Climate crisis
The polar vortex bringing icy temperatures across southern Australia
A destabilised weather pattern has pushed the polar vortex high above Antarctica off course, pushing freezing winds into southern Australia. When will it end?
- by Bianca Hall
Latest
Nation’s biggest power plant burns most coal since 2019
The Eraring power station’s coal output has hit a five-year-high, highlighting the difficulties of weaning the grid off the polluting fossil fuel.
- by Nick Toscano
Birds, bees and trees: My guilty winter pleasure
This weekend’s National Tree Day highlights how planting trees can help make our world a better place.
- by Megan Backhouse
Updated
Extreme weather
World’s hottest day recorded, but land temperatures will be even higher
The last 12 months have set new temperature records, with the 12-month global average 1.64 degrees above the pre-Industrial average.
- by Gloria Dickie and Bianca Hall
Top agency casts doubt on nuclear reactors flagged by Dutton
Australia’s academy of engineers says the cost and operational performance of small modular nuclear reactors are untested and unproven.
- by Bianca Hall
Opinion
Andrew Forrest
Billionaire Andrew Forrest’s green crusade cops a reality check
Fortescue is about to turn 21, and with age seemingly comes wisdom, as the company puts its enormously expensive green hydrogen plans on the backburner.
- by Elizabeth Knight
Exclusive
Renewables
The simple fix that could reduce bird deaths from wind farms
Painting one blade black, or using stripes, on wind turbines is proven to dramatically reduce bird strikes. There are also high-tech solutions helping endangered Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagles.
- by Caitlin Fitzsimmons
‘It’s good news’: Scientists suspect history about to be made in China
Evidence is mounting that some time over the past few months, China’s greenhouse gas emissions peaked. If so, it is likely that a global decline has begun.
- by Nick O'Malley
Should Australia house a giant vacuum cleaner to suck carbon from the sky?
Removing carbon from the atmosphere to save us from climate change is a controversial notion, but faith is growing in some new technologies.
- by Nick O'Malley
‘Absolutely incorrect’: The evidence is in on whales and offshore wind farms
Those who hold doubts about offshore wind farms may not be aware that their misgivings have been deliberately planted.
- by Caitlin Fitzsimmons
Opinion
Energy
Energy policy is becoming Australia’s own Brexit, and proving just as intractable
If the Coalition isn’t making up the policy as it’s going along, then it’s doing a Vegas-level impression of a political outfit that is.
- by Shaun Carney