Climate calling

The Leadbeater's Possum can fit in the palm of your hand, and it has been presumed extinct twice. Now a new population has been discovered in New South Wales, and the race is on to protect it.

Extreme weather events in our region are causing communities and countries to reassess how to respond to these events. The World Meteorological Organisation has mapped these changes in our region, highlighting the effects they are having not just on land but also in our region's oceans.

New Treasury analysis shows the cost of Cyclone Alfred and other floods across New South Wales and Queensland has reached around $2.2 billion dollars. Community leaders, economists and climate researchers want Australia to do more to address the costs.

Researchers are warning extreme heat is a threat to mental health. Doctors have long warned of the dangers of heat related stress and now a study suggests rising temperatures could increase the burden of mental and behavioural disorders by almost 50 per cent by 2050.

More than 150,000 livestock are dead or lost following widespread flooding in northeastern Australia. But researchers say the floods will provide a lifeline for some species, reviving bird populations who will breed and feed in new wetlands across Australia.

Climate adaptation refers to the process of adjusting to the actual or projected effects of climate change and ensuring vulnerable communities are well-equipped for disaster. But some experts say the term has been reduced to nothing more than a political talking point. A new report by researchers at Monash University shows little action has been taken to prepare at-risk communities over the past d...

Plastic pollution along Australia’s coastline has dropped by more than a third over the last decade. That’s according to new research from Australia’s national science agency CSIRO, published in the Marine Pollution Bulletin. The CSIRO has found a 39 per cent decrease in coastal debris density compared to ten years ago with just over 8000 debris items recorded across almost 2000 surveys.

New experiments suggest that the ocean could hold the key to slowing down climate change. Marine carbon dioxide removal has been tested in waters from North America to New Zealand, but as Veronica Lenard reports, the full potential of the technology is not yet clear.

Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson has confronted Anthony Albanese as the Prime Minister basked in the afterglow of his government's budget during the morning TV rounds. He's one of a number of people upset by the federal government's introduction of a bill aimed at preserving the Tasmanian salmon industry. The senator is convinced it could lead to the extinction of a key species.

Donald Trump's 90 day pause on all USAID funding threw the sector into chaos. As the administration assesses which programs are considered suitable use of funds, it's clear one area doesn't fit that brief: climate change. It's also the biggest issue in the Pacific.

Climate Action Week in Sydney has seen more than 230 events bringing the community and businesses together to work towards a sustainable future. But a growing body of research suggests that women may be disproportionately impacted by the environment and extreme weather events as Yasmine Alwakel reports.

The Climate Council is warning that Australia's biggest cities could face dangerously hot temperatures, unless action is taken to slow down climate change. The Council has released a 'heat map' which also shows that continuing to cut climate pollution can safeguard Australians from the worst impacts of soaring heat.

Top environmental delegates have resumed talks for the United Nations' COP-16 biodiversity summit in Rome. They are set to negotiate a way to pay for $200 billion dollars a year of biodiversity protection by 2030. Previous COP-16 talks in Colombia ended abruptly last year, as the negotiations ran into overtime and reached a deadlock.

Alexander Sangerlaub leads the think and do tank Futur Eins in Germany, which looks at the future of digital public spheres. I recently caught up with him in Berlin, after an event he was part of to raise awareness among young people about the impacts of disinformation on society and democracy.

The spread of false information is one of the biggest global risks, according to the World Economic Forum. Experts say climate denialism content, spread on digital platforms, could stall urgent action. While European nations focus on social media accountability and regulation, some Pacific islands are taking a localised approach to dispelling myths.

Australia ranks among the best in the world for air quality, but with worsening climate change and an ever extending bushfire season, some experts warn even low levels of air pollution are impacting our health. As more and more evidence links air pollution to both long and short term cognitive issues, medical experts say the government can do more to protect Australians in the long term

A stove powered by recycled car oil is providing a cleaner and more affordable cooking option for households in Cameroon. The innovation, designed by a local engineer, is also helping to reduce environmental pollution and health risks associated with traditional coal powered cooking methods.

The world's largest and oldest iceberg is on a collision course with a remote island... potentially putting wildlife in danger. Known as 'megaberg' the colossal slab of ice is drifting towards South Georgia - a British overseas territory - north of Antarctica. The iceberg first broke away from the Antarctic shelf in the 1980s. So how has it survived so long, and what could happen if it does reach...

The Denman glacier in East Antarctica is one of the largest and fastest melting glaciers on the continent, and yet little is known about what’s causing the accelerated retreat. But over the past three years Australian scientists have collected tonnes of rock and ice-core samples from the largely untouched region. It's hoped their research will contribute to much greater understanding of what's tak...

The World Meteorological Organisation and NASA have confirmed that 2024 was the hottest year on record, with temperatures spurred on by greenhouse gas driven climate change. And the Bureau of Meteorology says it was the second hottest year on record in Australia after 2019. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says people and organisations need to be prepared for more extreme weather events and natural...

A massive snowstorm is disrupting the U-S and Europe, with record snowfall, power outages, and widespread travel chaos. Nearly 70 million Americans face blizzard warnings, icy roads, and over 1,400 flight cancellations. In Europe, heavy snow and freezing rain hit the U-K, Ireland, and Germany, causing airport disruptions, power cuts, and flooding risks.

For more than 50 years, cities around the world have been safely drinking recycled wastewater, from Los Angeles to Barcelona and Cape Town. Yet few Australian cities have taken that plunge. But with climate change and population surges putting water supplies under pressure, experts say it could be a future solution.

The award winning SBS podcast series Change Agents has met some remarkable Australians over the last four years - individuals who are changing the society in which we all live. In this episode from 2022, series producer Peggy Giakoumelos introduces us to Greg Mullins, a high profile, former fire chief who is using his experience on the front line to advocate for more action on climate change

Climate change is forcing an increasing number of people to move from their homes, due to severe weather events and worsening environmental conditions. Some estimates forecast more than 1 billion people could be displaced globally by 2050. The Pacific Islands are among the world's most vulnerable, where relocation is the only option for some communities.

Climate whiplash is the term being used to describe the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events that have swept the globe in 2024. Scientists say global average temperatures across the year are on track to temporarily surpass 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with human-caused climate change the key driver.