Bureau declares weather double whammy for Australia
Australia's weather bureau has finally declared an El Nino event alongside a second driver of dry weather, with communities told to prepare for heat and fire.
environmental issue
‘From mud to concrete’ farmers feeling the El Nino heat
With drier and hotter weather patterns confirmed some Aussie farmers are already in drought.
Bureau declares double weather whammy for Australia
Australia's weather bureau has finally declared an El Nino event alongside a second driver of dry weather, with communities told to prepare for heat and fire.
Hybrid electric SUV recalled due to fire risk fault
Drivers of a hybrid electric SUV have been warned about a potentially dangerous manufacturing fault following a series of recent vehicle fires.
Record-breaking heatwave sparks catastrophic fire risk
Unseasonably warm weather and strong winds have left the much of the country sweltering in a heatwave with fire warnings closing dozens of schools.
Electric cars face speed bump on road to price parity
Electric cars are forecast to become cheaper to buy than petrol cars in some countries within one to three years but subsidies can speed up progress.
Minister faces court over coal mines’ climate harms
A small conservation group is challenging Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek in court, arguing she failed to adequately consider fossil fuel harms to nature.
NSW swelters as spring heatwave warnings issued
The weather bureau has issued heatwave warnings for parts of southern and coastal NSW, as temperatures reach 33C in Sydney and 34C out west.
Heat builds up across NSW as temperature records tumble
Fire authorities are on alert for the risk of increasing winds fanning bushfires as spring heat builds up, with Queensland and NSW set to swelter.
Electric car mavericks are taking on Tesla and Toyota
Emerging car brands including BYD, LDV and Polestar are challenging big automotive names, with experts saying the competition could bring down prices.
Crackdown on K’gari over human-dingo interactions
More money will be spent by the Queensland government to educate the public about dingoes on K'gari, with concerns growing over the number of interactions.
‘Out of control’ varroa won’t be eradicated: beekeepers
Beekeepers say recent detections of the varroa mite show attempts to eradicate the parasite have failed and the industry must learn to live with it.
PM urges renewables shift or risk being left behind
The prime minister has told industry leaders they must move towards renewables or watch as the world passes Australia by.
Carbon farm sale lets descendants return to country
A partnership underpinned by carbon farming will enable a big land station to be returned to a local aboriginal corporation in a move described as empowering.
BYD aims to shake up car industry with ‘maverick’ store
Australia's second biggest electric vehicle brand is opening "megastores'' around the country to educate motorists about the next-generation technology.
Warning of dire threat to koalas from urban sprawl
Koalas face a sustained threat from urban sprawl and greenfield development in Queensland's southeast, warns a leading conservation group.
Australia granted more time to address reef threats
The World Heritage Committee has confirmed it won't yet list the Great Barrier Reef as in-danger but Australia's guardianship remains under close scrutiny.
Rare ‘Ringo Starr’ cockatoos drum to their own beat
Male palm cockatoos in far north Queensland chisel individualised drumsticks with their bills to tap out signature beats, a new study shows.
Angry rangers fine man for feeding dingoes on K’gari
Frustrated rangers have renewed warnings to tourists not to feed dingoes on K'gari after fining a man for interacting with the animals.
Fire ants invade Qld islands, raising fears for K’gari
There are fears fire ants could invade World Heritage-listed K'gari after 130 nests were found on another large sand island off Brisbane.
Aussie invention could turn petrol cars into hybrids
A Melbourne university student has claimed the national James Dyson Award for his kit that could turn petrol cars into hybrid vehicles.
Reef used to road-test water quality forecasting system
The CSIRO is testing a new system on the Great Barrier Reef that could one day pump out water quality forecasts, much like weather reports.
construction and property
economy, business and finance
environmental issue
insurance
politics
real estate
Insurers demand action on risks to stay above water
The financial hit from catastrophes may have dropped over the past 12 months but insurance premiums keep rising, an industry report shows.
Fire too fast for containment lines near NT town
A fire almost five times the size of the ACT has burst containment lines as Northern Territory authorities scramble to keep up with the fast-moving blaze.
No El Nino for now but authorities remain on alert
The prospect of hotter, drier weather has authorities concerned even as the Bureau of Meteorology holds off on declaring an El Nino event.
Tennant Creek residents brace for massive NT blaze
A fire three times the size of the ACT is rapidly moving through the Northern Territory outback, threatening towns along the way.
Dan Murphy’s charging deal to top up electric vehicles
One of Australia's largest liquor store chains will see more electric car chargers outside its stores after extending its deal with Evie Networks.
NT fire still blazing as Tennant Creek smoke eases
A fire three times the size of the ACT is rapidly moving through the Northern Territory outback, threatening towns along the way.
Citizen scientists asked to help unpack platypus enigma
Ecologists want Australians to look for platypuses in their local rivers and creeks to help plug knowledge gaps about the declining species.
Croc carcasses scanned for bullets in Qld deaths probe
Wildlife officers have found no bullets in crocodiles they examined in an investigation of reports that several have been killed in Queensland's far north.
UN observer slams Australia over toxic threats, climate
Australia has been scolded over contaminated sites, new oil and gas projects and a "reactive" environmental protection framework by a UN investigator.