The Conversation

The Murray-Darling is not just a food bowl, yet the South Australian Royal Commission has found the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is failing its mission to protect the environment as well as irrigators. Jamie Pittock, Professor, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Banning fishing in no-take marine reserves on the Great Barrier Reef does not protect sharks as well as received wisdom would tell you. Justin Rizzari, Lecturer in Fisheries Science, Deakin University Ashley J Frisch, Research Coordinator at Reef HQ / GBRMPA, James Cook University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia's government insists it is on track to surpass its emissions reduction commitments under the Paris Agreement. But while that may be true, it will only happen with some clever accounting. Alan Pears, Senior Industry Fellow, RMIT University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Neither of the two federal investigations into fish deaths in the Darling River include any Indigenous representation. Bradley J. Moggridge, Indigenous Water Research, University of Canberra Ross M Thompson, Chair of Water Science and Director, University of Canberra Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Just one out of a possible 775 development approvals was refused on the basis that it would harm the southern black-throated finch, despite this endangered species being protected by federal law. April Reside, Researcher, Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland Eric Vanderduys, Research Projects Officer, CSIRO James Watson, Professor, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Since China stopped accepting Australia's recyclable plastic, the majority of exported plastic waste is now going to developing nations in South East Asia. Monique Retamal, Research Principal, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney Elsa Dominish, Senior Research Consultant, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney Le Xuan Thinh, Director, VNCPC Nguyen, Anh Tuan, Senior researcher Samantha Sharpe, Research Director, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Analysis of last summer's heatwaves shows it killed farmed salmon and decimated kelp forests, as well as shifting grape harvests and fish spawning times forward by several weeks. Jim Salinger, Honorary Associate, Tasmanian Institute for Agriculture, University of Tasmania James Renwick, Professor, Physical Geography (climate science), Victoria University of Wellington Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

New satellite-based research shows there is at least as much value in knowing how much water is left for plants to use as there is in knowing how much rain may be on the way. Siyuan Tian, Postdoctoral fellow, Australian National University Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Move over Benedict Cumberbatch, there's another oddly shaped pale figure stealing the limelight. Elizabeth Joyce, PhD candidate, James Cook University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Nitrate in drinking water has been linked to an increased risk of colorectal cancer. That could have implications for some parts of New Zealand where nitrate levels are high. Michael (Mike) Joy, Senior Researcher; Institute for Governance and Policy Studies, Victoria University of Wellington Michael Baker, Professor of Public Health, University of Otago Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Much of Australia is sweltering due to a high pressure system parked over the Tasman Sea – and there's no sign it's moving any time soon. Steve Turton, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Geography, CQUniversity Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Plants can find it tough to get all the nitrogen they need, especially from Australian soils. But summer storms can provide an added boost. 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 new pathway for the global energy transition shows how the world can meet the Paris Agreement's 1.5C warming goal without relying on carbon capture and storage, by creating a renewable gas industry. Sven Teske, Research Director, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Dumping your closet debris on a charity shop just means giving volunteers the cost of sorting out your landfill. Jenni Downes, Senior Research Consultant, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Marine heatwaves may become the new normal for the Tasman Sea and the ocean around New Zealand, and oceanographers are developing models to better predict their intensity. Craig Stevens, Associate Professor in Ocean Physics, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ben Noll, Meteorologist/forecaster, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Catherine de Burgh-Day, Seasonal applications scientist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The irukandji jellyfish can be deadly and particularly hard to trace. However, emerging technology offers a solution. Kylie Pitt, Professor, Griffith University Dean Jerry, Associate Professor of Marine Biology and Aquaculture, James Cook University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Fires and logging changes forest soil structure for at least 30-80+ years, affecting everything from regrowth to carbon storage. Elle Bowd, PhD scholar, Australian National University David Lindenmayer, Professor, The Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A decade of bipartisan research has provided plenty of answers to the problems plaguing the Darling River. Lee Baumgartner, Associate Research Professor (Fisheries and River Management), Institute for Land, Water, and Society, Charles Sturt University Max Finlayson, Director, Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Believe it or not, I have studied the hairy legs of spiders for years and can give you some definitive answers on this. Jonas Wolff, Research Fellow in the Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Antarctic sea ice cover fell to an all-time low recently and hasn't yet recovered. Why? The initial answers could lie in an unlikely place – the tropics. Julie Arblaster, Associate Professor, Monash University Gerald A Meehl, Senior scientist, National Center for Atmospheric Research Guomin Wang, Research scientist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.