The Conversation

New Zealanders are increasingly concerned about the state of the environment, but many don’t feel a strong enough connection to nature to become involved in conservation projects. Scott Burnett, Research assistant, Massey University Apisalome Movono, Senior Lecturer in Development Studies, Massey University Regina Scheyvens, Professor of Development Studies, Massey University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

It’s encouraging to see the Morrison government move past its claim electric vehicles would ‘end the weekend’. But the new plan is not the national electric vehicle strategy Australia deserves, and badly needs. Jake Whitehead, Tritum E-Mobility Fellow & Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellow, The University of Queensland Jessica Whitehead, Industry Fellow, The University of Queensland Kai Li Lim, St Baker E-Mobility Fellow, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Shipping requires vast amounts of fuel, and the questions of which country is responsible for emissions makes reaching agreements a mammoth and glacial task. Peter van Duyn, Maritime Logistics Expert, Centre for Supply Chain and Logistics (CSCL), Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We already have most technologies Australia needs to make the clean energy transition. What’s missing is a plan to deploy them at huge scale. Simon Holmes à Court, Senior advisor, Climate and Energy College, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Eco-anxiety is an understandable response to the many crises the world faces. Here are four ways to help you cope. Teaghan Hogg, PhD student, Clinical Psychology, University of Canberra Léan O'Brien, Lecturer, University of Canberra Samantha Stanley, Research Fellow in Psychology, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Week one in Glasgow has delivered more climate action than the world promised in Paris six years ago. But progress still falls well short of what’s required to limit warming to 1.5℃. Wesley Morgan, Research Fellow, Griffith Asia Institute and Climate Council researcher, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

New research shows just 2% of the Great Barrier Reef remains untouched by bleaching since 1998. Its future survival depends on how much higher we allow global temperatures to rise. Terry Hughes, Distinguished Professor, James Cook University Sean Connolly, Research Biologist, Smithsonian Institution Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

If we fail to balance the social impacts of climate change with responsible climate action, we risk substituting one kind of harm for another – and this would be a disaster of another kind. Nick Bainton, Associate Professor, The University of Queensland Deanna Kemp, Professor and Director, Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Most concerning is the long-term upward trends of CO₂ emissions form burning fossil fuels, which are far from trending towards net-zero by 2050. Pep Canadell, Chief research scientist, Climate Science Centre, CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere; and Executive Director, Global Carbon Project, CSIRO Corinne Le Quéré, Royal Society Research Professor of Climate Change Science, University of East Anglia Glen Peters, Research Director, Center for International Climate and Environment Research - Oslo Pierre Friedlingstein, Chair, Mathematical Modelling of Climate, University of Exeter Robbie Andrew, Senior Researcher, Center for International Climate and Environment Research - Oslo Rob Jackson, Professor, Department of Earth System Science, and Chair of the Global Carbon Project, Stanford University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

More than 100 nations have pledged to end deforestation by 2030. But there’s no mention of the need for Indigenous people to give their prior informed consent. Robert Hales, Director Centre for Sustainable Enterprise, Griffith University Rowan Foley, CEO of Aboriginal Carbon Foundation, Indigenous Knowledge Tim Cadman, Research Fellow with the Law Futures Centre and the Institute for Ethics, Governance and Law, Griffith University Toni Hay, Expert in Indigenous climate adaptation, Indigenous Knowledge Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Targets for reductions in methane and other greenhouse gases should be guided by science, and set in line with the Paris deal. Mark Howden, Director, ANU Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

New Zealand plans to shift to a circular economy but planning is split between agencies, is inconsistent and and contradictory, and it perpetuates a business-as-usual approach. Hannah Blumhardt, Senior Associate at the Institute of Governance and Policy Studies, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

What really matters is domestic policy; if countries don’t change what they’re doing at home to bring fossil fuels emissions to zero and restore degraded lands, such declarations are meaningless. Kate Dooley, Research Fellow, Climate & Energy College, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Can we breed kelp and other keystone species to survive warming and marine heatwaves? These techniques have promise – but they’re not a silver bullet. Cayne Layton, Postdoctoral fellow and lecturer, University of Tasmania Melinda Coleman, Principal Research Scientist Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A carbon tariff is a carbon tax applied to exports from countries such as Australian that don’t have one. Europe is planning to impose one. Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

This Australian climate policy gives cause for hope, but will it really lead to a well-adapted Australia? Sarah Boulter, Associate professor of climate adaptation, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Here are four ways the current electricity system favours existing, higher emitting technologies. These must be overcome to rapidly cut Australia’s emissions. Lee White, Research Fellow, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

New Zealand has announced a more ambitious pledge to cut emissions, but the commitment relies on buying credits from offshore. There is no system for doing this yet, or for ensuring genuine cuts. Robert McLachlan, Professor in Applied Mathematics, Massey University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

In the late 1990s, a mining company was planning to expand its Kakadu uranium mine into Jabiluka land. But the expansion ultimately failed, thanks to Yvonne Maragula and Jacqui Katona. Jacqui Katona, Lecturer, Victoria University Lily O'Neill, Research Fellow, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Battery electric cars are an ideal choice for light-duty and shorter commutes, but for long-haul trucks or buses, hydrogen fuel cells offer higher loads, shorter refuelling times and a longer range. Soheil Mohseni, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Sustainable Energy Systems, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Alan Brent, Professor and Chair in Sustainable Energy Systems, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington James Hinkley, Senior lecturer, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.