The Conversation

Australia’s Chris Bowen was among a select group of ministers meeting in Wuhan, China this week to progress global climate negotiations. Here’s why China is taking climate so seriously. Xu Yi-chong, Professor of Governance and Public Policy, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

In theory, time-of-use pricing should nudge households to use electricity when it’s cheaper and more plentiful, saving on bills and grid costs. In practice, it isn’t working well for many households. Lee White, Senior Lecturer and Horizon Fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Mounting evidence shows rainfall is becoming increasingly variable, making the dry times drier and the wet much wetter. New findings confirm research into rainfall variability in Australia. Steven Sherwood, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney Anna Ukkola, ARC DECRA Fellow, UNSW Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The Paris games are shaping up as the greenest games yet. But some critics say even more needs to be done. Tony Heynen, Program Coordinator, Sustainable Energy, The University of Queensland Prabhakaran Vanaraja Ambeth, PhD student, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Determining the global average temperature on any given day is complex. It involves thousands of observations, high-tech equipment and sophisticated computer models. Andrew King, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

What do you know about your national currency? How about the cash used overseas? We studied wildlife imagery on banknotes around the world. Here’s what we found. Guy Castley, Associate Professor, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University Clare Morrison, Lecturer in Ecology, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

An endangered rodent and a thorny, impenetrable weed doesn’t sound like a good match. But stick-nest rats have made homes out of African boxthorn Annie Grace Kraehe, PhD candidate, Australian National University Kathryn Hill, Research associate, plant ecophysiology, Adelaide University Robert S. Hill, Executive Dean, Faulty of Sciences, Adelaide University Vera Weisbecker, Associate Professor, Flinders University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Reconstructing the demise of New Zealand’s extinct moa can help conserve the country’s remaining flightless birds, which are retreating to the same final places - cold, isolated mountaintops. Damien Fordham, Associate Professor of Global Change Ecology, Adelaide University Jamie Wood, Senior Lecturer, Ecology and Evolution, Adelaide University Mark V. Lomolino, Professor emeritus, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Sean Tomlinson, Research Associate, Ecology and Evolution, Adelaide University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A new report challenges the notion that repairing our continent is a task too big and expensive to tackle. Jamie Pittock, Professor, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Bradley J. Moggridge, Professor of Science and Associate Dean (Indigenous Leadership and Engagement), University of Technology Sydney Martine Maron, Professor of Environmental Management, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Small modular reactors promise to make nuclear power cheaper and safer. But our new report shows they’re still a long way off. Ian Lowe, Emeritus Professor, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University Kylie Walker, Visiting Fellow, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The lethal strain of highly pathogenic bird flu is everywhere – except Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Here’s how we’re planning for its arrival Tiggy Grillo, COO, Wildlife Health Australia; Adjunct Lecturer, Charles Sturt University Simone Vitali, Wildlife Health Australia Program Manager (Emergencies); Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Murdoch University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A new study shows up to 90% of floating plastic rubbish is captured in estuaries and inner shorelines. Local community cleanups can make a real difference by stopping pollution at its source. Melissa Bowen, Associate Professor in Physical Oceanography, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Gaoyang Li, Research Assistant in Environmental Science, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Giovanni Coco, Professor of Environmental Science, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Zheng Chen, PhD Candidate in Physical Geography, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

If you’re worried about pollution in the air we breathe, water we drink and food we eat, take time out to explore the evidence of harm and digest some practical advice on how to reduce your exposure. Oliver A.H. Jones, Professor of Chemistry, RMIT University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Sodium-ion batteries are emerging as a new way to firm up the world’s electricity grids - and they could be a game-changer. Peter Newman, Professor of Sustainability, Curtin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Our cities are full of obstacles and hazards for native wildlife but also contain many valuable patches of habitat. Creating green spaces to connect these patches improves their lives and ours. Thami Croeser, Research Officer, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University Holly Kirk, Research Fellow, Interdisciplinary Conservation Science Research Group (ICON Science), RMIT University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Koalas in trouble, land clearing at speed – nature in New South Wales is not well. Now the government is proposing significant changes to its ineffective biodiversity laws. Hugh Possingham, Professor of Conservation Biology, The University of Queensland Carolyn Hogg, Deputy Director, Sydney Environment Institute; Co-Lead Australasian Wildlife Genomics Group, University of Sydney Jaana Dielenberg, University Fellow in Biodiversity, Charles Darwin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australian consumers deserve a legal right to repair beyond the warranty. If we fail to keep up with the UK and EU, we risk becoming a dumping ground for cheap and nasty appliances. Leanne Wiseman, Professor of Law, Griffith University, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The tangle of greenery along railway lines, flowers growing on vacant lots, or unmown grassy patches under power lines, it turns out people in cities engage with nature in all these spaces. Hugh Stanford, Researcher Associate, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University Holly Kirk, Research Fellow, Interdisciplinary Conservation Science Research Group (ICON Science), RMIT University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Billions have been spent making the Seine swimmable for the first time in a century. It might not be enough. Ian A. Wright, Associate Professor in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We all know the Barrier Reef – but Australia also has three other World Heritage reefs, Ningaloo and Shark Bay in Western Australia and Lord Howe Island off the New South Wales coast. Kate Marie Quigley, DECRA Research Fellow in molecular ecology, James Cook University Andrew Hamilton Baird, Professorial fellow in coral reef ecology, James Cook University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.