UNESCO hails $2.9b Australian plan to protect Great Barrier Reef

UNESCO hails $2.9-bn Australian plan to protect Great Barrier Reef
The UN's cultural agency UNESCO welcomed on Tuesday commitments from Australia to protect the Great Barrier Reef, with the government pledging 4.4 billion Australian dollars ($2.9 billion) to safeguard the natural wonder. There has been a "radical change" in approach under Albanese compared with his rightwing predecessor Scott Morrison, one UNESCO diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Chances of El Nino this year increase to 70 per cent
Australia is likely to see warm and dry conditions this year with the Bureau of Meteorology updating the chance of an El Nino occurring to 70 per cent.Previously, there had been a 50 per cent chance of one occurring this year. It’s been three years since Australia experienced an El Nino weather pattern, with the last contributing to one of the country’s worst droughts and the Black Summer Bushfires.

First gas milestone for stage two Gorgon mega project
The largest resource project in Australia's history is even bigger with "first gas" from Gorgon Stage Two off the north-west coast of Western Australia. Chevron Australia and its Gorgon joint venture partners on Tuesday announced the production milestone for the project expansion that began five years ago.Already one of the world's largest and costliest offshore developments, Gorgon exports liquefied natural gas to Asia and supplies WA with gas.

Climate risks in focus as government agencies team up for Australia's first National Climate Risk Assessment, National Adaptation Plan
Scientists from five government agencies will team up to undertake Australia's first national climate risk assessment as extreme weather events become increasingly more common. The federal government announced on Tuesday it will then use the data and insights to develop its National Adaptation Plan, aimed at guiding and informing action and investment by all levels of government, the private sector, and NGOs.

Whitehaven Coal proposes extension to Maules Creek mine where David Pocock protested
Mining company Whitehaven Coal has launched a bid to expand and extend operations at its controversial Maules Creek Mine, near Narrabri in north western NSW. If the plan is approved by the state government, the mine will remain operational for nine years beyond the end of its current lease in 2034 and mine an extra million tonnes of coal per year.

Plugged in: Brisbane’s bright sparks chart the decade drive to EVs
Brisbane has started the decade-long drive to a carbon-neutral Olympic Games, beginning its planning for 100,000 zero-emission electric vehicles. A roundtable on Wednesday organised by Brisbane City Council will host transport, business, green energy, commercial, conservation and logistic experts to set the plan for the shift.

Conservationists call on gov't to remove sharks nets after humpback whale rescue
Animal and environment activist groups are demanding for shark nets to be removed along Queensland's coast after the first entanglement of the whale migration season.A sub-adult humpback whale was first reported caught in shark nets on the Gold Coast, near Mermaid Beach, on Monday night.

Australia’s green energy future to create 60,000 new roles
The quest for clean energy is driving demand for a large number of jobs from tradies to engineers and the social sciences. The huge amount of work needed to construct, operate and maintain solar and wind farms, produce hydrogen and manage all these projects will require workers with many different skills.

Why Tanya Plibersek is being taken to court over 'mega mines'
An environmental group has mounted a legal challenge to federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek after she did not accept calls to consider the impact of global warming when assessing three coal mine applications in NSW and Queensland.

Australian power grid is full, industry warns, as transmission build drags
Australia is struggling to build high-voltage transmission lines quickly enough to compensate for the retirement of coal power stations, heightening the risk of higher power bills and blackouts, industry executives have warned.The Australian Energy Market Operator has called for faster work on five projects worth nearly $13bn, but pockets of local community opposition threaten to prolong development work.

Mining giant BHP pushes Albanese Government to remove hurdles to nuclear energy
Mining giant BHP has urged the Federal Government to remove its prohibition on nuclear energy to help meet the energy needs of transitioning to a low-carbon economy. BHP is one of the globe’s biggest uranium miners — a key component in nuclear fission.

Hidden carbon: Fungi and their 'necromass' absorb one-third of the carbon emitted by burning fossil fuels every year
Beneath our feet, remarkable networks of fungal filaments stretch out in all directions. Now, new research shows this single group of fungi may quietly be playing a bigger role in storing carbon than we thought. These microscopic filaments take up the equivalent of more than a third (36%) of the world’s annual carbon emissions from fossil fuels – every year.

Mark Parton takes aim at ACT government's 'anti-car, anti-family' agenda
Canberra is being subjected to an "anti-car" agenda that will discriminate against families living in outer suburbs, people with low incomes and those with a disability, the ACT opposition says. Opposition transport spokesman Mark Parton is also calling on the government to drop its support for a global declaration that would commit a "major area" of Canberra to be a zero-emission zone by 2030.