Latest green news
A bank of most bountiful returns
Tim Barlass As the mercury nudged 37 degrees this week, there could be few better places to be at than the Australian PlantBank.
Collector Wind Farm project recommended to go ahead
HAMISH BOLAND-RUDDER A NSW government recommendation for a 63-turbine wind farm to proceed at Collector will be met with strong opposition at a community meeting, according to opponents of the project who say they’ve been “shafted” by the planning process.
Green group split on cash for cans
SARAH WHYTE A split has emerged at Keep Australia Beautiful on whether to support the cash-for-cans recycling proposal, despite its national organisation lobbying against it with Coca-Cola.
Turf's down, surf's up as the heat of the day runs into the night
Heath Gilmore, Peter Hannam As the mercury rose, Dad & Dave's Turf owner Graeme Colless had a message for sweltering Sydneysiders: you are all soft with no heart.
Engine room: Platypus taken for ride
TOM MCILROY When driver Cameron Blaseotto heard scratching coming from the engine compartment of his ute on Wednesday night, he was nervous to investigate what was inside.
Brisbane set for hottest day of the year...so far
KRISTIAN SILVA Friday could be Brisbane's hottest day of the year, with a top of 36 degrees predicted for the city.
The OCEARCH shark research WA missed out on
ALEISHA ORR The Western Australian government was offered $1.35 million worth of assistance a year ago to tag sharks following a a spate of fatal shark attacks but it was not taken up.
Taste of summer's heat to ease in Canberra
Georgina Mitchell It was a slice of summer, perfect for sailing through the heads or just splashing around with friends and family.
Finding the Sydney heat stifling? Harden up, say workers
Heath Gilmore As the mercury continues to rise, Dad and Dave Turf owner Graeme Colless has a message for sweltering Sydneysiders going home tonight: you are all soft with no heart.
Gardener brings compost to the city
Katherine Vega An avid Brisbane gardener has come up with a novel way to make composting accessible to city dwellers.
Sydney weather: heat to continue before big drop
PETER HANNAM Sydney has sweltered through its third hottest October day on record with a gusty cool change expected to keep fire crews on high alert well into the night.
National parks to be opened up to more use
AMY REMEIKIS Queensland's national parks will be opened for business, but a parliamentary committee wants to see strict protections put in place first.
New climates for Melbourne, Sydney predicted
NICKY PHILLIPS Melbourne has just endured its hottest September on record.
New climates for Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney predicted
NICKY PHILLIPS Melbourne has just endured its hottest September on record.
Scientists pinpoint date to restart record books
Nicky Phillips Sydney endured its hottest September on record this year. Thursday may be our hottest October day. But when do we stop talking about breaking records and admit we've got a radically different climate?
Sydney weather forecast revised to 39 degrees
PETER HANNAM A total fire ban has been declared for 15 areas in NSW ahead of hot and gusty weather conditions.
Bogong moths arrive in Canberra early
TOM MCILROY Experts are predicting a big year for Canberra's much-maligned bogong moths after an early arrival in 2013
Canberra weather warms up as heatwave hits
Tom McIlroy, Stephanie Anderson Canberra’s temperature will reach 30 degrees for the first time since March on Thursday, as temperatures climb across eastern Australia.
Rolf Kuelsen takes organic food to new level
Amelia Ahern He is no household name, but Rolf Kuelsen has a big impact on what Brisbane residents eat.
City falls short of forecast 30 degrees
Lara O'Toole The promise of a hot spring day in Melbourne did not match its forecast this afternoon.
Shaken, but residents barely stirred
The earth didn't exactly move for Campbelltown residents but it did shake a little bit.
NSW temperatures may hit 40 degrees on Thursday prompting extreme fire warnings
PETER HANNAM Extreme unseasonal weather is expected across much of NSW on Thursday, prompting fire authorities to issue "extreme fire danger" warnings for major populated areas.
Solar chef takes cooking to a natural level
Natalie Fortuna Stan calles himself the "solar chef" and is behind a company which teaches people the best ways to cook up a storm, using little no other energy than the Queensland sun.
Japan
Dolphin-killing town to open marine park
The Japanese town made infamous by Oscar-winning documentary The Cove will open a marine mammal park where visitors can swim with dolphins.
Science
Dying for sex: it's a male marsupial thing
NICKY PHILLIPS In what may be the ultimate sacrifice for lust, Australian scientists have discovered why the males of some species of marsupial are dying for sex.
Animal cruelty penalties 'too weak'
STATHI PAXINOS The RSPCA believes people found guilty of abusing animals are not facing penalties tough enough to reflect the depravity of their crimes or to deter repeat offenders.
It's raining much more than cats and dogs
Caroline Zielinski, Craig Butt Buba the bearded dragon may be cold-blooded but that doesn't make him cold-hearted, say his owners, Melbourne sisters Allie and Caroline.
India lightning strikes kill 32 people
At least 32 people including nine children were killed over the weekend by lightning strikes in the eastern Indian states of Bihar and Jharkhand, officials have said.
Green Heart Fair 2013 sets up at Carindale
Natalie Fortuna The Green Heart Fair makes a return to Carindale on October 13, in a bid to make Brisbane Australia's cleanest city.
Stressed krill first sign of damage
ANDREW DARBY Turns out it's the little things we need to worry about in climate change.
Tiger attacks zoo worker in US
A tiger ripped up the left arm of a worker at a central Oklahoma animal park after the woman stuck her hand into the giant cat's enclosure on Saturday.
