The Conversation

The answer isn’t as clear cut as you might think and depends on a number of factors, including the terrain and whether it’s pack vs pack. Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Specialist reporters are important, but climate coverage can no longer be left to them. Here’s what New Zealand journalists say about why climate should be part of every newsroom and every beat. Áine Kelly-Costello, University of Gothenburg Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Climate change threatens the crucial storage of carbon in Aussie forests. Victoria’s national parks alone store almost 1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. Tom Fairman, Future Fire Risk Analyst, The University of Melbourne Craig Nitschke, Associate Professor - Forest and Landscape Dynamics, The University of Melbourne Lauren Bennett, Associate Professor - Ecosystem Sciences and Forest Carbon, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

There’s enormous value in citizen science projects that encourage urban-dwellers to learn about what is often, quite literally, on their doorsteps. Erin Roger, Citizen Science Program Lead, CSIRO Alice Motion, Associate professor, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Critics say investing in carbon capture and storage means betting on technology that’s not yet proven to work at scale. Using liquid marbles could make a huge difference. Charith Rathnayaka, Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast Emilie Sauret, Professor, Queensland University of Technology Nam-Trung Nguyen, Professor and Director of Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University Yuantong Gu, Professor, Mechanical Systems and Asset Management, Queensland University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Greg Hunt is best known as Australia’s health minister. But before that he spent years thinking about mechanisms to get emissions down – and if elected, Labor plans to road test the one he introduced. Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Western Australia’s Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Bill 2021 is set to become law. But the new legislation states one elected official will decide whether heritage sites are destroyed for development. Joe Dortch, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, The University of Western Australia Anne Poelina, Adjunct Professor and Senior Research Fellow, University of Notre Dame Australia Jo Thomson, PhD student, The University of Western Australia Kado Muir, Chair of National Native Title Council and Ngalia Cultural Leader, Indigenous Knowledge Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The average amount of meat a person ate each year worldwide increased from 29.5kg in 2000 to 34kg in 2019. But there are some surprising differences between nations, including Australia and NZ. Diana Bogueva, Team Manager/ Adjunct Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Sydney Clare Whitton, Curtin University Clive Phillips, Former Foundation Professor of Animal Welfare, University of Queensland, Curtin University Dora Marinova, Professor of Sustainability, Curtin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Fires in arid Australia are extensive, largely unmanaged, often destructive and significantly under-reported. Rohan Fisher, Information Technology for Development Researcher, Charles Darwin University Neil Burrows, Adjunct professor, The University of Western Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

In Australia alone, it’s estimated up to 8.9 billion butts are littered each year. A new report finds a mandatory product stewardship scheme can cut this by around half. Kylie Morphett, Research Fellow, School of Public Health, The University of Queensland Coral Gartner, Director, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence on Achieving the Tobacco Endgame, The University of Queensland William Clarke, Professor of waste management, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Dingoes have evolved under Australian conditions. That’s just one step in the path the iconic dog has taken to become native. Peter Banks, Professor of Conservation Biology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Labor’s 2030 emission reduction target of 43% is more ambitious than the Coalition, but still falls well below what the science says is needed. Wesley Morgan, Research Fellow, Griffith Asia Institute and Climate Council researcher, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australians are ready to embrace electric vehicles - but an emissions ceiling would speed up the transition dramatically. Ingrid Burfurd, Senior Associate, Transport and Cities Program, Grattan Institute, Grattan Institute Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The sheer scale of emissions from the expansion, and projects linked, to it will make achieving 2030 emission targets much harder for Western Australia and by extension, Australia and the world. 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.

Open access to COVID-19 research accelerated the development of solutions. The urgency of climate change demands the same approach, but more than half of Australian research is still behind paywalls. Lucy Montgomery, Program Lead, Innovation in Knowledge Communication, Curtin University Cameron Neylon, Professor of Research Communications, Curtin University Karl Huang, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Culture and Technology, Curtin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

It’s 650 metres below the surface, across 6,000 square kilometres – and has been overlooked for far too long. Graeme Beardsmore, Senior Fellow in Crustal Heat Flow, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

How can we improve the management of Queensland’s heritage sites? Can farming and the conservation of Aboriginal heritage co-exist? Michael Westaway, Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Archaeology, School of Social Science, The University of Queensland Joshua Gorringe, General Manager Mithaka Aboriginal Corporation, Indigenous Knowledge Kelsey M. Lowe, Senior Research Fellow, The University of Queensland Richard Martin, Senior lecturer, The University of Queensland Ross Mitchell, Common Law holder and director of Kooma Aboriginal Corporation Native Title PBC, Indigenous Knowledge Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Many farmers are welcoming an expected summer of La Niña rain, while others have been hit by heavy rain and floods Chelsea Jarvis, Research fellow, University of Southern Queensland Professor Scott B. Power, Dip. Ed., Director, Centre for Applied Climate Sciences, University of Southern Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Radioactive waste from nuclear medicine facilities will be trucked to and buried near the South Australian town of Kimba. But this decision still faces a range of hurdles. Ian Lowe, Emeritus Professor, School of Science, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Without changes, many birds will continue to decline or be lost altogether. But when conservation action is well resourced and implemented, we can turn the trend around. Stephen Garnett, Professor of Conservation and Sustainable Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University Barry Baker, University associate, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.