Greenhouse gases

Analysis and Comment (11)

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By studying ice cores, researchers can measure the methane emissions from thousands of years earlier. Arabani/Flickr

Humans did affect the atmosphere – even before industrialisation

By Célia Sapart, Utrecht University

The past is the key to the future. When snow falls on polar ice sheets, in Greenland and Antarctica for example, air is trapped between the snowflakes. Year after year, the snow compacts under its own…
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Tony Abbott described the carbon tax as a python that would strangle the economy, but it’s more of a lolly snake. Flickr/anenomeprojectors

Why the carbon-tax ‘python’ won’t squeeze the economy

By Alan Pears AM, RMIT University

Some critics of carbon pricing have pointed out that, over time, the carbon price will increase to a much higher level and devastate the economy. Indeed, the image of a python squeezing the life out of…
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Economic modelling shows Australia’s GDP will be modestly affected by the carbon tax in the long term: but the equitable redistribution of tax revenue will be critical. AAP

The carbon tax: insurance against climate change?

By Philip Adams, Monash University; Janine Dixon, Monash University, and Peter Dixon, Monash University

Cutting greenhouse gas emissions is like buying an insurance policy: we incur a cost to reduce a risk. Every year Australians spend millions on insuring homes, cars and their health, not because they know…
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Landcare get-together: reducing our toll on nature comes in part from many of us taking steps that individually are not always so big, but which accumulate. The carbon tax is one such step. Flickr/feral arts

Little by little: the benefits of Australian climate policy

By Roger Jones, Victoria University

A catchment threatened by salinity can’t be repaired by one or two landholders. Revegetation designed to lower watertables has its greatest ecological benefit where the plants are, but its net impact on…
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The two major parties have taken different approaches to compensating households for the carbon tax. Jonas B

The carbon tax, compensation and households: a two-party comparison

By John Freebairn, University of Melbourne

The two main political parties agree to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 to 5% below the 2000 level, or about a 20% reduction below business as usual. However, they propose very different policy…
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The 8km-high volcano, Maat Mons, is only one of the reasons to head back to Venus. NASA/JPL

Venus calling – let’s return to the planet of love

By Alice Gorman, Flinders University

Last week the world stopped to watch as the black disc of Venus inched its way across the face of the sun. But beyond the transits that capture our attention roughly twice per century, Venus has always…
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Carbon double-take: shoppers will turn to eco-friendly groceries, mainly when they’re cheap. Flickr/Bruce A Stockwell

Do carbon labels change shopping behaviour?

By Jerry Vanclay

If everyday items were labelled according to the carbon emissions embodied in them, would shoppers change what they buy? And if they did, would it make a difference in the grand scheme of things? Voluntary…
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The one feature of the government’s carbon price framework which has received little analysis is compensation to households. AAP

Why compensating households affected by the carbon tax is bad economic policy

By Peter Lloyd, University of Melbourne

There are many features of the design of the Gillard government’s controversial and complex carbon legislation that can be questioned. For example, Australia’s unilateral action; the two-phase carbon tax…
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It looks delicious, but is a diet free of red meat better for the planet? stu spivack

Could your diet save the planet?

By Richard Eckard, University of Melbourne

By now most of us have read articles suggesting we “eat less red meat and save the planet”. Some may also have heard statements by the chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Dr Rajendra…
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A blimp-like balloon can be used to pump particles into the upper atmosphere.

Geo-engineering: why research something we never want to use?

By Kirsty Kuo, University of Cambridge

What if the world left it too long to take action on global climate change? Is there a way we could somehow cool the planet before an environmental crisis occurs? Geo-engineering is a potential course…

Research and News (6)

Research Briefs (12)

Mapping methane across America

University of California, Santa Barbara’s Marine Science Institute

Researchers in the US have done the first ever whole-country study of methane emissions. In some cases they found higher…

Air pollution can increase cyclone intensity

National Science Foundation (USA)

New research has found that air pollution is making cyclones in the Arabian Sea more intense. Prevailing wind patterns normally…

Oceans can hide global warming for a decade

Bureau of Meteorology (Aus.) & National Centre for Atmospheric Research (US)

Computer simulations of global climate have shown that the planet’s oceans can mask the presence of global warming for as…

A canopy view of climate change

University of Nottingham

A touring art installation has used real-time data collected from the canopies of trees to raise awareness about the environmental…

They come in (green)peace

Acta Astronautica

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions might just save humanity from an alien invasion, according to researchers from Penn State…

Participants (132)