Post of the Day
Did we blow our last, best chance to tackle climate change?
Justin Worland
In mid-2020, after the pandemic had settled in, I wrote in a TIME cover story that the stars had aligned to make 2020 and 2021 the “last, best chance” to keep the world from experiencing the worst impacts of climate change. Now, 18 months later, the world seems poised to blow it.
On This Day
Gantan Sai (New Years) – Shinto
Ecological Observance
Climate Change
Inside Australia’s growing pirate electric car market
With little government support and no second-hand market, a growing cottage industry is providing Australians with the cheap clean cars of the future.
Greta Thunberg says it’s ‘strange’ Joe Biden is considered a climate leader
Environmental activist criticises US president for expanding fossil fuel infrastructure
Britons think politicians’ hypocrisy will hamper tackling climate crisis
Net Zero Diaries focus group finds people sceptical about whether Cop26 commitments will stick
The quest to trap carbon in stone—and beat climate change
On a barren lava plateau in Iceland, a new facility is sucking in air and stashing the carbon dioxide in rock. The next step: Build 10,000 more.
Safer carbon capture and storage
The UK government recently selected four sites to develop multi-billion-pound CCS projects as part of its scheme to cut 20-30m tonnes of CO2 per year by 2030 from heavy industry. Other countries have made similar carbon reduction commitments.
Alok Sharma: Cop26 must not become ‘bunch of meaningless promises’
Climate summit president makes clear UK net zero agenda is responsibility of all government colleagues
The pandemic is a warning: we must take care of the earth, our only home
Bruno Latour
The climate crisis resembles a huge planetary lockdown, trapping humanity within an ever-deteriorating environment
Climate reality: A realistic path to a brighter future
James Hansen
The challenge for this generation of young people is to guide humanity and other life on our planet to a bright future.
I’m a climate scientist. Don’t Look Up captures the madness I see every day
Peter Kalmus
A film about a comet hurtling towards Earth and no one is doing anything about it? Sounds exactly like the climate crisis.
Did we blow our last, best chance to tackle climate change?
Justin Worland
In mid-2020, after the pandemic had settled in, I wrote in a TIME cover story that the stars had aligned to make 2020 and 2021 the “last, best chance” to keep the world from experiencing the worst impacts of climate change. Now, 18 months later, the world seems poised to blow it.
As long as there’s a climate crisis, supply chain madness is here to stay
Kate Aronoff
Will major industries continue to insulate themselves from the climate crisis, or will they be made to address their own contributions to it?
The Guardian view on climate activism: between obedience and resistance
Guardian editorial
Non-violent civil disobedience remains a vital tool for protest, but its form is shifting
The most depressing thing about ‘Don’t Look Up’ (isn’t what you think)
Andrew P Street
Don’t Look Up, Adam McKay’s star-studded Netflix satire about scientists desperately (and unsuccessfully) attempting to warn a jaded and deeply compromised world about the imminent arrival of an extinction-level comet, has already garnered a veritable encyclopedia of hot takes. But as best as I can see, none has so far specifically been about what is the most depressing thing about what is a deeply depressing film.
National
Federal government’s Christmas Eve veto of research projects labelled ‘McCarthyism’
Research relating to climate activism, literature and China among six projects rejected, leading to accusations of politicisation
Fire crews are being forced to adapt to changing bushfire behaviour, as relentless winds and dry conditions mean they have less opportunity at night to put in containment lines and other control measures.
Power shifts in Australia’s energy future as nuclear option gains traction [$]
Almost half of Australians now back nuclear energy for electricity generation, as support jumps after the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal and the promotion of nuclear energy as an aid to fighting greenhouse gas emissions at the Glasgow climate change conference.
‘Do you accept the science?’ Talking points show how Angus Taylor prepared for IPCC report’s release
Briefing document, obtained under FOI laws, outlines Australian government’s suggested responses to anticipated lines of attack over climate report
Push for cooler rooftops to put ceiling on rising temperatures
Roofs across most of Australia are set to burst with pops of colour as governments of every hue are lobbied to mandate lighter roofs on new homes as a weapon to battle the impacts of global warming.
