The Conversation

President Donald Trump has ordered his government to stop using paper straws. A better approach is to avoid using single-use products. Bhavna Middha, ARC DECRA Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University Kajsa Lundberg, Research Fellow Sustainable Consumption and Policy, Centre for Urban Research, College of Design & Social Context, RMIT University Ralph Horne, Associate Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research & Innovation, College of Design & Social Context, RMIT University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia’s car factories lie silent after the industry foundered. These factories could be used to help solve a huge problem: how to build more housing. Ehsan Noroozinejad, Senior Researcher, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Withdrawing support for research and scrubbing climate data from US government websites has repercussions for Australia and the world. But there are ways around it. Corey J. A. Bradshaw, Matthew Flinders Professor of Global Ecology and Node Leader in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures, Flinders University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The first-of-its kind report by the Australian Bureau of Statistics looks beyond GDP to a broader measurement of what nature is really worth. John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Hydroxyl scrubs the potent greenhouse gas methane from the atmosphere. But its production is linked with emissions of other pollutants. Hinrich Schaefer, Research Scientist Trace Gases, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Sustained heat takes it out of you, quite literally. Researchers have found heat accelerates ageing by changing how our bodies switch genes off and on. Rongbin Xu, Research Fellow in Health and Epigenetics, Monash University Shuai Li, Associate Professor in Genetic Epidemiology, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The report highlights weaknesses in the Coalition nuclear plan. In particular, it reveals the idea of cheap, factory-built nuclear reactors is a mirage. John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The world’s appetite for sand is surging – and it comes at a real cost to the environment. The alternative: a paradigm shift in metal mining to also extract sand. Daniel Franks, Professor and Director - Global Centre for Mineral Security, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia’s environment is brutal. If you don’t already know what you’re looking for, it can be easy to miss these seemingly unremarkable species. Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Our energies would be better spent tackling the tangible effects of global heating than debating the future dollar value of failing to act. Dennis Wesselbaum, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, University of Otago Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Product labelling showing whether food comes mainly from animals or plants can help consumers make more climate-friendly choices. Yi Li, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

About 40% of Australians don’t believe humans are a major cause of climate change. Reaching these sceptic holdout groups may require unconventional approaches. Xiongzhi Wang, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Environmental Social Science, Australian National University Kelly Fielding, Professor of Environmental Psychology, The University of Queensland Rebecca Colvin, Associate Professor in Social Science, Australian National University Robyn Gulliver, Honorary Research Fellow in Social Science, The University of Queensland Winnifred Louis, Professor of Social Psychology, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Warm, deeper water can shut down the ocean’s natural ‘air conditioner’, putting corals at even greater risk. Kelly Boden-Hawes, PhD Candidate in oceanography, The University of Western Australia Nicole L. Jones, Professor of Physical Oceanography, The University of Western Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

With the right leadership, Australia can turn green hydrogen’s stumbles into a global triumph for heavy industry. Changlong Wang, Research fellow in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Monash University Stuart Walsh, Senior lecturer in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Burning plastic as fuel for cooking and heating releases toxic chemicals into the air and contaminates food. Yet this is common in many parts of the world. Bishal Bharadwaj, Adjunct Research Fellow, Curtin Institute for Energy Transition, Curtin University Peta Ashworth, Professor and Director, Curtin Institute for Energy Transition, Curtin University Pramesh Dhungana, Lecturer, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Curtin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Science doesn’t occur in a vacuum – politics, harassment and intimidation can hamstring progress. Robert Hales, Director, Centre for Sustainable Enterprise, Griffith University Carolyn Troup, Research Fellow, Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing, Griffith University David Peetz, Laurie Carmichael Distinguished Research Fellow at the Centre for Future Work, and Professor Emeritus, Griffith Business School, Griffith University Georgina Murray, Associate Professor in Humanities, Griffith University Ian Lowe, Emeritus Professor, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Researchers examined how disaster risk informs decisions about new housing. They found crucial problems that leave communities exposed. Francesca Perugia, Senior Lecturer, School of Design and the Built Environment, Curtin University Courtney Babb, Lecturer in Urban and Regional Planning, Curtin University Steven Rowley, Professor, School of Economics, Finance and Property, Curtin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Older homes are more at risk from bushfires. Retrofitting can make your house more likely to weather a fire. Subha Parida, Lecturer in Property, University of South Australia Lyrian Daniel, Associate Professor in Architecture, University of South Australia Michaela Lang, Postdoctoral Researcher in Behavioural Science, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

What can we learn from the bushfires in Tasmania? Beware of climate change, especially the unpredictable nature of blazes sparked by dry lightning. David Bowman, Professor of Pyrogeography and Fire Science, University of Tasmania Grant Williamson, Research Fellow in Environmental Science, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

When landscapes change, exotic species take advantage of new habitats. Such a pulse of colonisation coincided with the Ice Age some 2.6 million years ago. Pascale Lubbe, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Molecular Ecology, University of Otago Michael Knapp, Associate Professor in Biological Anthropology, University of Otago Nic Rawlence, Associate Professor in Ancient DNA, University of Otago Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.