Spring heatwave set to hit eastern Australia

South-east Australia is warned to brace for the first heatwave of spring, with temperatures soaring to more than 12 degrees Celsius above average in regions including Sydney by early next week as a weather pattern more typical of mid-summer takes hold.

Around 1,000 demonstrators marched to the steps of Santos’ Sydney office, delivering a letter to demand an end to a $3.6bn gas project in western NSW. Representatives from the Gomeroi nation, the Country Women’s Association, Unions NSW, NSW Farmers and Lock the Gate signed the letter.

In a scientific first, researchers have tracked the journey of a single southern right whale off Australia's southern coast. A satellite tag showed that Nebinyan, an adult, circled the Southern Ocean before heading directly to Antarctica during the warmer months, where it remained before completing its 6,000-kilometre round-trip via a nearly identical route.

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Spring heatwave for eastern Australia ‘a heads-up’ of what’s to come, meteorologists say
Melbourne and Sydney are predicted to break records for the number of warm days in a row in September, said Ben Domensino, a senior Weatherzone meteorologist.

About 1,000 protesters rally in Sydney against coal seam gas and water buybacks
Farmers protested against Murray-Darling Basin policy and the proposed Hunter gas pipeline.

Australian southern right whale's entire migration tracked for the first time
The achievement is an important step in gaining a better understanding of Australian southern right whales, but there is still plenty to find out. Because they survive off plankton in the Antarctic, southern right whales are a useful species for tracking the impact of climate change.

ScienceAustralian lobby groups oppose greenwashing overhaul as study finds conservation claims lack evidence
Advocates are concerned fossil fuel lobby groups are opposing changes to greenwashing regulations in Australia, whilst a new study finds the world's largest transnational companies are failing to provide evidence for their environmental claims.

United Nations special rapporteur warns NT Middle Arm project will raise cancer, heart disease risks
A United Nations expert warns three major NT oil and gas projects will "threaten to make Darwin and the region a climate change sacrifice zone".

World Heritage Committee keeps Great Barrier Reef off UNESCO list of sites in danger
The United Nations World Heritage Committee has officially kept the Great Barrier Reef off its list of sites "in danger", but Australia remains under pressure to show it is doing enough to protect the reef from environmental harm.

Australia in a ‘sweet spot’ to benefit from clean energy transition, say researchers
The world is not on track to limit the rise in global warming to 1.5 degrees celsius and meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, a global energy consultancy has warned, with everything now riding on actions taken this decade and a $US2.7 trillion ($4.2 trillion) annual spending boost to achieve net-zero by 2050.