Rain gave Australia’s environment a fourth year of reprieve in 2024 – but this masks deepening problems: report

By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University
Shoshana Rapley, Research Assistant, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University
Tayla Lawrie, Project Manager, Threatened Species Index, The University of Queensland

For the fourth year running, the condition of Australia’s environment has been relatively good overall. Our national environment scorecard released today gives 2024 a mark of 7.7 out of 10.

You might wonder how this can be. After all, climate change is intensifying and threatened species are still in decline.

The main reason: good rainfall partly offset the impact of global warming. In many parts of Australia, rainfall, soil water and river flows were well above average, there were fewer large bushfires, and vegetation…

Read complete article

~	How a legal scholar from The Gambia is bridging academia and advocacy

~	Woodside’s bid to expand a huge gas project is testing both major parties’ environmental credentials

~	Trump is ignoring the power of nationalism at his own peril

~	More young people are caring for a loved one with dementia. It takes a unique toll

~	If NZ wants to decarbonise energy, we need to know which renewables deliver the best payback

~	You can catch the ‘nocebo’ effect from family, friends – even social media. But what is it, actually?

~	Company directors can sit on boards for decades. Are term limits the answer?

~	Cosmic dark energy may be weakening, astronomers say, raising questions about the fate of the universe

~	AI can be a powerful tool for scientists. But it can also fuel research misconduct

~	Why sharing meals can make people happier – what evidence from 142 countries shows