The Conversation

What do the recent Townsville floods and Tasmanian heatwave have in common? Both were caused by weather systems that stayed put for days or weeks on end. And global warming could worsen that trend. Steve Turton, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Geography, CQUniversity Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

It's easy to whip out the fly spray, but our fondness for pesticides can bring knock-on effects such as increased resistance, and harming beneficial insects in and around our homes. Lizzy Lowe, Postdoctoral researcher, Macquarie University Cameron Webb, Clinical Lecturer and Principal Hospital Scientist, University of Sydney Manu Saunders, Research fellow, University of New England Tanya Latty, Senior Lecturer, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Wander in the dark forest and you might spot the radioactive glow of the ghost fungus. Alison Pouliot, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

For as little as $4 a day Indian workers process dangerous, toxic waste by hand. This unregulated, highly polluting industry is hidden away from police eyes. Miles Park, Senior Lecturer, Industrial Design, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We can't make it rain. But you are already helping if you don't use more water than you need. And you can talk to your parents about the planet getting warmer, because the heat makes drought worse. Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Recognising animals as sentient means welfare laws must consider animals' feelings as well as their physical conditions. Bronwyn Orr, Veterinarian and PhD candidate, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Ecosystems can collapse suddenly and totally. Frozen zoos are trying to create archives of genetic material to prevent total extinctions. Nicola Marie Rivers, PhD Candidate, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The natural world depends on insects to function, but they may be the next casualty of climate change. Bill Laurance, Distinguished Research Professor and Australian Laureate, James Cook University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia's subtropical regions are drying, but if we can slow the global temperature rise then rainfall should increase again. Kale Sniderman, Senior Research Fellow, School of Earth Sciences, University of Melbourne Andrew King, ARC DECRA fellow, University of Melbourne Jon Woodhead, Research Scientist Josephine Brown, Senior research scientist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A NSW court's decision to rule out a coalmine on the basis of climate change could signal a turning of the tide in an arena where environmental litigants have previously struggled to gain traction. Justine Bell-James, Senior lecturer, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A new report predicts that one-third of the ice in the Himalayas will melt, even if we contain global warming to 1.5C. So what does that mean for the flood-prone valleys below? Anthony Dosseto, Associate Professor, University of Wollongong Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Walking towards this tree, which grows only on a select few mist-shrouded mountainsides in Queensland, can feel like stepping into a prehistoric dinosaur-filled fantasy. Fanie Venter, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, James Cook University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Everyone knows the Great Barrier Reef is in peril. But a continent away, Western Australia's Shark Bay is also threatened by marine heatwaves that could alter this World Heritage ecosystem forever. Matthew Fraser, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Western Australia Ana Sequeira, ARC DECRA Fellow, University of Western Australia Brendan Paul Burns, Senior Lecturer, UNSW Diana Walker, Emeritus Professor, University of Western Australia Jon C. Day, PSM, Post-career PhD candidate, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University Scott Heron, Senior Lecturer, James Cook University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The Black Saturday fires transformed the way Australia responds to bushfires. Kevin Tolhurst, Senior Lecturer, Fire Ecology and Management, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Black Saturday in 2009 was Australia's worst bushfire tragedy. But climate projections predict more bushfire danger in the future, threatening our water supplies as well as homes. Scott Hamilton, Strategic Advisory Panel Member, Australian-German Energy Transition Hub, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

In the years after Black Saturday, climate adaptation research was in full swing, creating knowledge in how to deal with the risks. But a series of funding cuts have left this research in decline. Rod Keenan, Professor, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Victoria's Country Fire Authority was founded in the aftermath of a previous bushfire tragedy – the 1939 Black Friday blazes. But its creation was a bigger political saga than many people realise. James (Jim) McLennan, adjunct professor, School of Psychology & Public Health, La Trobe University, La Trobe University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Climate change is making Tasmania more vulnerable to brutal fire conditions. Nick Earl, Postdoctoral associate, School of Earth Sciences, University of Melbourne Peter Love, Atmospheric Physicist, University of Tasmania Rebecca Harris, Climate Research Fellow, University of Tasmania Tomas Remenyi, Climate Research Fellow, Climate Futures Group, Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems CRC, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Climate scientist predict that the combined effect of ice loss in Greenland and Antarctica will be more extreme weather, with impacts on agriculture, infrastructure and human life itself. Nick Golledge, Associate Professor of Glaciology, Victoria University of Wellington Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The flood zone around Townsville extends for hundreds of kilometres, making monitoring difficult even from the air. But scientists are testing a new satellite method that can peer through the clouds. Linlin Ge, Professor, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.