Sea ice spread around Antarctica hits a record low
As parts of Australia set heatwave records and the government considered building new coal-fired power stations, the vast continent to the south last week quietly marked a milestone.
Environment
Victoria to get its first large-scale solar plants
After years of failed promises, Victoria is on the cusp of getting its first large-scale solar power stations.
The health threat that is 'falling through the cracks'
Less than one dollar in a thousand spent on health in Australia goes to one of the biggest threats facing the sector, a new paper finds.
National park could be jobs boon, say consultants
The creation of a long-mooted national park on Melbourne's fringe could create up to 750 jobs by turning the area into an eco-tourism hub, an analysis has found.
Sydney marks hottest month ever with every site setting records
Sydney has marked its hottest ever month, with extended warm spells setting records at all metropolitan sites.
Warning of future blackouts as politics rules energy debate
Victoria and NSW have been warned they could follow South Australia in being hit by electricity blackouts in years ahead unless Canberra comes up with a bipartisan national plan to deal with energy and climate change.
Santos lodges controversial CSG plans, igniting 'massive battle'
Energy giant lodges its long-delayed application to develop the controversial Narrabri coal seam gas project.
Lost and found
Claims of a cover-up as a plant lost for two centuries turns up on a development site.
Mining plans for Sydney's catchment pose Gladys a 'crucial test'
Coal mining in Sydney's water catchment could prove an early test for new Premier Gladys Berejiklian
Wide Gulf between rhetoric and reality for fossil fuels and renewables
Do big investments in solar energy point to a different future for the oil-rich nations of the Middle East?
Shark!
Have a spate of bites and sightings up and down the NSW coast raised the odds that an attack awaits beachgoers this summer? Peter Hannam investigates.
Soggy end to summer masks another season of heat records for Sydney
The sodden and cool tail of February belies the record-breaking summer, with autumn also likely to be unusually warm.
Drone captures shark lurking close to surfers
Drone vision of great white shark lurking near unsuspecting surfers emerges
Coral bleaching returns to the Great Barrier Reef
Parts of the Great Barrier Reef are enduring periods of heat stress worse than during last year's record-breaking coral bleaching event.
Scientists warn Carpageddon could get out of control
Scientists are criticising the Australian government for its plan to unleash herpes on carp.
For Chernobyl survivor, breaking the waves to power the future is 'personal'
Innaย Braverman hopes the Australian coastline could soon be transformed by wave converters hanging off breakwaters, jetties, wharves and piers, alongside the rods and legs of hopeful fishermen.
'It's going to be Groundhog Day': Rain for days, as summer ends
If you were hoping for a sunny end to a scorching summer, think again.
Perth set for scorching weekend as summer draws to a close
The final weekend of the Australian summerย looks all set to be an absolute scorcher with Perth expecting a hot and sunny day on Saturday with the mercury rising to 40 degrees.
'How are these decisions made?' Victorian fury over plan to prioritise NSW
The Victorian government is demanding the operator of Australia's main electricity grid explain how the state came close to losing electricity during the recent extreme heatwave to ensure NSW avoided power outages, adding to calls for a wider inquiry.
Ex-breeder guilty of animal cruelty after dead dogs found in freezers
A former dog breeder from Sydney's north-west has been found guilty of animal cruelty after officers found five dead dogs in freezers on his property and others living in "grotesque" conditions.
'Going gangbusters': the new way to beat power costs
A new wave of solar energy is about to crest and it won't just be households benefiting.
Climate change threatens ecosystem collapses in ocean hot spots: study
Six ocean hot spots that teem with the biggest mix of species are also getting hit hardest by global warming and industrial fishing, a study has found.
Mesmerising spiralling floodwaters flowing down 'mysterious hole' at 7 million litres a minute
There is a mysterious hole in Lake Berryessa in California. It is not a supernatural whirlpool, a demon's mouth or a portal into hell or a fourth dimension. The creepy thing probably won't suck you into it either.
Forget what you've heard about coal. Electricity prices are going up regardless
I'll give it to you cold. Electricity prices are going up.
Victorian cities faced power cuts to ensure NSW made it through heatwave
Ballarat and Bendigo faced losing electricity during the recent great eastern Australian heatwave so NSW could avoid power cuts, underscoring the parlous state of the country's grid.
Pleas for extension to examine huge CSG plan
Environmental groups want more time to consider the impacts of Santos' Narrabri CSG project that will include as many as 850 wells, producing more than 100 tonnes of waste salt alone per day.
'I thought it was a dog first': Waitress drags goanna from restaurant
When a goanna made a surprise appearance at the Mimosa Winery's restaurant one peaceful afternoon, a French waitress quickly took control of the situation.ย
Summer break? Canberra just had the coldest February night on record
Canberrans who were sick of the sweltering heat may have found themselves hugging the doona on Tuesday morning.
Caltex cops record fine for 'geyser' that created petrol pool in Sydney
Caltex Australia has been fined $400,000 and ordered to pay court costs for an uncontrolled fuel discharge at its Port Botany terminal.
Kittens dumped in takeaway bag in McDonald's restaurant
Four newborn kittens have been dumped in a McDonald's bag inside one of its Tasmanian restaurants.
'Make America Smart Again': US scientists rally against Trump policies
Hundreds of scientists, environmental advocates and their supporters have rallied in Boston to protest what they see as increasing threats to science and research in the US.
Man killed, six injured in head-on car crash
A man has been killed after two cars collided on the NSW north coast, as a series of catastrophic thunderstorms swept across the state on Sunday.
Search and destroy: drones and sniffer dogs used in war on weeds
Drones, sniffer dogs and land patrols are used in the regions war against noxious weeds.
London left gasping for air amid record pollution
London is choking from record levels of pollution, much of it caused by diesel cars and trucks, as well as wood-burning fires in private homes.
Donald Trump targets environmental and climate rules as Scott Pruitt takes EPA role
The Trump administration is preparing to roll back Obame-era environmental safeguards as Scott Pruitt prepares to take head up the Environmental Protection Agency.
As politicians bicker, Australia's energy security is at risk
"All the arrows are pointing in a very bad direction," says Danny Price, who sits on the government's Climate Change Authority.
Large hailstones, damaging winds as severe storm hits Sydney
Large hailstones as wide as 50ยข pieces lashed Sydney on Friday afternoon as severe storms hit the city.
How to make a woolly mammoth, 4500 years after it became extinct
Boston: Woolly mammoths - or, at least, animals with very similar DNA - could be brought back from extinction within two years, say scientists behind a ground-breaking resurrection project.
Mark Butler denies Labor has ditched 2030 renewable energy goal
Labor's climate change spokesman Mark Butler has dismissed as "rubbish" widely circulating claims that Federal ALP had dropped its goal of achieving half of the nation's electricity will be supplied by renewable sources by 2030.