Issue 213

This year has been an extraordinary year for setting goals and targets for humankind. These goals open up opportunities for innovation and business development to benefit Australia and its private sector in the near term, and contribute fundamentally to the longer term futures of our children and grandchildren.

There is a strong interest in understanding the changing odds of extreme weather events as the underlying climate system changes. Scientists have examined extreme weather events of 2014 to see if they can be attributed to climate change.

In recent years, there has been significant public discussion about a so-called ‘hiatus’ or global warming pause that is supposed to have spanned part of the last one or two decades. The evidence shows it doesn't exist.

Wind helps the spread of some serious environmental pests within Australia, and now a new online tool for modelling the dispersal of living organisms is helping prepare for and respond to these wind-borne threats.

The uncertainties related to climate science present some unique challenges for policymakers and researchers alike. How can climate adaptation researchers proactively support decision-makers? And could a similar ethics system to the one used by frontline medical professionals be implemented by climate scientists to enhance decision-making?

A new review of published research into the impacts of climate change on marine animals has provided a big picture view of how important biological processes are changing. Things like migration and breeding times are changing for some marine vertebrates, like whales, shorebirds, turtles and fish.

A major study by CSIRO, the Australian National Outlook, reveals Australia has all the tools to achieve economic growth and environmental sustainability - we just have to choose to use them.