The CCIF fund supports research collaboration and partnership activities that will advance the Carlton Connect Agenda, which seeks to achieve very high levels of impact on the most challenging problems facing the sustainability of our society.
Deadline: 27 May 2013

In his new book, The Democratic Plan: Analysis and Diagnosis, Dr Alan March examines the Victorian planning system over the last 15 years and considers its prospects for the future.

Dr Alan March, senior lecturer in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, and an Associate of MSSI

Australia spends more than $130 billion each year on health, approximately 9.2% of our GDP. The outcome of this and other investments is that our life expectancy puts us very high on the global “league table”.

Defence behemoth Lockheed Martin’s recent announcement of a venture into deep sea mining reflects growing interest in exploiting virgin mining territory. In what is being described by some as a “deep sea mining bonanza”, the British arm of the US defence firm hopes to exploit rare earth minerals from the seabeds between Mexico and Hawaii.

Big news for the Victorian adaptation community is the release of the first Climate Change Adaptation Plan by the Victorian Government.

Let’s be honest: the relationship between renewable energy and the electricity market is complex. So what does the latest report from Australian energy research firm RepuTex tell us?

Well, for a start, coal-fired power has reached a ten-year low.

For most of us, watching stormwater gurgle down the drain is a sad waste, but it also does a lot of damage to the environment when a deluge floods local waterways. So researchers are trying to put stormwater to good use before it leaves the city – using vegetable raingardens. 

When it comes to climate change, temperature is only part of the story. Climate gases released by human activity are dissolving into the oceans, and the increased levels of CO₂ are making the waters more acid. This process threatens marine life from coral reefs to fragile polar ecosystems. It seems likely that the polar oceans will be the first to feel the full force of ocean acidification. These cold seas may provide an important lesson for Australia’s warmer waters.

Earlier this month, Victorians woke to the news that they had a new premier: Dennis Napthine, member for the South-West Coast District, would take over from Ted Baillieu to lead the state. As climate change and energy law researchers, the first question on our lips was, will Premier Napthine repeal the highly restrictive wind farm planning rules introduced under Baillieu in 2011?

The University of Melbourne is leading research that is shedding new light on adolescents, and in particular, the health of future generations. 

In terms of human history, adolesence is a relatively new concept. Though written about by authors in the ancient world, it really only emerged in common usage during the 20th century.