Tall tails: why does the myth of exotic big cats prowling the Australian bush persist?
Despite the ‘minuscule’ chance of leopards roaming the wilderness, diehard enthusiasts insist ‘you’ve got to see it to believe it’
‘White gold’: How electric cars drive Australian lithium mines
Light enough to float on water, soft enough to cut with a butter knife, the silvery-white metal is firmly in the throes of an unprecedented boom.
Can hydrogen cars get a footing amid the battery blitz? [$]
Battery electric vehicles have stolen a march on cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells, but there might be room for both on Australian roads.
Is there a downside to the proliferation of solar farms across regional Australia?
The scale of the solar power industry is rapidly expanding around Australia, but so are the questions about its green credentials.
Election 2022: Labor promises first step towards high-speed rail in Australia
Fast rail linking Sydney and the Hunter will be prioritised under a Labor government — the first step towards high-speed rail linking major cities, Anthony Albanese will announce on Sunday.
Fears US position on climate change would stop global efforts
The previously secret cabinet documents also show concerns that Australia’s high per capita greenhouse gas emissions could be exposed by global debate on climate action.
How to save on your home energy bills in 2022
Most Australians are trying to use less gas and electricity, so where can you cut down your energy use?
Climate change advice to the Howard government in 2001 was still “sensible and science-informed” despite the former prime minister admitting he was “agnostic” on the issue decades later.
Carbon offsets offer a blooming future for Austrailan farmers [$]
Luke Heeney and Emma Beal
2021 was an exciting year for Aussie farmers. Climate change had previously been a source of uncertainty, and possibly apprehension, for the regions.
It’s unsustainable if activists punish green investments [$]
Tim Lele
Let’s reserve accusations of greenwashing for companies that really are trying to cover up dirty secrets.
In Australia’s climate wars, delay and deception are the new denial
Ketan Joshi
Now that they can no longer pretend the climate crisis isn’t real, big emitters and their enablers are making all of the right noises – and taking none of the right actions
Actually, Zed, Labor will make us a clean energy superpower [$]
Andrew Leigh
They’re only a few dozen kilometres apart, but there’s a remarkable difference between the conversation about climate change taking place in schools in my electorate, and that being had by conservative Liberals and Nationals in Parliament House.
Dealing safely with nuclear waste [$]
Australian editorial
Australia’s lack of a long-term storage plan for nuclear waste is a serious gap the Morrison government needs to address.
IKEA it ain’t: don’t go looking for friendly nuclear option, no matter the spin
Noel Wauchope
Despite the Murdoch media hype over small nuclear reactors as a solution for Australia’s “clean energy” future, this is costly technology which barely exists in a commercial sense.
Revolution, not evolution, inimical to our way of life [$]
Richard Alston
Simon Holmes a Court’s article in The Australian last month must at least be credited with chutzpah. He leads an activist group masquerading as traditional small-L liberal independents who in reality are anti-Liberal, single-issue zealots determined to see off the governing party by hook or by crook.
Climate change and hotter summers endanger health of pets, livestock, wildlife
Helen Scott-Orr
As a young vet in Gosford fifty years ago, I saw many summer cases of paralysis tick poisonings in dogs and cats. These are often fatal if not treated in time with expensive antitoxin.
So you want to cat-proof a bettong: how living with predators could help native species survive
Katherine Moseby
When we release a group of endangered animals into the wild, we always hope they will survive. They usually don’t. We find bilby carcasses under bushes, bettongs ripped apart by feral cats, and tufts of rock wallaby fur in fox scats.
Labor proposes strategic fleet [$]
Australian editorial
The nation has been on a slow track to fast rail for too long.
