The Conversation

The electric vehicle transition is about more than just scrapping petrol cars. We must also ensure quality technology, anticipate the future and make sure no-one gets left behind. Bjorn Sturmberg, Research Leader, Battery Storage & Grid Integration Program, Australian National University Kathryn Lucas-Healey, Research Fellow, Australian National University Laura Jones, Senior Analyst - Economics and Business models, Australian National University Mejbaul Haque, Research Fellow, Battery Energy Storage and Grid Integration Program, Research School of Engineering, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

New research looked at wave conditions over the past 40 years, and found wave power has increased since at least the 1980s, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere. Thomas Mortlock, Senior Risk Scientist, Risk Frontiers, Adjunct Fellow, Macquarie University Itxaso Odériz, Research assistant, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) Nobuhito Mori, Professor, Kyoto University Rodolfo Silva, Professor, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Indigenous marine governance is experiencing a revival throughout Oceania, building on traditional worldviews that acknowledge connections between people and all parts of ocean ecosystems. Meg Parsons, Senior Lecturer, University of Auckland Lara Taylor, Kairangahau Māori - Māori Researcher, Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Rather than considering the job done, Tasmania should seize opportunities including renewable energy, net-zero industrial exports and forest preservation. Rupert Posner, Systems Lead - Sustainable Economies, ClimateWorks Australia Simon Graham, Senior Analyst, ClimateWorks Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Don't share your toilet with your pet, or treat your toilet like a flushable garbage bin. It could lead to dangerous diseases, and clog sewer pipes. Ian Wright, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australians should see the rainforest as a cultural landscape – one that has been managed and maintained by people, rather than just a relic unchanged since the dinosaurs. Barry Hunter, Djabugay Aboriginal Corporation, Kuranda, Indigenous Knowledge Alice Buhrich, Adjunct Researcher, College of Arts, Society and Education, James Cook University Asa Ferrier, Honorary Research Associate, La Trobe University Gerry Turpin, Ethnobotanist, James Cook University Patrick Roberts, Research Group Leader, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Many flood-ravaged homes have not been repaired, while others are infested with mould. Farmers are dealing with financial stress and the memories of livestock killed in traumatic circumstances. Ian Wright, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Ocean waves are a massive source of energy, but it's challenging to design power generators for the harsh environment. Allowing marine organisms to grow on engineered structures could help. Craig Stevens, Associate Professor in Ocean Physics, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Louise Kregting, Lecturer in environmental interactions of marine renewables, Queen's University Belfast Vladislav Sorokin, Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering, University of Auckland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Bubble-net feeding is when whales blow bubbles from their nose to encircle their food, trapping their prey into a tight ball. A citizen scientist was the first to capture this behaviour in Australia. Vanessa Pirotta, Wildlife scientist, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

When a big old tree dies or is cut down, even if we plant a new one we might have to wait hundreds of years before it provides a good possum house. Kylie Soanes, Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

I look at fragments of the Earth's mantle under a microscope to learn how fast molten rock moves from deep in the Earth to the surface. This can help us prepare for future volcanic eruptions. Heather Handley, Honorary Associate Professor in Volcanology and Geochemistry, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia's abundant wind and solar resources mean we're well placed to produce the hydrogen a green steel industry needs. But there are technical and economic challenges ahead. Jessica Allen, Senior Lecturer and DECRA Fellow, University of Newcastle Tom Honeyands, Director, Centre for Ironmaking Materials Research, University of Newcastle Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

After more than 300 years of effort, scientists have documented fewer than one-third of Australia's species. The remaining 70% are unknown, and essentially invisible, to science. Kevin Thiele, Adjunct Assoc. Professor, The University of Western Australia Jane Melville, Senior Curator, Terrestrial Vertebrates, Museums Victoria Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The Arctic region is warming much faster than the rest of the planet. The rapid loss of ice affects the polar jet stream, which influences weather patterns across the northern hemisphere. Steve Turton, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Geography, CQUniversity Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

For temperature-sensitive animals, the dense, leafy canopy of willow trees may make them the lesser of two evils in a warming climate. Paul McInerney, Research scientist, CSIRO Tanya Doody, Principle Research Scientist, CSIRO, CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

In 2019, 44 bushwalkers had to be rescued in Tasmania. New research identified who tends to take the most risks, and how to be better prepared for your next hike. Vanessa Adams, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of Geography and Spatial Sciences, University of Tasmania Jason Byrne, Professor of Human Geography and Planning, University of Tasmania Noelle Nemeth, Master's Research Student, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Recent flooding may have reduced the remaining coral population by 90%. Combined with damage from fishing, boating and coastal development, the species may be gone in a decade. Meryl Larkin, PhD Candidate, Southern Cross University David Harasti, Adjunct assistant professor, Southern Cross University Steve Smith, Professor of Marine Science, National Marine Science Centre, Southern Cross University Tom R Davis, Research Scientist - Marine Climate Change, Hunter New England Local Health District Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

To date, courts have often been reluctant to interfere in what is viewed as an issue best left to policymakers. These recent judgements, and others, suggest things are changing. Jacqueline Peel, Professor of Environmental and Climate Law, The University of Melbourne Ben Neville, Senior Lecturer and Program Director of the Master of Commerce, The University of Melbourne Rebekkah Markey-Towler, Research fellow, Melbourne Climate Futures, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Conditional commitments are promises to raise emissions reduction efforts, depending on what others do. It could be a big incentive for Australia. Katie Steele, Associate Professor in Philosophy, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

There is no doubt we need to stop emitting fossil carbon. But if we fixate on replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy and don’t also reduce consumption and energy waste, we risk failure. Michael (Mike) Joy, Senior Researcher; Institute for Governance and Policy Studies, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.