The Conversation

In the red corner is the octopus with eight muscular, hyper-flexible arms. In the blue corner is the bird with killer vision and two sharp claws for catching prey with incredible speed and precision. Zoe Doubleday, ARC Future Fellow and marine biologist, University of South Australia Erica Durante, PhD Candidate, University of South Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australians have endured floods, bushfires and hailstorms and more over the last two years. The government is better aligning policy to deal with disasters, but its plan is somewhat half-baked. Paul Barnes, Research Fellow (Disaster & Urban Resilience), UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The new commitments of state governments go some way to filling the void left by the lack of a national climate policy. The states should, and can, coordinate their efforts. Here's how. Tim Nelson, Associate Professor of Economics, Griffith University Joel Gilmore, Associate Professor, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Research into fox scents suggests a complex form of 'chemical communication' underlies the animal's behaviour. The findings could help improve pest control methods and protect native wildlife. Stuart McLean, Professor Emeritus, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Planting a garden for winter-active insects is a wonderful way to support local biodiversity. Your garden will thrive with the free pollination and pest control services the insects provide. Tanya Latty, Associate professor, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

When Antarctica's land-based ice melts, the land bounces up slightly as the weight of the ice lifts. This affects sea levels across the world, but not enough to offset sea-level rise. Robert McLachlan, Professor in Applied Mathematics, Massey University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Human farts and sneezes can be big — so imagine the size if they came from the world's biggest animals? Vanessa Pirotta, Wildlife scientist, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A proposal to change the way electricity generators and retailers strike contracts for electricity would be bad for both consumers and climate action. Daniel J Cass, Research Affiliate, Sydney Business School; Energy policy & regulatory lead at the Australia Institute, University of Sydney Joel Gilmore, Associate Professor, Griffith University Tim Nelson, Associate Professor of Economics, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Humanity can still limit global warming to 1.5°C this century. But political action will determine whether it actually does. Conflating the two questions amounts to dangerous, misplaced punditry. Bill Hare, Director, Climate Analytics, Adjunct Professor, Murdoch University (Perth), Visiting scientist, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research Carl-Friedrich Schleussner, Research Group Leader, Humboldt University of Berlin Joeri Rogelj, Director of Research and Lecturer - Grantham Institute Climate Change & the Environment, Imperial College London Piers Forster, Professor of Physical Climate Change; Director of the Priestley International Centre for Climate, University of Leeds Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Imagine constantly living with mice. When you go to sleep they run across your bed, the stench of dead mice fills the street. As an expert on mouse outbreaks, let's look at the issue in more detail. Steve Henry, Research Officer, CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Incredibly, once the wells dried up some became nurseries for the germination and establishment of wetland trees. Erick Lundgren, PhD Student, Centre for Compassionate Conservation, University of Technology Sydney Arian Wallach, Lecturer, Centre for Compassionate Conservation, University of Technology Sydney Daniel Ramp, Associate Professor and Director, Centre for Compassionate Conservation, University of Technology Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Businesses have long been a big part of the climate problem. They shouldn't scale back environmental initiatives when it all feels too hard. Sukhbir Sandhu, Associate Professor in Sustainability and Ethics, University of South Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

First the fires, then the pandemic. It’s not just the damage to infrastructure, houses, environment and farmland that makes recovery difficult; the emotional and physical toll is often gruelling too. Celeste Young, Collaborative Research Fellow, Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities (ISILC), Victoria University Roger Jones, Professorial Research Fellow, Victoria University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Two billion people already eat 'prawns of the land', so why don't many Australians? A new CSIRO industry roadmap on edible insects explains why we should bring bugs into mainstream diets. Bryan Lessard, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, CSIRO Rocio Ponce-Reyes, Research Scientist, CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

New Zealand recently became the first country to make climate-related financial disclosures mandatory, but it has some way to go to scale up investment in climate resilience. David Hall, Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences and Public Policy, Auckland University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

One mammal, the long-tailed planigale, can weigh less than a 10-cent coin. But it's ferocious, bringing down far larger prey with persistent, savage biting to the head and neck Andrew Baker, Senior Lecturer, Queensland University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

There's still a very good chance of recovery for most of these species, but only with new targeted conservation effort. Michael F. Braby, Associate Professor, Australian National University Hayley Geyle, Research Assistant, Charles Darwin University Jaana Dielenberg, University Fellow, Charles Darwin University Phillip John Bell, University Associate, School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania Richard V Glatz, Associate research scientist, University of Adelaide Roger Kitching, Emeritus Professor, Griffith University Tim R New, Retired: Emeritus Professor in Zoology, La Trobe University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The Morrison government and South Australian government struck this landmark deal ahead of the Biden Summit last week. Let's take a hard look at the good and bad bits. Samantha Hepburn, Director of the Centre for Energy and Natural Resources Law, Deakin Law School, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

For the first time, political will and global public opinion seem focused on profound climate action. This decade will be a decisive one. Gabi Mocatta, Lecturer in Communication, Deakin University, and Research Fellow in Climate Change Communication, Climate Futures Program, University of Tasmania Rebecca Harris, Senior Lecturer in Climatology, Director, Climate Futures Program, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

There was palpable relief as Biden brought the US back to the table on global climate action, warning "we have to get this done". Depressingly, Morrison showed little sign of hearing the message. Lesley Hughes, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University Will Steffen, Emeritus Professor, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.