Nassim Khadem
Superannuation fund investors have been taking company directors to task on key issues, such as chief executive pay and climate change, with the help of proxy advisers. But those advisers’ existence is under threat
Move to renewables is fuelling a growing global energy crisis [$]
Judith Sloan
As we were locked down in our houses last year, it was easy to concentrate on local issues. What were the Covid-19 case numbers? What were the rates of hospitalisation? What restrictions applied?
Victoria
Medical waste, pesticides, dead dog and cash found at illegal toxic waste dump
The EPA has been cleaning up the illegal dumping ground in country Victoria for eight months, making a range of toxic and grisly underground discoveries.
Campers to be banned under Grampians plan [$]
More than a million people flock to the natural beauty of the Grampians each year but big parts of the picturesque park will be off limits to the public under new rules.
Inside the work of Wildlife Victoria
Taking thousands of calls a day in summer, Wildlife Victoria uses a network of employees and volunteers to care for orphaned, sick and injured native wildlife.
Victorian farmers cleaning up after district’s worst fire since the 1950s
The 7,000-hectare grassfire broke out on New Year’s Eve and has caused the death of thousands of livestock in the West Wimmera and burnt into native forest home to an endangered bird species.
How cow dung power plant may fuel Victorian farms [$]
A machine that can turn cow dung into electricity will be trialled by a Victorian dairy farm — and hopes are growing that farmers could build their own.
Forest regeneration funding misses burning issue
Michelle Freeman
Victoria urgently needs a strategic seed bank and the capacity to recover forests future bushfires to help restore the coupes.
New South Wales
Boral’s Dunmore sand mine expansion approved despite discovery of Indigenous artefacts
Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley has rejected an application from First Nations leaders to stop a NSW South Coast mine expansion after the discovery of a large number of Indigenous artefacts.
Warragamba Dam EIS lacks vital details, review claims
The environmental impact statement underpinning the Warragamba Dam raising provides “contradictory information”, insufficient details, and is unclear whether the “worst case” flooding scenario has been modelled, a scathing review of the document says.
‘This is our story’: the Indigenous land managers bringing life back to the state’s south-west
Storms are regular in the region, as are floods and droughts. The harsh conditions are not for everyone, but for Nari Nari man Jamie Woods and Ngiyampaa man Mark Schneider, managing the property is the best job there is.
Step inside the life of a professional seed hunter
Gavin Phillips spent six years searching for a rare and endangered plant. His efforts met with little success — that is, until his second-last day on the job.
Nuclear waste from Britain heading to Lucas Heights [$]
Australia is to receive a two-tonne shipment of nuclear waste from Britain that will arrive under tight security and amid high secrecy in the coming months.
‘Travesty of justice’: Eastern suburbs council proposes raising building heights
Woollahra councillor Mark Silcocks said more walking and fewer cars will do more to improve Double Bay’s shopping precinct than allowing taller developments.
ACT
Canberra hay fever sufferers set to face continuing ‘extreme’ pollen
Canberra’s pollen count was forecast as “extreme” for Wednesday, and with no sign of a let up for hay fever sufferers and asthmatics in the New Year.
Queensland
Paradise Dam restored, but farmers’ legal action will go ahead [$]
Farmers will continue with a class action against the Queensland government over the reduction in the capacity of the Paradise Dam, despite plans to rebuild it to its original size.
Adani’s world’s biggest coal basin heads for export amid protests
Just six weeks after the Glasgow climate summit (COP26), where the world agreed to phase down coal, Australia is opening the world’s biggest new coal basin, the Galilee Basin in Queensland.
Adani coal dirties Australia’s global commitment and reputation
Adani’s celebration of the first load of coal from its controversial Carmichael mine makes a mockery of Australia’s commitment to ‘phase down’ coal, the Australian Conservation Foundation said today.
Wangan and Jagalingou people: ‘Adani has never had our consent’
Adrian Burragubba, Senior Elder and spokesperson for the Nagana Yarrbayn, Wangan and Jagalingou Cultural Custodians, said the resistance to Adani continues.
