Native deciduous trees are rare in Australia, which means many of the red, yellow and brown leaves we associate with autumn come from introduced species.
Invasive species have been invading foreign territories for centuries. By quantifying the mammoth economic impacts, we hope political leaders will start to take notice.
Rare-earth metals are currently mined or recovered via e-waste recycling — methods with drawbacks including high cost, environmental damage, and risks to human safety. This is where we come in.
Victoria’s plan has flaws, but it’s still likely to bring the feral horse problem under control, and will do a lot better than the very low benchmark set by NSW.
Australia must treble its emissions reduction targets and reach net-zero emissions by 2035. Without this and other radical global action, the chance to hold warming to well below 2°C will pass us by.
Many flood-affected Sydneysiders live in what amounts to a bathtub. With the next flooding season on their doorstep, they can expect more frequent, devastating floods.
Māori treasure kiwi feathers for weaving cloaks for high-ranking people. But the bird’s first description by European scientists is quite recent, based on a specimen that arrived in London in 1812.
Yes, some of this is normal seasonal transition. But at least a portion of it is due to a particularly vigorous cold front that swept across southeast Australia over the weekend.
In flood-ravaged Dili, COVID-19 restrictions were abandoned as the disaster unfolded. But it means an already escalating pandemic situation may spiral out of control.
A new report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute says the federal government has overlooked the national security threats of climate change.
Electricity emissions can be cut to net-zero while keeping the lights on and prices down. But achieving that quickly means keeping gas around, for now.
Scientists are learning trees can emit methane, which could be a big problem for global warming. But a world-first discovery of methane-eating bacteria in paperbark can help moderate this.
Climate change has already made tropical oceans too hot for some marine species to survive. As they flee towards the poles, the implications for ecosystems and human livelihoods will be profound.
Richard Denniss, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
Among modern Liberals it’s patently heresy to ask how rushing to green light 11 proposed coal mines in the Hunter Valley helps the struggling coal industry.
History shows how the states and territories can step into a policy breach when the federal government fails. It’s time they band together on electric vehicles.
Catherine Iorns, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
New Zealand is replacing its once groundbreaking environmental legislation with new laws, one of which focuses on climate change adaptation and will include a fund to enable managed retreat.
The Earth should be safe (and habitable) for a few billions of years, but we still need to worry about the impact now of just a few degrees of global warming.
The grisly discovery of a disembodied foot on a NSW beach was a tragic twist in the mystery of missing woman Melissa Caddick. Such tragedies can also reveal hidden currents connecting the planet.
Scientists previously underestimated aquatic methane emissions. We must use this new information to stop methane derailing our attempts to stabilise the Earth’s temperature.
Floodplains are among the most productive ecosystems on the planet – they are biodiversity hotspots. That’s in large part due to periodic flooding between different parts of a river-floodplain system.