Japan now has more electric car charge points than petrol stations
Survey finds 35,000 filling stations overtaken by more than 40,000 recharge points – although many belong to private owners When it comes to electric vehicles, Japan is speeding ahead of the rest of the world, blissfully free of the range anxiety that afflicts plug-in drivers elsewhere. The country now has more electric car charging stops […]
Campaign catchup: deal or no deal with the Greens?
Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten explored already well-worn themes on day two of the election 2016 campaign, despite the best efforts of the Greens to butt in, writes Elle Hunt • Sign up here to receive your Campaign catchup in your inbox every afternoon With polls suggesting a tight contest, could we be heading towards […]
South Downs recognised for quality of starry nights
England’s newest national park named as ‘international dark sky reserve’ for providing natural darkness within reach of nearly 17 million people The South Downs national park has been named as the world’s newest “international dark sky reserve” for the quality of its starry nights. Continue reading… Source: Guardian Environment
How badger bombs and politics brought Lush sales of £500m
Cosmetics company Lush has managed to combine record sales with controversial campaigns. Don’t expect others to copy Lush likes to cause a stink. As well as its smelly shops and package-free produce, a large chunk of the handmade cosmetics company’s time and money is spent on political activism. Far from carefully choosing a few business-friendly […]
Wildlife officers search for rare whale stranded on Victorian beach
Severe weather and dangerous swells hamper search for 2.5m pygmy or dwarf sperm whale found at Logans Beach Wildlife officers are trying to find a small and rare whale that was found stranded at a Victorian beach on Monday evening, however their search efforts are being hampered by severe weather and dangerous swells. The adult […]
Five Pacific islands lost to rising seas as climate change hits
Six more islands have large swaths of land, and villages, washed into sea as coastline of Solomon Islands eroded and overwhelmed Five tiny Pacific islands have disappeared due to rising seas and erosion, a discovery thought to be the first scientific confirmation of the impact of climate change on coastlines in the Pacific, according to […]
Unlikely heroes: how lithium mining could change the Pilbara for the better
Currently the world’s biggest producer of lithium, Australia is well-placed to take advantage of the lithium-ion battery solar storage boom Out Western Australia way unlikely new environmental heroes can be found toiling in the red ochre dust of the Pilbara. Until recently companies such as Altura Mining, which has a long rap sheet of coal […]
New plant species discovered in 2015 – in pictures
A giant insect-eating plant and a 100-tonne tree were among the 149 species of plants and fungi described for the first time by scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew last year. More than 2,000 species new to science were discovered worldwide the same year, but a new report warns that one in five of […]
One in five of world's plant species at risk of extinction
Global report highlights threat to food security and medicine supplies but also reveals 2,000 new species are discovered each year One in five of the world’s plant species is threatened with extinction, according to the first global assessment of flora, putting supplies of food and medicines at risk. But the report also found that 2,000 […]
Australians crave change. But this election won't deliver it | David Marr
What lies ahead is a gruelling and expensive campaign that will leave the country much as it was before • Follow the day’s developments live• Sign up here to receive your Campaign catchup in your inbox every afternoon We’re off to the polls again. Australia has so much in abundance: coal, sunshine, iron ore and […]