Joe Hockey writes to New York Times defending climate change efforts in light of CSIRO cuts and other top stories.

• Joe Hockey writes to New York Times defending climate change efforts in light of CSIRO cuts

  

  Video will begin in 5 seconds. CSIRO cuts: Scientist questions future in Australia Climate expert Dr Annette Hirsch is currently working in Switzerland and says the recent cuts to the CSIRO will make a 'huge influence' on her decision to come back to Australia. PT1M20S 620 349 Newly minted ambassador to the United States, former treasurer Joe Hockey, has taken the time to publicly defend Australia's climate change efforts after The New York Times published an editorial criti..

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• Rare 'fairy circles' found in Australian outback

  

  The chance discovery of 'fairy circles' in Western Australia's Pilbara region is providing new insight into one of nature's enduring puzzles. The circles, which are regularly spaced patches of bare soil that form in uniform hexagonal patterns ...

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• Record-breaking heat shows world 'losing battle' against climate change, Alan Finkel tells Q&A

  

  Record-breaking heat shows world 'losing battle' against climate change, Alan Finkel tells Q&A Updated March 15, 2016 14:40:20 Australia's chief scientist has warned the planet is "losing the battle" against climate change, after new data showed February set a "completely unprecedented" record for the hottest month since global records began. Key points:February was the hottest seasonally adjusted month since records began in 1880Global temperatures are around 1C warme..

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• Has something been munching on Pluto?

  

  Forget the moon being made out of tasty cheese, a closer look at images snapped from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft suggests something found another planetary body worth snacking on: Pluto. It may appear as if something has nibbled on the dwarf planet, but NASA scientists have another explanation for the unique feature. Piri Planitia, a flat, geologically young region on Pluto with jagged cliffs marking its edges, looks like a bite mark, but may actually be the result of a different force: s..

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• Australia's greenhouse gas emission reductions 'not enough to achieve the 2030 target'

  

  Australia's greenhouse gas emission reductions 'not enough to achieve the 2030 target' Posted March 15, 2016 15:45:55 Australia needs to make major shifts in energy efficiency in the areas of economy, forestation and agriculture to meet its 2030 target, a leading climate economist says. Key points:Environment Minister says Australia on track to meet 2020 targetClimate economist says Australia emission reductions "nowhere near enough" to meet 2030 targetAustralia's ch..

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• More Than 13 Million Lives Are At Risk Due To Rising Sea Levels

  

  According to a study released recently, more than 13 million American lives could be in serious danger by the end of this century, thanks to rising sea levels due to climate change. Worst-case scenarios should be considered, and if global warming lifts water levels in the ocean by 1.8 metres (six feet), 13.1 million people living in the coastal areas in the United States would become vulnerable to floods and storm surges, the study derived. The numbers are truly alarming. In Florida itself, so..

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• February sets global heat record

  

  Last month was far and away the hottest February on record for the planet, by a margin that has surprised even the climate scientists who closely monitor global temperature data. It was also the most anomalously warm month Earth has seen in 135 years of NASA record keeping, continuing an astonishing recent streak that could see 2016 set a new record for hottest year. While a strong El Niño has given global temperatures a boost, the main reason for the spate of intensely warm months is the lon..

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• Reef death a 'wake up call'

  

  MICHAEL BRISSENDEN: Scientists are warning of a "climate emergency" following the release of new data that shows February smashed global temperature records.The figures released by NASA show the average global surface temperature in February was 1.35 degrees Celsius warmer than the average temperature for the month between 1951 and 1980.The results suggest we may be closer to breaching the 2 degree limit for global warming than realised.And the rising water temperature is causing problems too..

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• Ancient Ice Could Help Explain Why Earth's Climate Is Warming

  

  It could be a key to unlocking a mystery about the world’s climate: a piece of ice so old it formed when ice ages were more frequent, about a million years ago. It may even give scientists insight into what is happening now, as the planet warms. But first they have to find it. This won’t be as easy as picking up a hammer and knocking a few chips off a block. First, they need an ice core that allows them to see changes in the atmosphere over time. Cores are 4 to 5 inches (10 to 13 centimeters..

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