Environment Minister Murray Watt has announced an accelerated timeframe to improve Australia's 'broken' biodiversity and conservation laws. It comes after broad consensus emerged on the urgent need for reform at the government's economic roundtable. Labor is promising stronger environmental protections and faster project approvals - but it's not the first time.

Last summer's marine heat wave was the largest and most intense on record in Western Australia, says a new report from the Australian Institute of Marine Science. The sustained heat has caused unprecedented bleaching across Western Australia's reefs, with experts saying it could take months to uncover the full extent of the damage.

The government is under pressure from the United Nations and the crossbench to set an ambitious climate target. It comes as some coalition backbenchers are pushing for net zero to be scrapped all together.

The UN's top climate diplomat is in Australia, and is urging Australia to aim high when it reveals its carbon emissions reduction target later this year. But it's an issue heavily coated in politics.... and not the only climate change related issue Australia is dealing with right now..

The International Court of Justice has delivered a historic ruling on international climate obligations, opening the door for possible reparations. After a lengthy campaign led by law students in Pacific Island nations, the world's top court has declared individual states have a legal duty to tackle climate change.

Hungary's oldest library is fighting a beetle infestation. The creatures have been found in a section of the 1,000 year-old Pannonhalma Archabbey library, housing around a quarter of the abbey's 400,000 volumes. It's prompted workers to pull tens of thousands of centuries-old books from the shelves of the mediaeval abbey in an effort to save them.

280 Tuvalu citizens will be granted permanent residency each year as part of a landmark pact with Australia. But for some, the offer is bitter-sweet, as their island-home disappears.

The Federal Court has dismissed a landmark case which argued the federal government breached its duty of care to protect the Torres Strait Islands from climate change. The case, brought by Traditional Owners Uncle Pabai Pabai and Uncle Paul Kabai in 2021, argued the government held a duty of care to the Indigenous peoples and alleged that its failure to adequately reduce emissions has contributed to harm of their island communities. Justice Michael Wigney delivered the Federal Court's ruling, says the government had no such duty in this case.

Environmental researchers are calling for greater attention and potential regulation of artificial sweeteners, as they are building up in the environment and waterways around the world. A new study out of the University of Technology, Sydney [[UTS]] has found widely-used sugar substitutes are not decomposing and are turning into 'forever chemicals' that are comparable to P-FAS in the potential harm to animals and the ecosystem. P-FAS is a commonly used acronym for poly fluoro-alkyl substances - a group of man-made chemicals commonly used in water-resistant and non-stick items. P-FAS has been identified in a growing body of research as a toxin and carcinogen with proven negative impacts on the environment and human health.

Toxic algae is taking over the waters off South Australia, with devastating consequences for marine life. It's also impacting the state's fisheries, and prompting fears of serious long-term effects.