Latest environment news
2016 may break annual global heat records for third year in a row
Peter Hannam 10:31 AM The remarkable global heat for 2015 is not yet over and already forecasters are predicting next year will be hotter again - marking three years in a row of record annual warmth.
NSW mining, CSG proposals to face closer scrutiny of benefits
Peter Hannam 4:07 PM Companies lodging proposals for new mining and coal seam gas projects will have their claims of resulting benefits more closely examined following the release of new planning guidelines.ill
Sydney's Christmas Day looks good for barbies though beach may be cool
Peter Hannam 4:38 PM Sydney is in for a hot few days but the mercury should ease back to milder conditions on Christmas Day.
What it was really like inside the negotiating room at Paris climate conference
Peter Hannam 4:00 PM For negotiators engrossed in months or even years of arcane, technical wrangling for a new global climate agreement, the sudden involvement of political leaders in the talks in Paris was both a curiosity and a distraction.
Sydney weather: Bureau of Meteorology confirms Kurnell was hit by a tornado
8:27 PM The extreme thunderstorm that tore through Kurnell was consistent with being an mid-intensity tornado with wind gusts well above the previous strongest recorded four decades ago in NSW.
Sydney tornado: 'shards of glass become flying missiles ... the scariest of tornadoes'
Marcus Strom Unless you've been inside a 200kmh blast of wind it's hard to imagine the tremendous natural force behind it.
An historic deal to tackle climate change
Tom Arup, Peter Hannam in Paris Almost 200 countries have struck a grand bargain to take collective action on climate change, as the Paris summit delivers the first global agreement to cut greenhouse gas pollution in almost two decades.
Analysis: Paris delivers. Can Turnbull?
Tom Arup With the Paris summit wrapping up having delivered an historic global climate agreement, questions will inevitably turn to whether Malcolm Turnbull will use the international momentum to advance the climate debate back home
Analysis
Comment: Well done on the Paris deal, but the real test still to come
Peter Hannam Is the Paris climate summit, as the French phrase goes, "the mountain that gives birth to the mouse"?
A quick guide to the Paris climate deal
Tom Arup What you need to know about the Paris climate deal.
Weekend heat will give way to cool Christmas Day
Megan Gorrey 7:08 PM Canberra is bracing for a hot, dry weekend but a cool change could bring light rain on Christmas Day.
And so, the heatwave begins
Marissa Calligeros 6:06 PM As of 9am on Friday, Melbourne was the hottest capital city in Australia. And that's not about to change.
Mount Clear bushfire burns towards urban areas
1:42 PM As temperatures climb, firefighters are attempting to extinguish a bushfire burning into its third day south of Canberra.
Tornado rips roof off desalination plant
Emma Partridge Winds of up to 213km/h have plucked the roof off the largest building at Sydney's dormant desalination plant.
Asbestos fears limit access to Kurnell following devastating tornado
Ava Benny-Morrison Media and some motorists have been blocked from entering the Sutherland Shire suburb of Kurnell, the scene of Wednesday's devastating tornado, amid asbestos fears.
Give up greenhouse gaseous meat? Lettuce rethink
Catherine Armitage There may be good reasons to eat more leafy greens and less meat, but if you're doing it to help save the planet, you may be kidding yourself.
Calm conditions ahead as tornado clean-up continues in Kurnell
Megan Levy Sydneysiders can expect much calmer weather conditions in coming days as the massive clean-up operation continues in the city's southern suburbs, which were battered by destructive winds of up to 213km/h on Wednesday.
Record winds rip through Sydney
Lucy Cormack, Lisa Visentin and Kieran Gair Southern Sydney resembled a disaster zone on Wednesday after the most destructive winds recorded in NSW history lifted roofs off houses, brought down power lines and trees and left more than 20,000 homes and businesses without power.
Sydney storm formed over the ocean
Marcus Strom The intense storm cell that snuck up on Sydney from the south was formed in favourable conditions in a low-pressure trough fed by warm, moist air from
Sydney storm: what causes tornadoes
Marcus Strom Tornadoes in Australia are relatively rare weather events but can cause havoc if they hit built up areas. The Bureau of Meteorology says there are about 10 to 20 sightings a year in populated areas with about 60 or so tornadoes forming a year.
Sydney weather: tornado hits city
Kate Aubusson and Lucy Cormack The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a tornado warning for the Sydney area on Wednesday
Phase out coal to save reef, Queenslanders say
Amy Remeikis Queenslanders believe coal mining should be phased out to save the Great Barrier Reef, with concern over the impact mining is having on one of the world's greatest natural icons.
Christmas tree-killing insect breaks Melbourne containment lines
Bridie Smith Melburnians have been urged to check their Christmas trees for a white "marshmallow-like" residue on the trunk and branches after a contagious insect capable of killing pine trees jumped containment lines.
Commuters in for bad night as storm causes havoc
Melanie Kembrey, Kate Aubusson Commuters are in for a rough night on the roads, with flooding, power failures, crashes and fallen trees causing havoc across Sydney.
Rising temps put salties in hot water
Amy Mitchell-Whittington Climate change could make saltwater crocodiles move south.
November global temperatures soared, shattering records
Peter Hannam Global temperatures soared again in November - just as leaders from the world gathered in Paris to settle a new agreement to tackle climate change.
Doctors disappointed with NSW government on air pollution standards
Lucy Cormack NSW will adopt air pollution standards that do not meet the levels recommended by the WHO.
Severe thunderstorm warning issued for parts of Sydney
Kate Aubusson Parts of Sydney and the Wollondilly areas should brace for a severe thunderstorm on Tuesday evening.
The air you breathe is on the table
Lucy Cormack Standards for air pollution particles linked to lung cancer and restricted lung growth could be set at levels beyond those recommended by the World Health Organisation, doctors and community groups fear.
Canberra set to swelter through week of hot days and warm nights
Megan Gorrey Canberrans have been encouraged to do what it takes to stay cool as temperatures hover several degrees above average this week.
Home solar battery revolution an economic and emissions game changer
David Ellery The emergence of affordable home batteries that can be hooked up to solar electricity systems will make coal fired power stations obsolete users have said.
'Why would you bother?': Turnbull government backbenchers warn against world's emissions plan
Nicole Hasham The world may have struck a much-heralded deal in Paris to ratchet up pollution cuts in the decades ahead, but a number of Turnbull government backbenchers insist climate science is unconvincing and Australia has already promised enough.
US town rejects solar farm after sunlight, cancer fears
Michael Koziol World leaders may have committed to ambitious climate targets in Paris at the weekend, but that in small-town America, all that solar hocus pocus is still viewed with a healthy dose of slack-jawed cynicism.
Fisherman lands 250-kilogram bull shark in Hastings Rivers
Tracey Fairhurst The two words uttered by fisherman Denis Rivers when he hauled in this massive beast will be left to your imagination but there is nothing fake about the bull shark in this story.
