Latest environment news
'The heat was relentless'
Peter Hannam 1:57 PM From hot oceans to shrinking Arctic ice and glaciers, the evidence of a warming planet has gone into overdrive in the first three months of 2016.
BOM plan to take over CSIRO climate change research
![The Bureau of Meteorology would take over CSIRO climate programs, including the Cape Grim greenhouse gas station in ...](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/m/x/h/1/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnz4dr.11u395.png/1459865139088.jpg)
Adam Morton, Peter Hannam 7:19 PM The Bureau of Meteorology has offered to save climate research that CSIRO plans to axe under a plan that would see some long-term programs and dozens of jobs transfer between the two national science agencies.
The emails showing CSIRO plan to abolish climate research
![Climate research, including Antarctic programs, were ear-marked for some of the deepest cuts.](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/m/l/s/8/2/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnxezq.11u395.png/1459749578211.jpg)
Adam Morton, Peter Hannam Australia's national science organisation will stop "doing science for science sake" and no longer do "public good" work unless it is linked to jobs and economic growth, according to internal emails between CSIRO senior managers.
Abbott's harmful legacy lives on in climate silence
![Peter Hartcher dinkus](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/m/p/b/c/9/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnxvfy.11u395.png/1459796434705.jpg)
Peter Hartcher Together with his footsoldiers in politics and the media, Tony Abbott has succeeded in muddying the public's understanding of climate change.
Michael West
Adani's mine is not going to happen
![Michael West](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/2/t/m/p/s/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnxwkl.11u395.png/1459757016452.jpg)
Michael West Adani is not going to happen; the construction, that is, of the leviathan Carmichael mine, the world's largest thermal coal mine in the hinterland of the Great Barrier Reef.
168 million drink containers littered in NSW every year
![Four per cent of beverage containers in NSW are littered every year - that's 168 million containers weighing 17,700 tonnes.](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/x/u/j/8/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnxtud.11u395.png/1459852143830.jpg)
Lucy Cormack Official figures say NSW litters 4 per cent of all beverage containers every year. That's 168 million bottles and cans, 17,700 tonnes. But is that really all?
Dribbling into a glass, Chewie the snake attracts world record claim
![Chewie cracks the world venom record for a king brown, his handler at the Australian Reptile Park, Billy Collett, says.](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/z/k/b/7/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnznje.png/1459917296922.jpg)
Jacob Saulwick 2:34 PM Stand aside, Donald Trump, when it comes to spitting venom, Chewie is the world champ.
Indonesia's orang-utans suffer as fires rage and land is cleared
![Orphaned infant orang-utans at the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation in Indonesia are carted by wheelbarrow to a ...](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/z/h/x/0/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnzdpt.png/1459907491066.jpg)
Joe Cochrane 11:51 AM Katty, a docile, orange-haired preschooler, fell from a tree with a thump. Her teacher quickly picked her up, dusted off her bottom, refastened her white disposable diaper and placed her back on a branch more than seven feet off the ground.
Canberra headed for hottest April day in 30 years
![The sun sets over the Brindabellas. The mountain range will be buffeted by high winds on Wednesday.](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/s/b/h/x/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnzcbg.png/1459900178220.jpg)
Katie Burgess 9:46 AM No, your weather app isn't malfunctioning.
Signs are economies can grow even as emissions fall
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Coral Davenport 9:13 AM The more coal and oil we burn, the more we can produce, driving growth, right? There may be another way.
Pure dog breeds are getting smaller, study finds
!["Cute but not necessarily functional."](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/1/3/9/o/6/9/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnynsr.png/1459837803550.jpg)
Marcus Strom 4:30 PM Dog lovers are choosing smaller dogs, which has implications for the long term health of pure bred canines.
Doctors call for brown coal power shutdown plan in the Latrobe Valley
![A giant dredging machine at work in the brown coal mine at Loy Yang in the Latrobe Valley.](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/i/k/x/3/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnxsxm.png/1459830725231.jpg)
Tom Arup More than 300 doctors and other medical professionals have signed an open letter demanding the state government develop a plan to retire the Latrobe Valley's brown coal power plants because of the health damage they cause.
Climate change is a grave threat to public health, White House warns in report
!["We've got to do better": President Barack Obama.](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/y/q/f/t/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnypqy.png/1459828133822.jpg)
Brady Dennis The Obama administration believes health problems associated with climate change is one of the gravest threats to the country.
How old mattresses are giving Canberrans new starts
![Soft Landing's senior process leader Adam Coles went from prison to managing a team of 25 people.](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/x/s/j/r/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnxlep.png/1459754593101.jpg)
Katie Burgess In a dusty shed at Hume, both men and mattresses are being given second chances.
Hidden cost of giant Australian coal mine
![SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES - APRIL 04: Rockefeller Brothers Fund president Stephen Heintz poses for a portrait on April ...](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/x/q/x/u/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnxqta.png/1459748146721.jpg)
Peter Hannam The $20 billion-plus Carmichael coal mine will generate thousands of jobs in the short term. But what about the long term?
New Zealand's only resident pelican put down
![Lanky the pelican has died. He was the longest living resident at Wellington Zoo, after arriving at the zoo in 1978.](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/x/n/u/u/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnxnie.png/1459738753238.jpg)
Jessy Edwards The only pelican in New Zealand, and the longest living resident at Wellington Zoo, has been euthanised.
Sydney weather: drenched city records wettest 24 hours in a year
![Soggy day: The heaviest rainfall hit Sydney's CBD between 11pm and midnight.](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/n/b/g/k/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnxg4m.png/1459736296885.jpg)
Megan Levy Sydney has copped a solid soaking overnight, recording its wettest 24-hour period in the past year.
