Climate calling

As Australia prepares to transition to renewable energy, some residents are banding together to create their own energy infrastructure. The community of Bannister is hoping these projects can educate others about renewable energy.

Global efforts to mitigate climate change are coming into focus ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference - or COP28 - in November. Many countries have shifted their targets since the Paris Agreement, which aims to avoid catastrophic temperature rises by limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees. So where does Australia stand on its net zero targets in comparison to the rest of t...

Once Varroa mite-free, Australia has now surrendered its fight against the deadly honeybee parasite. The parasitic mites continue to endanger honeybee populations, threatening pollination and potentially whole colonies.

Australia has become one of the first in the world to sign UN High Seas Treaty, a landmark to protect vast swathes of the ocean which no country officially owns. Environmental groups say the treaty will help reverse biodiversity losses and ensure sustainable development, but there is still a long way to go before implementation.

The World Health Organisation is warning of a potential disease outbreak in the eastern Libyan city of Derna, after the disastrous floods that hit the area on September 11, leaving thousands dead. Meanwhile, the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called on the leaders of the wealthiest nations to face the existential threat of climate change that created an 'awful hellscape' in...

The death toll in Libya continues to rise to devastating heights, with the Red Crescent reporting more than 11,300 fatalities. Experts say that the Mediterranean storm that dumped torrential rain on the Libyan coast is the latest extreme weather event to carry some of the hallmarks of climate change.

The government has announced a suite of major tobacco industry reforms as they fight the serious health impacts of smoking. But at the same time, the Albanese government are being accused of neglecting the health of the environment, with the Greens and Independents attacking Labor's climate policy.

Australians are being told to expect warmer and drier conditions this summer. But the Bureau of Meteorology is still holding out from declaring a El Nino event - for the moment.

Former Defence Force Chief Admiral Chris Barrie, from the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group, tells SBS's Biwa Kwan that while he was pleased when there was a change of government in in May last year, he's been pretty disappointed with their performance so far regarding climate change.

The G20 has issued its strongest statement yet in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, condemning the use of force for territorial gain. But while reaching a consensus on Ukraine dominated the G20 meeting, economic development - and climate change – also figured prominently on the agenda.

Torrential rains have flooded homes and roads in Greece on Tuesday (September 5). Storm Daniel has battered western and central Greece since Monday (September 4), prompting hundreds of calls to emergency services to pump out water just days after a deadly wildfire which burned for over two weeks was brought under control in the north of the country.

Kenya generates more than 70 per cent of its energy from renewable sources like geothermal, hydro, wind and solar energy. As solar energy also becomes more attractive for industrial and home use, the east African nation has responded by removing duties on the import of products like solar panels and inverters. With Africa's first climate summit beginning in Nairobi this week (5 September}, Kenyan...

South Australia and Victoria face a heightened risk of blackouts this summer as the nation's east coast swelters under El Nino conditions. That's according to a new report calling for urgent investment in renewables to avoid a power crisis over the next decade.

Mass evacuations are currently underway in the US state of Florida as Hurricane Idalia approaches the Gulf Coast.

Holidays are a time to relax and set aside worldly cares... but when your destination is at risk of wildfires, flooding or heatwaves, the warming climate may bring those cares back to the fore. During the northern hemisphere's summer, Greece, Italy, Algeria and Tunisia combined lost more than 1,350 square kilometers to blazes that affected 120,000 people in late July. And here in Australia, we are...

A grim forecast of a poorer, less productive and hotter nation forms the core of the latest Intergenerational Report. The document released by the Federal Government looks 40 years into the future, delivering a stark warning about the economic challenges ahead.

The federal government has delivered an updated plan for the management of the Murray Darling Basin, one of Australia's most complicated and important river systems. South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales have all agreed to the new plan - but Victoria has refused to sign on.

Australians are being urged to prepare for what may be the most significant bush fire season since the deadly 2019-2020 Black Summer fires. Large areas of the country are at an increased risk due to reduced rainfall, above-average temperatures and changing weather patterns. Authorities have issued a message to Australians to get prepared now.

There's been a new agreement reached on a plan to manage the Murray Darling Basin, the nation's largest and most complex river system. The plan aims to ensure water promised for the Basin will be returned to the environment - but under a longer time frame.

Tropical Storm Hilary is no longer a hurricane but it still carries what forecasters call “life-threatening” rain as it heads toward Southern California. It's being described as an 'unprecedented' weather event, and is the first time such a storm has threatened the state in nearly a century.

The devastating wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui have emphasised the need for communities to be given adequate warnings about impending disasters. So how do different countries do that? And how does Australia compare?

The death toll from devastating wildfires in Hawaii has risen to 36 but authorities fear that figure could go even higher as search and rescue teams reach areas currently not safe to go to. The US government has declared a state of emergency so Hawaii can access federal aid.

Eight South American countries, along with nations from the Caribbean, Africa and Asia, have called on industrialized nations to do more to protect the world's tropical forests. But some leaders gathered for a summit in Brazil have faced criticism for not pledging to halt deforestation in the Amazon.

At least six people have been killed in wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Widespread fires have forced people to flee into the ocean, injured at least two dozen people, and destroyed a historic town.

New research has found that even during traditionally cooler weather patterns, mass bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef is occurring. It's causing great concern for the world’s biggest coral reef system among climate watchers. But they stress, it's not too late to reverse the damage.