The Conversation

After the woolly mammoth and other megafauna became extinct, surviving animals mingled less. This has big implications for modern conservation. Aniko Blanka Toth, Postdoctoral Fellow, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Extreme fire risk will overlap with weather patterns to create fire tornadoes more often under climate change. Giovanni Di Virgilio, Research associate, UNSW Andrew Dowdy, Senior Research Scientist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Jason Evans, Associate Professor, UNSW Jason Sharples, Associate Professor, School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences, UNSW Australia, UNSW Rick McRae, Researcher, Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre, ACT Emergency Services Agency Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

For every ten centimetres of sea level rise, the chances of a 100-year coastal flood increase three-fold. This means we'll have to build flood defenses or retreat from the coast. James Renwick, Professor, Physical Geography (climate science), Victoria University of Wellington Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Indigenous people learnt to use fire skillfully and to their advantage, including to moderate bushfires. In this time of crisis, we must learn from them. David Bowman, Professor of Pyrogeography and Fire Science, University of Tasmania Ben J. French, PhD student in Environmental Change Biology, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Measurements and modelling have found nitrous oxide emissions, a greenhouse gas 265 times more potent than carbon dioxide, are significantly higher than previously reported. Pep Canadell, Chief research scientist, CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere; and Executive Director, Global Carbon Project, CSIRO Hanqin Tian, Director, International Center for Climate and Global Change Research, Auburn University Prabir Patra, Senior Scientist, Dy. Group Leader, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) Rona Thompson, Senior scientist, Norwegian Institute for Air Research Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia devotes countless resources to fighting bushfires, but precious little to examining the main cause - humans. Janet Stanley, Associate professor/Principal Research Fellow, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Central banks are increasingly taking into account climate change in deciding how to invest. John Hawkins, Assistant professor, University of Canberra Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Despite the hype around hazard reduction burning this week, evidence shows the measure does not necessarily reduce the bushfire risk. Trent Penman, Associate professor, University of Melbourne Kate Parkins, Bushfire Risk Analyst, University of Melbourne Sarah McColl-Gausden, PhD student, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Recent debates about the future of nuclear power in Australia make much of the potential of the next generation of reactors. Heiko Timmers, Associate Professor of Physics, School of Science, UNSW Canberra, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Emergency Leaders for Climate Action have a simple message: we're in “a new age of unprecedented bushfire danger” due to climate change. But Morrison refuses to acknowledge it as a central issue. Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

In this podcast, David Littleproud says "as elected officials, we've got a responsibility" to wait for the right time to talk about the link between climate change and the ongoing bushfires. Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

During an emergency it's vital you know what your animals need, where you can take them and what your local rules are. Fortunately, there are plans in place and guidelines to help. Ashleigh Best, PhD Candidate in Law, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Politicians and the media often stoke tensions between the city and the country. Nowhere is this more common than on the issue of land clearing - and the consequences can be tragic. Tanya M Howard, Senior research fellow, University of New England Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Waste-to-energy incineration has been raised as a solution to the global plastic waste problem, but the technology adds pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and encourages more waste production. Trisia Farrelly, Senior Lecturer, Massey University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The Earth has experienced five periods of mass extinction. Scientists can't quite be certain yet, but they're fairly sure we're now well into the sixth. Frédérik Saltré, Research Fellow in Ecology, Flinders University Corey J. A. Bradshaw, Matthew Flinders Fellow in Global Ecology and Models Theme Leader for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Flinders University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Discussions about climate change often skirt around the issue of population growth, but it is the main driver of rising carbon dioxide levels and many other environmental changes on a planetary scale. Michael Petterson, Professor of Geology, Auckland University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Fire officials warn that this week's catastrophic fire conditions are "where people die". Climate change has arrived, and politicians should drop the meaningless rhetoric. Janet Stanley, Associate professor/Principal Research Fellow, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Pressure is mounting on Australia's dairy farmers, from farm gate prices to animal welfare concerns, and technology that could produce milk without cows. Andrew Fisher, Professor of Cattle & Sheep Production Medicine, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

They escaped to the coast for the quiet life, but now sea-changers are in the path of monster fires. Ross Bradstock, Professor, Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires, University of Wollongong Rachael Helene Nolan, Postdoctoral research fellow, Western Sydney University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

An inconclusive COAG meeting comes after years of inquiries, announcements, initiatives, investigations and reviews. Australia is no closer to actually tackling our waste problems. Trevor Thornton, Lecturer, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.