Toward a political ecology of risk in river basin development: The case of the Mekong. This project is designed to examine the distribution and redistribution of risk associated with environmental change and large scale development interventions in the Mekong Region. The research aims to make a theoretical contribution to the rapidly emerging field of political ecology, by moving beyond an analysis of winners and losers based on certainty and post-facto impacts. The study will work toward an ana ....Toward a political ecology of risk in river basin development: The case of the Mekong. This project is designed to examine the distribution and redistribution of risk associated with environmental change and large scale development interventions in the Mekong Region. The research aims to make a theoretical contribution to the rapidly emerging field of political ecology, by moving beyond an analysis of winners and losers based on certainty and post-facto impacts. The study will work toward an analysis driven by the inherent uncertainties that underlie both the social construction and social distribution of environmental risk. The research also has important practical implications for environmental and social assessment methodologies in and beyond the case study region.Read moreRead less
Institutional transitions to sustainable agriculture: An inter-disciplinary analysis of a novel common-property resource governance system. Efforts to overcome the severe degradation of land resources supporting agriculture and human communities continue to be constrained by institutions and social norms. The knowledge needed for a transition to sustainable agricultural landscapes through institutional change is inadequate. A collaboration between specialists in economics, politics, sociology, ....Institutional transitions to sustainable agriculture: An inter-disciplinary analysis of a novel common-property resource governance system. Efforts to overcome the severe degradation of land resources supporting agriculture and human communities continue to be constrained by institutions and social norms. The knowledge needed for a transition to sustainable agricultural landscapes through institutional change is inadequate. A collaboration between specialists in economics, politics, sociology, ecology and soil science at the University of New England and graziers in an upper Murray-Darling subcatchment will analyse the transition to a common-property institution on this subcatchment. It will make a distinctively Australian contribution to international efforts to understand such transitions, and serve as a model for progress towards sustainability elsewhere in Australia.
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Improving our understanding of the effects of low carbon policies on the Australian economy and regions. Climate change mitigation policies at a national, and also at rural and regional level, is being demanded. Accurate, unbiased, and open debate with clear assumptions is critical. Greater student interest and expertise in the analytical skills is vital. More than one national model must be used and new models must incorporate more detailed data, especially on the interaction between the econo ....Improving our understanding of the effects of low carbon policies on the Australian economy and regions. Climate change mitigation policies at a national, and also at rural and regional level, is being demanded. Accurate, unbiased, and open debate with clear assumptions is critical. Greater student interest and expertise in the analytical skills is vital. More than one national model must be used and new models must incorporate more detailed data, especially on the interaction between the economy and the environment. Unfortunately, Australia has fallen behind other developed countries in building this capacity.Read moreRead less
The time scales of geochemical cycles and earth processes. Precise information on timescales and rates of change is fundamental to understanding natural processes and the development and testing of quantitative physical models in the Earth Sciences. Uranium decay-series isotope studies are revolutionising this field by providing time information in the range 10^2-10^4 years, similar to that of many important Earth processes. This project will establish a world-class Australian Uranium-series res ....The time scales of geochemical cycles and earth processes. Precise information on timescales and rates of change is fundamental to understanding natural processes and the development and testing of quantitative physical models in the Earth Sciences. Uranium decay-series isotope studies are revolutionising this field by providing time information in the range 10^2-10^4 years, similar to that of many important Earth processes. This project will establish a world-class Australian Uranium-series research group to investigate the processes of magma formation and transport, continental growth, rates of erosion and recycling. These methodologies can also constrain processes governing water flow and reservoirs, mineral resources, volcanic eruptions, carbon cycles and other environmentally important processes/systems/cycles.Read moreRead less
Corporate and institutional strategies for climate change: An international comparative study. Drawing on 'best practice' from US and European countries, the project will improve corporate Australia's capacity for sustainability by developing a framework that integrates climate change issues into corporate strategy. By integrating perspectives from market, state and civil society actors, the research's multi-stakeholder approach also addresses community concerns about climate change. The find ....Corporate and institutional strategies for climate change: An international comparative study. Drawing on 'best practice' from US and European countries, the project will improve corporate Australia's capacity for sustainability by developing a framework that integrates climate change issues into corporate strategy. By integrating perspectives from market, state and civil society actors, the research's multi-stakeholder approach also addresses community concerns about climate change. The findings will help enhance our understanding of the challenges and opportunities resulting from the introduction of Australia's first national emissions scheme in 2010.Read moreRead less