The Conversation

While some invasive animals have breached Antarctica, the continent is still pristine. Our challenge is keeping it that way. Dana M Bergstrom, Principal Research Scientist, University of Wollongong Shavawn Donoghue, Adjunct Researcher, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

For over a decade, the inclusion of oceans in climate talks has been piecemeal and inconsistent. And yet, the ocean is critical to help balance the conditions we need to survive. Dr Sali Bache, Strategic Advisor in International Policy and Oceans , ClimateWorks Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Carbon dioxide can be classed as pollution under the UN law of the sea and countries have an obligation to prevent it from entering the ocean. Karen Scott, Professor in Law, University of Canterbury Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We need to rapidly reduce global emissions before 2030. Developing hydrogen for low-emissions road transport won’t happen fast enough. Robin Smit, Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney Enoch Zhao, PhD Candidate, University of Technology Sydney Hussein Dia, Professor of Future Urban Mobility, Swinburne University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Aluminium is hugely useful, but energy-intensive to produce. What if we didn’t have to smelt any more? Guy Keulemans, Faculty Research Fellow, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Reducing methane emissions could slow global warming quickly and buy time for the world to wean itself off fossil fuels. But it must not distract from the challenge to cut carbon dioxide emissions. Kevin Trenberth, Distinguished Scholar, National Center for Atmospheric Research Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We can evaluate the plan’s sincerity through a lens of good practice policy making. So how does the government’s net-zero plan rate? Dr Nadeem Samnakay, Research fellow, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Electric cars are hailed as the best way to cut transport emissions, but it’s an illusion to think we can reduce our environmental impact without changing the way we design and move about in cities. Timothy Welch, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, University of Auckland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Electric cars are expensive in Australia partly because European emission standards reward manufacturers for selling them there. There’s an obvious fix. Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A single tree in a tropical forest has the same cooling effect as two air conditioners. Imagine how hot it gets when a whole forest is felled. Sally Thompson, Associate professor, The University of Western Australia Débora Corrêa, Research fellow, The University of Western Australia John Duncan, Research fellow, The University of Western Australia Octavia Crompton, Postdoctoral researcher, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Stabilising Earth’s climate depends on a lot more than deals struck at conferences like Glasgow. But those agreements set a frame for real-world decisions. Frank Jotzo, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy and Head of Energy, Institute for Climate Energy and Disaster Solutions, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Rather than slow the decline in coal use, India’s actions at COP26 ensure it and other polluting nations, including Australia, will be under even greater scrutiny. Bill Hare, Director, Climate Analytics, Adjunct Professor, Murdoch University (Perth), Visiting scientist, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The hope we need is realistic – not wishful thinking, denial or delay disguised as naïve optimism. John Wiseman, Professorial Fellow, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Forestry is a surprising winner in detailed projections prepared by Victoria University. Queensland has the most to lose from a move to net-zero. Philip Adams, Professor at the Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

From weak 2030 targets to controversial rules around carbon trading, let’s take a look at the summit’s defining issues. Robert Hales, Director Centre for Sustainable Enterprise, Griffith University Brendan Mackey, Director of the Griffith Climate Change Response Program, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The sale of traditional vehicles would have to cease completely by 2038 to reach the government’s target. So where’s the plan to get there? John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Most of the $2,000 per year increase in income by 2050 is due to the success of a new hydrogen industry. Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Some promising proposals have been put forward, but most suffer either from a lack of ambition or a lack of participation from key countries. Jeremy Moss, Professor of Political Philosophy, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Uncertainty about carbon market rules will be problematic for New Zealand, given its reliance on overseas carbon trading to meet its new climate pledge. Nathan Cooper, Associate Professor of Law, University of Waikato Kemi Hughes, Doctoral Researcher in Climate Change Governance, University of Waikato Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Only in coming years will we know if COP26 was a real game-changer for the planet, or just empty promises and spin. Tim Flannery, Professorial fellow, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.