- ABC Environment

Nuclear is not the answer - but not why you'd think

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:14:00 +1100

The amount of Sun that shines on the Earth is part of a delicate balancing act with our energy use. Nuclear, of all things, could muck it up.

An agreement that didn't inhale

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 07:26:00 +1100

The agreement on climate change that came out of the latest international talks is a bit like Bill Clinton, but perhaps more dangerous.

The UN climate party is over

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 07:19:00 +1100

This year's climate negotiations in South Africa have lost the carnival atmosphere and conviction of earlier meetings. The UN party may be over.

No expense spared on oil clean-up

Tue, 04 May 2010 21:48:00 +1100

The scale of the BP oil spill is enormous. And with its location within sight of the US coastline and the TV cameras there, the scale of the clean-up bill will be just as huge.

Driving a hard bargain

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:28:00 +1100

With competing interests for the world's resources, the environment needs to bargain hard to get a good deal for itself.

Confession: I'm one of those [expletive] cyclists

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 10:00:00 +1100

Please don't hate me. Selfishly, I ride my bike to work every day. And it's not even for the environmental, social or health benefits of doing so. My motivations are far more egocentric.

Anti-consumerism is the new democracy

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 07:03:00 +1100

A growing anti-consumerist movement wants you to shop less, feel better and save the planet. But at the heart of this seemingly innocuous idea is a message that could change our way of life.

Broadcast yourself with the ABC

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 07:28:00 +1000

News is no longer a one-way street. With the help of the ABC you can make your own reports and photos and videos and have the world enjoy them.

Humans' futile and destructive quest for happiness

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:48:00 +1000

People in the western world uses 'retail therapy' as a way to make themselves feel happy. But the boost is only short-lived and in fact can cause environmental damage

Koalas: not smarter than the average bear

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 07:29:00 +1000

Before we humans start praising ourselves as the smartest creatures on the planet, consider whether our behaviour is smarter than a koala's.

He's got the World Heritage in his hands

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 18:18:00 +1000

Tony Burke announced changes to Australia's "world leading" environment laws today. But there are concerns he may be introducing new flaws.

Merlin's beard! It's the carbon tax!

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 07:10:00 +1000

What do Harry Potter and the carbon tax have in common? They both place importance on the choices we make, writes guest blogger, Tanya Ha.

Riot Wombles offer hope for us all

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:18:00 +1000

Something positive has come from the UK riots. As a counterpoint to the chaos, some Britons have taken it upon themselves to clean up the mess.

The cars that didn't eat Paris

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 17:38:00 +1100

It seems everything is peaking these days. You've heard of peak oil - the point at which our global oil extraction starts falling. There's also discussion of peak food, peak wood, peak phosphorous, peak water and peak rare earths.

Now here's a new one for you: peak cars.

The economy is subservient to the environment

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 16:22:00 +1100

Gaylord Nelson was a US senator in the 1960s who was integral in the modern environmental movement. He was famous for saying, "The economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment, not the other way around."

ABC coverage of the carbon tax announcement

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 17:26:00 +1100

The carbon tax due to be announced on Sunday will affect the life of every Australian. The cost imposed on big businesses for releasing their waste carbon dioxide to the air will be passed on down the chain and end up in all our back pockets.

Greek riots could provide a vision of the future

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 07:21:00 +1100

Some 20,000 rioters and demonstrators have massed on the streets of Athens for days running, some throwing rocks and bottles at heavily armoured police. Yesterday, anarchists set some communications trucks on fire. Hundreds of people have been treated in hospital for injuries and breathing problems.

Would endless non-fattening cake be good?

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 07:29:00 +1100

I was talking with my friend and colleague Tanya Ha over cake one day when she mused, "Isn't it funny how some people think it be great if there was a pill you could take which meant you could eat as much as you wanted without getting fat."

"Mmmm." I said, mouth full of cake.

Just be grateful you're not a penguin

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 04:25:00 +1100

What is money? Little bits of metal or plastic that represent something. By themselves they are next to worthless - a one-hundred dollar note folded could maybe stop the leg of a table wobbling - but it is what they represent that is important. These days, of course, money is less plastic or paper and metal than numbers on a screen.