Bowen urges Greens to back emissions bill but rules out ban on fossil fuels

Minister for Climate Change Chris Bowen has again called for the Greens to support the government’s reforms to the safeguard mechanism, but flat-out rejected the party’s calls to ban new coal and gas. However Greens leader, Adam Bandt, claims the party has already made major compromises by offering to pass Labor’s plan through the Senate, saying the request for no new coal and gas was reasonable if the government wanted to address climate change. 

A proposed water mining operation on the cusp of world-heritage-listed Gondwana rainforest is “unacceptably risky” to the health of the ecosystem, according to environmental groups fighting a court battle to block the drilling. Today the Queensland planning and environment court will begin hearings into the plan to extract enough water to fill 32 million plastic bottles from a site 400m from the Springbrook national park.

New research has shown that one of Australia’s most treasured nature-based tourism hotspots, Rottnest Island, has suffered ‘catastrophic’ declines in biodiversity due to climate change. The findings demonstrate that even with the highest degree of protection from direct human activities, the reefs surrounding the island are still being ravaged by global heating.

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Chris Bowen urges Greens to back emissions bill but again rules out ban on new fossil fuel projects
Australia’s climate minister, Chris Bowen, has again challenged the Greens to support the government’s reforms to the safeguard mechanism, but flat-out rejected the party’s calls to ban new coal and gas, saying fossil fuels would continue providing one-fifth of Australia’s energy beyond 2030.

Water mining near Queensland’s Gondwana rainforest ‘unacceptably risky’, opponents say
A proposed water mining operation – capable of filling more than 32m plastic bottles a year – on the cusp of world-heritage-listed Gondwana rainforest is “unacceptably risky” to the health of the ecosystem, say environmental groups fighting a court battle to block the drilling.

Rottnest Island reefs under threat as marine species dwindle
New research into the health of the reefs at Rottnest Island in Western Australia has revealed a “catastrophic” decline in biodiversity, with some species numbers declining by up to 90 per cent in recent years.

Australian superannuation exposed amid global Adani scandal
Australian retirement savings amounting to tens of millions of dollars are in trouble amid a recent scandal involving mining megacorporation Adani Group, which has come under fire in recent weeks for fraudulent practices, which has caused its stock to plummet.

This highly flammable weed is taking over Litchfield National Park. Experts say urgent action is needed to prevent disaster
Gamba grass has taken over about 20 per cent of one of the Northern Territory's most treasured tourist attractions, and experts say it is now virtually impossible to completely eradicate.

Second batch of endangered southern corroboree frogs released in Kosciuszko National Park since fires
100 southern corroboree frogs have been released into Kosciuszko National Park, marking the second time a cohort of captive-bred frogs has been returned to the region since the Black Summer fires.

Giant Australian cuttlefish breeding zone added to National Heritage List
Every winter, tens of thousands of giant Australian cuttlefish migrate to the shallow, rocky shores at Point Lowly near Whyalla to breed, in an area known as the Cuttlefish Coast Sanctuary Zone, which is now on the National Heritage List.