Latest environment news
Seafood hit by climate change
Andrew Darby 6:00 AM A global marine food chain collapse due to greenhouse gas emissions could hit many popular eating fish, an Australian study has found.
Global climate pledges point to 3 degrees of warming, Europe says
8:09 AM National pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions, even if fully implemented, would cap global warming at 3 degrees Celsius rather than the 2 degrees targeted to avoid dangerous consequences, the European Commission said.
Solar and wind power surge in US
Sean Cockerham 8:34 AM While the production of fossil fuels drops in the United States, solar and wind power is skyrocketing as technology and cheaper financing drive down the costs.
Quiet cyclone season forecast for Australia
Peter Hannam Fewer tropical cyclones are expected in Australia between the November-April cyclone season as a result of this year's powerful El Nino in the Pacific.
Blocked NSW climate report backed big emission cuts
Peter Hannam Australia risked being left with "stranded" fossil fuel assets and missing out on investment in new technologies if the country's climate change actions are less ambitious than other nations, according to a report blocked by the Baird government.
Federal water tensions rise as Australia dries out
Peter Hannam Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce says he remains "absolutely certain" Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will keep his promises to the Nationals, including responsibilities for water, amid reports of simmering tensions over the issues.
Coal plants will close, it's time to prepare: Greens
Tom Arup The body overseeing the Latrobe Valley's move from the brown coal industry would comprise representatives from the community, business, council and universities along with state and federal governments, the Greens say.
China's economic shift a double-edged sword
Philip Wen and Peter Hannam China is promising peak carbon emissions by 2030 - but it could happen much sooner than forecast, and will be painful for many, including Australia's exporters.
Why you need to catch more funnel webs
Lucy Cormack The number of funnel webs caught to produce vital anti-venom has been declining over the past few years, prompting specialists to remind everyday Australians to lend a hand.
Swarming bees on the move in Canberra
John Thistleton 1:16 PM Canberra beekeepers on high alert for hive diseases see safety in numbers.
Whale calf caught in fishing net off Batemans Bay
Kate Aubusson 9:06 PM A humpback whale is refusing to leave her calf as it struggles to extricate itself from a fishing net off the NSW south coast.
Sydney thunderstorms possible for afternoon commute
Peter Hannam 4:31 PM Hail and heavy showers have doused parts of southern Sydney and there is the chance of more storms for those heading home.
Severe thunderstorm for coast
3:31 PM The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the NSW South Coast.
China eyes new coal curbs
Philip Wen and Peter Hannam China is considering aggressive new curbs on coal consumption as it accelerates efforts to transform its economy and tackle climate change.
Hazelwood owner may face criminal charges for mine fire
Tom Arup The owners of the Hazelwood coal mine could face criminal charges under state environment law for the smoke and ash that smothered the town of Morwell during a dramatic month-long mine fire last year.
The El Nino crisis you’ve never heard of
Matt Wade A fresh crisis is brewing in the Horn of Africa and the cause is very familiar to Australians: El Nino.
Warm weather with a chance of rain
Emma Kelly The first of several possible storms for the weekend passed over Canberra on Friday evening as the Bureau of Meteorology warned of a severe thunderstorm in the region.
Snake bite 'like someone had thrown a rock'
Lucy Cormack Sarah Adam was buckling her kids into the car when she felt instant pain - 'like someone had thrown a rock'. What had really happened would be much worse.
More heat on the way after record hot start to October
Peter Hannam Southern Australia smashed heat records this month even without the usual warming in the Red Centre and more hot weather is on the way, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
Turnbull government appoints Australia's first wind farm commissioner
Tom Arup Australia's first wind farm commissioner has been appointed by the Turnbull government, with the former chairman of the telecommunications industry watchdog, Andrew Dyer, to take the role for three years.
'Dog elimination day': Bali confronts rabies
Jewel Topsfield It's a gruesome sight, but officials say it is a necessary step after 15 people died from rabies in Bali.
Stunning images of this week's Northern Lights
Sarah Kaplan and Fred Barbash Hundreds of people in northern hemisphere go outside with their cameras in hopes of capturing colourful displays.
The space race
The truth about Ridley Scott's The Martian: It's about Earth, not Mars
Karl Quinn It plays like Robinson Crusoe on Mars, but Ridley Scott's edge-of-the-seat sci-fi nail-biter is about our collective struggle for survival.
BP bight well's spill threat questioned
Andrew Darby Petroleum giant BP has lodged an environmental plan with the Federal Government for the first deep drilling in the waters of the Great Australian Bight, as it settles the 2010 Deepwater Horizon blow-out in the United States for $A27 billion.
How we're killing our turtles
Lucy Cormack Every second, 159 single-use plastic bags are used across Australia. While some states have bans, NSW is still plastic bag-full. Environmental groups are asking why.
More than a third of world's coral reef faces major bleaching event
Saffron Howden A massive, global coral bleaching event is underway which could affect 38 per cent of the world's reefs by year's end, including the Great Barrier Reef, scientists have revealed.
Meet the newly discovered hog-nosed rat
Scientists have discovered a previously unknown mammal, the hog-nosed rat, with features that have not been seen by science before.
Federal climate authority may be spared the axe
Peter Hannam The Turnbull government has appointed former National Farmers Federation head Wendy Craik and four others to the board of the Climate Change Authority for five-year terms, indicating the agency may yet be spared the axe.
El Nino unmasked, pointing to a hot, drier October for Australia
Peter Hannam The impacts of the monster El Nino in the Pacific are likely to intensify across much of Australia, including worsening drought and an elevated bushfire threat, after conditions that were nullifying its effects suddenly retreated.
Britain mulls coal power exit by 2023
Alex Morales and Rachel Morison Britain is considering whether to close all of its 12 coal-fired power plants by 2023.
