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The Environment Secretary attacks water industry bosses' salaries and lack of investment.

Deal with Eastern Australia Agriculture raises, which was done without a tender, raises questions over taxpayer value

One of Australia’s largest cotton companies, Eastern Australia Agriculture (EAA), sold water rights to the federal government in July last year for $79m and then booked a $52m gain on the sale.

The deal, which was done without tender, will raise questions about whether the government paid over the odds for the water in southern Queensland.

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Has an earlier than usual spring in some parts of the northern hemisphere affected the wildlife near you?

What sort of wildlife will we all discover on our doorsteps this month? We’d like to see your photos of the March wildlife near you, whether you’re a novice spotter or have been out and about searching for creatures great and small for years.

Related: 'A first in my 60 years': readers spot early signs of spring

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The birds were captured at about 14:30 GMT on Wednesday at Flitcham, near King's Lynn.

A new study finds that waiting 5 extra years to peak carbon pollution will cost 20 cm sea level rise

A new study published in Nature looks at how much global sea level will continue to rise even if we manage to meet the Paris climate target of staying below 2°C hotter than pre-industrial temperatures. The issue is that sea levels keep rising for several hundred years after we stabilize temperatures, largely due to the continued melting of ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland from the heat already in the climate system.

The study considered two scenarios. In the first, human carbon pollution peaks somewhere between 2020 and 2035 and falls quickly thereafter, reaching zero between 2035 and 2055 and staying there. Global temperatures in the first scenario peak at and remain steady below 2°C. In the second scenario, we capture and sequester carbon to reach net negative emissions (more captured than emitted) between 2040 and 2060, resulting in falling global temperatures in the second half of the century.

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Woodland Trust records show more evidence that spring is arriving earlier in the UK

Winter in the UK has become a landscape of yellow hawthorn, the orange flash of red admiral butterflies, blackbirds nesting, and bumblebees feeding on mauve chives, pink valerian and lavender.

Before the white-out of snow which covered much of the country on Wednesday, reports by the Woodland Trust charity showed yet more evidence that spring is arriving earlier and earlier.

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New, solar-focused energy retailer DC Power Co is set to disrupt the market, and it hopes to be majority owned by Australia's rooftop solar households.

At current rates of progress no African country will meet the UN goal set for 2030, a study reveals.

Researchers discover the oldest figurative tattoos in the world on two mummies from Egypt.

AEMO highlights critical role played by rooftop solar in meeting a week of demand in "remarkable" heatwave in Queensland in February.

Overseas, new EV sales make up from 5% in California to more than 25% in Norway. In Australia, it’s less than 0.1% (and falling). Why?

Shared electric vehicles, or "robo-taxis" could become the dominant form of car transport in Australia within 10 years – taking the share of EVs to 95 per cent and accelerating the push to a 100 per cent renewable grid.

Clean Energy Regulator's latest list of Australia's top 10 corporate emitters shows the biggest emitter has twice the emissions of the next biggest.

Powershop announces 5% price drop for Victorian customers, one month after huge deal to buy three hydro plants, output of solar and wind farms.

This rural Georgia highway has become a proving ground for cutting-edge clean energy technologies.

In the Cairngorms National Park Jo Whalley learns what to do if you become lost in a blizzard.

Microsoft purchases 100 percent of the renewable output from new 60MW solar project, supports development of new solar projects and greening of Singapore’s grid.

In the UK, there is evidence to suggest that snowfall has decreased over the past few decades. Worldwide, it's a more complicated picture.

Renewable electricity and biofuels made from agave are now one step closer, following kick-off of a groundbreaking trial by MSF Sugar, with support from the Queensland Government.

Single-Column Responsive Email Template SENG SA Newsletter - March 2018 Intersection of Engineering, Sustainability, and Politics Join us for an evening of networking and to hear from SENG's Immediate Past National Chair, Graham Davies, about his journey from engineering to politics. Date: Tuesday, 6 March 2018 Time: 6pm to 8pm - Arrive from 6pm, presentation begins 6.30pm, followed by a Q&A session, then further networking Venue: The Lady Daly Hotel, 126 Port Road, Hindmarsh SA 5007 Cost: Free Register: For further information and to register follow this link. Leigh Creek Energy Underground Coal Gasification Pre-commercial Demonstration Project Leigh Creek Energy prepared an Environmental Impact Report and Draft Statement of Environmental Objectives for the construction and operation of an In-Situ Gasification Demonstration Plant at Leigh Creek. These were submitted in late December to the South Australian Department of Premier and Cabinet Energy Resources Division (DPC-ERD) for assessment under the South Australian Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Act 2000 for approval consideration. As part of this assessment process the DPC-ERD has released these documents and is seeking public comment, these documents can be found here. Date: Thursday, 22 March 2018 Time: 5.30pm to 8pm Venue: Engineers Australia South Australia - Level 11, 108 King William Street Adelaide SA 5000 Cost: $10 members, $40 non-members Hosts: Engineers Australia SA Chemical Branch, IChemE and RACI Register: For further information and to register follow this link. Unmaking Waste 2018 International Conference With a particular emphasis on redesigning systems, processes and products to ‘unmake’ waste, this conference is intended to challenge researchers, from every relevant discipline, to rethink what can be done about our global consumption problem and its multiple effects. The conference’s themes are Eco-Design and Development, Sustainable Consumption, Waste Minimization, and Circular Economy. Date: Thursday, 20 September to Sunday 23 September 2018 Venue: Adelaide SA 5000 Hosts: China-Australia Centre for Sustainable Urban Development, and the University of South Australia Register: For further information, to register, and to read the 2015 conference proceedings, follow this link. Undergraduate Student Awards Applications are open for SENG SA's next round of undergraduate student awards, for projects completed in 2017. For further information and to apply, email Kurt van Ryswyk, SA Awards Coordinator. What Do You Want To See? Have yourSAy on SA Government policies and initiatives here. EPA SA consultations can be found here. Get in touch with the SENG SA committee; we welcome feedback, suggestions, and content contributions. Or join us on LinkedIn. If you can't view this email click here to view online Click here to unsubscribe from this newsletter