Environment
Milder than normal winter expected after record hot start to 2019
Australia will post one of its warmest autumns on record and faces a milder and drier than usual winter ahead as the country endures its hottest start to any year.
- by Peter Hannam
Latest
Animals
Rare all-white panda caught on camera in Chinese nature reserve
The albino panda has red eyes and lacks the usual black fur on its limbs and ears and around its eyes.
Environmental protection
Farmers accuse councils of 'cash grab' over Queensland land clearing
The farming industry is joining the property lobby in reacting angrily to a court ruling reinforcing councils' powers over land clearing.
- by Mark Solomons
Climate policy
Australia's greenhouse gas emissions up for four years in a row
The increase, according to a government submission to the United Nations, is at odds with the country's Paris climate pledge.
- by Peter Hannam
Opinion
Water
Sydney has to get serious about water recycling
Plenty of other cities recycle drinking water.
- by James Hulme
Water
Sydney's water restrictions to kick in from June 1 as big dry worsens
Sydneysiders will have their first water restrictions imposed in almost a decade to help stem a rapid decline in the city's reservoirs amid the state's ongoing drought.
- by Peter Hannam
Environmental protection
'Death blow': Corals, algae don't acclimatise to more acidic seas
The new study's results suggest vulnerable reefs may not be able adapt fast enough to cope with climate change.
- by Peter Hannam
Extreme weather
Sydney 'polar jet' winds forecast to continue on Tuesday as snow falls in Blue Mountains
Sydney's seemingly endless summer has come to an abrupt end as wild weather descends on the city.
- by Jenny Noyes, Nick Bonyhady and Ben Grubb
Wildlife
Big animals face extinction as habitats evolve
Big mammals including the elephant, rhino and hippo could vanish in the next 100 years as smaller creatures, able to adapt to more confined habitats, flourish.
- by Sarah Knapton
Exclusive
Environmental protection
Queensland landholders warned of massive fines over 'exempt' land clearing
Landholders who assumed swathes of Queensland could be cleared without the need for council permission could face prosecution after a far-reaching court ruling.
- by Mark Solomons
Water
'Low-hanging fruit have gone': Big dry could trigger desal expansion
The Berejiklian government is facing calls to accelerate the shift to water restrictions to slow the decline in Sydney's dam levels rather than flicking the switch to expand the city's $2.3 billion desalination plant.
- by Peter Hannam