We often hear about the large amount of plastic waste that is floating in our oceans. While the global problem of plastic pollution is increasing, Australia's situation is the opposite. It is not because other countries are responsible for the majority of plastic waste we find on Australia's beaches. The study shows that local efforts to manage waste have been successful, with a 29% reduction in coastal litter over the past six years. The most significant reductions in litter were observed when bins were more easily accessible or when people felt motivated by economic incentives. These actions save people either time or...

As expected, the Coalition will cut the public service by 12,000 through natural attrition to save $5.2 billion. It has already previously outlined savings by abolishing the carbon tax and mining tax that will help pay for its $9.8 billion paid parental leave scheme. In its costings today, the Coalition committed to increasing its share of the joint road funding from 50/50 to 80% with a 20% state contribution. It also outlined a number of important road and rail projects. Two considerations are relevant. The announcement made today confirms that the Coalition ignores cyclical fluctuations when designing its fiscal policies....

Its two main recommendations are designed to reduce the overall cost to the government by reducing the overall price paid for pharmaceuticals and to increase the out-of-pocket expenditure for patients. If implemented, the first could make the second unnecessary. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) is the tenth largest Commonwealth Government program, now costing more than A$9 billion a year. It's an important element of the healthcare system as it provides people access to drugs with a maximum co-payment of A$6.60 for concession card holders and A$36.90 for others. The scheme also has a "safety net," which reduces, and in many...

The global value of sustainable investments in the major financial markets was US$35.3 billion at the start of 2020 (PS27.7 trillion). This is equivalent to about one-third the value of listed companies in the world by 2020 and nearly 364 times what will be spent on space programs globally in 2022. What makes an investment "sustainable?" What should you look for when researching your sustainable investments? Sustainable investments have been increasing their value for nearly a decade.  How to identify a sustainable investment Sustainable investing involves a combination of traditional financial factors and environmental, social, and governance (ESG). Environmental criteria may include things like the carbon...

Regulation plays a crucial role in maintaining order and safeguarding public interests across various sectors. However, history is rife with instances where regulatory frameworks have faltered, leading to detrimental consequences. This essay explores five notable examples of failed regulation, shedding light on the factors that contributed to their shortcomings. The Global Financial Crisis (2008): One of the most infamous examples of regulatory failure is the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) that unfolded in 2008. The collapse of major financial institutions and the subsequent economic downturn exposed flaws in regulatory oversight. Regulatory agencies failed to anticipate the risks associated with complex financial...

Europeans often congratulate themselves for their waste management system when crises of this nature occur in other countries. The recent garbage collectors strike in Malaga, Spain - resulting in huge rubbish piles that choked the streets – shows how not every EU member manages their waste well. Why do some European countries have a good waste management system while others are plagued by disaster after catastrophe? You'd think that the EU would have issued some directive regarding waste disposal for its member countries. All waste is not created equal. One thing is that the amount of municipal garbage generated varies substantially among...

The Morrison government has long sought to reduce green regulations, claiming that excessive environmental regulations unfairly hinder businesses. This is not the case. In the 30 years I've spent researching water pollution, I haven't seen "green tape" translate into an effective environmental regulation for industry. I have yet to witness a coal mine that is effectively regulated following approval through the NSW and federal environment assessment processes. Five examples of how environmental regulations are not doing enough to stop pollution and toxic chemicals entering the environment. Closed mines continue to pollute decades after they are completed. My research into water...

In contrast, dung beetles are negatively affected when an ecosystem is in trouble. Stress caused by environmental disturbances can cause dung beetles in tropical forests to gain weight and do less work. Species diversity declines. As Amazon scientists, we use this hard-working, marvelous dung beetle as a way to assess the health of the largest rainforest in the world. We have studied more than 14,000 dung beetles of 98 species since 2010 in Brazil's Santarem Region, a remote part of the Amazon rainforest. This is part of our long-term project for the Sustainable Amazon Network. We studied dung beetles in order to determine the Amazon's recovery after the...