New Bradfield scheme on agenda as north Queensland prepares for floods
A previous concept map for the Bradfield Inland Irrigation Scheme.
A long-touted plan to divert floodwaters inland from the tropical north is being considered by the Queensland government.
‘Get on with the job’: Why Qld is in slow lane on electric vehicles [$]
The Queensland Government is expected to release a new electric vehicle incentive scheme in a matter of weeks as it faces criticism for lagging behind all other states
‘Carbon bomb’: Queensland reveals big jump in land clearing
Landholders in the state cleared 680,688 hectares of woody vegetation in 2018-19, primarily for beef
New data shows Reef-protecting bushland still being cleared due to legal loophole
Alarming new data shows that over 200,000 hectares of forest and bushland were destroyed in the Great Barrier Reef catchment in 2018-19, illustrating that Queensland’s vegetation laws are not working, the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) says.
The knife edge Queensland seat crucial to the federal election [$]
We’ve heard the politicians’ plans for climate change action but what do the voters in the fossil-fuel driven, Gladstone-based seat of Flynn think should be done?
Possums inhabiting Queensland World Heritage Area disappearing at an alarming rate
Severe heatwaves and long, hot summers are pushing mountain possums out of their natural habitat — and those that die aren’t being replaced.
South Australia
Study reveals fighting pests in South Australia has cost $3.29bn [$]
A Flinders University study has revealed what invader has been the most expensive in the long term. The study found that in the past 60 years, the combined cost of fighting pests was a staggering $3.29bn. And the biggest offender was … weeds.
Now St Kilda’s trees are dying – or are already dead [$]
If the loss of mangroves and saltmarsh wasn’t bad enough for St Kilda residents, now a report has troubling news about more than 100 trees.
850 feral cats removed from Kangaroo Island to protect endangered native species
Environmental groups are using state-of-the-art trapping technology to control feral cats on South Australia’s Kangaroo Island.
Lucas defies Aboriginal objections to clear coal-to-gas project [$]
A $2.3bn plant using a controversial coal-to-gas technique has been given the green light, despite objections from the Aboriginal heritage committee.
Tasmania
Hobart cable car proposal kept alive after planning tribunal win
Tasmania’s planning tribunal says it will now consider an amended cable car proposal for kunanyi/Mt Wellington that reduces the size of the development, ditching a planned restaurant and other buildings.
Scale of support for Tasmanian salmon industry grows
Recent results of an EMRS poll conducted in November have shown a growth in support for Tasmania’s salmon farming and aquaculture industry.
Big hopes for a little bird: Is the orange-bellied parrot coming back from the brink?
Record-breaking numbers of orange-bellied parrots return to Tasmania this season, offering hope of recovery for the critically endangered birds.
‘Matrix of threats’: the precarious plight of Tasmania’s swift parrots
More than six years after the world’s fastest parrot was listed as critically endangered, its habitat and numbers continue to dwindle
Europe’s biggest port wants Tassie hydrogen [$]
Work is yet to begin on a green hydrogen hub at Bell Bay, but companies from across the globe are already lining up to tap into the future supply.
Marine Protection say salmon poll “was pointless”
The president of the Tasmanian Alliance for Marine Protection has poured scorn on the latest EMRS poll, which showed a growth in support for Tasmania’s salmon farming and aquaculture industry.
You know Tasmania’s rough wildernesses and forests, but what about its saltmarshes?
Saltmarshes play a vital role in pollution control and flood management and researchers and local councils are starting to get involved in expanding them.
‘Devils don’t like bandages’: Injured Tasmanian devil released back into the wild
A Tasmanian devil with horrific injuries to its leg has been nursed back to health and released into the wild, with carers using the opportunity to plead with the public to be more mindful of wildlife.
Burnie councillor slams lack of protection for little penguins
It’s time the council sat up and acted before more penguins have to pay the price.
