Climate calling

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.

A landmark study from Imperial College London has attributed 1,500 deaths during last week’s European heatwave directly to human-induced climate change. It's the first rapid attribution study to go beyond linking climate change to weather events, and instead ties it directly to human deaths.

More than one-third of the people in the tiny Pacific nation of Tuvalu, which scientists predict will be submerged by rising seas, have applied for a landmark climate visa to migrate to Australia. The visa is the result of a treaty between the two countries that seeks to support the island nation through climate change.

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.

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.