Issue 268 Creating a resilient future

How do we build resilience in the wake of disasters, like bushfires or pandemics?

From electric vehicles to bushfire modelling, this month’s ECOS looks at the science and technology behind building resilient futures.

A woman and a child in a garden

An unexpected crisis that could change our cities

COVID-19 is a health and economic crisis that’s taken the world by surprise. Yet this wicked problem may also be an opportunity for Australia to invest in new types of urban infrastructure to make cities smarter, greener, safer, and healthier.

Cars after coronavirus: steering away from emissions

How can the transport sector and consumers embrace the positive impacts of the COVID-19 lockdown, and steer towards low-emissions technologies?

A woman carrying watre on her back from the Bagmati River in Nepal

Pandemic prompts need for more water security in South Asia

Access to clean water has never been so important in South Asia. But for millions of residents it continues to be a daily struggle.

White coral with crown-of-thorns starfish on it

The race to stop crown-of-thorns starfish destroying the Great Barrier Reef

New research is helping to prevent outbreaks of crown-of-thorn starfish, a major threat to the Great Barrier Reef.

Agriculture creates emissions throughout the production process.

FarmPrint: a monitoring and benchmarking tool to help farmers reduce their emissions

Work is underway to help Australian farmers better understand their emissions via a new monitoring and benchmarking tool to help them make their farms more sustainable.

Soils ain’t soils – carbon farming offers fertile future

Increasing the amount of carbon stored in agricultural soils can help mitigate rising greenhouse gas emissions and sustain agricultural productivity. Carbon farming is a key plank of Australia’s climate mitigation efforts, and CSIRO scientists are looking for new and innovative approaches to help realise the benefits for all.

A mine with blue liquid.

A post mining future looks golden with a little help from science

Australian mining has a lot of responsibilities to manage. A new CRC (Co-operative Research Centre) aims to transform the industry to enable regions and communities to transition to a more prosperous and sustainable post-mine future.

A genetic robbery in Australia’s quailthrush

Our DNA studies of Australia's quailthrush have revealed many secrets hidden among these remarkable birds, including a genetic robbery.