The Conversation

Don't let your dog's poo go to landfill and contribute to our waste problem - compost it instead. M. Leigh Ackland, Professor in Molecular Biosciences, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Heading off on a bushwalk in a national park over the summer break? Don't be tempted to bushwhack it. Research shows many walkers don't realise the danger of straying off the beaten track. Edmund Goh, Deputy Director, Markets and Services Research Centre, Edith Cowan University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical that can kill germs. It is found in two things many ants love to eat: nectar and honey dew. Tanya Latty, Senior Lecturer, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Fifty years ago people saw our planet from the outside for the first time. Dr Simon Torok, Honorary Fellow, School of Earth Sciences, University of Melbourne Colleen Boyle, Senior Advisor, Learning and Teaching, RMIT University Jenny Gray, Chief Executive Officer - Zoos Victoria, University of Melbourne Julie Arblaster, Associate Professor, Monash University Lynette Bettio, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Rachel Webster, Professor of Physics, University of Melbourne Ruth Morgan, Senior Research Fellow, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Yeah, we get it – environment news can be depressing. So here are ten uplifting stories from 2018 that prove it's not all doom and gloom out there in the natural world. Happy reading! Michael Hopkin, Editor: Energy + Environment, The Conversation Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia is facing an increase in extreme heat, fire danger weather, floods and marine heatwaves, according to the latest biennial snapshot from the Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO. Michael Grose, Climate Projections Scientist, CSIRO Lynette Bettio, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

In the cold southern oceans, underwater mountains support deep-sea reefs. Nic Bax, Director, NERP Marine Biodiversity Hub, CSIRO Alan Williams, Researcher, CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Three years after the Paris Agreement, negotiators have finally agreed (most of) the rules for its implementation. But there is still no way to compel countries to deepen their climate ambitions. Kate Dooley, Researcher, Australian German Climate and Energy College, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Most consumers underestimate the greenhouse emissions associated with different foods. But environmental labels, similar to existing nutrition information, can help us make lower-impact choices. Adrian R. Camilleri, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, University of Technology Sydney Dalia Patino-Echeverri, Associate professor, Duke University Rick Larrick, Professor of Management and Organizations, Duke University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Twice every day the Bureau of Meteorology sends out the official weather forecasts for towns and cities across Australia. Here's how we work out what to say in them. Adam Morgan, Senior Meteorologist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Christmas is hectic, and it can be easy just to go with the flow and vow to cut your plastic use in the new year. But here are some easy steps you can take now to make your Christmas plastic-free. Manuela Taboada, Senior Lecturer, Visual Design, Queensland University of Technology Glenda Amayo Caldwell, Senior Lecturer in Architecture, Queensland University of Technology Hope Johnson, Lecturer, Queensland University of Technology Leonie Barner, Associate Professor, Queensland University of Technology Rowena Maguire, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, Queensland University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Native cherries are everywhere, but we know surprisingly little about them. Gregg Müller, Lecturer in Natural History, La Trobe University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Some media have reported shark numbers at 'plague proportions' in Australian waters. But a new analysis suggests the opposite: species such as hammerheads and white sharks have plummeted in number. George Roff, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Queensland Christopher Brown, Research Fellow, Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The average consumerist suburban lifestyle is unsustainable. But what if affluent suburbanites and battlers alike ditch the rat race and embrace economic 'degrowth'? Here's how it might unfold. Samuel Alexander, Research fellow, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, University of Melbourne Brendan Gleeson, Director, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

For decades, economists have pondered the 'social cost of carbon' - the price worth paying to avoid the future costs of greenhouse emissions. But a new analysis suggests this quest is impossibly complex. Jack Pezzey, Senior Fellow, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Of Australia's capital cities, Perth has the saltiest tap water, while Melbourne, Hobart, Darwin and Canberra have the least salty. And while all are within guidelines, the variation is striking. Ian Wright, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University Jason Reynolds, Research Lecturer in Geochemistry, Western Sydney University Michelle Ryan, Lecturer - Environmental Health and Management, Western Sydney University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

It takes a eucalyptus tree more than a hundred years to develop hollows suitable to shelter Aussie animals, and just moments to cut it down. Madeleine De Gabriele, Deputy Editor: Energy + Environment Wes Mountain, Multimedia Editor Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Beginning on Saturday, West Australia's short, intense abalone season will be open for a total of four hours. John Charles Ryan, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of New England Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

George H.W. Bush, who has passed away aged 94, was US president when the world began grasping the climate issue in earnest. But he was pivotal in setting the US on a course of blocking climate action. Marc Hudson, PhD Candidate, Sustainable Consumption Institute, University of Manchester Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

For the second year in a row global greenhouse emissions from fossil fuels have risen, putting 2018 on course to set a new record, according to an annual audit from the Global Carbon Project. Pep Canadell, CSIRO Scientist, and Executive Director of the Global Carbon Project, CSIRO Corinne Le Quéré, Professor, Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, University of East Anglia Glen Peters, Research Director, Center for International Climate and Environment Research - Oslo Robbie Andrew, Senior Researcher, Center for International Climate and Environment Research - Oslo Rob Jackson, Chair, Department of Earth System Science, and Chair of the Global Carbon Project, globalcarbonproject.org, Stanford University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.