Wild tiger population could treble if action taken, scientists say
![Hope: Tiger could now be turning a corner in the wild, scientists say.](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/x/n/5/b/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnxmh8.png/1459734386275.jpg)
Tigers could soon be making a roaring comeback, according to the latest forecast by experts.
3.5-metre 'bull shark' caught off NSW South Coast
![Four men try to lift a large shark - thought to be a bull shark - into a ute at Austinmer, Wollongong.](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/x/i/d/3/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnxi2n.png/1459727209669.jpg)
Angela Thompson A large shark has been brought ashore in Wollongong, three days after a surfer was attacked in waters off Kiama, on the NSW South Coast.
Council shelter under fire over pet welfare
![Saviour the cat was rescued from a freezer at the Wagga Wagga council animal shelter by volunteer Belinda Oakman.](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/u/s/s/x/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnuqdn.png/1459744509707.jpg)
Eamonn Duff Cats have allegedly been dumped in freezers and left to die and dozens of other animals have disappeared from official records at a council animal shelter.
Bob Brown likens Tasmania's salmon industry to logging, mining
![Bob Brown says Atlantic Salmon has become a key part of Tasmania's reputation of producing fine food.](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/w/6/i/e/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnvqrg.png/1459527250535.jpg)
Jared Lynch Former Greens leader Bob Brown has urged for the creation of independent regulator for Tasmania's salmon farmers, saying the industry is at risk of doing the same environmental damage as mining and logging.
Bull sharks on the bite in hot water, new research suggests
![Bull sharks are thought to be hungrier when the water temperature rises.](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/i/a/8/f/e/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnvs0i.png/1459517083606.jpg)
Rory Callinan Water temperature could be the trigger for some of New South Wales' deadly shark attacks.
Canberra weather: warm April expected after record breaking March
![Low hanging fog over Canberra on Friday morning.](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/w/h/h/7/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnw2pg.png/1459496297419.jpg)
Clare Colley Canberra can expect warmer than average temperatures to continue for April after enjoying its equal second warmest March on record.
Giant dragonfly helps end coal mining plans
![Omitted: Commissioners noted impacts on the habitat of the endangered giant dragonfly were not included in the risk ...](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/v/z/x/c/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnvzv9.png/1459489945483.jpg)
Peter Hannam The failure of proponents of a coal mine in the Special Areas to take into account the effect of an expansion on the endangered giant dragonfly species may have sealed the fate of 120-year-old mine.
Solar energy battery storage to be rolled out across ACT
![More than 5000 homes and businesses across the ACT could soon have access to photovoltaic battery storage.](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/i/6/q/4/7/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnvn2o.png/1459487384431.jpg)
Katie Burgess Thousands of homes and businesses across the ACT will soon have access to battery storage for renewable energy with funds from the latest renewable energy auction.Â
Fire season extended as summer holds on
![News.
Bungendore RFS Captain, Sheldon Williams, in burnt land near Hazeldell Rd where he worked to save properties last ...](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/i/m/p/l/w/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnvsp3.png/1459488445306.jpg)
Peter Hannam Sydney's balmy start to April will continue for most of the coming week but those warm and mostly dry conditions have also prompted the Rural Fire Service to extend the fire season for parts of the state's north.
Call to shift to zero-carbon as global warming deadline approaches
![The window on curbing climate change is more narrow than many realise, a new study argues.](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/i/h/o/g/u/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnuy7x.png/1459479389574.jpg)
Peter Hannam The world must start the shift to zero-carbon sources of electricity as soon as 2018 to avoid adding new fossil-fuel power plants that will lock in dangerous climate change, according to a team of Oxford University researchers.
Susie proves human and gorilla genomes diverge by just 1.6 per cent
![Susie, the female Western lowland gorilla, who provided the material for a the reference sample for full-genome ...](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/v/u/6/2/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnvryv.png/1459471433746.jpg)
Will Dunham A gorilla named Susie is helping provide fresh insight into the genetic similarities and differences between people and these endangered apes that are among our closest living relatives.
US, China seek to prod nations by signing climate accord this month
![China's president Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington, DC in September last year.](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/b/0/y/o/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnvlla.png/1459450346594.jpg)
Jennifer A. Dlouhy and Joe Ryan Both the US and China will formally sign a landmark multinational climate accord on April 22, the very first day they can, paving the way for early enforcement of the deal to slash greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
One of Kenya's most famous lions was killed because they were out of tranquilisers
!["We lost one of our best lions": Mohawk was shot dead by a ranger in Kenya.](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/v/1/k/s/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnv1bc.png/1459425512811.jpg)
In a country that has invested millions in protecting its wildlife, Kenyans are trying to figure out what went wrong.
Reef bleaching worse than thought, say surveys
![Photos taken from aerial surveys of the Great Barrier Reef between Cairns and Townsville on Wednesday. On average ...](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/v/3/l/3/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnux7x.png/1459426810597.jpg)
Tom Arup Scientists still have yet to find the southern reach of the coral bleaching.
Bambi in the firing line
![The AGE Fallow deer head Filed 4th March 2014](/web/20160406055005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/j/d/z/f/3/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gnuyc6.png/1459489756404.jpg)
Peter Hannam Feral deer need to be declared pests, aerial shooting of wild horses should be reintroduced and cat owners need to be required to have their pets desexed to curb the rising damage from introduced species on the state's agriculture and natural species, the Natural Resources Commission has found.