Understanding tornadoes: 5 questions answered

May 21, 2017 13:32 pm UTC| Nature

Editors note: May and June are typically peak months for tornadoes in North America. We asked Penn State meteorology professors Paul Markowski and Yvette Richardson to explain why tornadoes form, how to stay safe if youre...

Explainer: why we should be turning waste into fuel

May 19, 2017 05:41 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

The federal government recently announced that it is giving recycling company ResourceCo a loan of A$30 million to build two waste-to-fuel plants producing solid waste fuel. Waste-to-energy is an important part of the...

This South Pacific island of rubbish shows why we need to quit our plastic habit

May 19, 2017 04:42 am UTC| Nature

A remote South Pacific island has the highest density of plastic debris reported anywhere on the planet, our new study has found. Our study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,...

Sidelining God: why secular climate projects in the Pacific Islands are failing

May 19, 2017 04:32 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Unless you are cocooned in a tourist bubble, it is hardly possible to miss God when you visit the Pacific Islands. In every village and on every main street there seems to be a church or temple, packed to bursting point on...

Will we reverse the little progress we've made on environmental justice?

Apr 17, 2017 01:15 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature Law

The Flint water crisis was perhaps the most high-profile example of the social inequalities tied to environmental issues. But it is hardly the first. There is ample evidence that hazardous waste facilities, Superfund...

Link found between retreating sea ice and extreme weather conditions

Apr 14, 2017 02:19 am UTC| Nature

The seasonal sea-ice retreat across the Arctic Ocean is perhaps one of the most conspicuous indicators of climate change. In September 2012, a new record was set for the time that we have been tracking sea ice with...

Green nationalism? How the far right could learn to love the environment

Apr 11, 2017 13:52 pm UTC| Nature Economy

Green politics is associated with the left these days, but that doesnt rule out an eco-friendly turn at the opposite end of the spectrum. After all, nationalist worries over finite resources and talk of threats to...