Labor came to power promising real change on climate. But their reliance on accounting tricks, carbon sinks, offsets and a future for gas has cast a very large cloud.
The most comprehensive Australian carbon budget assessment completed to date shows the nation flip-flops from source to sink of carbon emissions, depending on the prevailing conditions.
Australia’s latest climate change statement shows we have little hope of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. There’s good news on the 2030 target, but then what?
Martin Brook, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Building too close to cliffs and slopes, weak soils, lack of vegetation and increased rainfall all played a part in the massive storm damage to Auckland. The city needs to change the way it uses land.
Mountain environments are rich in plant and animal species, but the dual threat of human habitation and climate change means urgent action is needed to protect them.
Environmental footprint calculators may promise to help consumers lead a greener life. But they may in fact encourage choices that don’t benefit – or even harm – the environment.
Xiaoming Xu, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Atul Jain, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
A new study provides a detailed way to calculate the climate impact of food production, which could lead to more sustainable farming policies and methods.
Abandoned US oil and gas wells and their associated land cover more than 2 million acres, a recent study estimates – an area larger than Delaware and Rhode Island combined.
The transition to 100% renewable energy will require a lot of land – mostly in regional Australia. This presents big challenges, and opportunities, for the farming sector.