Finding out what would motivate people to reduce their carbon emissions can be determined by examining behaviour.
The University of Wollongong Illawarra Flame House demonstrates how a typical Aussie fibro home can be transformed into a net-zero-energy sustainable home.
Dee Kramer
Buyers pay more for a home they know has a good energy rating. That’s worth an extra 2.4-9.4% in the only part of Australia where energy ratings must be disclosed at the time of sale.
Changing incandescent light bulbs (right) to LEDs (left) is an example of eco-efficiency, but it can also have unintended consequences.
Shutterstock
Often presented as one of the best ways to save energy, eco-efficiency often proves to be less effective than one might think.
While many Australian households have solar power, our very large houses and wasteful use of building space are factors in our very high emissions.
Jen Watson/Shutterstock
Making better use of existing building space is a neglected but essential way to cut our carbon emissions. The key is human behaviour. Good low-carbon citizens will help create good low-carbon cities.
Smoke from a coal-fired Beijing power plant that closed in 2017 as part of China’s transition to cleaner energy.
AP Photo/Andy Wong
The United Nations is calling on world governments to step up action against climate change. Can China, the world’s biggest carbon emitter, fulfill its pledges?
Increasing heat in Sydney and other Australian cities highlights the urgent need to apply our knowledge of how to create liveable low-carbon cities.
Taras Vyshnya/Shutterstock
The research has been done. The evidence is in. We know how to create cities that are sustainable, liveable and affordable. But we have yet to apply that knowledge widely across Australian cities.
Most new houses being built in Australia do no better than comply with the minimum energy performance required by regulations.
Brendon Esposito/AAP
Australia requires a minimum six-star energy rating for new housing. New homes average just 6.2 stars, so builders are doing the bare minimum to comply, even as the costs of this approach are rising.
Australia’s new National Construction Code doesn’t go far enough in preparing our built environment for climate change.
Sergey Molchenko/Shutterstock
Fires and building failures highlighted serious gaps in Australian building regulations. But recent revisions and recommendations still fall short of preparing our buildings for climate change.
The Northeast Corridor sees millions of riders a year, but expanding rail in the U.S. is always fraught.
Loco Steve
Rail advocates often make the case that trains are a cleaner mode of transportation, but why is that so? And what would it take to expand rail in the U.S.?
People who use an appliance a lot save more from an energy efficient model. With the right app, they could easily get a sense of their own potential savings when they shop.
In the wake of the Paris Climate Agreement, France has committed to cutting achieving carbon neutrality for its building stock by 2050. While the goal is ambitious, the challenges are significant.
The Internet of Things could improve quality of life, but it will also consume vast amounts of electricity and boost greenhouse gas emissions.
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Ee Ling Ng, The University of Melbourne; Deli Chen, The University of Melbourne, and Xia Liang, The University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is the first institution in Australia to have its nitrogen footprint calculated – it’s 139 tonnes per year, mainly because of food production, energy use and transport.
Customers line up to buy gasoline in San Jose, California, on March 15, 1974, during an Arab oil embargo. The crisis spurred enactment of the first U.S. vehicle fuel economy standards.
AP
Since the federal government started setting fuel economy standards, US-built cars have doubled their fuel efficiency, saving money for consumers and reducing pollution.