Dave Frame, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
In pulling out of the Paris climate agreement, Donald Trump has turned his back not just on the world but on the low-carbon economy. He should pay heed to a very apt lesson from China’s history.
Donald Trump has fulfilled his pledge to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement struck in 2015, leaving China and Europe with the job of preventing other nations from following suit.
Australia sends 20 million tonnes of garbage to landfill every year. With thousands of sites across the nation, it’s hard to track exactly how many there are, where they are, and what’s filling them.
The environmental regulator has stepped in to stop water pollution from an underground coal mine damaging a World Heritage River. Can the mine deliver improvements and will the river recover?
Tropical coral reefs can be saved from climate change and other pressures, but the window of opportunity is closing. And reefs are guaranteed to be markedly different in the future.
While the gases most responsible for global warming - carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide - continue to climb, other industrial greenhouse gases are being brought gradually under control.
Dana Cordell, University of Technology Sydney; Dena Fam, University of Technology Sydney, and Nick Florin, University of Technology Sydney
Regulation can’t keep up with the thousands of harmful chemicals that wash down our drains. Rather, companies should take responsibility for their products – before they hit the market.
Some experts say it’s better for the US to leave the Paris Agreement than white-ant it from within. But that ignores the damage that a US withdrawal would do to the fabric of global multilateralism.
Legislation designed to protect wildlife is being rolled back or ignored in all sorts of ways in all sorts of places, according to a new global database of attacks on green tape.
Our clothes are cheaper, flimsier and shorter-lived than ever. But jeans, a staple of the modern wardrobe, are actually designed to be long-lasting – provided you take proper care of them.
Many people are confused about what they can and can’t recycle, and whether they need to clean everything before it goes in the bin. The best plan is to check the details with your local council.
Biologists have a centuries-old tradition of publishing on rare and endangered species. But poachers are using open-access information to target valuable and fragile new species.
When the Hume Highway was widened, hundreds of nest boxes were installed to replace habitat for three threatened species. Four years of monitoring has concluded the program is entirely unsuccessful.
Better energy management could reduce peak demand by the equivalent of two Hazelwood power stations. It’s time to get serious about demand response solutions to our energy crisis.
If the US stays in the Paris deal but misses its targets, the deal could look like a sham. But if Trump carries out his threat to withdraw, the US veto would be gone, and other nations might step up.
The energy security crisis has politicians leaping to unveil various schemes. But we don’t need piecemeal action – the Finkel review, due in June, aims to create a coherent new energy blueprint.
Nick Florin, University of Technology Sydney and Ben Madden, University of Technology Sydney
A recycling company has received tens of millions from the federal government to develop solid waste fuel. This fuel reduces landfill, shrinks our carbon footprint and protects the environment.
A new Climate Council report points out that the Paris Agreement’s carbon budget leaves no room for the development of massive new coal reserves such as the proposed Carmichael mine.
Earlier this year Australia’s energy market operator warned of a gas shortage, sparking fears of an energy crisis. But new research shows the projected shortfall is so small, it may already be closed.