Scientists, philosophers, historians, journalists, agency administrators and activists grapple with what it means to ‘save nature’ in the Anthropocene.
Friends of the Earth is among the environmental groups that have been criticised in some quarters as ‘anti-jobs’.
Friends of the Earth/AAP Image
A federal government inquiry that reportedly threatens the tax-deductibility status of dozens of environmental groups is the latest move towards quieting outspoken green groups, writes Peter Burdon.
China’s government says it plans to tackle smog, but has also moved to shut down criticism on the issue in the wake of a popular online documentary.
EPA/DIEGO AZUBEL
Under the Dome, a hugely popular online documentary about China’s smog crisis, could be as influential as 1962’s US pesticide exposé Silent Spring - but only if Chinese officials allow debate to flourish.
Police authorities in Malta have taken steps to curtail bird hunting, including this enforcement in 2007, but illegal hunting continues.
Darrin Zammit Lupi/Reuters
Scientists are coming to the conclusion that we are on the brink of a mass extinction — the sixth known in the history of the Earth, and the latest since an asteroid killed off the dinosaurs 65 million…
Extreme fire is part of life in places like San Diego, USA, pictured earlier this month. But local fire captain Richard Cordova says it’s “very odd for the month of May to have these types of fires”.
Michael Nelson/EPA
Environmentalism is undergoing a radical transformation. New science has shown how long-held notions about trying to “save the planet” and preserve the life we have today no longer apply. Instead, a growing…
Beautiful one day … a quarry the next?
Underwater Earth / Catlin Seaview Survey - www.catlinseaviewsurvey.com
Few of us remember that the declaration of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and its subsequent World Heritage status was born out a 12-year popular struggle to prevent the most wondrous coral reef in…
The ability to overcome self-doubt plays a critical role in how successfully individuals act in support of environmental…
Research shows the environment usually comes off second best when companies are forced to compromise between sustainability and profit.
Mohammad Rhaman/Flickr
A commitment to sustainability has become a typical component of any modern-day corporation’s public face. Visit the homepages of major organisations in any sector, from coal-mining to cola-making, and…
The not just cold, but troubled waters of the Russian Arctic.
Will Rose/Greenpeace
Russia’s overreaction in prosecuting Greenpeace protesters, including the two journalists, is set to unfold into an international scandal that will seriously damage country’s global reputation. So far…
It is possible to be a Christian and to reject the idea humans are at the centre of creation.
Justin Brown
Despite the views of some church leaders - such as George Pell - who deny global warming, most Christians understand the need to care for the natural world and have embraced the scientific consensus on…
Hands up for the environment.
Cathal McNaughton/PA
When she wrote recently that “big green groups” are doing more harm than good when it comes to saving the planet, Naomi Klein was was right to be concerned. In recent years the environmental agenda has…
As Conservatives head to Manchester for their annual party conference this weekend, it seems a very long time since David Cameron, then newly-elected party leader, urged the electorate to “Vote Blue, Go…
Two’s company, three’s a crowd, one is the entire Green Party.
Chris Radburn/PA
Comparatively speaking, these are successful times for Britain’s Green Party. They have their first elected MP at Westminster, two Members of the European Parliament, two Members of the London Assembly…
Oil on the water: Russian environmental problems are commonplace, but who’s watching?
Denis Sinyakov/Greenpeace
The Russian state’s engagement with environmental concerns is complicated, carrying as it does a heavy legacy from Soviet times. From the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster (in what is Ukraine…
Sendai, Japan after the 2011 tsunami: imagine nature’s destruction at the push of a button.
US Navy
The words “environmentalism” and “military” are not typically found in the same sentence. Yet ideas about our vulnerability to environmental change are directly linked to military plans for a third world…
Tavis Potts, Scottish Association for Marine Science
Foundation essay: This article on the future of the Arctic by Tavis Potts, Senior Lecturer in Oceans Governance at the Scottish Association for Marine Science, is part of a series marking the launch of…
Heavy smog is descending on Beijing again, a week after record air pollution choked China’s capital and much of northern China.
AAP/EPA/Adrian Bradshaw
Beijing has been smothered by a dense and dangerous smog this month, which has set new air pollution records over several days. The World Health Organization advises that the acceptable level of fine particles…
Queue for iPad 2 in Sydney: green activists targeting companies and governments should realise that those ‘enemies’ reflect the values of the money and consumption-hungry populace.
AAP/Tracey Nearmy
The recent news out of the RIO+20 summit is dire. No collective pre-agreement, no institutional change, no investment. The difference between RIO+20 and Kyoto was that at least Kyoto created an agreement…