The Conversation

All plants take up carbon dioxide when they grow, but when they are harvested or cut down, they release the greenhouse gas back into the atmosphere. Sebastian Leuzinger, Associate Professor, Auckland University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia is one of the sunniest and windiest countries on the planet, but emissions are still rising. How do you justify that? Tim Baxter, Fellow - Melbourne Law School; Senior Researcher - Climate Council; Associate - Australian-German Climate and Energy College, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

'Switchers' who change their energy retailers often are following accepted wisdom, but research shows it saves them far less than expected. Bruce Mountain, Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

It’s official. The outlook for the Great Barrier Reef has been downgraded to “very poor”, and the window to act is closing. Terry Hughes, Distinguished Professor, James Cook University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Many Australians are unprepared for the worse-than-average bushfire season ahead - even those in high-risk areas. Richard Thornton, Chief Executive Officer, Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

In an often-muted bush landscape, the deep crimson of the waratah stands out like a shout. Jacob Krauss, Graduate Student, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

How super is a super coral? And what are they super at? Protecting our coral reefs means we need to find out. Emma F Camp, DECRA & UTS Chancellor's Research Fellow, Climate Change Cluster, Future Reefs Research Programe, University of Technology Sydney David Suggett, Associate Professor in Marine Biology, University of Technology Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Dry and warm conditions in winter are set to continue into spring, and the likely culprit is the positive Indian Ocean Dipole Jonathan Pollock, Climatologist, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Andrew B. Watkins, Manager of Long-range Forecast Services, Australian Bureau of Meteorology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

At best, nuking a hurricane will do nothing, and at worst it will spread radioactive fallout around the world. Liz Ritchie-Tyo, Associate Professor, School of Physical, Environmental, and Mathematical Sciences, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Melting Siberian permafrost is exposing long-dead mammoths, creating a new trade in mammoth ivory. Zara Bending, Associate, Centre for Environmental Law, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Traditional market transactions ignore the costs of greenhouse gas emissions. An emissions trading scheme is a tool to put a price on emissions and to influence us to choose lower-emission options. Catherine Leining, Policy Fellow, Climate Change, Motu Economic and Public Policy Research Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Former fishermen in the Philippines are lifting their families out of poverty through whale shark tourism. Judi Lowe, PhD Candidate, Southern Cross University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Acidic oceans are disrupting a major part of the carbon cycle, slowing how seas absorb carbon from the atmosphere. This could massively speed up the effects of climate change.v Katherina Petrou, Senior Lecturer in Phytoplankton Ecophysiology, University of Technology Sydney Daniel Nielsen, Casual Academic, University of Technology Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

How can Australia's new Inspector General be expected to inspect waterways without a firm grasp of how much water in in them? Quentin Grafton, Director of the Centre for Water Economics, Environment and Policy, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University John Williams, Adjunct Professor Environment and Natural Resources, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The Amazon is burning at record levels, and land clearing is to blame. The good news: we already know what we need to do to stop it. Danilo Ignacio de Urzedo, PhD candidate, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The likelihood of half of Victoria being plunged into blackout are low – but the question reveals growing tension between the energy market and its regulators. Bruce Mountain, Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Six months after huge floods swept Queensland we can start to appreciate the huge effect they had on native species. Gabriel Crowley, Adjunct Principal Research Fellow, James Cook University Noel D Preece, Adjunct Asssociate Professor, James Cook University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Human-driven land clearing and climate change are sending plants extinct at a rapid rate, risking a devastating biodiversity crash. Jaco Le Roux, Associate Professor, Macquarie University Florencia Yanelli, Researcher, Stellenbosch University Heidi Hirsch, Postdoctoral research fellow, Stellenbosch University José María Iriondo Alegría, Catedrático de universidad en el área de Botánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos Marcel Rejmánek, Emeritus professor, University of California, Davis Maria Loreto Castillo, PhD Candidate, Stellenbosch University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

State renewable energy targets have been driving energy investment in Australia. 'Where and when' the generation and transmission build occurs varies substantially under a national approach. Scott Hamilton, Strategic Advisory Panel Member, Australian-German Energy Transition Hub, University of Melbourne Changlong Wang, Researcher, The Energy Transition Hub, University of Melbourne Roger Dargaville, Senior lecturer, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Populism focuses on charismatic individuals. Environmentalism is all about collective action on collective solutions. How do they come together? Mark Beeson, Professor of International Politics, University of Western Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.