In this issue

	ECOS Issue 165

Features

There's more to it than the price of carbon A significant milestone was achieved with the passage of the Federal Government's Clean Energy Future legislation this month. It will finally create an emissions trading scheme for Australia, making low-carbon investments more attractive relative to fossil fuel alternatives and business as usual. Learn more

Adelaide a focus for the ‘barcode of life' The world may contain up to 50 million species of plants and animals. But after 250 years of taxonomic research, less than two million have been named. How can we ever hope to get the job done? The solution may lie in a visionary plan to digitally barcode every species using ‘bits' of DNA. Learn more

Blooming marvellous – 20 years of private conservation Bush Heritage is celebrating the release of scientific data summarising its conservation successes over two decades. Learn more

Balancing fire-risk at the urban fringe
After heavy spring rains in south-eastern Australia, fire agencies are warning of danger ahead as hot, dry weather turns lush grass into fuel. How can we better equip at-risk homes – old and new – to withstand bushfires? ECOS put the question to CSIRO scientist Justin Leonard who studies the impact of bushfires on homes and urban infrastructure.
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Science takes on the global food challenge
The Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change (CSACC) – an independent global commission of eminent scientists – has released a blueprint for urgent action to deal with the global challenge of feeding the world in the face of climate change, population growth, uneven food distribution, volatile markets and degraded ecosystems.
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Are Australian fish in hot water? We are already noticing the consequences of climate change on land, but what do they mean for our aquatic environments, their fish and fisheries? Learn more

Helping Africans solve agricultural challenges Australian and African scientists have formed a new partnership to help address the challenges of sustainable agriculture and food security across Sub-Saharan Africa. Learn more

Will ocean life have time to adapt to climate change?
Direct effects of climate warming on biodiversity pose a serious conservation challenge for marine life, according to new research just published in the peer-reviewed journal Science. The research concludes that marine life may need to relocate and readjust faster than life on land, challenging the idea that ocean life could respond more gradually to climate change than land species due to slower warming in the oceans.
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A water-reform visionary who continues to challenge
Peter Cullen was a leader and a major driving force in water reform across Australia. He effectively combined his extensive ecological understanding with a great awareness of water resource management and policy to address major problems in water management across Australia. In doing so, he proposed solutions and advocated for ecologically sustainable and achievable policies.
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Increasing the resilience of seabirds in a changing climate Around the globe, growing evidence suggests that a warming climate is affecting marine ecosystems and species. This raises the question of what can be done to help seabirds and other species adapt to a changed environment. Learn more