The Conversation

The federal government this week heralded Australia's renewable energy performance. But the outlook leaves little cause for celebration. Dylan McConnell, Researcher at the Australian German Climate and Energy College, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Each spring, winds circling the South Pole weaken. If they weaken enough, they can actually reverse – causing rapid warming. Harry Hendon, Senior Principal Research Scientist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Andrew B. Watkins, Manager of Long-range Forecast Services, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Eun-Pa Lim, Senior research scientist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Griffith Young, Senior IT Officer, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A proposed plan to clean up New Zealand's waterways draws clear limits on the expansion of dairy farming and irrigation, as well as on the use of nitrogen fertiliser in some key areas. Troy Baisden, Professor and Chair in Lake and Freshwater Sciences, University of Waikato Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Hurricane Dorian has devastated the Bahamas, with the death toll expected to rapidly rise as rescue work gets under way. Dale Dominey-Howes, Professor of Hazards and Disaster Risk Sciences, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

All plants take up carbon dioxide when they grow, but when they are harvested or cut down, they release the greenhouse gas back into the atmosphere. Sebastian Leuzinger, Associate Professor, Auckland University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia is one of the sunniest and windiest countries on the planet, but emissions are still rising. How do you justify that? Tim Baxter, Fellow - Melbourne Law School; Senior Researcher - Climate Council; Associate - Australian-German Climate and Energy College, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

'Switchers' who change their energy retailers often are following accepted wisdom, but research shows it saves them far less than expected. Bruce Mountain, Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

It’s official. The outlook for the Great Barrier Reef has been downgraded to “very poor”, and the window to act is closing. Terry Hughes, Distinguished Professor, James Cook University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Many Australians are unprepared for the worse-than-average bushfire season ahead - even those in high-risk areas. Richard Thornton, Chief Executive Officer, Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

In an often-muted bush landscape, the deep crimson of the waratah stands out like a shout. Jacob Krauss, Graduate Student, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

How super is a super coral? And what are they super at? Protecting our coral reefs means we need to find out. Emma F Camp, DECRA & UTS Chancellor's Research Fellow, Climate Change Cluster, Future Reefs Research Programe, University of Technology Sydney David Suggett, Associate Professor in Marine Biology, University of Technology Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Dry and warm conditions in winter are set to continue into spring, and the likely culprit is the positive Indian Ocean Dipole Jonathan Pollock, Climatologist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Andrew B. Watkins, Manager of Long-range Forecast Services, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

At best, nuking a hurricane will do nothing, and at worst it will spread radioactive fallout around the world. Liz Ritchie-Tyo, Associate Professor, School of Physical, Environmental, and Mathematical Sciences, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Melting Siberian permafrost is exposing long-dead mammoths, creating a new trade in mammoth ivory. Zara Bending, Associate, Centre for Environmental Law, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Traditional market transactions ignore the costs of greenhouse gas emissions. An emissions trading scheme is a tool to put a price on emissions and to influence us to choose lower-emission options. Catherine Leining, Policy Fellow, Climate Change, Motu Economic and Public Policy Research Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Former fishermen in the Philippines are lifting their families out of poverty through whale shark tourism. Judi Lowe, PhD Candidate, Southern Cross University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Acidic oceans are disrupting a major part of the carbon cycle, slowing how seas absorb carbon from the atmosphere. This could massively speed up the effects of climate change.v Katherina Petrou, Senior Lecturer in Phytoplankton Ecophysiology, University of Technology Sydney Daniel Nielsen, Casual Academic, University of Technology Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

How can Australia's new Inspector General be expected to inspect waterways without a firm grasp of how much water in in them? Quentin Grafton, Director of the Centre for Water Economics, Environment and Policy, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University John Williams, Adjunct Professor Environment and Natural Resources, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The Amazon is burning at record levels, and land clearing is to blame. The good news: we already know what we need to do to stop it. Danilo Ignacio de Urzedo, PhD candidate, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The likelihood of half of Victoria being plunged into blackout are low – but the question reveals growing tension between the energy market and its regulators. Bruce Mountain, Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.