New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks to media during a press conference at Parliament on Aug. 6 in Wellington, New Zealand. Hagen Hopkins / Getty Images
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had strong words for Australia as both nations attend the Pacific Islands Forum in Tuvalu this week. The climate crisis is shaping up to be a major issue at the 18-nation forum, as some members want Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to sign a declaration agreeing to a global phase-out of coal, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
In this handout image provided by UNICEF, a young boy from the Taunono community, looks on after the community was completely destroyed by Cyclone Pam, on March 17, 2015 in Port Vila, Vanuatu. UNICEF / Getty Images
A bleak new report highlights how the climate crisis is responsible for deaths and will cause more in the coming decades, along with malnutrition, stunted growth and lower IQs in children directly impacted by the crisis, as the Guardian reported.
The desert of Australia's Northern Territory has the iconic Ayers Rock, but not much else. Soon, it may be known as home to the world's largest solar farm, according to the Guardian.
A view of the Abbot Point coal port as seen on April 25, 2019 in Bowen, Australia. Lisa Maree Williams / Getty Images
Australia's love affair with fossil fuels has it setting new records for carbon emissions, year after year, and seeing a decline in renewable energy sources, according to new research from Ndevr Environmental, an emissions-tracking organization, as the Guardian reported.
The Blacktown City Council building in New South Wales, Australia. Blacktown City Council / Facebook
A town council in Sydney says it will start to trial alternative herbicides after 500 workers went on strike due to safety concerns over glyphosate-based Roundup, according to the Australian Associated Press.
Supporters hold signs aloft as part of the 'Stop Adani Convoy' event on April 18 in Melbourne, Australia. Scott Barbour / Getty Images
Australia's controversial Adanicoal mine is one step closer to being built as the Queensland Government approved the company's plan to protect the black-throated finch Friday, The Guardian reported.
An Australian flag flutters in the wind in a dry drought-ridden landscape. Virginia Star / Moment / Getty Images
Australia re-elected its conservative governing Liberal-National coalition Saturday, despite the fact that it has refused to cut down significantly on greenhouse gas emissions or coal during its time in power, The New York Times reported.
Wild Koala on the side of the Great Ocean road in Victoria, Australia. John Crux Photography / Moment / Getty Images
Koala species down under are now considered "functionally extinct" as the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) says there are no more than 80,000 individuals left on the continent. Once a population falls below a critical point, it can no longer produce the next generation, ultimately leading to the species' extinction.
The November 2018 heat wave occurred at the start of the birthing season, leaving hundreds of orphaned flying foxes. David White
By Jason Bittel
Weighing up to two pounds and with wingspans approaching five feet, spectacled flying foxes are among the largest bats in the world. Now imagine what it would be like if 23,000 of them fell out of the trees and onto, say, your car or backyard pool.
Fire burns in Jumbuck, Australia on March 4. Fire crews are battling more than 20 bushfires ablaze in southeast Victoria. Darrian Traynor / Getty Images
As many as 19 wildfires were burning in the Southeastern Australian state of Victoria on Monday, forcing thousands to flee their homes, CNN reported.
Lightning strikes last week were the immediate cause of the fires, Victoria emergency management commissioner Andrew Crisp said, according to CNN. Two of the fires, at Bunyip and Yinnar South in West Gippsland, destroyed nine buildings, including homes, on Sunday, The Guardian reported. As of Monday, more than 2,000 firefighters were working to control the blazes.
