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Science for sustainable reefs
Pollution, overfishing, coastal development and climate change are putting the world’s coral reefs under increasing pressure. With millions of people relying on them, how can science help make our reefs sustainable?
Sponsored by:
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The Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies |
Making our mark – ecological footprints
Ecological footprints are being used to measure our impact on Earth and the results aren't good.
Sponsored by:
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The quest to make hydrogen the fuel of the future
Australia and many other countries around the world are preparing for hydrogen to take over from fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas, and move to what’s being called the ‘hydrogen economy’. But there are some big hurdles to overcome before it can happen.
Sponsored by:
Australian Research Council Linkage Learned Academies Special Project Grant
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Stormwater – helping to tackle Australia's water crisis
With reduced water supplies and a growing population, should Australians be letting stormwater go down the drain?
Sponsored by:
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Australian Research Council Linkage Learned Academies Special Project Grant |
Bushfires spark extensive search for answers
They can start with a momentary flicker, they can burn for months, and their effects can scar landscapes and lives for years.
Sponsored by:
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Australian Research Council Linkage Learned Academies Special Project Grant |
The water down under
You might not think it, but in a country as dry as Australia many people are literally walking on water.
Sponsored by:
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Australian Research Council Linkage Learned Academies Special Project Grant |
Making every drop count
Would you drink a glass of treated effluent? That question is part of a heated debate about water recycling, as people try to find solutions to the lack of water supplies brought about by climate change and a growing population.
Sponsored by:
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Population and environment – what's the connection?
The world's population is growing, and many scientists and conservationists say that the natural environment is deteriorating as a result, but the relationship between environmental problems and human population growth is complex and not fully understood.
Sponsored by the Australian Academy of Science's Population and Environment Fund.
Salinity – the awakening monster from the deep
Salinity is making more and more of our land unusable and our water undrinkable.
Sponsored by:
 CRC for Landscape Environments and Mineral Exploration
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Feeding the future – sustainable agriculture
With the population exceeding 6 billion and growing by about 6 million a month, the need to protect agricultural land and to increase food production has become critical. Does sustainable agriculture have the answers?
Sponsored by:
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CSIRO Division of Plant Industry | and the bequest of J S Anderson, FAA. |
Making packaging greener – biodegradable plastics
Biodegradable plastics made with plant-based materials have been available for many years. Their high cost, however, has meant they have never replaced traditional non-degradable plastics in the mass market. A new Australian venture is producing affordable biodegradable plastics that might change all that.
Sponsored by:
 the Australian Government's National Innovation Awareness Strategy
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Carbon currency – the credits and debits of carbon emissions trading
The Kyoto Protocol is the first step towards stabilising global emissions of carbon dioxide. But what is carbon emissions trading and will it limit the enhanced greenhouse effect?
Sponsored by:
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The Australian Greenhouse Office is the lead Commonwealth agency on greenhouse matters |
Is Australian wildlife fair game?
Is the growing commercial use of Australian wildlife compatible with good conservation?
Sponsored by:
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Generating new ideas for meeting future energy needs
Concerns about the greenhouse effect, smog and energy security have led to increasing interest in energy sources such as hot dry rocks, wave power and hydrogen.
Sponsored by:
| the Australian Government's National Innovation Awareness Strategy
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Conservation genetics – molecular detectives at work
The new science of conservation genetics is providing important clues in the fight against the extinction of species.
Sponsored by:
 CRC for the Conservation and Management of Marsupials
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Integrated pest management – the good, the bad and the genetically modified
Twenty-five years ago cotton cultivation was abandoned in Western Australia's Ord River valley because of an uncontrollable infestation of two native caterpillars. Now researchers are trialling an integrated pest management strategy that could allow cotton to be grown there again.
Sponsored by:
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Biomass – the growing energy resource
Energy from biomass is sparking interest amongst scientists, policy makers and growers as they search for clean, renewable energy alternatives.
Sponsored by:
| the Australian Government's National Innovation Awareness Strategy
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Wind power gathers speed
Wind power is set to become an important means of generating electricity worldwide.
Sponsored by:
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the Australian Government's National Innovation Awareness Strategy |
Sodicity – a dirty word in Australia
Soil sodicity hasn’t hit the headlines yet, but in terms of area and impact it far outweighs salinity as a problem in Australia.
Sponsored by:
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CRC for Soil and Land Management | |
the Australian Government's National Innovation Awareness Strategy |
Cleaner production – a solution to pollution?
What is cleaner production, and how can it help reduce pollution loads?
Sponsored by:
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Environment Protection Authority | |
the Australian Government's National Innovation Awareness Strategy |
Monitoring the white death – soil salinity
New technology is being used to help monitor the extent of dryland salinity threatening large areas of Australia's agricultural zone.
Sponsored by:
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Land Monitor Project | |
the Australian Government's National Innovation Awareness Strategy |
Fuelling the 21st century
Fuel cells are an efficient and low-polluting way to generate power. The Australian Technology Park in Sydney has installed Australia's first commercial fuel cell.
Sponsored by:
| the Australian Government's National Innovation Awareness Strategy
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Toxic algal blooms – a sign of rivers under stress
Toxic algal blooms pose a serious threat to Australia's already embattled waterways and are the subject of much scientific research.
Sponsored by:
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Enhanced greenhouse effect – a hot international issue
The Kyoto Protocol put the enhanced greenhouse effect in the spotlight. But what is the enhanced greenhouse effect and what are we doing about it?.
Sponsored by:
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Local air pollution begins at home
Local air pollution is a major health threat. It ranges in scale from cigarette smoke in a house to the photochemical smog that can cover a city.
Sponsored by:
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Australia's threatened species
Even though many species in Australia have become extinct since European settlement, there are also success stories such as the recent propagation of the Wollemi pine.
Sponsored by: Anonymous donor
More food, cleaner food – gene technology and plants
Gene technology, also known as genetic engineering, involves manipulating or transferring genetic material within or between organisms. It has the potential to improve agricultural yields and reduce the application of pesticides.
Sponsored by:
| CSIRO Division of Plant Industry
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Harnessing direct solar energy – a progress report
We often hear about solar car challenges and solar heating, but will solar energy ever be a major energy source for industrial societies?
Sponsored by:
| the Australian Government's National Innovation Awareness Strategy
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Earth's sunscreen – the ozone layer
The ozone layer screens out the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation. Can we reverse its destruction?
Sponsored by:
| the Australian Government's National Innovation Awareness Strategy
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Prospect or suspect – uranium mining in Australia
Australia has deposits of many valuable minerals, including nearly one-third of the world's readily recoverable uranium resources. Should there be limitations on the mining of Australia's uranium?
Sponsored by:
| the Australian Government's National Innovation Awareness Strategy
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A plague on the pest – rabbit calicivirus disease and biological control
The accidental release of the rabbit calicivirus from Wardang Island in October 1995 is yet another development in the story of Australia's efforts to control pests.
Sponsored by:
| the Australian Government's National Innovation Awareness Strategy
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The Australian Foundation for Science is a supporter of Nova.