Environment
Australia needs to ‘back’ itself as agri tech leader
21 February
Australia doesn’t promote itself enough as a world leader in agricultural technology, a major agri food tech conference has been told. “We don’t actually back ourselves,” the founder of agritech start-up Goterra Olympia Yarger has told...[Read More]
Climate risk assessment based on dream 1.5C scenario
14 February
Australia’s first climate risk assessment will be based on a scenario well below the current trajectory of a “hellish” 3C rise in global temperatures. The assessment has been billed a crucial part of Australia’s climate change response. It...[Read More]
Fossil fuel carbon levy would fund climate ‘solutions’
14 February
Imposing a levy on fossil fuel companies as proposed by a green industry think tank would be a boon for employment, help lower living costs and underpin another round of prosperity to rival the mining boom. That’s the promise of leading economist...[Read More]
Farmers cashing in on renewable energy opportunities
7 February
One in five people living in regional Australia believe renewable energy will provide the biggest opportunity for their area over the next two decades. A survey of almost 700 people was undertaken by Farmers for Climate Action in areas with a...[Read More]
Study indicates climate change clock forward a decade
7 February
A tiny sea sponge that lives for hundreds of years could prove global warming has raised temperatures for longer than previously projected. Scientists have found that sclerosponges found in Caribbean waters grow for up to 300 years and possess an...[Read More]
Dutton backs salmon farmers amid water quality woes
31 January
Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says pausing salmon farming in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour would be a political decision and has rejected calls to stop the industry in order to save an endangered fish. Mr Dutton was in Macquarie Harbour on...[Read More]
Spider webs help scientists unravel secrets of the wild
31 January
Spider webs are firming as the next big thing for scientists who have the tricky task of keeping tabs on what’s living where in the wild. A new Curtin University study has shown webs are excellent natural traps of environmental DNA – the tiny...[Read More]
Plastic makes up the majority of Aussie marine litter
24 January
Plastic made up more than three-quarters of the litter collected from Australia’s urban waterways and catchments in the past three years, new research shows. Food wrappers, polystyrene, bottle caps and unidentifiable shards of hard and soft...[Read More]
Threatened species list ballooned in 2023, data shows
24 January
Australia’s list of imperilled species ballooned in 2023, with a record number of new plants, animals and ecosystems deemed in danger of extinction. The Australian Conservation Foundation says 144 new entries were added last year, including...[Read More]
Australian ag tech is helping save endangered species
17 January
On a farm in southern Queensland’s Darling Downs, a koala lazes in a poplar box tree, resting from the heat. Around its neck, the marsupial carries a tracking collar. It’s one of dozens being followed across the cropping region as researchers...[Read More]
Banana farmers seek retail support after flooding, rain
17 January
A month of devastating weather is set to impact banana quality and supply from far north Queensland, a veteran farmer has warned. But Diane Sciacca, who has grown bananas for almost 40 years, hopes consumers will understand and support the industry...[Read More]
Legal bid to put wind up 100-turbine island farm plan
10 January
A contentious 100-turbine $1 billion-plus wind farm proposed for a remote island in Tasmania is facing a legal challenge from a community group. The Robbins Island project was in November given permission to operate year-round after a requirement...[Read More]
Asian toad pest found in Victoria a ‘serious threat’
3 January
A deadly Asian toad poses a serious threat to wildlife and pets after it was found thousands of kilometres away from home in Victoria. A resident of Melbourne’s southeast was walking along the Djerring Trail near Huntingdale train station on...[Read More]
Heavy rain, flood threat dampen start to new year
3 January
The threat of dangerous flooding has returned as heavy rain continues to batter parts of southeast Queensland and northern NSW in a wet start to the new year. Intense falls in some areas from Gympie south to the NSW border could lead to...[Read More]
Rainfall records likely as storms batter the east coast
27 December
Severe weather is battering Australia’s east coast with thunderstorms and flash flooding expected to continue across NSW, Victoria and Queensland. After some centres likely had their wettest Christmas Day on record, more thunderstorm warnings have...[Read More]