More insurance pain possible following LA fires
Insurance premiums are already rising in Australia and destructive fires in the United States may help keep costs high.
environmental cleanup
Drop test: tech giant to ditch single-use plastic packs
More Christmas gifts purchased online will arrive in recyclable packaging this year after a two-year research project into making envelopes green.
Exhausted: Australia lags Europe, US on car pollution
Vehicles are getting bigger but more efficient, a transport study has found, but Australia is still being lapped by other nations on low-emission cars.
Reef coral battling after bleaching, natural disasters
Coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef continues to struggle following extensive bleaching events which are increasing in frequency amid climate change.
Australia to be scored on its renewable energy progress
Australian efforts to cut emissions and generate more renewable electricity will be tracked and traced by a climate group.
‘Tar balls’ shut Sydney beaches, but low safety threat
Experts believe the mysterious, dark-coloured balls washing up on Sydney beaches are tar balls, which often occur after an oil spill.
Beaches reopen after baffling tar ball mystery
Remaining Sydney beaches affected by tar balls have been cleared to reopen this weekend as authorities continue trying to identify who or what was responsible.
Liquid metals might solve puzzle of shipping hydrogen
Cutting emissions from transport and agriculture could be possible after an Australian discovery published by researchers from three universities.
Trial for tech that strips forever chemicals from water
There's rising global concern about a vast family of toxic man-made chemicals but Queensland scientists have developed a promising new solution.
Green fuels, food, medicine probed by $60m research hub
Can businesses turn waste into jet fuel and gases into fish food? Researchers at an Australian university plan to investigate carbon-cutting projects.
Australia risks missing $250b green iron opportunity
Urgent reforms are being called for to allow Australia to become a world leader in the production and export of iron produced with renewable energy.
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economy, business and finance
energy and resource
environmental cleanup
metal and mineral
mining
nuclear power
Rio Tinto ‘open’ to nuclear energy, profit flatlines
Rio Tinto says it wants to find better ways to provide the materials the world needs but warns decarbonisation has "a long way to go".
Fears of major spill after Philippine oil tanker sinks
Authorities have rescued over a dozen crew and are racing to avert an environmental disaster after an oil tanker sank in huge waves of the Philippine capital.
Why land burials of whales dig a big hole for the ocean
Nature will be the big winner if Australia stops burying dead whales and gives the mighty creatures sea burials instead, researchers say.
Riders urged to recycle e-bike batteries amid fire risk
Australia's battery recycling scheme has started accepting lithium batteries from e-bikes and e-scooters and is urging riders to research their disposal.
Why Australia is hosting an electric vehicle price war
Thousands of dollars are being cut from the price of some electric cars as brands battle to lead the market and Chinese automakers face global taxes.
Toilet humour: campaign to flush out loo-blockers
Fatbergs are on the rise, prompting a campaign to remind people not to flush items down the toilet that could cause blockages in Sydney's sewer system.
environmental cleanup
environmental issue
hazardous materials
waste management and pollution control
Asbestos detected at three more Melbourne parks
Three more parks in Melbourne's southwest have been shut after asbestos material was found, bringing the total of asbestos-contaminated parks to five.
environmental cleanup
environmental issue
hazardous materials
waste management and pollution control
Asbestos problem grows after three more park detections
The number of sites affected by asbestos continues to grow, with three Melbourne reserves closed following the discovery of the toxic fibres.
Fresh park asbestos threat as council warned
The Environment Protection Authority has found another Melbourne park potentially contaminated by asbestos as it hits a council with two remedial notices.
Laws to tighten, school reopens after asbestos scandal
Authorities have completed a major investigation to identify all sites affected by asbestos-tainted mulch but are still waiting on a handful of tests.
What a load of rubbish: Clean Up Australia going strong
As one state bans harmful coffee cups, people across the country have mucked in and picked up plastic waste and cigarette butts for Clean Up Australia Day.
Asbestos tainted mulch might have been sent to school
More than 20 Queensland sites have been supplied mulch that might contain asbestos after the hazardous material was detected at a site west of Brisbane.
Aussie farms polluted with plastic from sewage sludge
Microplastic pollution typically from synthetic clothes is contaminating sewage sludge used as fertiliser on farms across the nation.
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Asbestos-tainted mulch potentially at hundreds of sites
Hundreds of sites are due to be tested for contaminated mulch including some outside Sydney as an expert group is formed to speed up the investigation.
environmental cleanup
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environmental politics
environmental pollution
festive event (including carnival)
gays and lesbians
hazardous materials
waste management and pollution control
Asbestos kills off Mardi Gras fair, shutters school
Asbestos-tainted mulch is to blame for the closure of a primary school in Sydney's southwest and the cancellation of a major Mardi Gras festival event.
Government commits to rewrite outdated forest policy
Improving biodiversity and expanding Australia's plantation estate are part of a proposed rewrite of the national forest policy committed to by the government.
Safety zones offer fin-tastic benefits for marine life
The removal of gillnet fishing in an area larger than 60,000 hectares is part of new rezoning plans announced by the Queensland government.
Bushfire warning as El Nino threat looms large
El Nino conditions will likely make 2024 the world's hottest year on record, leaving Australia in a precarious position for bushfires.
Clothing industry put on notice over new waste levy
Australia's fashion industry has been given an ultimatum: back a new voluntary levy to deal with the mountains of waste it produces or have one forced upon it.
Landowners could be hit with wind, solar wind-up costs
Landholders could be left with huge bills to dismantle wind and solar power infrastructure unless they sign the right deals with developers, an expert warns.