The Conversation
Chickens, ducks, seals and cows: a dangerous bird flu strain is everywhere but Australia, for now
Migratory birds could bring the lethal bird flu variant that is assailing the rest of the world’s birds.
Michelle Wille, Senior research fellow, The University of Melbourne
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We’re helping farmers access future climate projections as easily as checking the weather
We developed My Climate View to help Australian farmers and producers better understand the risks and opportunities they face over the next 50 years. Road-testing with farmers was vital.
Stephen Snow, Research Scientist, CSIRO
Aysha Fleming, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO
Yuwan Malakar, Research Scientist, CSIRO
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Will government investment make green hydrogen a reality in Australia?
There’s already demand for critical minerals and solar panels. But what about green hydrogen?
Kylie Turner, System Lead, Sustainable Economies, Climateworks Centre
Luke Brown, Head of Policy and Engagement, Climateworks Centre
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At last, Australia has fuel efficiency standards – but they’re weaker than they could have been
A new report from the Transport Energy/Emission Research consultancy examines Australia’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, finding it was weakened by late changes.
Robin Smit, Adjunct Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney
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A pest of our own making: revealing the true origins of the not-so-German cockroach
Using DNA sequencing, the origins of one of the world’s most common insects, the German cockroach, have been traced back to Asia. Learning more about this urban pest can help us fight it effectively.
Theo Evans, Associate Professor of Applied Entomology, The University of Western Australia
Qian Tang, Research Associate in Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University
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Has logging really stopped in Victoria? What the death of an endangered glider tells us
Native forest logging was meant to be over in Victoria. Why are the chainsaws still going?
David Lindenmayer, Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University
Chris Taylor, Research Fellow, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University
Kita Ashman, Visiting fellow, Australian National University
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Threatened species have declined 2% a year since 2000. Nature positive? Far from it.
When Labor took office, it promised to reverse nature’s decline. But that looks more and more like greenwashing
Megan C Evans, Senior Lecturer, Public Sector Management, School of Business, UNSW Sydney
Brendan Wintle, Professor in Conservation Science, School of Ecosystem and Forest Science, The University of Melbourne
Hugh Possingham, Professor of Conservation Biology, The University of Queensland
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Cameras reveal wombat burrows can be safe havens after fire and waterholes after rain
Are wombats the accidental heroes of the Australian bush? After the Black Summer bushfires, we set up 56 cameras to capture animal activity in areas with and without wombat burrows to find out.
Grant Linley, PhD Candidate in Ecology, Charles Sturt University
Dale Nimmo, Professor in Ecology, Charles Sturt University
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Nuclear subs are coming to Australia. Now the Coalition wants reactors, too. We’re not ready for it
For decades, Australia has sold uranium – but said no to nuclear reactors. That’s set to change, whether in nuclear submarines or even in plans for power plants.
Ian Lowe, Emeritus Professor, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University
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Denser housing can be greener too – here’s how NZ can build better for biodiversity
The majority of 25 surveyed developments around New Zealand lacked healthy, ecologically meaningful vegetation. Applying biodiversity targets for medium-density housing could turn this around.
Yolanda van Heezik, Professor of Ecology, University of Otago
Christopher K. Woolley, Post-doctoral Researcher in Ecology, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Jacqueline Theis, PhD Candidate (Ecology), University of Otago
Maibritt Pedersen Zari, Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Architecture, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
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Clean energy slump – why Australia’s renewables revolution is behind schedule, and how to fix it
Without a green energy transition Australia won’t meet its emissions reductions promises. But despite punching above its weight for years, the electricity sector isn’t transforming quickly enough.
Alison Reeve, Deputy Program Director, Energy and Climate Change, Grattan Institute
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Stirring films made the Snowy scheme a nationbuilding project. Could the troubled Snowy 2.0 do the same?
Workers tunnelling through mountains and redirecting rivers, powering and irrigating the nation. We think of the Snowy scheme as a successful nationbuilding project – but it wasn’t always that way
Belinda Smaill, Professor of Film and Screen Studies, Monash University
Kate Fitch, Senior Lecturer, Communications and Media, Monash University
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Two-thirds of us support banning pet cats from roaming. A ban would save millions of native animals – and billions of dollars
Most Australians don’t need to be persuaded of the benefits of rules that require owners to stop their pet cats roaming outside their properties. Only 8% of those surveyed were against this policy.
Jaana Dielenberg, University Fellow, Charles Darwin University
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New Zealanders have had their say on climate adaptation: here’s where we agree and disagree
New research has mapped public submissions to the National Adaptation Plan. With a cross-party inquiry getting under way, four imagined futures are emerging that present a way forward.
Raven Cretney, Postdoctoral Fellow, Environmental Planning, University of Waikato
Christina Hanna, Lecturer, Environmental Planning, University of Waikato
Iain White, Professor of Environmental Planning, University of Waikato
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Green industry yes, conservation no: a budget for people, not for nature
What’s in the budget for the environment? Lots for green industry, little for conservation
Timothy Neal, Senior lecturer in Economics / Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney
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Scrapping the waste export levy threatens Australia’s emerging lithium battery recycling industry
Allowing our spent lithium batteries to be exported free of charge could mean forfeiting a potential $3 billion onshore reprocessing industry.
Yasir Arafat, Senior Research Associate, Edith Cowan University
Daryoush Habibi, Professor and Head, Centre for Green and Smart Energy Systems, Edith Cowan University
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How a long-lost fish species was brought back to Bendigo
Reintroducing locally extinct species is a challenging affair, but with the right partnerships everyone can help make it happen.
Sean Buckley, Lecturer in Molecular Ecology and Environmental Management, Edith Cowan University
Luciano Beheregaray, Matthew Flinders Professor of Biodiversity Genomics, Flinders University
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More desalination is coming to Australia’s driest states – but super-salty outflows could trash ecosystems and fisheries
States are once again turning to desalination to secure freshwater supplies. The problem is, they’re often choosing the wrong spot for ecosystems and fisheries
Jochen Kaempf, Associate Professor of Natural Sciences (Oceanography), Flinders University
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Sky-high vanity: constructing the world’s tallest buildings creates high emissions
The pursuit of ‘vanity height’ in skyscrapers is driven by aesthetic appeal and the status of being ‘the tallest’. Redefining how we measure building heights can help cut the environmental cost.
James Helal, Assistant Dean (Sustainability), The University of Melbourne
Dario Trabucco, Associate Professor, Building Technology, Università Iuav di Venezia
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Feral horses in Australia’s high country are damaging peatlands, decreasing carbon stores
When it comes to storing carbon, alpine peatlands are powerhouses. But feral horse grazing and trampling tips the carbon balance in the other direction. We need to protect and restore our peatlands.
Sarah Treby, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, RMIT University
Samantha Grover, Senior Lecturer, Environmental Soil Science, RMIT University
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