Sustainability

Our work actively addresses key United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (SDG), including SDG13 (Climate Action), SD14 (Life Below Water), SDG15 (Life on Land).

In the field

In 2018 we were involved in a workshop convened by the Shark Bay World Heritage Advisory Committee, classifying Shark Bay as being in the highest category of vulnerability to future climate change. Increased cyclones, extreme heat events, and changes in ocean acidification are all predicted to have detrimental impacts on Shark Bay stromatolites. Outcomes of this meeting was the establishment of a working group on stromatolites under threat, where the expertise of the Burns lab is regularly called upon, and the foundations for a climate change adaptation strategy laid. 

In 2019, the Western Australian Marine Science Institution Board unanimously endorsed the development of a comprehensive plan to respond to environmental pressures facing Shark Bay, and our lab was invited to contribute expert advice to this Science Plan. Our work is thus vital for improving conservation and management of these endangered resources.

In 2020 we submitted a document in response to the review of the Australian government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act, outlining key priorities for reform, and recommending the shaping of legislation that allows for innovative environmental protection and protection of Indigenous rights, which transparently presents the social, economic, and environmental benefits of all activities.

We also work with various government stakeholders, including the Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions, and Environmental Protection Authority to ensure these threatened ecosystems are carefully monitored in the face of global change.

In the lab

The Burnslab is committed to fostering an environment of sustainable research practices in the lab. Our lab is the school representative for the Faculty of Science in the 2020 pilot LEAF program. The LEAF program (Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework) contains a set of criteria aimed at improving the sustainability and efficiency of research and teaching laboratory spaces. Our lab is one of the first in the School to increase the core temperature of our -80 degree freezers to -70, in an attempt to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

Associate Professor Burns also sits on the Sustainability Working Group that is committed to developing and improving the Faculty’s ‘green’ strategies at multiple levels and ensuring UNSW is a world leader in sustainability practices. PhD student Fraser MacLeod is also a member of the Sustainability Leadership Team and is involved in numerous sustainability actions on campus at UNSW.