Environment
Local champions no small potato in net zero transition
27 March
Tonnes of potatoes boiled with recycled heat, milk and cheese waste transformed into fuel and timber milled with the power of the sun. That is how food producers and major industries across regional Australia are taking small steps towards...[Read More]
Google links solar farm deal to help big data go green
20 December
A business-critical data centre specialist and a global renewable energy provider are teaming up with tech giant Google to build new generation capacity in Australia’s energy grid. Data centre firm AirTrunk, Swedish energy giant OX2 and Google on...[Read More]
Plucky farmer turns energy costs into chicken feed
21 June
A Victorian farmer has defied soaring energy bills to save $400,000 a year during the past decade – and he wants to show other producers how they can save money too. Chicken farmer Chris Freney has made the efficiency savings by installing...[Read More]
Green bonds to fund car-charging network, clean energy
14 June
Australian governments are tapping into investor hunger for AAA-rated green bonds to fund a fast-charging network for electric cars, wind farms, and greener schools and hospitals. Western Australia’s first green bond issuance has attracted more...[Read More]
War on urchins aims to save kelp forests
22 February
Ravenous sea urchins that are destroying kelp forests will be turned into farm fertiliser under a plan that will also boost some of Australia’s most valuable fisheries. In some parts of the Great Southern Reef, which wraps around the bottom half...[Read More]
Methane-eating organism a shapeshifter
18 January
A microorganism that feeds on methane to reduce the release of gas into the atmosphere is also a shapeshifter, a study has found. The microorganism, known as Candidatus Methanoperedens nitroreducens (or Ca. M. nitroreducens), is a critical life form...[Read More]
Sweet breakthrough in bio-manufacturing
18 January
Australian researchers are unlocking the secrets of sugarcane for future aviation fuel, plastics, rubbers and food additives. Gary Schenk from the University of Queensland has focused on an enzyme to speed up the slowest step in processing sugar...[Read More]
Rotting carp ‘plague’ after major floods
11 January
A carp “plague” has descended on flood-hit parts of the Murray-Darling Basin, creating headaches for farmers and concerns about the impact on native fish. Dairy farmer Heather Campbell, who manages about 200 cows on a property at Cohuna in...[Read More]
Mixed outlook for agriculture in 2023
14 December
It’s a mixed outlook for agriculture in the coming year, with grains and lamb expected to perform well while the number of dairy farmers leaving the industry takes a toll. Rural Bank’s 2023 outlook also listed global economic challenges and...[Read More]
Businesses forced to show emissions action
14 December
Big businesses will be forced to divulge their efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions and manage climate risk under the Albanese government’s new green investment rules. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said an Australian climate risk disclosure framework...[Read More]
Magnets remove toxic waste from water
30 November
Removing toxic materials from water is now easier than ever after researchers at RMIT University discovered a fast and sustainable method using magnets. Each year about 14 million tonnes of microplastics are found in oceans and waterways around the...[Read More]
Demand for global fix to plastic pollution
23 November
Demands are being made for companies profiting off plastic to do more as environmental groups hope a global treaty will mean sustainable businesses aren’t at a competitive disadvantage. Eight in 10 Australians think manufacturers and retailers...[Read More]
Satellite radar sensors to help map floods
23 November
Australians could be given faster and more accurate warnings in the face of devastating floods using satellite technology and radar imaging sensors, a Queensland study shows. Scientists have combined optical satellite images with information from...[Read More]
Offshore wind to power clean energy shift
16 November
Australia will join an offshore wind alliance to catch up on the technology and harness some of the best winds in the world. “Countries around the world have taken advantage of the jobs and energy that offshore wind can provide,” Climate and...[Read More]
Australia talking on loss and damage fund
9 November
Australia is “constructively engaging” on a fund that would see rich nations financially assist poorer ones to mitigate climate change-fuelled damage. Energy Minister Chris Bowen wouldn’t specifically commit to back the ‘loss and damage...[Read More]