From the Greenlight Editor

WHEN YOU LIVE IN REGIONAL AUSTRALIA, you live with science. You see it in the adaptation of animals to the climate, in the technology used on farms, and in the smart ways people address challenges. You see science in its purest and most practical forms.

Even on our small farm in Gunnedah, New South Wales, we’re also seeing the impact of climate change. Our first summer here was in the searing heat of 2013, when koalas fell dead and lay at the base of trees. Then there was the drought, followed by floods.

So I’m thrilled, along with a small team of journalists, to have the opportunity to write stories about how regional Australia is using science and technology to face the challenges of the climate crisis. The Cosmos Greenlight Project is an opportunity to highlight adaptations from the small and simple through to ideas that could be implemented around the globe. Will every idea, every brave initiative we report on succeed? It’s hard to imagine so. But that’s one of the things that’s great about the bush – people have a crack.

Regional Australia has so much to lose and so much to gain in coming years. There certainly are innovations at work here that have the potential to smooth the road to zero emissions.

The Greenlight Project will focus on the stories of agriculture, industry, energy and First Nations people, and reveal just how important regional Australia’s role is in reshaping the way we live.

MARIE LOW, Co-ordinating Editor, Cosmos Greenlight Project