Have you heard that offshore wind turbines kill whales or that natural gas is clean? If so, you’ve encountered climate misinformation – false claims which spread widely.
This week, an Australian Senate inquiry heard testimony from experts about the scale of the problem. One of these experts was Christian Downie, who observes the problem with misinformation is that it often works to cast doubt on the alternatives to fossil fuels and erode public support for change.
Where does misinformation come from? Downie’s research has followed the money trail between oil, gas and coal companies and public relations firms. The problem is only going to grow. The question now is what to do about it.
P.S. Jane Goodall has died aged 91, after a lifetime inspiring and advising world leaders, celebrities, scientists and conservationists. We share reflections from a friend.
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Doug Hendrie
Deputy Environment + Energy Editor
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Christian Downie, Australian National University
This week, Australian policymakers heard about the real and growing problem of climate misinformation. Stopping it would mean regulating the PR industry.
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Wesley Morgan, UNSW Sydney
Australia and Turkey are locked in a contest to host the global COP31 climate summit. What could Albanese offer Australia’s rival to retire?
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Mireya Mayor, Florida International University
Without formal scientific training, Goodall upended the study of animal behavior. She also inspired countless people to protect nature.
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Stephen Bartos, University of Canberra
While simply scrapping the 2018 deal might not be feasible, moving to an altogether new system could be a way forward.
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Marie Gerdtz, La Trobe University
After completing studies in prescribing, registered nurses will be able to prescribe a range of medicines – in collaboration with a doctor or nurse practitioner.
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Bruce Wolpe, University of Sydney
In her campaign memoir, Kamala Harris reveals her true thoughts on Joe Biden, takes us behind the scenes of her presidential candidacy and dishes the occasional dirt.
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Amy Dawel, Australian National University
The food pyramid can help us think about mental health. We need big helpings of social connection in real life. But social media should be like a ‘sometimes food’.
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Moyosoluwa Dele-Dada, Covenant University
The absence of strong accountability turns anti-poverty programmes into symbolic gestures rather than vehicles of real change in Nigeria.
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Tod Jones, Curtin University; Amity James, Curtin University; Michael Volgger, Curtin University; Salome Adams, Curtin University; Sara Niner, Monash University
Seasonal workers are often considered to be expendable, cheap labour. New research across three states has found they’re also subject to crowded accommodation.
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Politics + Society
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Alexander Gillespie, University of Waikato
Donald Trump’s ambitious Gaza peace plan gives New Zealand another chance to reconsider when is the right time to recognise a Palestinian state.
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Health + Medicine
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Amanda Kvalsvig, University of Otago; Anna-Maria Arabia
Unchecked airborne infections cost billions in lost health and productivity each year – likely more than the cost of better ventilation to clean up indoor air.
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Jon Wardle, Southern Cross University
Supermodel Noami Campbell is said to be into it, as is the US military. Here’s what you need to know about ear seeding.
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Georgia van Toorn, UNSW Sydney; Helen Dickinson, UNSW Sydney
Instead of collecting evidence and submitting reports, participants will have an interview with an assessor that lasts up to three hours.
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Business + Economy
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John Hawkins, University of Canberra
The trade wars could eventually undermine the importance of the US dollar, but it isn’t happening yet.
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Science + Technology
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Tristan Moss, UNSW Sydney; Kathryn Robison, University of Sydney
Every single day, space technology impacts our lives. But a new report reveals gaps between what Australians think and what they know about space.
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T.J. Thomson, RMIT University; Daniel Pfurtscheller, University of Innsbruck; Katharina Christ, National Institute for Science Communication; Katharina Lobinger, Università della Svizzera italiana; Nataliia Laba, University of Groningen
Generative AI changes how we see – and how we decide what’s real.
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Arts + Culture
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Jacqueline Burgess, University of the Sunshine Coast
The video game company is being acquired for a record-breaking US$55 billion. Despite being named ‘The Worst Company in America’, why is it so in-demand?
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Books + Ideas
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Joel Barnes, The University of Queensland; University of Sydney
The legacy of the Dixson family reveals a complicated history of interconnected global capital and racialised exploitation.
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Cheap cigarettes
“I’m an 87-year-old pensioner and I smoke. To my surprise I found out that I can buy a carton of cigarettes for $160 whereas I had paid $560 earlier. Why would I not purchase the cheaper version and save $400? You tell me. I think it’s wrong that the government makes money out of my pleasure. If I were to ask for $400 extra to my pension, do you think they would give it to me? I am very pleased with the current social-economic system in Australia. But to charge so much for cigarettes – my only enjoyment in my old age – is just too much!”
Name withheld
Bring back oral tests
“Given the AI revolution, it’s totally sensible and practical to introduce oral exams, rather than stick with the anachronistic closed book written format. I can tell exactly what each student knows, relative to subject learning objectives, much more accurately in a 10-minute discussion than reading their essays or exam papers. Assessment problem solved.”
Professor Danny Samson, Department of Management and Marketing, University of Melbourne
Sovereign individuals
"The so-called 'sovereign individual' is not sovereign at all, but dependent on a society they disdain. Their ideology masks fear and privilege as virtue. By withdrawing from shared responsibility, they undermine the very conditions of their own security. In the long run, selfish withdrawal is self-defeating: no bunker or blockchain can substitute for trust, cooperation, and community."
Ang Ung 
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