Europe baked in ‘extreme heat stress’ pushing temperatures to record highs

Europeans are suffering with unprecedented heat during the day and are stressed by uncomfortable warmth at night. The death rate from hot weather has risen 30% in Europe in…Continue readingEurope baked in ‘extreme heat stress’ pushing temperatures to record highs

I discovered why seemingly healthy amphibians were being wiped out

Experts realised there was a problem: frogs, toads, salamanders and newts were disappearing in their thousands around the world and nobody understood why. A master’s student was looking into…Continue readingI discovered why seemingly healthy amphibians were being wiped out

World must act to stem surge of polluting trash, UN warns

The world generated 2.3 billion tonnes of municipal waste last year and the pile of trash is set to grow another two-thirds by 2050, the UN said Wednesday, warning…Continue readingWorld must act to stem surge of polluting trash, UN warns

‘The river has been destroyed’: expert says agriculture has overshadowed science in the Murray-Darling Basin

Dr Stuart Rowland, a retired principal research scientist who worked for NSW Fisheries for 36 years and remains a mentor to scientists in the agency, says there is a…Continue reading‘The river has been destroyed’: expert says agriculture has overshadowed science in the Murray-Darling Basin

Quarter of world’s freshwater fish at risk of extinction

Nearly a quarter of the world’s freshwater fish are at risk of extinction due to global heating, overfishing and pollution, according to an expert assessment. Nearly a fifth of…Continue readingQuarter of world’s freshwater fish at risk of extinction

The mighty Mississippi, America’s water highway, is dangerously low

From the Great Lakes in the north to Louisiana in the south, the majestic Mississippi is a shadow of its former self. For the second straight year, water levels…Continue readingThe mighty Mississippi, America’s water highway, is dangerously low

Bit by bit, microplastics from tires are polluting our waterways

Urban stormwater particles from tire wear were the most prevalent microplastic a new Griffith-led study has found. Published in Environmental Science & Technology, the study showed that in stormwater…Continue readingBit by bit, microplastics from tires are polluting our waterways

With less than a year to go, the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is in a dreadful mess

The Murray Darling Basin Plan is an historic deal between state and federal governments to save Australia’s most important river system. The A$13 billion plan, inked over a decade…Continue readingWith less than a year to go, the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is in a dreadful mess

Toxic foam blights river crucial to Brazil’s biggest city

Not far from Latin America’s biggest city, Sao Paulo, a river is covered in a white layer that resembles fresh snow but is in fact a smelly, toxic foam.…Continue readingToxic foam blights river crucial to Brazil’s biggest city

Iraq’s marshes are dying, and a civilization with them

The marshlands have shrunk from 20,000 square kilometers (7,700 square miles) in the early 1990s to 4,000 (1,500 square miles) by latest estimates—choked by dams on the great rivers…Continue readingIraq’s marshes are dying, and a civilization with them

Global study details microplastics contamination in lakes and reservoirs

Around 14 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year. But that is not the only water source where plastic represents a significant intrusion. “We found…Continue readingGlobal study details microplastics contamination in lakes and reservoirs

Opinion: We have forgotten what a ‘natural’ river even looks like

Britain’s rivers are under the spotlight because of an untreated sewage crisis, and the pendulum of floods and droughts that are the hallmark of a warming world. But hidden…Continue readingOpinion: We have forgotten what a ‘natural’ river even looks like

Photos: Life along a ‘dead’ river in Bangladesh

The devastation of areas like the Buriganga comes into greater focus in the run-up to Earth Day, when people worldwide mobilise in support of protecting the environment.Continue readingPhotos: Life along a ‘dead’ river in Bangladesh