Forget electric and focus on hybrid utes, inquiry hears
Australia is not ready to make a full switch to electric vehicles, an inquiry has heard, as the technology cannot accommodate farmers and tradespeople.
environmental issue
Generators chase peaks as wholesale energy prices spike
Batteries are setting the price in the electricity market more often than a year ago but gas is the dominant price-setter as generators chase lucrative spikes.
Grey area: questions over Sunshine State’s green future
Queensland could revert to coal central as calls grow for a power plan from the energised LNP, days out from voters heading to the polls in the Sunshine State.
Drinking water chemical limits hard to swallow for some
Guidelines for potential cancer-causing chemicals allowed in Australian drinking water have been released, with at least one region failing to meet them.
Autonomous flying taxis prepare for launch in Australia
Would you ride in a plane with no pilot? One aerospace company is betting on it, signing a deal with Australian air safety regulator to establish rules.
Car battery ‘passports’ could help manage growing waste
Australia should adopt a tracking scheme and battery passports like Europe to deal with the growing pile of electric car waste, an inquiry has heard.
Deadly bird flu could lead to mass extinctions
Australia is preparing for a deadly strain of the bird flu which could lead to the extinction of unique species, as authorities brace for its arrival.
‘Climate action pays’: call to rev up clean investment
There can be winners in the clean energy race, a group of super funds says, rolling out a campaign to quell community fears and accelerate development.
Global report charts ‘catastrophic’ wildlife decline
The world's monitored wildlife populations are down 73 per cent, with Australian species and the reef in the crosshairs, a major report warns.
‘Get on with it’: renewables rollout too slow out west
The renewables rollout is not happening quickly enough in WA, a summit has been warned, with leading proponents of clean energy exports calling for targets.
Green ideals meet hip-pocket pain as power prices surge
Young Australians are most likely to pay a premium to access renewable energy at home, a study has found, but high energy prices are turning off others.
Wanted: $100m investment fund seeks green Aussie tech
A multimillion-dollar venture capital fund, backed by 50 companies including Westpac, is looking for clean energy innovations that could go global.
Aggressive dingo growling, barking in latest attack
Rangers are trying to locate an aggressive dingo after a woman was bitten on the leg in the latest attack at a popular Queensland tourist destination.
Time for a check-up: hospitals not yet climate ready
All-electric hospitals could cut emissions by using clean energy under a proposed retrofit that would also keep services on during power cuts and catastrophes.
Hybrids demoted to make way for electric Uber rides
Rideshare giant Uber is making changes to encourage more drivers to adopt electric vehicles, including knocking hybrid cars out of 'green' service.
Australia urged to see how environment, economy connect
Australia is refusing to see connections between the environment and economy, as a summit explores ways to value nature instead of incentivising destruction.
Renewables option as climate change fuels conflict
Australia can take advantage of its geography and become energy independent as the risk of conflict over resources spikes, an ex-military general says.
Coal town to battery base: firm keen to make power move
Renewable energy companies are eyeing opportunities in traditional coal-mining towns as part of Australia's electricity transition.
Environment ministers summoned over bird flu threat
Australia is looking at vaccinations for bird flu as environment ministers are called to a special meeting to discuss the threat to wildlife.
Aussie researchers turn wine into green battery tech
Australian university researchers have won a patent for using food acids to create a major component of battery technology.
Hybrid vehicles in fast lane, as petrol cars slow down
Australians are buying fewer new cars as the economy bites but hybrid vehicles are bucking the trend, sales figures have revealed.
Fire ant eradication refuseniks face sting of the law
Tensions are ramping up between authorities and property owners who are resisting the fire ant eradication program with a lock-the-gates style campaign.
‘Pitiful’ funding for ‘looming catastrophe’ of bird flu
Pressure is mounting on the federal government to pour more money into bird flu preparations, amid warnings Australia's worst ecological disaster is looming.
Koala park census sparks fresh survival hopes
After the Black Summer bushfires ravaged NSW's koala population, analysis has found a proposed national park area contains around 12,000 of the native animals.
‘Out of control’: community divided over dingo decision
A long-awaited extension on dingo control measures has been hailed as a win for farmers, but nobody seems happy with the result.
Panel ponders end of native forest logging in NSW
An end to native forest logging in NSW is among five options being put to stakeholders, with conservationists saying the move is a big deal for the environment.
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.
Australia’s first solar garden prepares for its harvest
Solar gardens could be a solution for people locked out of the booming renewable energy market, experts say, as the first of its kind prepares to pay investors.
Shareholders test Coles, Woolies over extinction threat
Australia's supermarket duopoly is facing a double-barrelled shareholder challenge over fish farming threats to an ancient, imperilled species.
Electric cars crash through Aussie price barrier again
The price of electric cars has fallen in Australia again, with one popular model available for less than $31,000, but experts warn high-end EV sales may stall.
Researchers deploy AI to track secret lives of whales
Researchers at Google and an Australian university have teamed up to track whales along the east coast and use AI to uncover what they are really up to.