IF YOU’VE BEEN following the bushfire crisis on social media and elsewhere, you may have seen reports of benevolent wombats herding other animals to shelter into their fire-proof burrows. These stories went quickly viral — probably reflecting the appetite for good news after the horrors of the bushfire crisis. However the
Author: The Conversation
Scientists re-counted Australia’s extinct species, and the result is devastating
IT’S WELL ESTABLISHED that unsustainable human activity is damaging the health of the planet. The way we use Earth threatens our future and that of many animals and plants. Species extinction is an inevitable end point. It’s important that the loss of Australian nature be quantified accurately. To date, putting an
DESPITE federal politics, Australia leads on renewable energy installation
Win-win ideas for Australia to lower its emissions, transport tops
A shot of hope in the face of climate despair HOPE, LIKE A slinky, springs eternal. While rage, fear and disgust are all appropriate responses to the realities of climate change (which we have explored extensively this week), we must move from despair to action. CAPTION: Sunrise at Beachmere, Queensland. Mark Wasser/Flickr. Fortunately,
The winter was dry, the spring will likely be dry — here’s why
Anti-vaxxers: it’s only their business? Hardly.
The fights against infectious disease and anti-vaxxers’ fears VACCINES PREVENT a staggering two to three million deaths per year around the world, yet vocal groups in Australia and internationally continue to cast doubt on their effectiveness. Vaccine hesitancy ranks alongside climate change, pandemic flu and Ebola as one of the top ten threats
Freedom of Speech, issue campaigning under attack
GET-UP also in crosshairs of Liberals, Nationals GetUp is already subject to the same type of regulation as a political party. By challenging its links to left-wing parties, though, the Coalition is seeking to strip away its claim of independence. Yes, GetUp fights for progressive causes, but it is not a political
Science check on improving health with these five foods
Koala-detecting dogs sniff out flaws in Australia‘s threatened species protection
IN A COUNTRY like Australia — a wealthy, economically and politically stable nation with multiple environmental laws and comparatively effective governance – the public could be forgiven for assuming that environmental laws are effective in protecting threatened species. CAPTION: Dr Romane Cristescu performing a koala survey with detection dog Maya. Marie
The Australians who pioneered self-sufficiency, generations before Nimbin
THE TERM “self-sufficiency” commonly evokes images of communes, yurts and 1970s hippies, most likely living off the land in northern New South Wales. More recently, it has been linked to an explosion of interest in solar powered “off-grid” living, tiny houses, ethical food networks and complementary health practices, along with