That’s according to Burnie councillor Ken Dorsey, who said the council was sitting back and “doing nothing” to protect its coastal creatures.
New protest camp set up as tailings dam decision looms [$]
Protesters have set up a fresh blockade camp near MMG’s Rosebery mine as Environment Minister Sussan Ley gets ready to hand down her decision on the company’s planned waste dam in the rainforest.
Calls to drain dam to restore world’s rarest beach [$]
Christine Milne
Some big names have joined forces to propose a bold New Year’s resolution to restore Lake Pedder and its inland beach, which were flooded 50 years ago to create a hydro dam.
Politicians struggling in the face of stark reality
Peter Boyer
If there’s a poster boy for a bigger Tasmanian parliament, it would have to be the minister for pretty-well-everything, Roger Jaensch MP, in charge of aboriginal affairs, state growth, heritage, climate change, local government and planning, and the environment.
Northern Territory
More than 300 Northern Territory crocs captured in 2021 as strong wet season sees numbers soar
Northern Territory wildlife rangers have caught more than 300 crocodiles in the past year and they say a lot of them were found much closer to home than most people would expect.
The vast NT has Australia’s lowest take up of electric vehicles. Is that about to change?
There are only 61 electric vehicles registered in the Northern Territory but a small and dedicated group of enthusiasts hopes to change that, with the backing of government.
Western Australia
Shell ordered to shut down Prelude floating LNG until it is safe
The direction from regulator NOPSEMA means Prelude, the biggest floating vessel ever built, will be shut down until Shell can convince them there will be no repeat of the recent dangerous episode.
‘Hundreds of millions’ not reinvested to prevent WA power outages: Opposition
The state opposition has accused the McGowan government of draining Western Power financially while exposing residents to life-threatening dangers from power outages.
A major redevelopment of the Rottnest Island Lodge off the coast of Perth receives approval, with conditions to ensure the significant cultural heritage of the site is acknowledged.
Mother and baby possums fall from trees in WA’s heatwave
Four days of 40-degree heat has taken a toll on Western Australia’s critically endangered western ringtail possum population.
Single-use plastics to be phased out in the New Year
Single-use plastic bowls, cups, plates, cutlery, stirrers, straws, expanded polystyrene food containers, thick plastic bags and helium balloon releases will all be phased out as of Saturday.
Floreat bushfire alert downgraded after blaze controlled
Some of Perth’s most expensive homes came under fire threat on Monday afternoon after a blaze that began in bushland in Floreat threatened to spiral out of control.
A journey down WA’s mighty Martuwarra, raging river and sacred ancestor – Full Story podcast
Indigenous affairs editor Lorena Allam on the traditional owners standing together to protect the Fitzroy – a ‘beautiful, living water system’
Sustainability
Mini forest and ‘green tower’ plans among first to meet London’s new green guidelines
Developers will consider contribution to environment using Urban Greening Factor formula
The themes that dominated environmental action in 2021
This year, environmentally-minded eyes focussed squarely on the climate crisis, with the Glasgow summit driving support for quicker action from unlikely quarters.
At least 18 peaceful environmental protesters jailed in UK this year
Ten Insulate Britain activists spent Christmas in jail as campaigners decry ‘power grab’ over right to protest
Polish court revives ‘highly flawed’ hydroelectric dam plan for Vistula River
Despite warnings that it would devastate rare wildlife habitats, the controversial project is back on the table
Cancer deaths rose to 10 million worldwide in 2019
Recent trends also highlight global disparities in cancer burden
The ‘rebel’ and human rights gadfly seeking to criminalize ecocide
British lawyer Philippe Sands argues that the time has come to pursue those who commit crimes against the environment.
Reducing the over-consumption of meat could help lower the concentration of a major air pollutant and avoid 75,000 premature deaths in China, a team led by Hong Kong researchers has found.
