The Conversation

With the support of the Greens, there’s a chance the ‘Restoring Our Rivers’ Bill will pass. Will it be enough to put the Murray-Darling Basin Plan back on track? Celine Steinfeld, Director, Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists & Adjunct Lecturer, UNSW Sydney Michael Vanderzee, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

To protect nearly a third of Australia by decade’s end will mean expanding our national parks, Indigenous Protected Areas and protection across private land. James Fitzsimons, Adjunct Professor in Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

One set of ideas runs counter to the mainstream consensus that technology will save us from climate change. Can degrowth ever win enough converts to persuade humanity to change course? Mark Fabian, Assistant professor of public policy, University of Warwick Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Researchers are finding alarming concentrations of persistent pollutants such as PFAS in Australian dolphins. These record-breaking levels are cause for alarm. Chantel Foord, Research Associate, Marine Mammal Foundation, PhD researcher, RMIT University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australian freshwater turtles are a vital part of healthy waterways, but we don’t know enough about them. A new roundup of turtle research aims to buck the trend. Deborah Bower, Associate Professor in Zoology and Ecology, University of New England Donald McKnight, James Cook University Eric Nordberg, Senior Lecturer (Applied Ecology and Landscape Management), University of New England James Van Dyke, Associate Professor in Biomedical Sciences, La Trobe University Michael B Thompson, Emeritus Professor in Zoology, University of Sydney Ricky Spencer, Associate Professor of Ecology, Western Sydney University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The Australian Labor government’s expanded Capacity Investment Scheme gives us a better chance of hitting high renewable energy targets. It’s not without risk but well worth the rewards. Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Global climate models don’t let us zoom in on the fine details. A new set of high-resolution climate models for Australia is solving this problem. Ralph Trancoso, Adjunct Associate Professor in Climate Change, The University of Queensland Jozef Syktus, Professorial Research Fellow, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland Sarah Chapman, Visiting Research Fellow, University of Leeds Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Carbon farming has its problems, but we shouldn’t write it off. After all, good projects can store carbon – and bring back habitat. Rachel Standish, Associate Professor, Murdoch University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

More Australians than ever live in rented homes, many of which get far too hot. With summers getting longer and hotter, keeping millions of people cool should be a national housing policy priority. Zoe Goodall, Research Associate, Centre for Urban Transitions, Swinburne University of Technology Sungkavi Selvakumaran, PhD Candidate, Swinburne University, and Lecturer in Public Health, Torrens University Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Daily global temperature records keep falling. It’s a sign we’re on a rapidly warming planet. Andrew King, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Climate denial is passe. But why do so many of us know the climate crisis is upon us – and live like it isn’t? Celeste Young, Collaborative Research Fellow, Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities (ISILC), Victoria University Roger Jones, Professorial Research Fellow, Victoria University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Experimenting with climate messaging reveals the best ways to inspire individual action. Here’s how to talk about the Great Barrier Reef this summer. Yolanda Lee Waters, PhD Candidate, The University of Queensland Angela Dean, Lecturer, School of Agriculture and Food Science & Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Climate modelling that best accounts for the processes that sustain plant life predicts plants could absorb up to 20% more CO₂ than the simplest version predicted. Jürgen Knauer, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Electric vehicles get all the press – but it’s the smaller unsung two wheelers cutting oil demand the most. Muhammad Rizwan Azhar, Lecturer, Edith Cowan University Waqas Uzair, Edith Cowan University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A group of prominent environmental scientists devised this list of 5 things we must see in Australia’s new national environmental laws, if we are to avoid calamity and hasten recovery. Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Jack Pascoe, Research fellow, The University of Melbourne Kirsty Howey, Charles Darwin University Terry Hughes, Distinguished Professor, James Cook University Yung En Chee, Senior Research Fellow, Environmental Science, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

It’s been five years since school students first went on strike for climate action. Much has changed. Eve Mayes, Senior Research Fellow in Education, Deakin University Ruchira Talukdar, Casual senior research fellow, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

It’s still possible for Australia to cut emissions in line with holding climate change to 1.5°C. Here’s how. Anna Skarbek, CEO, Climateworks Centre Anna Malos, Climateworks Centre - Country Lead, Australia, Monash University Michael Li, Research and Analysis Manager, Climateworks Centre, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The idea that harm done today can be offset in the future is based on a basic misunderstanding of the carbon cycle. Planting more trees is important – but it’s no substitute for cutting emissions. Mike Joy, Morgan Foundation Senior Research Fellow in Freshwater Ecology and Environmental Science, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Every living thing leaves traces in its environment. By sampling water or even air for this environmental DNA, we can know which species live where. Maarten De Brauwer, Research fellow, CSIRO Oliver Berry, Leader, Environomics Future Science Platform, CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Understanding the success of the ABC’s War on Waste is a lesson in behavioural psychology. Research reveals five ways to guide other entertainment-education interventions to similar success. Danie Nilsson, Behavioural Scientist, CSIRO Rachael Vorwerk, Science Communicator, ARC Centre of Excellence in Optical Microcombs for Breakthrough Science (COMBS), RMIT University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.