Global carbon emissions hit a new record high

Editor's note

2018 will be yet another record year for global greenhouse emissions from fossil fuels, according to the annual audit from the Global Carbon Project. Despite warnings that we need to take urgent action to curb climate change, the world is on track to pump out 37 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide this year, report Pep Canadell and colleagues. It’s a grim situation, especially as global emissions had shown signs of having levelled off after an earlier peak in 2013. But this year marks the second straight year of record emissions, with yet another rise forecast for 2019.

Closer to home, however, is some more encouraging news. Renewable energy can reduce prices as well as emissions - even in South Australia, scene of some of the energy debate’s bitterest arguments. Analysis by Bruce Mountain and Steven Percy shows that renewable energy brought prices down to far less than they would otherwise have been, even factoring in subsidies. They conclude that what really caused South Australia’s power price woes was the high cost of gas.

And on a side note, yesterday La Conversation Canada officially launched, nearly 18 months after its English counterpart, The Conversation Canada, began. This means our unique model of journalism based on academic research and fact-based analysis is now published in both of Canada’s official languages. Bienvenue!

Michael Hopkin

Editor: Energy + Environment

Science + Technology

Protecting our digital heritage in the age of cyber threats

Stanley Shanapinda, La Trobe University

Digital identity assets, such as property records and Parliamentary proceedings, embody who and what Australia is as a nation. We need to do more to protect them.
New awards, new ambassador: Australian women in STEM look to 2019

Sarah Keenihan, The Conversation

The Athena Swan charter commits research institutions to create a gender inclusive workplace, through being transparent, taking action and being held accountable.

Arts + Culture

Explainer: what does ‘gaslighting’ mean?

Jessamy Gleeson, RMIT University

The term 'gaslighting' is now liberally used but what does it mean and where did it come from?
Gerald Murnane’s Prime Minister’s Literary award is long overdue

Anthony Uhlmann, Western Sydney University

This award to a long neglected writer shows that there is still a place in Australian life for works of art that challenge us to think.
A taste for terroir: the evolution of the Australian wine label

Dr Moya Costello, Southern Cross University; Robert James Smith, Southern Cross University

Labels plonked on plonk once had a distinctly awkward sense of place. But a new breed are helping to create a sense of Australian terroir.

Politics + Society

How sport can tackle violence against women and girls

Jonathon Louth, Flinders University

Primary prevention programs with a footballing focus aim to change behaviours and attitudes among men towards women.
Political impasse stops protection for LGBT students passing this year

Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

Neither government nor opposition on Wednesday night saw any chance of further movement before parliament rises on Thursday.
Historical fall of Liberal seats in Victoria; micros likely to win ten seats in upper house; Labor leads in NSW

Adrian Beaumont, University of Melbourne

Formerly blue-ribbon Liberal seats such as Hawthorn and Nepean have fallen to Labor in the wash-up of Labor's thumping state election win.
How a race scare left South Sudanese star basketballers with nowhere to play

Keith Rathbone, Macquarie University

Star basketball players are suffering the fallout from a race scare campaign by politicians from the Liberal party over crimes committed by a small number of young people who came to Australia from South Sudan
Australians’ trust in politicians and democracy hits an all-time low: new research

Mark Evans, University of Canberra; Gerry Stoker, University of Canberra; Max Halupka, University of Canberra

Australians' trust in politicians and democracy continues to plummet, posing significant problems for the effective running of the country.

Education
Don’t be too quick to dismiss ‘dying trades’, those skills are still in demand Jesse Adams Stein, University of Technology Sydney The skills shortage in the foundry sector shows there is a continuing demand for "traditional" trades.

Health + Medicine
I’m having surgery in a public hospital. Will a junior doctor operate on me? Seth Delpachitra, University of Melbourne; Anton Sklavos, University of Melbourne The person in charge of your surgery is a consultant surgeon. A consultant is the most qualified doctor in a hospital.

Cities
Looking past the hype about ‘trackless trams’ Yale Zhuxiao Wong, University of Sydney The autonomous rail rapid transit (ART) system developed in China might make buses sexy, but the technology alone won't resolve the issues of road space and right of way in Australia.

Environment + Energy

The verdict is in: renewables reduce energy prices (yes, even in South Australia)

Bruce Mountain, Victoria University; Dr Steven Percy, Victoria University

South Australia's energy prices have gone up as more renewables entered the market – but prices would have gone up even more without them.
In 100 years’ time, maybe our food won’t be grown in soil

Alex McBratney, University of Sydney

The thin layer of soil on our planet's surface ultimately sustains us all, but it's a finite resource. With a growing global population, perhaps it is time to start looking for alternatives.

Business + Economy
Who made Australia’s first ever bank deposit? Here’s our unsettling discovery Nicole Sutton, University of Technology Sydney Examination of the first deposit in what became Westpac tells us much about 1817, not all of it pleasant.