Latest environment news
Muslim scholars prepare call for action to combat climate change
Alex Morales 10:36 AM Islamic scholars and religious leaders are preparing a call for action on climate change that will say it's the religious duty of the world's 1.6 billion Muslims to fight global warming.
Rich nations' climate plans fall short of hopes for Paris summit
8:14 AM Developed nations are on track to cut their greenhouse emissions by almost 30 per cent by 2030, Reuters calculations show, falling far short of a halving suggested by a UN panel of scientists as a fair share to limit climate change.
UN climate expert warns Australia's emissions target should not be final offer
Nicole Hasham 12:43 AM Australia should not attend global talks in Paris refusing to budge on its greenhouse gas emission pledge, the UN's scientific body on climate change says, ahead of expected international pressure on the Abbott government to do better.
AGL pressure prompted CSG planning amendment, documents show
Peter Hannam 12:48 AM The NSW government has been accused of making "law on the run" as it bowed to pressure from AGL to remove a key planning obstacle to its coal seam gas project in Gloucester, new documents reveal.
Baird government spikes post-2020 carbon report
Peter Hannam The Baird government prepared a post-2020 carbon reduction report for the federal government but decided not to submit it, sparking criticism from Labor and the Greens that it had failed to take a leading role for the state.
How Baloo the Kiwi dog was reunited with his owner in Sydney
Marty Sharpe 1:47 PM Baloo's owner never liked her dog's ugly, bright yellow tag, but it has proved the key to an emotional reunion.
Pacific Island nation challenges Abbott on coal
Lisa Cox 12:36 PM Prime Minister Tony Abbott's push for new coal mines has been challenged by one of Australia's pacific island neighbours under threat from climate change.
The hypnotising tool California is using to save water
Robert Gebelhoff 12:31 PM California is experiencing one of its most severe droughts on record, and its local municipalities have an astounding strategy to save water: turn their reservoirs into massive, floating ball pits.
Giant tiger shark reportedly caught off NSW North Coast
Rachel Olding 9:23 AM Conservationists are investigating the possibility that a gigantic, four-metre Tiger shark was caught off the NSW coast this week by a commercial fisherman.
Canberra's dusting was the real deal
Emma Kelly 8:21 PM Snow falls in Canberra after a wet start to the day. But the need for umbrellas is likely to be short-lived.
Risk to jobs and health cited in gas ban call
Darren Gray 5:18 PM A parliamentary inquiry has been left in no doubt that the unconventional gas extraction industry is not welcome in some of Victoria's shires which are worried about the potential negative impacts on tourism, agriculture, water and public health.
New species of glider discovered in the Northern Territory
Lucy Cormack 5:06 PM Researchers in the Northern Territory believe they have found a new marsupial species, and the process of identifying it could take them all the way to the British Museum.
Is it snow or sleet in Canberra?
Emma Kelly 2:45 PM It's the question always sparks debate in Canberra: and here's how to tell the difference.
Surfers call for North Coast shark cull
Rachel Olding Surfers on the NSW North Coast have overwhelmingly voted for a partial cull of sharks following an unprecedented number of attacks and sightings along the world-famous coastline.
Stripes 'don't save zebras from predators'
A zebra's stripes are unlikely to protect it from pursuing predators, contrary to the view of most experts, research has shown.
Abbott plan to cut emissions by 26 to 28 per cent
Nicole Hasham, Latika Bourke and Lisa Cox Cutting Australia's carbon emissions by at least 26 per cent by 2030 is a responsible move that does not sacrifice the economy for the environment, Prime Minister Tony Abbott says.
The report Tony Abbott 'doesn't want you to see'
Peter Hannam The CSIRO has cancelled its annual survey on attitudes to climate change and won't release the results of its 2014 study until late this year.
Snail study suggests Earth may have already lost seven per cent of its species
Robert Gebelhoff Officially, only 800 of Earth's species are extinct. This study puts the number closer to 180,000.
Emissions target leaves Australia trailing pack, say critics
Nicole Hasham and Angela Macdonald-Smith Australia will halve its emissions per person over the next 15 years, the Abbott government says, under a long-awaited climate pledge it predicts will cut harmful greenhouse gas emissions without sacrificing the economy.
Government to be lumped with multibillion-dollar emissions bill
Nicole Hasham Taxpayers face a multibillion-dollar bill to meet Australia's new pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions, a leading industry group and climate experts have warned, casting doubt on how the target would be met if economic conditions decline.
Golf course to become parkland
Lucy Cormack The 18-hole Eastlake golf course could be converted into a major public park, under the City of Botany Bay's Vision 2040 Directions Paper
Orientation of pupil may help animals distinguish predator from prey
Nicholas St Fleur The shape of the pupils of animals appears to reveal something about their strategies for survival as hunters or the hunted.
ACT closes off its generous rooftop solar scheme, forcing homeowners to join up or miss out
Kirsten Lawson People who signed up to premium scheme but never hooked up to the grid must do so soon.
First digital map of seafloor reveals kaleidoscope of diversity
Bridie Smith The Earth's seafloor is far more diverse than previously thought, with the first digital map of the planet's deep sea geological seascape revealing a kaleidoscope of diversity.
More men back nuclear, women like solar: climate change gender divide found
Nicole Hasham If the climate change debate wasn't polarised enough, new Australian research has opened up another divide: the attitudes of men versus women.
Orphaned rhino calf cuddles up to tourist's grey car
A prosecutor in South Africa's Kruger National Park says rhino poaching cases appear in court like shoplifting cases in the city. South Africa is on track to see another record year of rhino poaching with 393 rhinos killed in the first four months of 2015.
Sydney's disappearing open space
Lucy Cormack Green groups are alarmed at the loss of public open space across the state - and they blame property developers.
Abbott government may face backlash over climate change
Nicole Hasham About two in three Australians say the Abbott government should take climate change more seriously and even more believe coal-fired power will eventually be supplanted.
Six suspected tiger poachers killed in Bangladesh shootout
At least six suspected wildlife poachers have been killed by law enforcement officers in the southern Bangladeshi district of Khulna, the prime habitat of endangered Bengal tigers.
ACT opens bids for second wind auction
Kirsten Lawson Environment Minister Simon Corbell says second wind auction will power up to 106,000 Canberra homes.
