Research Associate, University of East Anglia Pierre Friedlingstein, Chair, Mathematical Modelling of Climate, University of Exeter Rob Jackson, Chair, Department of Earth System Science, and Chair of the Global Carbon Project, globalcarbonproject.org, Stanford University Yuli Shan, Research Fellow, University of Groningen Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

It is easy for people in the industrialised world to blame population growth elsewhere for environmental damage. But increased consumption is just as important – if more confronting. Glenn Banks, Professor of Geography and Head of School, School of People, Environment and Planning, Massey University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Our environmental laws work in the favour of mining interests – even when the industry itself claims otherwise. Chris McGrath, Associate Professor in Environmental and Planning Regulation and Policy, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Climate change is changing Antarctic krill habitat. The repercussions for the Southern Ocean food web are huge. Devi Veytia, PhD student , University of Tasmania Stuart Corney, Senior lecturer, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Queensland's new human rights act has opened the door for a flood of climate change litigation. Justine Bell-James, Associate professor, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The new values are a worrying outcome that no one wants, but one we must still grapple with. Michael Grose, Climate Projections Scientist, CSIRO Julie Arblaster, Associate Professor, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

This 2020 budget is not the pivot to a green rebuild many had hoped for. But its short-term focus on caring for people's health leaves the door open to stronger climate action down the track. David Hall, Senior Researcher in Politics, Auckland University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Emissions from Australia's electricity sector have dropped markedly during the pandemic. But a recession could cloud the renewables outlook. Frank Jotzo, Director, Centre for Climate and Energy Policy, Australian National University Mousami Prasad, Research Fellow, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Roaming pet cats kill 390 million animals per year in Australia. Most of the animals are native to Australia. Jaana Dielenberg, Science Communication Manager, The University of Queensland Brett Murphy, Associate Professor / ARC Future Fellow, Charles Darwin University Chris Dickman, Professor in Terrestrial Ecology, University of Sydney John Woinarski, Professor (conservation biology), Charles Darwin University Leigh-Ann Woolley, Adjunct Research Associate, Charles Darwin University Mike Calver, Associate Professor in Biological Sciences, Murdoch University Sarah Legge, Professor, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Earth's has gone through major climate changes in the past. They happened on time scales of millions of years and triggered mass extinctions. Our emissions are changing the climate much faster. James Renwick, Professor, Physical Geography (climate science), Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Some species, including blue whales, spend little time at the surface. So despite their overwhelming size, they can be hard to find and tough to study. Grace Russell, PhD Candidate, Southern Cross University Daniele Cagnazzi, Researcher, Southern Cross University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The review examined hundreds of studies and concluded the lower Murray should remain a freshwater ecosystem, or severe environmental and economic damage will result. Jamie Pittock, Professor, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Bruce Thom, Emeritus Professor, University of Sydney Celine Steinfeld, Acting Director, Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists & Adjunct Lecturer at UNSW Sydney Eytan Rocheta, Policy Analyst, Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists & Adjunct Associate Lecturer at UNSW Sydney Nicholas Harvey, University of Adelaide Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

New research reveals how governments ignored decades' worth of scientific advice on how the Adani mine threatened to damage precious water supplies. Matthew Currell, Associate Professor in Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, RMIT University Adrian Werner, Professor of Hydrogeology, Flinders University Chris McGrath, Associate Professor in Environmental and Planning Regulation and Policy, The University of Queensland Dylan Irvine, Senior lecturer in hydrogeology, Flinders University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Two hundred years of forced dispossession cannot erase millennia of land ownership and connection to country. Michael-Shawn Fletcher, Associate Professor in Biogeography, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The imperative to keep a roof over our head keeps us wedded to economic growth. If we want to halt climate change, we need another way Samuel Alexander, Research fellow, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, University of Melbourne Alex Baumann, Casual Academic, School of Social Sciences & Psychology, Western Sydney University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Expanding numbers of feral horses roaming the Australian Alps threaten the alp's ecosystems, soils and unique species. Don Driscoll, Professor in Terrestrial Ecology, Deakin University Dick Williams, Adjunct Professorial Fellow, Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Climate action is a vital protection against further global shocks, especially as governments plan their post-pandemic stimulus packages. Anna Skarbek, CEO at ClimateWorks Australia, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.