The Conversation

The need to limit output to the grid costs solar panel owners up to $4.5 million a year in South Australia alone. A bill of rights and responsibilities can make connecting to the grid fairer for all. Niraj Lal, Visiting Fellow at the ANU Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Whether riding on the feathers of birds or evolving on Gondwana, Australia’s plants got here in very different ways Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Studies in Yellowstone National Park show plant matter (mostly grass) is found in up to 74% of wolf scats, suggesting the behaviour may be inherited from the beginning of doggy time. Susan Hazel, Associate Professor, School of Animal and Veterinary Science, University of Adelaide Joshua Zoanetti, PhD candidate in Veterinary Bioscience, University of Adelaide Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We’ve blown past the safe and just limit for vital Earth systems, from climate change to the biosphere and the use of fertilisers and freshwater. For humans to thrive means living in safe limits Steven J Lade, Resilience researcher at Australian National University, Australian National University Ben Stewart-Koster, Senior research fellow, Griffith University Stuart Bunn, Professor, Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University Syezlin Hasan, Research fellow, Griffith University Xuemei Bai, Distinguished Professor, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The merits of the dingo fence are hotly debated, and there have been calls to pull it down. We need a better understanding of how the mega-structure affects species that live along it. Vera Weisbecker, Associate Professor, Flinders University Corey J. A. Bradshaw, Matthew Flinders Professor of Global Ecology and Models Theme Leader for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Flinders University Frédérik Saltré, Research Fellow in Ecology for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Flinders University Rex Mitchell, Postdoctoral Fellow, Flinders University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Our largest cities, home to 80% of the population, are central to achieving sustainability in a time of climate change. The federal government has begun to act on the need for coherent urban policies. Robert Freestone, Professor of Planning, School of Built Environment, UNSW Sydney Bill Randolph, Professor, City Futures Research Centre, Faculty of the Built Environment, UNSW Sydney Wendy Steele, Interim Director, Urban Futures Enabling Impact Platform, and Professor in Sustainability and Urban Policy, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A free trade agreement between Australia and the United Kingdom has begun – and it failed to put climate change at the forefront. Margaret Young, Professor, The University of Melbourne Georgina Clough, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

It was the trip of a lifetime for an Australian research team studying moss in Antarctica. After two months at Casey Station they returned with great videos and loads of data for further analysis. Johan Barthélemy, Developer Relations Manager, NVIDIA and Honorary Senior Research Fellow, University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Barbara Bollard, Professor of Computational Conservation, Auckland University of Technology Juan Sandino, Postdoctoral research fellow, Queensland University of Technology Krystal Randall, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Wollongong Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The end of native timber harvesting in Victoria offers a generational opportunity for First Peoples to care for Forest Country Jack Pascoe, Research fellow, The University of Melbourne Matthew Shanks, Director, Cultural Land Management at Taungurung Land and Waters Council, Indigenous Knowledge Michael-Shawn Fletcher, Professor in Biogeography, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Dingoes are not wild dogs, research reveals. Most of the 307 wild animals sampled in this study were pure dingo. Australia’s apex predator deserves our respect after thousands of years on this land. Kylie M Cairns, Research fellow, UNSW Sydney Mathew Crowther, Associate professor, University of Sydney Mike Letnic, Professor, Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, UNSW Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Electricity prices are going up again by as much as 25% on July 1. The advice to consumers is to shop around to get the best deal. Yet neither electricity bills nor comparison sites are user-friendly. Lurion De Mello, Senior Lecturer in Finance, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Some 60-100% of cats taken in are strays and at least 50% are kittens born in the preceding six months. Community cat programs focused on free desexing in problem areas are badly needed. Jacquie Rand, Emeritus Professor of Companion Animal Health, The University of Queensland John Morton, Industry Fellow, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

As a sustainability researcher, I know how quickly we could make big changes to reduce plastic pollution. Here’s what we – both individually and globally – should be doing more of, and what to avoid. Pascal Scherrer, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Business, Law and Art, Southern Cross University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

If we put green hydrogen plants next to green iron and steelmaking, we can clean up steelmaking and boost the hydrogen industry. Changlong Wang, Research fellow, Monash University Andrew Feitz, Director, Geoscience Australia Marcus Haynes, Computational Geoscientist, Geoscience Australia Stuart Walsh, Senior lecturer, Monash University Zhehan Weng, Research scientist, Geoscience Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Mungee is a revered teacher to Noongar people with lessons for us all. This mighty mistletoe knows how to prosper in the hostile, infertile, but biologically rich landscapes of southwestern Australia. Alison Lullfitz, Research Associate, The University of Western Australia Jessikah Woods, Emerging artist, Indigenous Knowledge Lynette Knapp, The University of Western Australia Shandell Cummings, Artist, art administrator and educator, Indigenous Knowledge Stephen D. Hopper AC, Professor of Biodiversity, The University of Western Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Landlords don’t think renters will pay more for homes with rooftop solar. But the evidence suggests otherwise. Bjorn Sturmberg, Senior Research Fellow, Battery Storage & Grid Integration Program, Australian National University Lee White, Fellow, Australian National University Mara Hammerle, PhD candidate, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Scientists have detected a 30% slowdown of the deep ocean currents that form in Antarctica, with profound consequences for Earth’s climate, sea level and marine life. Kathy Gunn, CSIRO Matthew England, Scientia Professor and Deputy Director of the ARC Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS), UNSW Sydney Steve Rintoul, CSIRO Fellow, CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Potatoes are profitable and in demand. But wet weather and hard-to-control diseases have caused havoc for our growers. Ronika Thapa, PhD Student, University of Tasmania Calum Wilson, Professor, University of Tasmania Robert Tegg, Research Fellow, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

There’s a lot of enthusiasm for wildflower fields and bug hotels. But before introducing these insect-saving measures, we need to better understand when they help – and when they don’t. Rob Cruickshank, Lecturer – Teaching & Administration, University of Canterbury Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The environmental impacts of electric vehicle batteries range from mining, and energy and water use to the hazards of discarded batteries. These issues can be resolved, but there’s no time to waste. Mehdi Seyedmahmoudian, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology Alex Stojcevski, Dean of School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies, Swinburne University of Technology Saad Mekhilef, Distinguished Professor in Electrical Renewable Energy, Swinburne University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.