How humans could live two years longer: Cut air pollution
Climate change is going to have profound consequences on human health and survival. Most obviously, a hotter world means more heat stroke and other heat-caused deaths.
Firefighters are four times more likely to get cancer than any member of public, research suggests
New research has suggested toxic fire contaminants are playing a role in increasing firefighters’ chances of developing cancer and other diseases.
How people and cities can prepare for the effects of climate change
The devastating effects of climate change and extreme weather are no longer theoretical, and experts say tree maintenance is just one of several preventative measures people and municipalities should take to prepare for more intense and frequent storms.
Scientists find ways to help perovskite solar cell “self-healing”
A team led by Prof. HU Linhua at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has recently developed a type of self-healing perovskite solar cell by functional combination of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP).
Companies race to stem flood of microplastic fibres into the oceans
New products range from washing machine filters and balls to fabrics made from kelp and orange peel
The electric vehicles set to star in 2022 [$]
Strong demand around the world, continuing high battery costs, supply chain issues and policy factors mean they’ll likely stay rare and expensive.
Is solar energy really green? We answer some common questions about panels
The scale of the solar power industry is rapidly expanding around Australia, but so are the questions about its green credentials.
A global treaty can turn the tide on ocean waste
The evidence of oceans drowning in plastic pollution is overwhelming. Only an internationally coordinated plan can reverse the damage.
China has introduced a new five-year plan to facilitate the development of the country’s raw materials industry, ordering the sector to make green and digital upgrades to balance supply and demand, and support China’s carbon neutrality goals.
Five top stories on healthcare sustainability
2021 brought a focus on healthcare: Why should our health systems, which we encounter when we are at our most vulnerable, be a source of environmental pollutants and toxic chemicals?
Chart: US coal power generation rose in 2021, bucking a 6-year trend
Spiking natural-gas prices are the chief culprit.
Germany turns its back on nuclear energy once and for all
Germany is breaking with atomic energy once and for all, announcing the country’s last three operating nuclear power stations will be shut down over the next 12 months.
‘In Delhi, every newborn baby is a smoker from day one’: The human cost of Delhi’s toxic air
Months after the Delta variant ravaged India’s capital, Delhi, the city’s residents are taking refuge indoors once more. This time, they’re protecting themselves from the city’s toxic air.
Denmark wants to make all its domestic flights green by 2030
The aviation industry is one of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases.
France has banned plastic packaging for most fruit and vegetables
A new law banning the use of plastic to package nearly all fruit and vegetables has come into effect in France.
Schneider Electric reveals first home energy solutions made from recycled ocean plastics
Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, and the world’s most sustainable corporation 2021 as ranked by Corporate Knights, today unveiled the first home energy solutions made from ocean plastics.
‘Nuclear war cannot be won’: Russia, China, Britain, US and France say in rare joint statement
The five nuclear states on the UN Security Council agree that a further spread of nuclear arms and a nuclear war should be avoided, amid escalating tensions between the US and Russia.
Finnish company recycles coffee waste into sneakers
A Finnish footwear firm raises over $1 million to produce shoes partly made from used coffee grounds.
What is aquamation, Archbishop Tutu’s chosen flameless cremation?
Archbishop Desmond Tutu was outspoken about protecting the environment, giving speeches and writing articles about the need to take action to combat climate change, and requested his body be aquamated — here’s what that actually is.
Is nuclear fusion getting closer? – Catalyst podcast
A technical expert discusses when (or if) fusion will become a reality.
India may face a population implosion [$]
Sadanand Dhume
India has long been a byword for overpopulation, but this is about to change. According to a new national survey, India’s total fertility rate, the average number of children a woman will bear, has fallen to 2 – below the replacement level of 2.1 for the first time.
Here are just 2 ideas that will reduce air pollution without punishing motorists
Tim Jackson
We all agree we need to clean the air. Here are just 2 ideas that will reduce air pollution without punishing motorists.
Convenience, comfort, cost and carbon: what’s the best way to travel, save money and cut emissions?
