World forging ahead on climate action
The government may be hellbent on backing coal and gas projects, but there is plenty of positive environment news. Australia’s largest companies have joined forces to fight the war on plastic while Tesla is going hard on Bitcoin. And did you know our planet is home to 50 billion birds?
Aim high, go fast
Australia must triple its emissions cuts within the next decade to protect us from the impacts of climate change finds a new Climate Council report. Scientists have warned about rising emissions for decades and it has now come to a point where inaction is no longer an option.
Renewables key to net-zero target
Australia is inching closer to a clean future with new research showing the uptake of renewables is key to net-zero emissions by 2040. That’s right: we can wipe out fossil fuel emissions in two decades by doubling the pace at which solar and wind power is being rolled out.
News roundup: good news for the planet
Good news for the environment this week: Australian business leaders are focusing on the impact of climate change as their number-one concern (ahead of the pandemic), polystyrene is slated to be phased out and echidnas are hailed for their soil regeneration powers. And don’t forget – it’s Clean Up Australia Day on Sunday.
Arrival of electric cars inevitable?
The government’s just-announced electric car policy is a far cry from last election’s “war on the weekend” campaign. Still, the only party showing leadership is the car industry itself with five-minute recharge batteries now on offer. It looks our domestic car market is about to be shaken up. Or will it?
Australia missing at One Planet Summit
Fifty countries including China, France, UK and Germany have pledged to protect 30 per cent of land and sea by 2030. With new modelling showing that green initiatives like these could create 191 million jobs worldwide, it makes economic sense too. Great news – but where was Australia?
Climate resolutions to keep in 2021
Welcome to 2021. This year we will again bring you lots of stories about social and environmental issues, and how you can make a change. This week we’re going to green up our new year’s resolutions with these tips. Let’s make 2021 the greenest year yet.
Water crisis threatens New Zealand’s cities
Like many parts of Australia, New Zealand is currently experiencing a La Niña summer. Although this summer’s projected rainfall should keep Auckland’s water supply levels sustainable in the short term, Wellington could be running dry within the next six years.
Reforms needed to protect ancient sites
The destruction of 46,000-year-old rock shelters at Juukan Gorge in Western Australia in July has shown there’s a serious flaw in our heritage protection laws. Without urgent and drastic reform, it will only be a matter of time until another ancient site is allowed to be destroyed.
Tasmanian devils surviving their own pandemic
For the past 30 years, Tasmanian devils have suffered from their own pandemic, a facial cancer that causes large facial tumours and spreads through biting. Now, new genetic analysis reveals the disease is less infectious than a decade ago. And that is just the news we’ve been waiting for.
