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Environment + Energy – Articles, Analysis, Comment

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Industrial activities like mining, fossil fuel combustion, and cement production release mercury into the environment. Shutterstock

Plants safely store toxic mercury. Bushfires and climate change bring it back into our environment

Plants can store mercury and keep it from contaminating waterways, air and soils. Unfortunately, that mercury is released when plants burn.
When bushfires break out anywhere across Australia, a new national bushfire defence force – like army reservists – could be deployed. AAP/DFES Lewis van Bommel

Australia needs a national fire inquiry – these are the 3 key areas it should deliver in

There is a real risk a national inquiry could get bogged down in politics, or not lead to real change. But we need more federal action on bushfires. Our old approaches are broken.
The United Nations predicts the world will be home to nearly 10 billion people by 2050 – making global greenhouse emission cuts ever more urgent. NASA/Joshua Stevens

As Earth’s population heads to 10 billion, does anything Australians do on climate change matter?

To be clear, I’m not advocating compulsory population control, here or anywhere. But we do need to consider a future with billions more people, many of them aspiring to live as Australians do now.
Without a radical change of course on climate change, Australians will struggle to survive on this continent, let alone thrive. AAP/Dave Hunt

Scientists hate to say ‘I told you so’. But Australia, you were warned

For decades Australian scientists have, clearly and respectfully, warned about the risks to Australia of a rapidly heating climate. After this season’s fires, perhaps it’s time to listen.
Glossy black cockatoo populations on Kangaroo Island have been decimated. But a few precious survivors remain. Flickr

Conservation scientists are grieving after the bushfires – but we must not give up

The destruction of recent fires is challenging our belief that with enough time, love and money, every threatened species can be saved. But there is plenty we can, and must, now do.
Three North American little brown bats with signs of white-nose syndrome, which is virtually certain to hit Australian bats without further action. KDFWR/Terry Derting

Australia’s threatened bats need protection from a silent killer: white-nose syndrome

It’s been a deadly summer for Australia’s wildlife. But beyond the fires, we need to act now to protect bats – which make up a quarter of Australian mammal species – from a silent overseas killer.
Prescribed burning in thinned silver top ash forest. Forest thinning should be one way we tackle fire management and forest resilience, but we need more research to understand the best way to go about it. Chris Weston

Forest thinning is controversial, but it shouldn’t be ruled out for managing bushfires

Forest thinning is a good way to lower the risk of fire, but there are potential downsides.
At least 250 threatened species have had their habitat hit by fires. Gena Dray

Six million hectares of threatened species habitat up in smoke

Approximately 70 nationally threatened species have had at least 50% of their range burnt, while nearly 160 threatened species have had more than 20% burnt.
You may be surprised to learn that the F1’s biggest contributor to the carbon footprint is not the cars themselves. JAMES ROSS/AAP

Formula 1 says it’s going carbon neutral but fans must demand greater detail on how

F1 has promised a move to ‘credible offsets and breakthrough C02 sequestration programs’. But there’s a persistent lack of clear detail in the how, what and where.