Environment & Energy

Why Queensland is still ground zero for Australian deforestation

Michelle Ward and James Watson write in The Conversation (27.1.23) about their research into Queensland's high rates of broad-scale land c... More »

We all know the Great Barrier Reef is in danger - the UN has just confirmed it. Again

Jon C. Day writes in The Conversation (29.11.22) about the latest UN survey of the Great Barrier Reef's health, noting that Environment mi... More »

Queensland government pledges to end reliance on coal-fired power by 2035

Graham Readfearn and Ben Smee report in The Guardian (28.9.22) on the Palaszczuk government's announcement of a new $62bn energy plan for ... More »

Who’s holding back electric cars in Australia? We’ve long known the answer – and it’s time to clear the road

TJ Ryan Foundation Research Associate, John Quiggin, writes in The Conversation (10.8.22) about recent findings regarding barriers to the ... More »

This is Australia's most important report on the environment's deteriorating health

Emma Johnston and colleagues write in The Conversation (19.7.22) about the release of their jointly authored report on the state of the en... More »

The national electricity market is a failed 1990s experiment. It's time the grid returned to public hands

TJ Ryan Foundation Research Associate, John Quiggin, writes in The Conversation (22.6.22) about the benefits of nationalising the country'... More »

Now is the perfect time to increase coal royalties to fund Australia’s energy transition

TJ Ryan Foundation Research Associate, John Quiggin, comments in The Guardian (17.6.22) on the Palaszczuk government's move to raise royal... More »

Will a Labor majority stunt climate action? If the government wants a second term, more climate ambition is essential

TJ Ryan Foundation Research Associate, John Quiggin, writes in The Conversation (31.5.22) about the likelihood that climate action will be... More »

We must end our command-and-control relationship with the environment if we are to arrest its destruction

Euan Ritchie comments in The Guardian (17.5.22) on the lack of action to conserve Australia's natural environment. Yet, despite the magnit... More »

Time's up: why Australia has to quit stalling and wean itself off fossil fuels

TJ Ryan Foundation Research Associate, John Quiggin, writes in The Conversation (6.4.22) about the need for immediate action on limiting h... More »

Energy transition will test Queensland's resilience like never before - we need to act now

Anne Tiernan and James Boyle write in The Guardian (22.3.22) about the momentum for a shift to producing 'green energy'. The authors ... More »

Adapt, move, or die: repeated coral bleaching leaves wildlife on the Great Barrier Reef with few options

Jodie L. Rummer and Scott F. Heron write in The Conversation (21.3.22) about the latest bout of coral bleaching to strike the Great Barrie... More »

One in 1,000 years? Old flood probabilities no longer hold water

TJ Ryan Foundation Research Associate, John Quiggin, writes in The Conversation (10.3.22) about the recent devastating floods to hit south... More »

New IPCC report shows Australia is at real risk from climate change, with impacts worsening, future risks high, and wide-ranging adaptation needed

Brendan Mackey and colleagues write in The Conversation (1.3.22) about the release of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate C... More »

Between the lines, Morrison's plan has coal on the way out, with the future bright

TJ Ryan Foundation Research Associate, John Quiggin, writes in The Conversation (26.10.21) about the federal Coalition government's net-ze... More »

Yes, Australia can beat its 2030 emissions target. But the Morrison government barely lifted a finger

Bill Hare writes in The Conversation (16.10.21) about the federal government's shortcomings in reaching Australia's emissions targets, arg... More »

Yes, it is entirely possible for Australia to phase out thermal coal within a decade

TJ Ryan Foundation Research Associate, John Quiggin, writes in The Conversation (9.9.21) explaining how Australia is capable of phasing ou... More »

Climate change has already hit Australia. Unless we act now, a hotter, drier and more dangerous future awaits, IPCC warns

Michael Grose and CSIRO colleagues write in The Conversation (9.8.21) about the release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's... More »

The Great Barrier Reef is a victim of climate change – but it could be part of the solution

TJ Ryan Foundation Research Associate, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, and Peter Thomson comment in The Guardian (26.7.21) on the impacts of... More »

The budget should have been a road to Australia’s low-emissions future. Instead, it’s a flight of fancy

TJ Ryan Foundation Research Associate, John Quiggin, writes in The Conversation (13.5.21) about the Coalition government's failure to offe... More »

Finkel’s road to zero

TJ Ryan Foundation Research Associate, John Quiggin, writes in Inside Story (6.4.21) about former chief scientist Alan Fink... More »

The death of coal-fired power is inevitable - yet the government still has no plan to help its workforce

Chris Biggs writes in The Conversation (12.3.21) about the coming closure of Victoria’s Yallourn coal-fired power station, crit... More »

A major report excoriated Australia’s environment laws. Sussan Ley’s response is confused and risky

Peter Burnett writes in The Conversation (29.1.21) about the release of a damning report into Australia's management of its natural enviro... More »

Punching above our weight looks like getting us knocked out

TJ Ryan Foundation Research Associate, John Quiggin, writes in Inside Story (14.12.20) about the Australian government being snubbed by in... More »

Angus Taylor's gas plan is an astoundingly bad idea, on so many levels

Simon Holmes à Court comments in The Guardian (17.9.20) on the federal government's 'gas-fired recovery' plan to underpin the econo... More »