Latest environment news
Acidic oceans blamed for Earth's worst mass extinction
6:42 AM It is one of science's enduring mysteries: what caused the worst mass extinction in Earth's history. And, no, it is not the one that wiped out the dinosaurs.
Fossil fuel-free super funds pay off for investors
Lucy Cormack 8:45 AM Nic Nelson was wandering through a market one morning when he was made an offer to shift his life savings to a fossil fuel free super fund.
Embracing scientific targets for climate change imperative for Labor
Felicity Wade 9:04 PM A weasel on reducing pollution will cause serious damage to the ALP brand.
View from the Street: Government reiterates that renewable energy is for jerks
Andrew P Street 11:07 PM After all, that global renaissance for coal is just around the corner, probably. Your news of the day, reduced to a snarky rant.
US forecaster ups El Nino chance to 70 per cent for later this year
7:03 AM A US government weather forecaster on Thursday raised its forecast for the chance of El Nino conditions during the Northern Hemisphere summer to 70 per cent, up from a 60 per cent chance last month, with a 60 per cent chance it lasts through autumn.
Abbott puts pressure back on Labor over RET
Lisa Cox 11:53 AM Prime Minister Tony Abbott has conceded the ongoing deadlock over Australia's renewable energy target must end, but has indicated the Labor Party should shift further before a compromise can be reached.
Energy white paper 'wilfully deluded' on climate change
Lisa Cox The Abbott government's energy white paper is "wilfully deluded" for failing to put climate change at the centre of Australia's future energy policy, say climate groups.
Scientists confirm Arctic could become a major source of carbon emissions
Chris Mooney As the frozen Arctic soil known as "permafrost" thaws, it could release large amounts of carbon - in the form of both carbon dioxide and methane - to the atmosphere. And this new source of greenhouse gas emissions could be large enough that it could substantially undermine attempts to cut down on emissions from fossil fuels.
Three more banks rule out financing for Galilee Basin coal projects
Lisa Cox Three more financial giants have declared they will not finance coal projects in the Galilee Basin.
Jodi McKay the surprise in Luke Foley's new shadow cabinet
Sean Nicholls, Nicole Hasham Opposition leader Luke Foley has reneged on his promise to make Strathfield MP Jodi McKay his planning spokeswoman, opting instead to give her the justice and police portfolio in his revamped shadow cabinet.
Energy white paper recommends privatisation of remaining state-owned electricity assets
Lisa Cox Remaining state-owned electricity assets should be privatised to increase competition and lower power bills a federal government energy white paper recommends.
Wet April weather brings snow falls around Canberra
Georgina Connery Up to 20cm of snow fell on the Brindabella Mountains after record monthly rainfall fell across Canberra overnight.
Brady the eagle survives feral animal trap
Natalie Bochenski A huge wedge-tailed eagle has wound up in hospital after getting on the wrong end of a feral animal trap in Gympie.
The beauty, the stunning views and the bushfire fuel of the high country
Darren Gray It might be beautiful and the treasure of the high country but, unless the fuel on the ground is cleared, the Bluff Range is an accident waiting to happen.
Net closes on pirate fishers
Andrew Darby The suspicious sinking of the Thunder brings the long battle against Antarctic pirate fishers close to an end, legal fishers say.
Police called in over mass greyhound burial site found in Cessnock
Jessica Brown Two greyhound burial sites on the Keinbah Trial Track at Cessnock are under police investigation.
Ambitious project to save Australia's biodiversity launches
Bridie Smith On Wednesday Scottsdale Reserve will be the launch site for an ambitious project to study Australia's biodiversity loss.
Climate change a health hazard the White House aims to cure
Justin Sink President Barack Obama is warning that climate change will start affecting the health of Americans in the near future and he's recruiting top technology companies to help prepare the nation's health systems.
A sunburnt country spotted from space
Bridie Smith The rusty reds and free-form smears of blue and white could have been created by renowned landscape painter Fred Williams, whose abstract work famously presented a birds-eye view of Australia's ancient interior.
More wet weather forecast for Canberra after wet end to Easter
Georgina Connery After a wet finish to the Easter weekend, Canberra had another cloudy, rainy and windy day on Tuesday.
Wildlife carers take aim at cats
John Thistleton Carers who patch up the victims of roaming domestic cats in Canberra say they should be kept under wider control.
'Australia, you are very beautiful': astronauts marvel at continent from space
Su-Lin Tan NASA astronaut Scott Kelly was gobsmacked as he soared above the red centre.
Six things needed to save the Great Barrier Reef
Jorge Branco Queensland researchers have laid out a plan to restore the Great Barrier Reef to its former glory, criticising the federal government's plan as "inadequate" and "short-sighted".
E-waste disposal lags rest of the world
Lucy Cormack It’s Monday morning and Larissa Shashkof’s alarm goes off. As she and husband Neil wake, they reach for their smartphones, checking the news and the weather.
Panda breaks mating records with 18-minute session
William Wan They call him "the Enduring Brother." And for the second time in days, a particularly amorous male panda in China has smashed the record for longest mating session, zookeepers say.
Study forecasts 70% loss of Western Canada's glaciers by 2100 from climate change
John Schwartz The glaciers of the Canadian West could shrink by 70 per cent by 2100, according to new research that has implications for predicting glacier loss around the world.
Great Barrier reef takes centre stage in mine challenge
A Queensland court will hear evidence of how plans to build Australia's biggest coal mine in the Galilee Basin could damage the Great Barrier Reef.
Captain cheered as ship sank, Sea Shepherd rescuers say
Megan Levy The captain of a ship accused of fishing illegally in Antarctic waters clapped and cheered as his vessel sank off the West African coast overnight, an indication that the vessel had been deliberately scuttled to prevent evidence, according to Sea Shepherd activists.
The Bjorn legacy: Lomborg and our aid program
Markus Mannheim Policymakers should embrace cost-benefit analyses, but be wary of their limits.
Sea Shepherd rescues crew of sinking pirate fishing ship
Kate Aubusson The Australian crew of the Sea Shepherd have come to the rescue of a illegal fishing vessel sinking off the coast of West Africa.
Severe thunderstorm warning issued for parts of NSW
Brittany Ruppert and Kate Aubusson Sydney has been spared the brunt of the severe thunderstorms this afternoon, with the wild weather hitting the state further north.
Shelf cloud over Newcastle
A shelf cloud rolled over Newcastle Monday evening as the state braced for severe thunderstorms.
Do sharks really mistake humans for seals?
Nicky Phillips At Taronga Zoo, researchers have run a series of experiments to understand what drives a shark to attack by mimicking what they see and hear underwater.
