Those who survived the 2021 floods and are still recovering from ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, ‘have lost absolutely everything’ in the latest deluge
NSW floods live updates: latest flooding news
NSW floods map: record-breaking rain in charts and maps
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For dairy farmer James McRae, the floods arrived in a perfect storm.
It had been a wet autumn on the New South Wales mid-north coast, saturating the soil, which made it hard to sow new pastures. When 200mm of rain hit overnight on Monday, low-lying farms in his community of Barrington were “completely decimated”.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
05/22/2025 - 03:35
05/22/2025 - 02:18
Environment minister due to decide on controversial plan by end of the month in one of his first major challenges in new portfolio
The environment minister, Murray Watt, has knocked back two last-minute objections to Woodside’s North West Shelf extension, clearing the way for a final decision on the controversial development.
Greenpeace and the Conservation Council of Western Australia were among groups opposing the expansion who were denied reconsideration related to the project, communicated to them via Watt’s department of climate change, energy, the environment and water on Thursday.
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05/22/2025 - 00:16
Taree resident Phill Smith captured the moment a woman was rescued from flood waters, declaring the crew involved in the rescue 'definitely deserve an Australia Day just for themselves'. Unprecedented flooding has hit the New South Wales mid-north coast, with further rain predicted to come
NSW floods: one dead and ‘grave fears’ held for three missing people as crisis worsens
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05/22/2025 - 00:00
Introduced from South America, mathenge was intended to halt desertification, but now three-quarters of the country is at risk of invasion by the invasive tree
For his entire life, John Lmakato has lived in Lerata, a village nestled at the foot of Mount Ololokwe in northern Kenya’s Samburu county. “This used to be a treeless land. Grass covered every inch of the rangelands, and livestock roamed freely,” he says.
Lmakato’s livestock used to roam freely in search of pasture, but three years ago he lost 193 cattle after they wandered into a conservation area in Laikipia – known for the fight over land access between Indigenous pastoralists and commercial ranchers.
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05/21/2025 - 23:00
npj Ocean Sustainability, Published online: 22 May 2025; doi:10.1038/s44183-025-00124-7
The Ocean is central to our lives, providing vital ecosystem goods and services. It generates 50% of the Earth’s oxygen; absorbs around 30% of anthropogenic carbon emissions; regulates the Earth’s climate; and provides food, income, and livelihoods for hundreds of millions of people worldwide. However, the Ocean is under serious multiple threats from overexploitation, climate change, and pollution. Here, I state my dream 2050 scenario for the Ocean and describe how trade, in the midst of broader ocean governance efforts, can contribute to realizing this dream.
05/21/2025 - 22:28
With more intense rain forecast, the SES has a fleet of 500 boats and nine helicopters trying to assist 48,000 people isolated in flood waters
Drowned herds. Towns underwater. Farmers in NSW are facing ‘absolute devastation’
NSW floods map: record-breaking rain in charts and maps
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The body of a 60-year-old woman has been found in flood waters on the NSW mid-north coast, bringing the death toll to three, with authorities still holding grave fears for another person who is still missing.
The region is battling flooding which has “smashed through” communities on the mid-north coast and parts of the Hunter. The NSW premier, Chris Minns, told reporters on Thursday “we’re seeing levels of rise in local tributaries, creeks [and] rivers that we haven’t seen since 1920”.
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05/21/2025 - 20:44
Australia should also make moves to address the climate impact of its fossil fuel production and exports
Watching from the western Pacific, we saw many describe Australia’s recent election as a decisive moment for climate and energy policy. If that was the case, the people of Australia have spoken loud and clear.
Like many of us in the Pacific had hoped, most Australians wanted to throw off the shackles of the last decade’s “climate wars” and usher in a new era of responsible climate and energy policy, one that harnesses the limitless potential of Australia’s renewable energy superpowers and helps lead the Pacific region and the world to a safer and more prosperous climate future.
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05/21/2025 - 11:52
SeaSplat is an image-analysis tool that cuts through the ocean's optical effects to generate images of underwater environments reveal an ocean scene's true colors. Researchers paired the color-correcting tool with a computational model that converts images of a scene into a three-dimensional underwater 'world' that can be explored virtually.
05/21/2025 - 09:00
Researchers suggest buzzing noises could be used as environmentally friendly way to enhance crop pollination
Plants can “hear” bees buzzing and serve up more nectar when they are nearby, scientists have found.
The research suggests that plants are a more active partner than previously thought in their symbiotic relationship with pollinators. The behaviour could be a survival strategy that favours giving nectar and sugar to bees over so-called nectar robbers that do not offer plants any reproductive benefits.
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05/21/2025 - 06:49
Twenty-eight-year-old bear, who had been at Highland Wildlife Park since 2015, is euthanised on vets’ advice
The UK’s oldest polar bear, and the first in the country to give birth to a cub in 25 years, has been put down because of age-related health problems.
Victoria was 28 and had been kept in Highland Wildlife Park near Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands since 2015. Vets at the park took the decision to euthanise her on Tuesday morning after an assessment about her quality of life and wellbeing. Since December she had been receiving geriatric care after showing signs of arthritis.
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