Sky-high vanity: constructing the world’s tallest buildings creates high emissions

Since ancient times, people have built structures that reach for the skies – from the steep spires of medieval towers to the grand domes of ancient...

A ‘sponge city’ may be your home in 2050

Your home was probably designed for a climate that no longer exists. As long as humanity continues to burn fossil fuel, padding the heat-trapping blanket of...

Africa dramatically dried out 5,500 years ago – our new study may warn us of future climate tipping points

Around five and half millenia ago, northern Africa went through a dramatic transformation. The Sahara desert expanded and grasslands, forests and lakes favoured by humans disappeared....

Curious Kids: why do trees have bark?

Why do trees have bark? Julien, age 6, Melbourne. This is a great question, Julien. We are so familiar with bark on trees, that most of...

The scaling back of Saudi Arabia’s proposed urban mega-project sends a clear warning to other would-be utopias

There is a long history of planned city building by both governments and the private sector from Brasilia to Islamabad. More recently, two trends have come...

Plastic is climate change in a bottle – so let’s put a cap on it

Plastic pollution and climate change have common culprits – and similar solutions. The penultimate round of negotiations for a global pact on plastic ended yesterday in...

Why does it feel so cold in the UK right now – and when will it warm up?

Earth Day 2024: 4 effective strategies to reduce household food waste

The global food system produces enough food for everyone, yet, in 2023, 333 million people worldwide were food insecure and 783 million were chronically hungry. An...

Green economy summit: how can Australia get more from its relationship with Vietnam?

Next week, more than 100 green energy, technology, education and finance companies from Australia and Vietnam will gather in Ho Chi Minh City. The meeting is...

Fining big polluters can reduce environmental damage, but only if the fines match the crimes

Some of Canada’s biggest employers have a poor track record of abiding by environmental laws. When laws are broken corporate leaders don’t go to prison; instead,...