Environment + Energy – Views & Research

Four variously-coloured bats, including a Gould's wattled bat, lesser long-eared bat, large forest bat and little forest bat, in front of a white background.

Looking for bats after dark can help science – and change how we see them

Kelly Sheldrick, Murdoch University; Rochelle Steven, Murdoch University, and Trish Fleming, Murdoch University

Unlike anything I’ve seen: why this whale season has marine scientists puzzled

Olaf Meynecke, Griffith University

A humpback whale surfaces in the waters off Bahía Solano, Colombia.

Climate change is killing the plants of Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa. Aṉangu traditional owners are concerned

Rita Okai, Indigenous Knowledge; Andy (Andrea) Leigh, University of Technology Sydney; Boyd Wright, The University of Queensland; Jaylen Nicholson, Australian National University, and Nyinku Jingo, Indigenous Knowledge

Australia is cracking down on e-bikes and e-scooters. But is that what the public actually wants?

Milad Haghani, The University of Melbourne; Abbas Rajabifard, The University of Melbourne; Iman Taheri Sarteshnizi, The University of Melbourne, and Neema Nassir, The University of Melbourne

person with hand on a rental e-bike, city street and trees behind.

What makes a winning environmental campaign? We studied six decades of activism to find out

Robyn Gulliver, Deakin University and Tracy Schultz, The University of Queensland

$Protesters gather outside Parliament House in Brisbane holding signs opposing fracking.$

Bird flu

sea lion looking at the camera while swimming in the ocean.

Bird flu has claimed its first Australian sea lion and dolphin. How does the virus get into these animals?

Bill Bateman, Curtin University

Worried your pet might catch bird flu? Here’s what you can do

Sally Coggins, University of Sydney

A grey cat and a golden-coloured dog lie together on grass.

Bird flu could devastate Macquarie Island. Why are we removing the scientists we need to understand it?

Jane Younger, University of Tasmania; Amandine Gamble, Cornell University, and Augustin Clessin, Université de Montpellier

A king penguin with a researcher in the background.

What happens next with bird flu? An expert explains why monitoring matters

John Woinarski, Charles Darwin University

King penguins on Macquarie Island, about halfway between Tasmania and Antarctica.

Backyard bird feeding could be a bird flu ‘superspreader’. An expert explains

Darryl Jones, Griffith University

Two rainbow lorikeet birds sitting on and feeding from a human hand.

Energy and transport

The managing director and CEO of large energy company Santos sits during a conference.

Is Australia’s gas reservation scheme really aimed at Santos?

Samantha Hepburn, Deakin University

Electric long-haul trucks could become a reality sooner – if there’s no driver

Anthony Wiskich, Australian National University

Electric truck prime mover at car show in Germany.

Why are new wind farms stuck in the doldrums in Australia?

Kumuthini Sivathas, Adelaide University and Susan Stone, Adelaide University

wind farm on a hillside covered in shrubs and bush.

You’ve probably never heard of synchronous condensers. But they’re essential in the push for renewables

Md Ohirul Qays, CQUniversity Australia and Iftekhar Ahmad, Edith Cowan University

large piece of electrical machinery, blurred out worker in front.front of

NSW’s largest coal mine project is set to expand. Here’s what authorities got wrong about the trade-offs

Liz Hicks, The University of Melbourne

Two trucks haul ore or coal from a mine.

Good green news

We could soon be able to track changes in Australia’s forests in near-real time – using satellites

Brendan Choat, Western Sydney University and Daniel Falster, UNSW

Landscape of forest, woodlands and heath in the Blue Mountains

Liquid gold: could we turn our pee into fertiliser?

Jordan Roods, University of Technology Sydney and Kerry Tozer, University of Technology Sydney

Your house may be a haven for wildlife. It’s time we design homes with nature in mind

Bethany Kiss, The University of Melbourne and Sarah Bekessy, The University of Melbourne; RMIT University

Close-up of a wombat walking away from the bottom of a house.

We finally have some encouraging news on Great Barrier Reef water quality

Zoe Bainbridge, James Cook University and Rebecca Bartley, CSIRO

aerial view of river mouth surrounded by rainforest.

Unwelcome nature

From ‘gentle’ and ‘graceful’ to the ‘cane toad of the sky’: how Australia turned on the common myna

Simon Farley, The University of Melbourne

common myna bird on branch against blurred out background

Why the humble rabbit might be Australia’s worst introduced species

Ina Smith, CSIRO and Elena Smertina, CSIRO

swarm of feral rabbits at a waterhole in Australia

Invasive species do much more damage in Australia and NZ than elsewhere. But why?

Mike Lee, South Australian Museum; Flinders University

An invasive European Rabbit in the Flinders Ranges, Central Australia peeking above its burrow.

Introduced species aren’t good or bad. But when they slip from our control, we are quick to condemn them

Nancy Cushing, University of Newcastle

feral pig and two piglets in australian bush.

Climate change and weather

People watch the sun set while standing on a bridge, with only their silhouettes visible.

We must prepare entire cities for extreme heat. Our new study reveals how

Nicky Morrison, Western Sydney University; Patrick Harris, UNSW , and Vanita Yadav, Western Sydney University

The High Court looked at coal climate emissions overseas. But what about emissions at home?

