The Conversation

Australia's federal environment laws are inadequate to halt Australia's alarming rates of land clearing and species loss. A more robust set of laws are urgently needed. Samantha Hepburn, Director of the Centre for Energy and Natural Resources Law, Deakin Law School, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

'Virtual power plants' offer extra power to the grid by tweaking the operation of batteries and appliances right across the network. But even this might be too blunt a tool for our future energy needs. Evan Franklin, Senior Lecturer - School of Engineering, Co-Director Future Energy, University of Tasmania Frank Jotzo, Director, Centre for Climate Economics and Policy, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The creation of climate models with open source code, available for anyone to use, has improved scientific collaboration and helped research get more efficient. Martin Jucker, Maritime Continent Research Fellow, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Flies need good grip because they often sleep upside down. Bryan Lessard, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

More than 180 individuals have moved between senior public service roles and the fossil fuel industry in Australia over the past decade - providing a golden escalator for former senior politicians. Adam Lucas, Senior Lecturer, Science and Technology Studies Program, University of Wollongong Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Some spiders produce silk than can actually be stronger than steel and 50 times as light. Andrew Walker, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The bizarre heatwave in the Arctic this week – with temperatures dozens of degrees above normal – is part of a growing trend of "warm air intrusions" that threaten to disrupt polar ice all year round. Amelie Meyer, Postdoctoral Researcher, Physical Oceanography, Norwegian Polar Institute Erik W. Kolstad, Research professor, Uni Research Mats Granskog, Senior research scientist, Norwegian Polar Institute Robert Graham, Postdoctoral Researcher, Climate Modelling, Norwegian Polar Institute Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Barnaby Joyce had a long history of opposing climate action. His successor Michael McCormack seems to think the same way, despite climate being a growing threat to the Nationals' rural voters. Marc Hudson, PhD Candidate, Sustainable Consumption Institute, University of Manchester Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Natural gas is touted as a “bridging fuel” to displace coal while moving to a low-carbon economy. In New Zealand, this is shortsighted and could lead to stranded assets and hold back renewables. Ralph Sims, Professor, School of Engineering and Advanced Technology, Massey University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

You may already have a smart meter at home, which monitors your electricity use at 30-minute intervals. But until you can access that data yourself, you could be missing out on the best power deals. Sangeetha Chandrashekeran, Lecturer in Geography and Deputy Director Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia's flagship climate policy, has spent more than $2 billion on emissions reductions, yet big businesses could wipe all this out. Time to resurrect the idea of a simple carbon tax. Ian A. MacKenzie, Senior Lecturer in Economics, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Researchers find that mainstream media in New Zealand tend to present fossil fuel development as positive for the economy, while framing opponents as irrational and extremist. Sophie Bond, Senior lecturer in geography, University of Otago Amanda Thomas, Lecturer in Environmental Studies, Victoria University of Wellington Gradon Diprose, Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences, Open Polytechnic Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Ocean acidification poses an increasing threat to the sediments that form the framework of coral reefs - within around 30 years, these carbonate sands may no longer be able to form. Bradley Eyre, Professor of Biogeochemistry, Director of the Centre for Coastal Biogeochemistry, Southern Cross University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

From the oil that makes your petrol, to car parts, to the groceries and other things in your weekly shop, retail consumerism is driving a boom in the amount of noise in the world's oceans. Andrew J. Wright, Marine Mammal Researcher, Fisheries and Oceans Canada Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Should Australia join the majority of the world and provide legal recognition of the human right to a healthy environment? Dr Meg Good, Adjunct Lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Birds can usually sense when they are not feeling well and like many other creatures, seem to seek out-of-the-way places to be alone. Grainne Cleary, Researcher, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Much of the world's ocean is teeming with 'cryptic' fish species, which are small and hard to spot. But a new technique shines a light on these fish, which may in turn help to keep our seas healthy. Maarten De Brauwer, PhD-candidate in Marine Ecology, Curtin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Drink containers end up in the ocean at a truly alarming rate. Simply paying people a small amount to return them cuts that rate by nearly half. Qamar Schuyler, Research Scientist, Oceans and Atmospheres, CSIRO Britta Denise Hardesty, Principal Research Scientist, Oceans and Atmosphere Flagship, CSIRO Chris Wilcox, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Our energy system puts consumers more or less at the mercy of business and regulators. What if the future of energy meant putting the power back in the hands of households? Hedda Ransan-Cooper, Research fellow, Australian National University Archie Chapman, Research Fellow in Smart Grids, University of Sydney Paul Scott, Research fellow, Australian National University Veryan Anastasia Joan Hann, PhD Candidate - Energy Policy Innovation, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Magnets, air blowers, centrifuges, crushers: your recyclables go through a lot before they get turned into something else. Trevor Thornton, Lecturer, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.