In this issue

ECOS Issue 203

Features

Can the property development industry deliver climate-ready cities? Developers often cop criticism for being environmental vandals who'd do anything in the name of profit. But the industry is complex, ranging from one-off ‘mum and dad' investors to global corporations. One thing they all have in common is that what they produce – residential and commercial developments – will need to perform in future environments that may call into question how or why the structures were built in the first place.

Australian farmers face increasing threat of new diseases: report A nationwide outbreak of foot and mouth disease; an invasion of a devastating wheat disease; our honeybees completely wiped out. These are just three possible disastrous scenarios facing Australia; they're considered in the Australia’s Biosecurity Future report recently published by CSIRO and its partners.

Mapping East Asia’s disappearing tidal flats Who speaks for the tidal flat? There are many voices for the mangrove forest, the coral reef and the seagrass meadow, but the chorus for the mud, sand and silt flats that sit hidden under shallow water for most of the tidal cycle is often silent.

Bushfires kill, but knowing exactly how might make them less deadly The latest round of bushfires, which claimed 27 homes in the Adelaide Hills, has once again highlighted the importance of planning for the worst. Mercifully, no human lives were lost, and it will be important to learn whatever lessons we can to avoid future tragedies.

Explainer: the RV Investigator's role in marine science We know more about the surface of the moon than we do about our deepest oceans, and only 12 per cent of the ocean floor within Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone has so far been mapped.

In Brief - Round-up of sustainability news

Corporate global leaders commit to 100% renewables

Melting glaciers impact carbon balance as well as sea levels

Public transport could save Australian commuters up to $10,000 a year

Scientists map critical koala food areas for conservation

Sea-level rise from 1990 to present higher than previously thought

‘Roller-coasting’ over Himalayas helps birds avoid altitude sickness

Visiting a park could save your life, scientists say

Humans have become a ‘planetary-scale force in a single lifetime’

Trade winds influence oxygen levels in tropical oceans

Predicting coral reef futures under climate change

Vanishing trees could leave cities bereft of wildlife

Household pollutants detected around Antarctic stations

Migrating shorebird populations 'running on empty'

Hidden secrets of the Tasman's giant internal 'waves'

© CSIRO 1996-2024