Environment
Climate change
Ordinary weather is now extraordinary, as Sydney braces for more rain
Australia has always experienced swings between hot, dry weather and heavy rain, but this is now amplified.
- by Caitlin Fitzsimmons
Latest
‘Tears of happiness at the sight of you’: Our love affair with urban trees
New research demonstrates the deep personal connections people forge with the urban environment around them, particularly city trees.
- by Bianca Hall
Oil giant plans to move 60,000 tonnes of steel, rig waste to UN-listed wetlands
ExxonMobil says it will recycle and repurpose 95 per cent of the material from offshore oil and gas platforms, but the plan has fishers and environmentalists worried.
- by Bianca Hall
‘Beyond comprehension’: Why Finland is planning 100,000 years into the future
It reads like a science fiction book: On a tiny island off Finland’s coast, robot tractors work deep underground to move the nation’s nuclear waste. But soon, in a world first, the gates of Onkalo will open.
- by Nick O'Malley
Can court compensate for loss of a way of life? Climate case to wrap up
The Commonwealth has argued Torres Strait Islanders losing their unique island customs could be seen under law as a comparable loss to personal injuries.
- by Bianca Hall
Legal fight to save their island homes from the rising sea
Singer Christine Anu has thrown her support behind a legal bid to save her ancestral island home in the Torres Strait from the effects of climate change.
- by Bianca Hall
Sunburnt seals and penguins? Antarctica’s ozone layer the worst it’s been since 1970s
Seal pups and fledgling penguins could suffer sunburn and skin cancer, and it’s all down to volcanoes and bushfires.
- by Bianca Hall
Australia set for a new normal with a mild winter, uncertain snowfall
The El Nino pattern has reverted to neutral while a La Nina could form after July, but for now, our weather is likely to be typical allowing for the 1.5 degrees of warming already baked into the climate.
- by Caitlin Fitzsimmons
Bill shock means home batteries make financial sense, despite expense
A quarter of a million households now have home batteries to store the electricity their rooftop solar generates and help them avoid sky-high power bills.
- by Caitlin Fitzsimmons
Analysis
Renewables
Done right, the future is more than just wind turbines and solar fields
There are political and economic risks in pumping public money into new tech, but the payoffs are potentially vast for new and old industries alike.
- by Nick O'Malley
Analysis
Climate crisis
What does the Swiss climate decision mean for Australia?
In a landmark ruling, Europe’s top human rights court has ruled the Swiss government violated the human rights of its citizens by failing to do enough to combat climate change. But what happens next?
- by Bianca Hall