The Conversation
Can we eat our way through an exploding sea urchin problem?
Controlling invasive sea urchins is expensive. Why not make it profitable by fishing for them and selling their roe as a delicacy?
John Keane, Research Fellow (Dive Fisheries), University of Tasmania
Scott Ling, Associate professor, University of Tasmania
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In the 1800s, colonial settlers moved Ballarat's Yarrowee River. The impacts are still felt today
The river wasn’t merely a physical entity – it was a symbol of spiritual and cultural significance, serving as the the life force which flows through Country.
David Waldron, Senior Lecturer in History, Federation University Australia
Kelly Ann Blake, Gherrang/Biodiversity Project Officer, Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation, Indigenous Knowledge
Shannen Mennen, Project Officer Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation, Indigenous Knowledge
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Is nuclear the answer to Australia's climate crisis?
When Australia’s government and opposition argue over how to get to net zero emissions, nuclear power is the flashpoint. The argument against nuclear is stronger, but not for the obvious reason.
Reuben Finighan, PhD candidate at the LSE and Research Fellow at the Superpower Institute, The University of Melbourne
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Taming wild northern rivers could harm marine fisheries and threaten endangered sawfish
Any plan to dam or extract water from some of Australia’s last wild rivers must carefully consider the consequences. Prawn, mud crab and barramundi fisheries could suffer in the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Éva Plagányi, Senior Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO
Laura Blamey, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO
Michele Burford, Professor - Australian Rivers Institute, and Dean - Research Infrastructure, Griffith University
Robert Kenyon, Marine Ecologist, CSIRO
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A monster eddy current is spinning into existence off the coast of Sydney. Will it bring a new marine heatwave?
Giant eddy currents in the sea spread heat. But if trapped in place, they can cause marine heatwaves deadly to sea life. And there’s a big one shaping up off Sydney right now.
Moninya Roughan, Professor in Oceanography, UNSW Sydney
Amandine Schaeffer, Senior lecturer, UNSW Sydney
Junde Li, Postdoctoral research associate
Shane Keating, Associate Professor, UNSW Sydney
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Queensland's fires are not easing at night. That's a bad sign for the summer ahead
Normally, many bushfires ease overnight, as temperatures fall and moisture in the air rises. But these are not normal times, as Queensland’s early-season fires are showing
Calum Cunningham, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Tasmania
David Bowman, Professor of Pyrogeography and Fire Science, University of Tasmania
Grant Williamson, Research Fellow in Environmental Science, University of Tasmania
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Storms or sea-level rise – what really causes beach erosion?
Storms are the greatest threat to beach erosion, not sea level rise, research reveals. This is the longest continuous beach monitoring survey in the Southern Hemisphere.
Thomas Oliver, Senior lecturer, UNSW Canberra, Australian Defence Force Academy
Bruce Thom, Emeritus Professor, University of Sydney
Roger McLean, Emeritus Professor, UNSW Canberra, Australian Defence Force Academy
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The Beetaloo gas field is a climate bomb. How did CSIRO modelling make it look otherwise?
In May, the Northern Territory government greenlit the mammoth Beetaloo Basin fracking project. But they did so based on a report with optimistic projections on offsets and emissions.
Bill Hare, Adjunct Professor, Murdoch University
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Fire-smart farming: how the crops we plant could help reduce the risk of wildfires on agricultural landscapes
Redesigning agricultural landscapes to plant fire-retardant crops could help mitigate wildfires in an increasingly fire-prone world.
Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand
Md Azharul Alam, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Lincoln University, New Zealand
Tanmayi Pagadala, Resource Management Planner, Lincoln University, New Zealand
Thomas Maxwell, Senior Lecturer in Grazing Lands Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand
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Australian school students are experimenting with 'space veggies' in a NASA initiative
Astronauts living and working on the Moon will need something to eat. The Growing Beyond Earth program supports international space crop research.
Kim Johnson, Senior lecturer, La Trobe University
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Australia's new dawn: becoming a green superpower with a big role in cutting global emissions
Australia has a massive opportunity to reduce global emissions by as much as 9%, all while renewing its heavy industries and economy. But to seize the opportunity, government needs to move fast.
Rod Sims, Professor in the practice of public policy and antitrust, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
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We must assess 'cumulative impacts' to protect nature from death by a thousand cuts
Australia has a once-in-a-decade opportunity to fix environmental law. A new Wentworth Group report says the cumulative impacts from multiple projects must be considered.
Rebecca Louise Nelson, Associate Professor in Law, The University of Melbourne
Martine Maron, Professor of Environmental Management, The University of Queensland
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Climate adaptation projects sometimes exacerbate the problems they try to solve – a new tool hopes to correct that
Preliminary findings show that managed retreat, structural flood protection and climate-resilient development projects are most at risk of maladaptation.
Ritodhi Chakraborty, Lecturer of Human Geography, University of Canterbury
Claire Burgess, Research Assistant, University of Canterbury
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What to wear for a climate crisis
Australia has the world’s biggest carbon footprint from fashion. This is one area where changing our personal clothing choices can make a big difference, just as it did in the second world war.
Rachael Wallis, Research Assistant, Youth Community Futures, University of Southern Queensland
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Growing your own food and foraging can help tackle your ballooning grocery bill. Here's how
As the cost-of-living crisis bites into our household budgets, growing or foraging food can save you money.
Kate Neale, Researcher, Southern Cross University
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All mines close. How can mining towns like Mount Isa best manage the ups and downs?
For towns built on mining, mine closures have huge impacts. Because mines inevitably close, communities should be involved from the start in planning for that time.
Kimberley Crofts, Doctoral Student in Sustainable Transitions, School of Design, University of Technology Sydney
Liam Phelan, Senior Lecturer, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle
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Beyond Juukan Gorge: how First Nations people are taking charge of clean energy projects on their land
Australia’s road to net zero must pass through Indigenous-held land, which is likely to host many clean energy projects. First Nations people want partnerships that help them protect their Country.
Lily O'Neill, Senior Research Fellow, Melbourne Climate Futures, The University of Melbourne
Brad Riley, Research Fellow, Australian National University
Ganur Maynard, Indigenous Knowledge Holder, Indigenous Knowledge
Janet Hunt, Honorary Associate Professor, CAEPR, Australian National University
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National road-user charges are needed – and most people are open to it, our research shows
Support for road-user charging strengthens when people are assured that revenue goes into reducing traffic congestion, maintaining transport infrastructure, improving public transport.
Hussein Dia, Professor of Future Urban Mobility, Swinburne University of Technology
Hadi Ghaderi, Associate Professor in Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Swinburne University of Technology
Tariq Munir, PhD Candidate, Centre for Sustainable Infrastructure and Digital Construction, Swinburne University of Technology
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Pushing water uphill: Snowy 2.0 was a bad idea from the start. Let's not make the same mistake again
Storing energy in large pumped hydro schemes sounds simple. But engineering and terrain challenges have put Snowy 2.0 well off track – while grid-scale batteries get better and better
Bruce Mountain, Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University
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Remember the climate map from your school atlas? Here's what climate change is doing to it
For some countries, climate change has already pushed most of their territory into a different climate zone. Our research shows what’s already happened – and what’s yet to come.
Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University
Hylke Beck, Assistant Professor, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Pablo Rozas Larraondo, Research fellow, Australian National University
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