Australia is a hotspot for toxic forever chemicals

High levels of so-called forever chemicals have been found in surface and groundwater all over the world, with Australia one of several hotspots for toxic PFAS, a University of New South Wales study has found.

Households are having their electricity tariffs changed to ‘time-of-use rates’, which charge them more at peak times. Many households report higher bills that they can’t afford.

Doctors, nurses and midwives dedicated to the health and well-being of Northern Territory citizens have voiced their concerns about the gas export and petrochemical manufacturing hub planned for Darwin ahead of this week’s public hearings into the proposal.

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PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ particularly prominent in Australian water
High levels of so-called forever chemicals have been found in surface and groundwater all over the world, with Australia one of several hotspots for toxic PFAS, a University of New South Wales study has found. They found Australia was one of several “hotspots” relative to the rest of the world, along with China, Europe and North America.

Energy companies enforce ‘punishing’ tariffs that charge households more during peak times
Households are having their electricity tariffs changed to so-called time-of-use rates, which charge them more at peak times. The energy industry and regulators say the tariffs make the grid more efficient but many households report sharply higher bills, which some people are struggling to afford. 

Health workers campaign against Northern Territory’s proposed Middle Arm gas hub in Darwin
Doctors, nurses and midwives dedicated to the health and well-being of Northern Territory citizens have voiced their concerns about the gas export and petrochemical manufacturing hub planned for Darwin. Speaking ahead of this week’s public hearings into the proposal, Darwin paediatrician Dr Louise Woodward said the medical community was deeply concerned about the expansion of gas projects.

Carbon credits are no excuse for the NSW Government to stall on saving koalas
A new video report from the Australia Institute shines a light on the NSW Government’s revelation that it is delaying the protection of koala habitat in the state until a system is in place to exploit native forests for carbon offsets.

Preparing for disaster in one of Australia’s biggest global biodiversity hotspots
To prepare for the worst, South West National Resource Management has been charged by the Australian Government with the colossal task of ensuring all the nature in the region has the best chance of survival during a natural disaster. To do this, the NRM is reaching out to the community for their input throughout April via their online platform, Nature Voice.

Greenhouse gases thousands of times more damaging than CO2 are being smuggled into Europe
Large volumes of climate-warming gases are being smuggled into Europe from China and Türkiye, a new investigation has found. The illegal trafficking is compromising the global push to phase them out, a report by the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) said this week.