The Conversation

Over a decade of protest led to the banning of fuel exploration in New Zealand waters. As this extract from a new book explains, that ‘win’ is still precarious and may depend on the election result. Amanda Thomas, Lecturer in Environmental Studies, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Gradon Diprose, Senior Researcher, Environmental Social Science, Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research Sophie Bond, Associate Professor in Geography, University of Otago Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Changes to the petroleum resource rent tax (PRRT) are long overdue, but Labor’s modest attempt at reform represents a missed opportunity. Samantha Hepburn, Professor, Deakin Law School, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Climate change is bringing heightened droughts, heat stress and floods. For our fruit trees, that means tougher conditions. To prepare means mining their genomes to hunt for resilience. Rajeev Varshney, Professor, Murdoch University Abhishek Bohra, Senior research fellow, Murdoch University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The new city bears a colonial name and there are questions about locating it in the hottest part of Sydney, but we are also seeing all 3 tiers of government work together in an innovative way. Tooran Alizadeh, Associate Professor in Urbanism and Infrastructure, ARC Future Fellow, University of Sydney Glen Searle, Honorary Associate Professor in Planning, University of Queensland, University of Sydney Rebecca Clements, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

It’s that “whale-y” exciting time of year! Winter is coming. That means we’ll start seeing whale mums and calves moving along Australia’s east and west coasts. We’ve already had a teaser in WA waters. Vanessa Pirotta, Postdoctoral Researcher and Wildlife Scientist, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

How can the Net Zero Authority help Australia make the most of this once-in-a-generation economic transformation? Kylie Turner, System Lead, Sustainable Economies, Climateworks Centre Anna Skarbek, CEO, Climateworks Centre Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

When Buckingham Palace announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September, the news overshadowed reporting of a critical review of climate tipping points, published in Science. Did you miss it? Darren Ray, PhD candidate | Paleoclimate, University of Adelaide Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The world’s oceans regulate our climate, but they are entering uncharted territory, with record surface warming and changes to Antarctica’s deep meltwater which drives global currents. Craig Stevens, Professor in Ocean Physics, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia’s renewable energy transformation will require a huge amount of energy storage. We need Snowy 2.0 to succeed. Andrew Blakers, Professor of Engineering, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Most wildlife is trafficked openly, while dark web markets sell animals, plants and fungi as drugs. But this could change if there’s a clampdown on open trade. Phill Cassey, Head, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Adelaide Adam Toomes, Ph.D. student at the Invasion Science & Wildlife Ecology Group, University of Adelaide Charlotte Lassaline, PhD Student, University of Adelaide Freyja Watters, PhD candidate, University of Adelaide Jacob Maher, PhD Candidate, University of Adelaide Oliver C. Stringham, Researcher, University of Adelaide Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

As the energy revolution gains pace, huge numbers of PV panels are already going to landfill. Many are still usable and even those that aren’t contain valuable materials that shouldn’t be discarded. Archie Chapman, Senior Lecturer, School of IT and Electrical Engineering, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

From September onwards, migratory birds will arrive on Australian shores. If one is carrying the lethal bird flu, it could devastate our birdlife Parwinder Kaur, Associate Professor | Director, DNA Zoo Australia, The University of Western Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Fear and Wonder is a new climate podcast, brought to you by The Conversation, and sponsored by the Climate Council. In this live bonus episode, we discuss where to next on climate change. Michael Green, Host + Producer, The Conversation Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Two decades of satellite data have allowed us to map fires across the country and identify areas facing high fire risks. Fire activity has increased in several major regions over the past decade. Rick McRae, Adjunct Professor, School of Science at UNSW Canberra, UNSW Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Life relies on a fine balance between energy in and energy out. But heating the world 1.2℃ means we’ve trapped an extraordinary amount of extra energy in the Earth system. Andrew King, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, The University of Melbourne Steven Sherwood, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Capping the wholesale gas price is a poor attempt to decouple the domestic market from the volatile international market. The only sure way forward is a domestic reservation policy for the east coast. Ariel Liebman, Ariel Liebman Director, Monash Energy Institute and Professor of Sustainable Energy Systems, Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

When you buy seafood, you can’t be sure it is what it says it is – and Australian wholesalers are resistant to new traceability technologies. Benjamin Thompson, Lecturer in Human Geography, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Data from 123 sites across all continents, including Antarctica, show mosses affect all major soil functions critical for sustaining life on Earth. David John Eldridge, Professor of Dryland Ecology, UNSW Sydney Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Ecosystem ecologist, Spanish National Research Council, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Energy poverty puts people’s health and wellbeing at risk, but many vulnerable households go undetected. Trusted intermediaries, such as doctors and community workers, can help solve this problem. Nicola Willand, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University Nooshin Torabi, Lecturer, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University Ralph Horne, Associate Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research & Innovation, College of Design & Social Context, RMIT University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Fascination with shiny technological gadgets may divert scarce resources from the on-the-ground approaches we need to restore degraded ecosystems around the world. Simone Pedrini, Lecturer in ecological restoration, Curtin University Jorge Castro Gutiérrez, Catedrático de Ecología, Universidad de Granada Kingsley Dixon, John Curtin Distinguished Professor, Curtin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.