Hayley Pring, Grattan Institute

An aerial view of a large open-cut coal mine

Extreme El Niños are coming. Reaching net zero sooner means facing fewer of them

Aditya Sengupta, The University of Melbourne; Andrew King, The University of Melbourne; Josephine Brown, The University of Melbourne; Mandy Freund, The University of Melbourne, and Nicola Maher, Australian National University

A palm tree is buffeted by strong winds, with a beach in the background.

Hoping for a ‘new normal’ climate is pointless. We must learn to adapt

James Hopeward, Adelaide University ; Andrew Lowe, Adelaide University , and Melissa Nursey-Bray, Adelaide University

aerial view of flooded village, water filling streets. tropical trees.

‘We will not be sacrificed’: Pacific climate voices were clear and strong this week – and we’re listening

Kathryn Bowen, The University of Melbourne

Fijian dancers perform at the Pre-Cop meeting in Nadi, Fiji.

Conservation and nature

Bottom trawlers do huge damage to life on undersea mountains. Could an end finally be in sight?

Elin Angharad Thomas, The University of Western Australia

Calling species ‘invasive’ – and culling them – isn’t done lightly. But it matters to Australia’s threatened species

Euan Ritchie, Deakin University

While some eucalypts are hard to kill, climate change may test the ability of others to survive

Eli R. Bendall, Western Sydney University and Rachael Helene Nolan, Western Sydney University

A forest with green shrubs in the foreground and blackened, smoking eucalypts in the background.

A botanist weighs in on our love-hate relationship with crepe myrtles

Gregory Moore, The University of Melbourne

A crepe myrtle blossom is pink and pretty

Deadly fungi are harming Australia’s wild reptiles. This is how to stop the spread

Patrick Champagne, The University of Queensland; Laura Grogan, The University of Queensland, and Shelly Butcher, The University of Queensland

A red-bellied black snake in leaf foliage.

Citizen science

Birdwatchers in the field with binoculars

How retirees, beachcombers and communities help scientists track everything from threatened species to algal blooms

Katie Irvine, Adelaide University and Ben Sparrow, Adelaide University

Want to be a citizen scientist? Here are 5 ways to get involved

Miki Perkins, The Conversation

A diver hovers over a pile of giant spider crabs

What we’ve learned from citizen science: 5 projects that made a difference

Signe Dean, The Conversation

‘My head feels clearer’: how citizen science can improve people’s health

Richard Fuller, The University of Queensland and Rachel Oh, National University of Singapore

Two people looking at birds in a forest using binoculars and a guidebook.

Future of food

Farmer puts his hand on a patch of soil, with the sun setting in the background.

What is no-till farming, and is it actually better for the environment?

David John Eldridge, UNSW

Time to buy local: war fuel price shocks reveal the folly of a long food supply chain

Kimberley Reis, Griffith University

Crowds look at fresh produce, crafts and plants at the Tarana Farmers Market in Tarana, near the Blue Mountains in NSW.

Intense heatwaves directly threaten crops and native species. Here’s what we can do

Owen Atkin, Australian National University; Adrienne Nicotra, Australian National University; Belinda Medlyn, Western Sydney University, and Michael Kearney, The University of Melbourne

wheat crop ready to harvest, golden stalks blue sky.

Nature, carbon, nutrition: 3 ways farming can shift from climate culprit to solution

Budiman Minasny, University of Sydney; Alex McBratney, University of Sydney, and Damien Field, University of Sydney

aerial view of lush farm with mixed fields and trees.

Dangerous climate change threatens Northern Australia’s big ‘food bowl’ dreams

Steve Turton, CQUniversity Australia

Pollution and human impact

What can free-living Indian street dogs teach us about how to care for pet dogs?

Daniel Ramp, University of Technology Sydney; Kapil Vishwas Patwardhan, University of Technology Sydney, and Rosalie Chapple, University of Technology Sydney

street dog on indian street resting, small vehicle in background.

Darwin residents want answers on toxic gas emissions. The science shows their concerns are warranted

Melissa Haswell, Queensland University of Technology and Kerrie Mengersen, Queensland University of Technology

Indigenous Australians were the world’s first astronomers. But their knowledge is now at risk

Kai Lane, Indigenous Knowledge; Jaana Dielenberg, Charles Darwin University, and Kaori Yokochi, Deakin University

Upward-looking view of the night sky through a forest of trees.

What can you actually put in your yellow recycling bin? An environmental scientist explains

Emily Bryson, CQUniversity Australia

Sustainable cities

We love TV reno shows. Could they help us build more sustainable homes?

Danie Nilsson, CSIRO

A couple rests between bouts of painting their apartment.

We’re building a New York-sized city every month. That’s worrying for our climate

Philip Oldfield, UNSW and William Craft, UNSW

Aerial view of the island of Manhattan, New York City.

By 2050, many Sydney apartments built to today’s standards could be too hot for weeks at a time

Shamila Haddad, University of Sydney; Arianna Brambilla, University of Sydney; Jingjing Liu, University of Sydney, and Mat Santamouris, UNSW

How one local council helped 1,200 low-income residents finance solar and home energy upgrades

Paris Hadfield, Monash University

Events

More Events

More Jobs

Environment + Energy – Views & Research – The Conversation

Top stories