The Conversation

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 Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

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 Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

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 Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

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 Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

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 Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

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 Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

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 Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

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 Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

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 Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Why is Australia talking about opening new gas fields as a way to reach net zero? Samantha Hepburn, Professor, Deakin Law School, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Why have we seen so many extreme floods in recent years? Climate change is supercharging thunderstorms, adding moisture and heat. Andrew Dowdy, Principal Research Scientist in Extreme Weather, The University of Melbourne Conrad Wasko, ARC DECRA Fellow in Hydrology, University of Sydney Jennifer Catto, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Exeter Seth Westra, Hydrologist, University of Adelaide Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Humans and animals can hide from extreme heat. But plants have no escape. To protect our crops from the heat to come will likely mean modifying them. Mohan Singh, Professor of Agri-Food Biotechnology, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences at the University of Melbourne., The University of Melbourne Prem Bhalla, Professor of Crop Biotechnology, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Once sold as ‘penny turtles’ around Australia, the Mary River turtle’s plight galvanised local community efforts to save it from extinction. Mariana Campbell, Research Lecturer, Conservation, Charles Darwin University Hamish Campbell, Professor - Spatial Science, Charles Darwin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Building ecological grief literacy in workplaces can help environmental professionals manage constant exposure to the many causes of their grieving. Anna Cooke, Honorary Fellow, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland Claudia Benham, ARC DECRA Senior Research Fellow, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland Julie Dean, Health Services Researcher, Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland Nathalie Butt, Research Fellow, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A clever approach to restoring Australia’s native oyster and mussel reefs in Queensland’s Moreton Bay is catching on, giving community groups a way to get involved in their local patch. Dominic McAfee, Postdoctoral researcher, marine ecology, University of Adelaide Craig Copeland, Adjunct Senior Lecturer, University of Newcastle Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

It was once a gross industrial sewer. But decades of work has turned Merri Creek into a green ribbon in Melbourne’s north. Judy Bush, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Environmental success depends on social connections. So if you want to start a new group, you need to think about the people as much as the problem. Sonia Graham, DECRA Fellow, University of Wollongong Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Most of us just take it for granted. But bark is one of the most complex parts of a tree and has many different jobs to do. Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Changing work habits and shifting environmental priorities demand new models of urban redevelopment. Architectural ‘exaptation’ uses the past to reimagine the future. Jose Antonio Lara-Hernandez, Senior Researcher in Architecture, Auckland University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Insisting nuclear power is the only way for Australia to achieve net zero by 2050 is a classic move from the playbook of those who oppose urgent action on climate change. Adam Simpson, Senior Lecturer, International Studies, University of South Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.