Climate calling

From Europe to the Pacific, extreme weather events are devastating communities and wildlife across the globe as scientists warn of a strengthening El Niño . With the weather system predicted to rapidly emerge in the coming months, experts say no region is immune to the deepening crisis. From Europe to the Pacific, extreme weather events are devastating communities and wildlife across the globe as...

Conservationists are calling for greater government action to protect the Great Barrier Reef, as a looming El Nino weather system threatens more coral bleaching. In a draft decision, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee has recommended against putting the reef on its list of sites in danger, while requesting greater ambition on climate change and efforts to improve water quality.

The World Health Organisation says more than 1300 deaths can now be linked to Europe's unprecedented summer heatwave. As the heat moves east, all-time temperature records have been broken in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. Experts say with global warming making heatwaves more frequent, severe, and deadly, Europe is particularly vulnerable when it comes to soaring temperatures.

Everyone from rugby union supporters to wildlife and animal lovers has heard of the Australian wallaby. But it's perhaps less known that there are, in fact, many species of these cute marsupials, including some that are endangered. One of these is the brush-tailed rock-wallaby and scientists are now working on ways to protect the species. Everyone from rugby union supporters to wildlife and animal...

Authorities in France say at least seven people have died due to unseasonably warm temperatures, while for the second day in a row, the UK has recorded a new record high for May. Much of Western Europe is still dealing with a pre-summer heatwave, leading to health warnings across the continent. Authorities in France say at least seven people have died due to unseasonably warm temperatures, while f...

Australia is home to the world's largest coral reef ecosystem, but conservationists say it's also the country's largest coral fishery. The sustainability of the Great Barrier Reef has been the subject of discussion among environmentalists for quite some time. Now, a group of conservationists have resorted to an unconventional method of putting the spotlight on the situation.

Vanuatu’s Minister for Climate Change, Ralph Regenvanu, has emerged as one of the Pacific’s most influential and principled public figures, combining political leadership with cultural advocacy and a sustained commitment to climate justice. In an exclusive interview with SBS, he said that current issues with fuel security and supply wouldn’t influence the negotiations between Australia and Vanuatu...

A remote Australian outpost more than 3,000 kilometres from Perth, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands are facing an uncertain future. Climate modelling predicts the low-lying atoll, home to around 600 residents, could become uninhabitable within 50 years. About 460 of those residents are Cocos Malays, whose ancestors were brought to the islands generations ago as indentured labourers by the Clunies-Ross...

Australia’s unique wildlife is facing an escalating extinction crisis, driven primarily by climate change and compounded by habitat loss. 34 new species of plants and animals have been added to the government's threatened species list this February, including the lemuroid ringtail possum - native to north Queensland's Wet Tropics region. Researchers say urgent climate action and stronger environme...

The Murray Darling Basin management plan is currently under review. Public submissions on a discussion paper [[see it here: https://www.mdba.gov.au/publications-and-data/publications/2026-basin-plan-review-discussion-paper]] are being accepted until  1 May 2026, as authorities determine their next steps in managing Australia's biggest river ecosystem. SBS has spoken with the national director of t...

The far northwestern city of Mildura is used to hot summers. But in January, the city and surrounds sweltered through an unusual heatwave, with temperatures breaking records throughout the region. SBS' Deborah Groarke spoke with the mayor of Mildura, Ali Cupper, on how the Council deals with hot weather, and its concerns around how worsening climate change patterns might affect its residents and a...

For many in Australia's south-east, the day after Australia Day brought sweltering conditions and record temperatures. In Mildura, in Victoria's far northwest, the mercury hit 48.6 Celsius. And when coastal areas enjoyed a reprieve, the inland still had to cope with an extended heatwave that lasted a week. Experts say these kinds of phenomena are going to intensify over time because of the impacts...

Australian summers are undergoing what scientists call a "total transformation," with a new study from World Weather Attribution revealing the country can now expect heatwaves every five years on average. The study's researchers say climate change made Australia's blistering heatwave in early January five times more likely, and there's an urgent need for the country to adapt to changed conditions....

The European Union's latest annual climate report reveals last year was the world's third-hottest on record. The report also finds the global three-year average has warmed by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius for the first time, a threshold scientists warn dramatically increases the risk of extreme weather events. Climate experts say while the findings are troubling, China and India have made notable...

A new study has found trees across Australia are dying at a faster rate than new ones are growing, a trend that is contributing to an increase in carbon emissions. The research, led by Western Sydney University and published in the Nature Plants journal, has found trees in all types of ecosystems - from tropical rainforests to eucalypt forests - are thinning as the climate warms.

Almost seven million people living on the expanding fringes of Australia's capital cities are at risk from urban fires similar to those seen in Los Angeles last year. The warning, by former Australian fire chiefs and the Climate Council comes as the country is set to swelter in one of the most significant heatwaves of recent years.

In recent weeks, bushfires have claimed homes and property on the New South Wales mid-north coast, in Geraldton in Western Australia and in Tasmania's east. Experts are warning this is only the beginning of the fire season and anyone travelling for the holidays needs to be aware and prepared when they're away from home.

Indigenous rangers from the Great Barrier Reef are learning coral spawning techniques in one of the largest reef restoration trials to date. The pilot program involves rangers working in the reefs off Queensland's Keppel Islands, which were hit hard by last year's mass coral bleaching event.

The latest bushfire outlook forecasts an increased fire risk across parts of Australia this summer. Despite recent rainfall in the country's southeast, authorities say it won't take long for a blaze to take hold.

Delegates to the COP30 summit in Brazil have reached an agreement to address still rising global emissions. The deal increases money to countries hit by climate change, but contains no explicit fossil fuel plan. The agreement has mollified some - and horrified others.

The federal government has abruptly abandoned its bid to host the United Nations climate conference next year, conceding Turkiye will oversee the COP31. The Pacific countries and environmental activists have criticised the federal government's failure to bring the event to Adelaide.

Indonesia is home to more than 17,000 islands, but its smallest are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The tiny community of Pari Island is facing multiple climate-induced threats, including to its entire existence. Four people on the island are now trying to launch a landmark legal case against a European cement giant over its historic carbon emissions.

Rising electricity prices are a major driver of headline inflation, putting pressure on households and Australia’s 2.6 million small business owners. Some are beating the odds – here’s how.

For the second straight year, emissions from fossil fuels rose by slightly more than one per cent. Scientists at the COP30 climate conference in Brazil say it's one of the smallest in recent non-pandemic years - but it means efforts to curb warming global temperatures by getting fossil fuel emissions to stop rising are still not meeting targets.

Indigenous leaders in the Amazon are urging leaders at the UN Climate Summit to empower First Nations people to protect their land and rainforests. As world leaders gather in the Amazonian city of Belem, pressure is on to go beyond words and ideas and start implementing meaningful policy.