Uber Eats couriers to go electric by 2040

Tech giant Uber has set a 2040 deadline to phase out petrol vehicles and unnecessary plastic waste from food deliveries made through the Uber Eats platform across Australia as part of a push to curb its impact on the environment.

Rental advocates are calling for mandates requiring landlords to install solar panels on their tenants' properties amid warnings renters are missing out on the benefits of renewable energy, especially with the looming energy price increase in July. 

And the Albanese government has pledged more than $7 million towards restoring vegetation vital for seabirds and turtles at two iconic islands on the Great Barrier Reef. 

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Uber Eats sets dates to ban petrol cars, plastic waste from deliveries
In a move that mirrors Uber’s pledge to phase out combustion-engine vehicles from its global ride-hailing fleet by 2040, all couriers on the Uber Eats app will be required to make deliveries using only emissions-free vehicles by 2040, too.

Calls for landlords to face mandatory solar installation for tenants as energy divide widens
With benchmark power prices set to rise by more than 20 per cent from July, concerns are growing over how the increases will affect poorer and disadvantaged households, many of which are renters.

Albanese government commits $7m to Great Barrier Reef amid development in battle against ‘in danger’ listing
It follows UNESCO offering rare praise of Australia’s actions to protect the reef, in a good sign ahead of the World Heritage Committee’s September meeting to decide whether the global icon is listed as “in danger”.

Torres Strait Islander elders call on government to improve conditions in landmark climate case
Torres Strait Islander elders continue the fight to protect their islands from disappearing in rising sea levels in week one of the Federal Court's on-country hearing.

Rising power costs worsening solar panel e-waste crisis as people replace panels prematurely
Researchers say rising power costs are pushing some home owners to replace their solar panels prematurely, increasing the need for bespoke recycling facilities to avoid them going to waste. 

Closure of AGL power station raises hopes for solution to Lake Liddell's brain-eating amoeba problem
AGL, which owns Liddell power station, was forced to permanently close the lake to the public in 2016 after the amoeba Naegleria fowleri was detected in the water.

Experts say the war in Ukraine is an environmental disaster getting worse by the day
The war in Ukraine has shattered a nation, but the scars of conflict extend beyond human suffering to an often forgotten casualty: Ukraine's natural environment.

Vaquitas still exist, but barely: sea 'panda' survey
The vaquita, a small porpoise on the verge of extinction, is still hanging in there, said scientists Wednesday who had spotted about a dozen specimens of Mexico's "panda of the sea" on an expedition in May.

Satellite image leads to fear critically endangered species habitat bulldozed
Satellite analysis of regional properties in northern NSW, has led to concerns habitat used by a critically endangered species may have been bulldozed.

First Nations women take lead role in marine conservation
A group of First Nations women are taking a lead role in marine conservation with a new program teaching them to identify marine species and survey the Great Barrier Reef.

Little penguins to reclaim Tasmanian car park as city-based population thrives
Hundreds of the world's smallest penguins call the foreshore of the Tasmanian city of Burnie home, and they'll soon have more room to move following the reclamation of a car park.