The Conversation

Burning Man turned to mud. Korea’s Scout Jamboree ended in heat, a typhoon, evacuations and recriminations. Extreme weather threatens your favourite festival. Andrew King, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The loss of so many trees in Sydney’s Castle Cove represents the theft of environmental benefits and services from future generations of Australians. Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Our carbon budget is shrinking fast. We crunched the data to find pathways for G20 nations to act faster Sven Teske, Research Director, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Marine heatwaves aren’t just on the surface. They can be at their most destructive when they sweep along the seafloor. Amandine Schaeffer, Senior lecturer, UNSW Sydney Alex Sen Gupta, Senior Lecturer, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney Moninya Roughan, Professor in Oceanography, UNSW Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Alien invaders are penetrating the borders of every country in the world. Now the full extent of the problems and potential solutions have been exposed, in a new United Nations report. Andy Sheppard, Research Director CSIRO Health & Biosecurity, CSIRO Melodie McGeoch, Professor, La Trobe University Philip Hulme, Distinguished Professor in Pest Management and Conservation, Lincoln University, New Zealand Phill Cassey, Australian Research Council Industry Laureate Fellow, University of Adelaide Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A new report spans more than 300 peer-reviewed studies to present a comprehensive summary of the risks the industry creates for people’s health and wellbeing, as well as for the planet. Melissa Haswell, Professor of Health, Safety and Environment, Queensland University of Technology and Professor of Practice in Environmental Wellbeing, Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy and Services) and Honorary Professor (School of Geosciences), University of Sydney David Shearman, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, University of Adelaide Jacob Hegedus, Research Assistant, University of Sydney Lisa Jackson Pulver, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor of Public Health and Epidemiology, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Moths are often overlooked as the poor cousin to butterflies, but they are truly remarkable creatures. Mark Stevens, Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Adelaide Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Tall. Straight. Abundant flowers. And a stunning trunk. What’s not to like about the spotted gum? Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Early in the pandemic, when there was much less traffic on the roads, people took to their bikes. But since then, fewer people are cycling, with rates now lower than in 2011. Matthew Mclaughlin, Adjunct Research Fellow, The University of Western Australia Peter McCue, PhD Candidate, School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Once again, First Nations in the Murray-Darling Basin have been shortchanged in water reform and shortchanged in the water market. It’s time to listen and actually deliver tangible outcomes. Grant Rigney, Indigenous Knowledge Erin O'Donnell, Senior Lecturer, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne Fred Hooper, Indigenous knowledge holder, Indigenous Knowledge Lana D. Hartwig, Adjunct Research Fellow, Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia’s grid will likely get through this angry summer without falling to pieces. But our market operator is worried about the summers after that. Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

New or improved flood protection can give a false sense of security – the so-called ‘levee effect’. But climate change is unpredictable, meaning ‘residual risk’ always exists and must be planned for. Xinyu Fu, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Planning, University of Waikato Iain White, Professor of Environmental Planning, University of Waikato Rob Bell, Teaching Fellow, Environmental Planning Programme, University of Waikato Silvia Serrao-Neumann, Associate Professor of Environmental Planning, University of Waikato Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Rising seas are pushing coastal ecosystems to the limit of endurance. Now international research reveals a “tipping point” will be reached if we allow more than 2 degrees of global warming. Neil Saintilan, Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Kākāpō are prone to disease and infertility. Only intensive species management has saved the flightless parrots from extinction. Genome data now reveals the genetic reasons behind these problems. Joseph Guhlin, Postdoctoral Researcher with Genomics Aotearoa, University of Otago Peter Dearden, Professor and Director of Genomics Aotearoa, University of Otago Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Introduced species and diseases can drive native species into smaller environmental niches – and that could mean change to how we work to conserve them. Geoffrey Heard, Research fellow, Australian National University and, The University of Queensland Benjamin Scheele, Research Fellow in Ecology, Australian National University Conrad Hoskin, Senior Lecturer, College of Science & Engineering, James Cook University Jarrod Sopniewski, PhD student, The University of Western Australia Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum, UNSW Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has released a statement on the responsibilities of governments to reduce harm from climate change. Here’s what’s in it for Australia. Noam Peleg, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law and Justice; Associate, the Australian Human Rights Institute, UNSW Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Echidnas are seemingly everywhere in Australia, from the Red Centre to snowy mountains. And that’s just the start of what makes them interesting Kate Dutton-Regester, Lecturer, Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Deserts in Australia burn – and burn big – if fuel is left to build up. But this year, Indigenous rangers across the deserts have burned huge tracts early to make Country healthier. Rohan Fisher, Information Technology for Development Researcher, Charles Darwin University Boyd Elston, Traditional Knowledge Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

There’s shocking new evidence of rodenticide poisoning in Australia’s nocturnal predatory birds. High concentrations of the active ingredients were found in 92% of the 60 dead birds they tested. John White, Associate Professor in Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Deakin University Raylene Cooke, Associate Professor, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Using bees as biomonitors can be a more sensitive and effective way of detecting contaminants than traditional sampling methods, new research shows. Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Kara Fry, Adjunct Fellow, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Max M Gillings, PhD Candidate, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.