Latest environment news
CSIRO head defends climate research cuts as angry scientists protest
CSIRO head Larry Marshall has sought to defend deep cuts to climate science programs after days of sustained criticism, saying global warming research was "one piece of a much larger puzzle" in solving Australia's biggest challenges.
How much ice can the Antarctic afford to lose?
Large areas of Antarctic ice sheets could melt away into the ocean if ice shelves continue to disappear.
Four Corners report finds shark net programs do not prevent attacks
Shark mitigation programs on NSW beaches have no statistical impact on the number of shark attacks, new analysis has found.
CSIRO executives asked to justify deep cuts to climate science
Peter Hannam 11:48 AM Senior CSIRO executives spent much of Sunday trying to justify and prioritise deep cuts planned to climate change science programs that are understood to have caught Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull by surprise.
Heat to stay on CSIRO climate cuts amid claims PM was 'blindsided'
Peter Hannam Leading scientists will use a national conference to appeal to the Turnbull government to intervene to reverse plans by the CSIRO to eliminate most of its climate roles amid claims the Prime Minister was "blindsided" by the move.
Benign weather in store for Sydney as big heat builds in the west
Peter Hannam 10:39 PM Sydney could get its best weather for the year, with a week of gently warming days, lots of sunshine and little rain.
Curtain descends on AGL's 'comedy of errors'
Peter Hannam How energy giant AGL - even with unwavering government support - met its match against determined local opposition to coal seam gas.
Australia 'cut off' from the world
Peter Hannam 10:11 AM Budget cuts at the CSIRO have sent shockwaves into the international climate research community, with the World Meteorological Organisation labelling the move a ''backward'' step.
Feeling the burn on bus shelter seats?
Change is on its way to make your wait much cooler - and smarter.
Wild leopard wreaks havoc, mauls six in Bangalore school rampage
A leopard on the loose in a school in India has mauled six people who attempted to capture the wild animal.
New spider species named after Johnny Cash
11:55 AM It is big, hairy, and if one sinks its fangs in you it will burn, burn, burn like a ring of fire.
Five-metre great white shark filmed off NSW coast
Footage has emerged of a five-metre-plus great white shark swimming around game fishing boats off Narooma on the NSW Far South Coast.
Why is Tasmania's world heritage area burning?
A rising frequency of fires in Tasmania's wilderness threatens to destroy irreplaceable ancient ecosystems.
Urban sprawl crushing Sydney's food bowl
The share of vegetables grown in the city's food basin is heading for a crash.
Victorious anti-CSG campaigners point finger at approval process
Peter Hannam AGL's decision to dump its coal seam gas projects in NSW came despite unflinching support from state agencies, members of an anti-CSG group said.
The mystery of the dying whales: 29 sperm whales wash up on beaches
Sarah Young A sixth sperm whale has died on a British beach, the latest of nearly 30 to have become stranded in shallow waters of the North Sea over the past month.
CSIRO cuts under fire
Australia will break a commitment made at the Paris climate summit less than two months ago if CSIRO goes ahead with its plan to axe its research programs, one of the agency's leading scientists has warned.
Meerkat pups stand up for their species
Taronga's newest babies are only a month old, but they're already practising to be sentries, trying to stand up on their hind legs.
First tuatara reptile hatched outside New Zealand in decades
The first tuatara reptile to be bred outside its native New Zealand in decades has been born in an English zoo.
How many of the world's cruellest tourist attractions have you seen?
Some of your fondest travel memories may just be some of the cruellest tourist attractions around the world.
COMMENT
AGL's belated exit from coal seam gas leaves Santos exposed in Pilliga
Peter Hannam The company executives with most to worry about after AGL's ditching of CSG belong to Santos.
CSIRO scientists to learn fate after more deep cuts to climate units
Peter Hannam Some of Australia's leading climate scientists will learn on Friday whether they still have a job when CSIRO managers provide details of savage cuts to their units.
Baird gas plan 'dead in the water' as AGL gives up on coal seam gas
Peter Hannam Anti-coal seam gas groups have declared the Baird government's plans to develop a gas industry in the state "dead in the water" after energy giant AGL announced it would exit the controversial sector.
Victorian Environment Minister hits out at EPA over Hazelwood charges delay
Victorian Environment Minister Lisa Neville has hit out at the state's pollution watchdog saying she is disappointed it is still weeks away from making a decision about whether to press charges against the owners of Hazelwood over the 2014 brown coal mine fire disaster.
CSIRO cuts: from climate denial to climate outsourcing
If the Abbott era was about climate-change denial it seems that with the Turnbull zeitgeist it is all about climate-change outsourcing.
Climate science to be gutted as CSIRO swings jobs axe
Peter Hannam Fears that some of Australia's most important climate research institutions will be gutted under a Turnbull government have been realised with deep job cuts for scientists.
Rainfall drop, cable failure leave Tasmania scrambling for electricity
Peter Hannam Tasmania's reservoirs have only enough water to supply four months' worth of the state's power supplies after an extended dry spell and the failure of the main power link to the mainland has made things worse.
Snow leopard DNA found in Chinese medicine sold in Australia
Chinese medicine purchased over the counter in Australia has been found to contain the DNA of endangered species.
AGL exits NSW, Queensland coal seam gas in major win for opponents
Peter Hannam Energy giant AGL has decided to cut its losses in the troubled coal seam gas sector, announcing that it will end all exploration and production of natural gas.
