The federal government will reserve 30 per cent of land for conservation to improve biodiversity and set a goal of no new extinctions in an overhaul of its threatened species action plan. The new plan, to be outlined by Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek on Tuesday, includes a commitment to protect an additional 50 million hectares of land by the end …

Researchers trialling a potentially groundbreaking chlamydia vaccine for koalas are concerned their results could be compromised if a gas company is allowed to explore in the area. Santos, the company behind the Narrabri Gas Project, holds petroleum exploration licences on the nearby Liverpool Plains in north-west New South Wales. It has applied to undertake seismic testing, which uses reflected sound waves to …

Australia’s biggest renewable hydrogen project will go ahead in the Pilbara, with support from the federal and state governments. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) on Friday announced a grant of $47.5 million towards French energy company ENGIE’s green hydrogen and ammonia project near Karratha in Western Australia. Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said the project would …

NSW fire authorities warn the state could face a “big grassfire season” this summer on the back of significant grass growth fuelled by recent wet weather. NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Rob Rogers on Wednesday warned wet conditions had boosted grass growth across the state while bush regeneration from the Black Summer bushfires was occurring faster than predicted. He said …

Australia’s energy supply will be assured by a faster transition to renewables but the “safety net” capacity mechanism will not affect the emissions reduction target, the climate change minister says. The government will also push ahead on legislating its 43 per cent emissions reduction by 2030 target despite the opposition declaring it will not support it. Chris Bowen wants faster …

The conservation status of koalas has been downgraded to endangered with the NSW government acknowledging the beloved furry marsupial is at risk of becoming extinct. The status of koalas was changed to endangered on Friday following a final determination from the NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee, which noted habitat loss had significantly affected lessened populations. In the last two decades …

Tens of thousands of climate activists have marched through the Scottish city hosting the UN climate summit, physically close to the global negotiators inside but separated by a vast gulf in expectations, with frustrated marchers increasingly dismissive of the climate talks and demanding immediate action instead to slow global warming. The mood at the protest in Glasgow on Saturday was …

On the day Australians gamble more than any other, the Prime Minister is having a punt, too. Australians have just dropped around $200 million in bets on which horse would take out the Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse. In the wee hours on the other side of the world, Scott Morrison set out his wager, an each-way bet that $20 billion …

The Global Methane Pledge, which was first announced in September, now includes half of the top 30 methane emitters accounting for two-thirds of the global economy, according to the official. Among the new signatories to be announced on Tuesday is Brazil – one of the world’s five biggest emitters of methane. China, Russia and India, also top-five methane emitters, have …

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has taken advantage of an opportunity to say ‘G’day Emmanuel’ to the French president and shake his hand. The pair crossed paths on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome for the first time since Australia outraged France by scrapping a $90 billion submarine deal. “I said g’day, I said g’day,” Mr Morrison told …