Australian inaction on climate change threatens citizen health

The Australian government’s policy inaction on climate change is threatening lives, according to a report in the Medical Journal of Australia.

Tracking the climate threat to Australian ecosystems

Evidence of the impact of climate change on our country’s distinct flora and fauna is beginning to emerge, and we’re running out of time to record and preserve our extraordinary biodiversity.

Who’s not pulling their weight in the Paris Agreement?

Many countries are falling short of their commitments to reduce carbon emissions. Would new aspirational goals which would allow for collective self-interest help the world reach the goals agreed in the Paris Agreement?

Preparing for our new extremes

Australia has a well-earned reputation for being a land of extremes – from cyclones to bushfires and floods to drought. This high variability can make it difficult to prepare for all eventualities. But scientists are gaining a better understanding of the likelihood and consequences of extreme events.

Australian experts call for more climate action

Twenty two eminent Australian scholars and health experts have signed a letter demanding the Federal Government phase out coal by 2050 following its rejection of a United Nations (UN) report warning that world has 12 years to limit a climate change catastrophe.

We have so many ways to pursue a healthy climate – it’s insane to wait any longer

Humanity faces a wide spectrum of “wicked” environmental challenges, from sustaining food production to providing clean water and maintaining wildlife diversity and the green environments that ensure the survival of complex life on Earth but there are many practical measures we can and should take now to start making things better.

Did climate change wipe out the Australian lion?

Scientists now believe Thylacoleo carnifex was probably a victim of the drying out of Australia, which began about 350,000 years ago, rather than from the impact of humans.

The climate threat to cities past and present

The fall of Angkor has long puzzled historians, archaeologists and scientists, but now a University of Sydney research team is one step closer to discovering what led to the city’s demise — and it comes with a warning for modern urban communities.

What the past can tell us about the future of climate change

For several millennia during the last interglacial period, temperatures were higher than pre-industrial levels. Given the dire forecasts of global warming’s impact, what can the historical record tell us about the future of our climate?

Will 2018 be the year of climate action?

As climate extremes mount, let’s reflect on Victorian London’s ‘Great Stink’ sewage crisis – when things finally became so bad authorities were forced to accept evidence, reject sceptics, and act.

Climate change will create strange bedfellows on deep ocean reefs

By 2060, deep ocean reefs in the cooler waters off south eastern Australia are likely to be substantially different, becoming more tropical in response to climate driven ocean warming.

We must strengthen, not weaken, environmental protections during drought – or face irreversible loss

Australian rural communities face hardships during extended drought but subverting or weakening existing protective conservation management practices and policies will exacerbate the impacts of drought on natural environments and biodiversity.