The Conversation

Transmission towers bent like soft plastic when extreme winds whipped through Victoria last week. Fixing it means asking hard questions. Bruce Mountain, Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The recent Port Hills fires highlight the increasing wildfire risks caused by climate change. Reducing the threat is going to take a shift in strategy, investment and community engagement. Nathanael Melia, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow – Climate Science, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The best strategy to protecting Earth’s coral reefs is to dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions. But in the meantime, we must urgently make corals more resilient. Kate Marie Quigley, DECRA Research Fellow (James Cook University), Principal Research Scientist (Minderoo Foundation), James Cook University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australian vehicle emissions are even worse than official figures show and are likely to fall even further behind the rest of the world unless much more ambitious policies are adopted. Robin Smit, Adjunct Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

From sacrificial bark to fire-germinating gumnuts to stealthy buds the eucalyptus has evolved an arsenal of protective measures. Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

One of the world’s largest programs to eradicate multiple predators and pests has started to restore the island and its once vast nesting colonies to their former glory. Jeremy Bird, Research Associate, Ecology and Biodiversity, University of Tasmania Justine Shaw, Senior Research Fellow in Antarctic and island conservation science, Queensland University of Technology Richard Fuller, Professor in Biodiversity and Conservation, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We’re all familiar with fire. But do you really know what it is and how it starts? Here’s the chemistry of fire – and why Australia is so prone to going up in flames. Jason Dutton, Professor of Chemistry, La Trobe University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Exposure to asbestos can cause the same cancer in dogs as it does in humans. Recent cases of asbestos-contaminated mulch highlight the need to better protect our pets. Chiara Palmieri, Professor, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We’ve brought some species back from the brink – but more and more are being threatened. Here’s why Frédérik Saltré, Research Fellow in Ecology for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Flinders University Corey J. A. Bradshaw, Matthew Flinders Professor of 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.

Green anacondas are the world’s heaviest snakes, and among the longest. it’s remarkable this hidden species has slipped under the radar until now. Bryan G. Fry, Professor of Toxicology, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

There are two approaches to producing low-emission hydrogen, and public acceptance (or rejection) of each method will be important for hydrogen and its place in the energy transition. Mitchell Scovell, Research Scientist, CSIRO Andrea Walton, Social Scientist, CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We sampled sewage sludge from 13 wastewater treatment plants across three states. We found every resident adds microplastics to farmland, in dried sewage sludge (biosolids) used as fertiliser. Shima Ziajahromi, Advance Queensland Research Fellow, Griffith University Frederic Leusch, Professor of Environmental Science, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

As other nations race to restructure their economies in line with a low-carbon future, Australia risks being left behind. An economy-shaping tax on fossil fuels is a conversation we must have. Ian A. MacKenzie, Professor of Economics, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We’re going to build a lot more solar as we race to clean up the grid. But as the world heats up, solar will degrade faster in hot, humid areas. We need to plan ahead. Shukla Poddar, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Photovoltaics and Renewable Energy Engineering, UNSW Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The ‘20°C effect’ could give us new insights into how temperature controls ecosystems and influences evolution – as well as how species might adapt to climate change. Mark John Costello, Professor, Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture, Nord University Ross Corkrey, Adjunct Senior Researcher in Biostatistics, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Climate change is increasing the risks of extreme heat, floods and bushfires, meaning more people are having to consider moving home. But different people come to different decisions. Justine Dandy, Associate Professor, Centre for People, Place & Planet, and School of Arts and Humanities, Edith Cowan University Zoe Leviston, Research Fellow, College of Health and Medicine, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

When we see false information circulating, we might move to debunk it. But prebunking lies and explaining manipulation techniques can work better. Christian Turney, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Research, University of Technology Sydney Sander van der Linden, Professor of Social Psychology in Society, University of Cambridge Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

It’s a horror story unfolding in the west that could sweep across the country. Beware the shot-hole borer, an exotic pest that threatens our tree crops, plantations, urban forests and wild places. Theo Evans, Associate Professor, The University of Western Australia Bruce Webber, Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia’s Soft Plastics Taskforce has been under pressure to fill the vacuum left by the demise of REDcycle. But this time the small trial announced for Melbourne has the potential to succeed. Anya Phelan, Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Our new maps show coral reefs are more extensive than we thought. Mitchell Lyons, Postdoctoral research fellow, The University of Queensland Stuart Phinn, Professor of Geography, Director - Remote Sensing Research Centre, Chair - Earth Observation Australia, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.