Ralph Sims
I’ve compared several travel modes (with all assumptions made found here) — a small diesel car, electric car, bus, train or plane — for a door-to-door 300km return journey.
The crime-solving superhero living in your garbage bin
Michelle Harvey
Next time you spot a maggot, reconsider the urge to say “yuck” — these little, legless creatures are here to help us if only we let them.
Shira Ovide
We’re grappling with how to handle the tech we have, and imagining what to make of the tech of our future.
The planet is groaning under the weight of our demands
Peter Boyer
Covid be damned. As the carol tells us, this is the season to be jolly, and there’s nothing jollier than feasting together – especially with a big, tasty, savoury dish in front of us based on the cooked flesh of an animal which has died so that we can eat it.
Your choices can change the world in 2022
Emily Rice
You’d be forgiven for retreating to your bed and asking the neighbours to wake you when 2023 rolls around. But apathy is not the answer.
Explainer: what is corporate social responsibility or CSR – and what do investors need to know?
Limin Fu and Dirk Boehe
With the world facing an ever-growing number of environmental and social challenges, investors are increasingly expecting corporations to “do the right thing” and contribute positively to the community.
Up on a roof: why New Zealand’s move towards greater urban density should see a rooftop revolution
Katie Pickles
New Zealand has historically been a suburban land. Famously characterised as a “quarter-acre pavlova paradise”, the domestic ideal has long been a single dwelling on a full section. But that is changing fast.
Thomas Lovejoy, biologist who championed biodiversity, dies at age 80
Founder of the Amazon Biodiversity Center, he discovered that habitat destruction, pollution and global heating were killing species worldwide
Edward O Wilson, naturalist known as a ‘modern-day Darwin’, dies aged 92
Edward O Wilson, a US naturalist known to some as the “modern-day Darwin”, died on Sunday at the age of 92 in Massachusetts, his foundation said in a statement.
Thousands of cranes die of bird flu in Israel’s worst wildlife disaster
An outbreak of avian flu has killed more than 5,000 migratory cranes in Israel, prompting authorities to declare a popular nature reserve off-limits to visitors.
If marine noise pollution is bad, deep-sea mining could add to the cacophony
A new report suggests that the noise pollution produced by deep-sea mining activities could have far-reaching effects on the marine environment, from surface to seafloor.
Animal crossings: the ecoducts helping wildlife navigate busy roads across the world
India’s tiger corridor and Australia’s possum ‘tunnel of love’ are among the myiad infrastructure projects providing safe passage
Natural History Museum identifies more than 500 new species in 2021
‘Hell herons’, metallic beetles, tiny shrimp – scientists have been busy describing unusual creatures despite Covid restrictions
Plastic beads could make nets more visible to cetaceans, scientists say
Beads add hardly any extra weight to fishing gear and could save thousands of lives, it is claimed
Human-caused climate change and pollution devastating Florida ecosystems
Warming waters and pollutants are destroying the habitats of manatees, fish and coral in and around the state of Florida.
Nearly 1,000 homes destroyed in Colorado wildfire as snow blankets homes still smouldering
Nearly 1,000 homes are destroyed, hundreds more are damaged, and three people are missing in the United States as a wildfire burns through neighbourhoods in the state of Colorado.
Wildlife activist Richard Leakey dies
Richard Leakey, a Kenyan conservationist and paleoanthropologist who spearheaded campaigns against the ivory trade to save the dwindling African elephant population, has died, the Kenyan presidency says. He was 77.
In a fusion of art and science, 3D-printed artificial reefs are providing a boost for marine life
Alex Goad’s work has been used in waters from Sydney to the Maldives and now the National Gallery of Victoria is giving people the chance to see them up close.
Alaska’s polar bears move to Russia to escape the heat
With the average annual temperature in the state having risen by 4.8C in 50 years, one of the most visible signs of global warming is the exodus of polar bears.
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