The Conversation

Professional sport has enormous power to influence positive change. So ahead of this weekend's grand finals, let's examine the carbon emissions of our major men's football leagues. Brett Hutchins, Professor of Media and Communications Studies, Monash University Libby Lester, Director, Institute for Social Change, University of Tasmania Michael Ambrose, Research Team Leader, CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

More than 280 women in STEMM call for a marine protected area to be established in the waters of the Western Antarctic Peninsula. Marissa Parrott, Reproductive Biologist, Wildlife Conservation & Science, Zoos Victoria, and Honorary Research Associate, BioSciences, University of Melbourne Carolyn Hogg, Senior Research Manager, University of Sydney Cassandra Brooks, Assistant Professor Environmental Studies, University of Colorado Boulder Justine Shaw, Conservation Biologist, The University of Queensland Melissa Cristina Márquez, PhD Candidate, Curtin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Labor has pledged to create a A$20 billion corporation to upgrade Australia's energy transmission system. So what's this all about? Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The IMF wants government intervention on climate change. It's now abundantly clear Australia's climate policies are at odds with even the most conservative approach to economic management. John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australian bicycles are largely influenced by sport, not utility. We should embrace cargo bikes for their usefulness, over speed. Robbie Napper, Senior Lecturer, Design, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

It's one of the largest funding cuts to any university course, and will leave Australia ill-equipped to deal with the environmental challenges of the future. Dianne Gleeson, Professor, Science, University of Canberra Ian Clark, Associate professor, University of South Australia Stuart Parsons, Professor, Queensland University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Dairy has the biggest environmental footprint, but some plant-based alternatives come with a number of environmental issues, too. Dora Marinova, Professor of Sustainability, Curtin University Diana Bogueva, Postdoctoral Researcher, Curtin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The coronavirus pandemic caused the UN's annual climate conference to be postponed by a year, but it was also responsible for a drop in carbon emissions. Is it enough and will it last? Chris Turney, Professor of Earth Science and Climate Change, Director of Chronos 14Carbon-Cycle Facility, Director of PANGEA Research Centre, and UNSW Node Director of ARC Centre for Excellence in Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Ever wanted to own your own wind farm? Well now you can. Dominique McCollum Coy, Doctoral Researcher, Behaviour Change Graduate Research Industry Partnership (GRIP), Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University Roger Dargaville, Senior lecturer & Deputy Director Monash Energy Institute, Monash University Shirin Malekpour, Senior Lecturer and Research Lead, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

From a purely environmental perspective, owning multiple reusable face masks, and machine-washing them together, is the best option. Mayuri Wijayasundara, Lecturer, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

New research found nearly half of land-based ecosystems and threatened species in Australia have inadequate protections. Yet most of the budget for national parks will go to infrastructure upgrades. Sean Maxwell, Research Fellow, The University of Queensland James Watson, Professor, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

It remains to be seen whether China's climate promise is genuine. But it puts pressure on many other nations – not least Australia – to follow. Hao Tan, Associate professor, University of Newcastle Elizabeth Thurbon, Scientia Fellow and Associate Professor in International Relations / International Political Economy, UNSW John Mathews, Professor Emeritus, Macquarie Business School, Macquarie University Sung-Young Kim, Senior Lecturer in International Relations, Discipline of Politics & International Relations, Macquarie School of Social Sciences, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Agriculture is the dominant cause for the increasing N₂O concentrations. Emissions must be reduced if we hope to stabilise Earth's climate. Pep Canadell, Chief research scientist, Climate Science Centre, CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere; and Executive Director, Global Carbon Project, CSIRO Eric Davidson, Director, Appalachian Laboratory and Professor, University of Maryland, Baltimore Glen Peters, Research Director, Center for International Climate and Environment Research - Oslo Hanqin Tian, Director, International Center for Climate and Global Change Research, Auburn University Michael Prather, Distinguished Professor of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine Paul Krummel, Research Group Leader, CSIRO Rob Jackson, Professor, Department of Earth System Science, and Chair of the Global Carbon Project, Stanford University Rona Thompson, Senior scientist, Norwegian Institute for Air Research Wilfried Winiwarter, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

COVID-19 pandemic has seen the Morrison government abandon long-held dogma on debt and deficits. But on climate and energy, it's singing from the same old songbook. John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We found 92 threatened species reported in industrial catch records. This is shameful and unnecessary. Leslie Roberson, PhD Candidate, The University of Queensland Carissa Klein, Postdoctoral research fellow in conservation biology, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Motorways were once seen as a way of reducing congestion in our towns and cities. But the more we build, the more they fill with drivers. Simon Kingham, Professor, University of Canterbury Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

This is up to 35 times more than the estimated weight of plastic pollution on the ocean’s surface. Britta Denise Hardesty, Principal Research Scientist, Oceans and Atmosphere Flagship, CSIRO Chris Wilcox, Senior Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO Justine Barrett, Research assistant, CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

New Zealand's climate policy is largely copied from other countries, and when judged against objectives such as the 1.5°C target, its actions remain inadequate. David Hall, Senior Researcher in Politics, Auckland University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A used electric vehicle can be yours for well under A$20,000. But supply is limited and, like with any major purchase, there are potential pitfalls. Alina Dini, Industry Fellow at the Institute for Future Environments, Queensland University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia is known as the 'land of the lizards'. These photos show why they deserve more of your attention. Kristian Bell, PhD candidate, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.