Pollution disrupts sports, travel in China
Fog and pollution has descended on northern China, forcing international golf and tennis players to play in hazardous smog and leading to flight cancellations and road closures as millions of Chinese headed home from a national holiday.
Japan PM seeks overseas help on Fukushima nuclear plant
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says Japan is open to receiving overseas help to contain widening radioactive water leaks at the crippled nuclear plant in Fukushima, with leaks and mishaps reported almost daily.
Killing spiders risks an increase in other pests
AMANDA HOH The increasing use of home pesticides is creating a biodiversity imbalance, biologists say.
Science
Wild things get fish tongue-tied
NICKY PHILLIPS If you're a fish, it's not a cat but more likely a bloodsucking parasite that's got your tongue.
Malabar cleans up act as northern beaches sink
Kirsty Needham Swimming at Malabar, once Sydney's most maligned beach, is now as safe as swimming at Dee Why.
Climate Council marks 2013 as hottest of warmer years
BRIDIE SMITH Australians have just lived through the warmest September since records began, according to the rebadged Climate Council.
Fears of east-west link impact on zoo animals
Henrietta Cook, Richard Willingham Creatures great and small from Melbourne Zoo have been added to a list of locals concerned about the Napthine government's controversial east-west tunnel, with warnings that noise and vibrations could further stress animals.
Woolworths to phase out all battery hen eggs
SARAH WHYTE All eggs from caged hens will be removed from the shelves of Woolworths over five years as the supermarket responds to growing consumer demand to address animal welfare, the supermarket chain will announce on Friday.
Baby lemurs make their public debut
Georgina Mitchell A pair of baby lemurs have made their first public appearance at Canberra's National Zoo and Aquarium after they were born last week.
Climate Council reports warmest September on record
BRIDIE SMITH Australians have just lived through the warmest September since records began, according to the rebadged Climate Council.
Dirty nappies? You might be sitting on them
Kim Arlington Today's dirty nappies will be transformed into tomorrow's park benches under an Australian-first recycling scheme.
Greenpeace activists face jail
ANDREW DARBY Two Greenpeace activists have been charged with piracy by the Russian government, with further charges imminent against Australian-based members of a group that attempted to block oil drilling in the Arctic.
141 years on, rarest of creatures enters the frame
BRIDIE SMITH The remote digital camera was set up to film brush-tailed rock wallabies. But while the creature that crept across the screen in the dusky cave light had a long tail, it also had spots.
Hidden cameras reveal rare Sumatran rhino
Hidden cameras have captured images of the critically endangered Sumatran rhino on the Indonesian part of Borneo island, where it was thought to have long ago died out, the WWF said on Wednesday.
Bushfire burning close to Sydney homes
Firefighters were battling a fire in Sydney's northern suburbs and another on NSW's mid-north coast on Wednesday evening, two of the 60 fires burning across NSW.
Science
40,000 years old, and counting - Sorrento's giant wombat, the diprotodontid
BRIDIE SMITH The fossilised skeleton of a giant marsupial the size of a small car has been found near Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula.
Here comes the sun - and the creepy crawlies
STEPHANIE ANDERSON Snakes, spiders and even a scorpion have kept ambulance officers busy as creepy crawlies come out of hibernation across the country.
More damage, but finally wild weather passes
Adam Carey, Jessica Wright The worst of Victoria’s wild weather has finally passed, but not before leaving a fresh trail of damage across Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs.
Heavy winds hit Sydney as weather takes turn for the worse
A strong cold front that delivered damaging winds to parts of Melbourne on Monday night reached NSW on Tuesday afternoon, with peak gusts which reached 135 km/h.
Severe weather warning as wild winds expected to hit NSW
A strong cold front that delivered damaging winds to parts of Melbourne overnight is expected to reach Sydney on Tuesday afternoon, with peak gusts forecast to hit 110km/h.
Strong winds, rain for Canberra
TOM MCILROY Gusts of up to 80km/h expected for Canberra by mid-afternoon
Melbourne braces for more wild winds
Mex Cooper, Adrian Lowe, Jessica Wright Victoria is expected to again be lashed by damaging winds, forecast to reach up to 100km/h on Wednesday.
As the mercury rises, Sydneysiders dip
Ben Grubb So long September, the hottest on record. The weather bureau is yet to crunch the numbers on just how warm Monday was but says it is certain that it was Australia's warmest September.
$900,000 raised for new green body
BEN SCHNEIDERS A social media campaign to fund a replacement for the abolished Climate Commission has proved a huge success, with $900,000 raised from private donations in less than a week.
Buyers 'misled' on free-range eggs
SARAH WHYTE Rolling hills. Dappled sunlight. Lush green pastures. Two chickens.
Wet and warm start to spring for Canberra
STEPHANIE ANDERSON Canberra has recorded one of its wettest and warmest starts to spring following a month of record breaking weather.
RSPCA's euthanasia allowance a 'perverse incentive' to kill, claim critics
Gabriel Wingate-Pearse An extra $14 paid to RSPCA staff on the days they euthanise animals is providing a "perverse financial incentive to kill" and may be driving up death rates, critics say.
Coast not toast: mayor hits back on Bondi
Brittany Ruppert A Sydney council has rejected claims it is not doing enough to safeguard Bondi Beach, the mayor arguing it is ''ahead of the game'' on environmental responsibility.
Government may be forced to increase emissions cut
PETER MARTIN The Coalition government may have to cut Australia's greenhouse gas emissions by twice as fast as has been planned.
