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The big news in the federal budget for rural Australia was changes to the wine tax rebate, money for inland rail and status quo on the backpacker tax.

Photographers have been inspired by the majesty of America’s national parks since they were founded more than a century ago

• Tim Dowling hits the road

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QLD SENG news - May 2016

Polar research ship is named after naturalist and broadcaster, despite public vote for Boaty McBoatface

Britain’s new polar research ship is to be named RRS Sir David Attenborough, despite Boaty McBoatface topping a public vote.

The decision to name the £200m state-of-the-art vessel after the naturalist comes days before his 90th birthday, and is in recognition of his legacy in British broadcasting.

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Our Plan for a Cleaner Environment is central to the Government’s vision for a stronger Australia.

Australia is meeting our climate change targets, improving the environment and supporting an effective international response.

The Autumn 2016 issue of the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder Update is now available.

This statement provides an overview on water use in the Murray-Darling Basin during dry conditions.

The Minister has approved the deletion of two species from the Vulnerable category effective 5 May 2016.

The Minister has approved amendments of six species in various categories effective 5 May 2016.

Rare footage from 11km underwater streams on Youtube from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration vessel

A live video feed of the Mariana trench – the deepest place on Earth – is proving engrossing viewing for those above sea level.

The Mariana trench plunges about 11km (seven miles) deep under the Pacific – further down than the summit of Mount Everest is above sea level. Because of the difficulties in reaching such depths, little is known about the area.

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Analysis by Energetics shows there is potentially significant low-cost abatement available to meet the 2030 target.

COPY KIDS?: Newborn babies are not born with the ability imitate us - we imitate them - according to the latest study in a long-standing debate about whether or not children are born with the ability to copy adults.

Tesla chief says educating the public on climate issues is essential in countering oil and gas lobby’s influence over big political decisions, reports Edie.net

Tesla’s chief executive Elon Musk has accused politicians of bowing to the “unrelenting and enormous” lobbying power of the fossil fuel industry, warning that a global “revolt” may be needed to accelerate the transition to more sustainable energy and transport systems.

Speaking at the World Energy Innovation Forum at the Tesla Factory in California on Wednesday, Musk claimed that traditional vehicles and energy sources will continue to hold a competitive edge against greener alternatives due to the vast amounts of subsidies they receive.

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Business models employed by multinationals such as Shell and BP are no longer fit for purpose, warns energy expert

International oil companies such as Shell and BP must completely change their business model or face a “nasty, brutish and short” end within 10 years, one of Britain’s most influential energy experts has warned.

Paul Stephens, a fellow at Chatham House thinktank, said in a research paper the oil “majors” were no longer fit for purpose – hit by low crude prices, tightening climate change regulations and their own wrongheaded strategies.

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Protected areas and habitats are being downgraded and delisted so often, to accommodate mining, logging or population growth, the problem even has its own acronym. Environment 360 reports

It’s the saddest truism in wildlife conservation: When politicians announce that they are setting aside precious habitat “in perpetuity”, what they really mean is until somebody else wants the land.

Protected areas now get reopened so often under the pressure of population and economic growth that the trend has spawned an acronym, PADDD, for “protected area downgrading, downsizing, and degazettement.” There’s also a web site, PADDDtracker.org, jointly maintained by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Conservation International.

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Dry farming forgoes modern irrigation and, farmers say, produces much tastier crops. In a drought-stricken state, should others follow suit?

There’s something different about Will Bucklin’s grape vines. At first it’s hard to notice, but a drive through northern California’s Sonoma Valley, past waves of green, manicured vineyards, makes it clear. The black ribbon of PVC irrigation pipe that typically threads the vines is curiously absent here – because Will doesn’t water his crops.

Bucklin’s Old Hill Ranch, purchased by his stepfather Otto Teller in 1980, claims to be the oldest-rooted vineyard in the area. Teller fell in love with the vineyard because it was one of the few that still “dry-farmed”. Dry farming is a method that bypasses artificial irrigation, relying instead on seasonal rainfall and working the soil in such a way that it holds on to water for the drier months.

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Komodo dragon tops poll, compiled by scientists using Wikipedia page view data, that reveals our favourite reptiles are also among the scariest

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EMBRYO RESEARCH: For the first time, scientists have kept human embryos alive in the laboratory for six days beyond the point at which it would normally implant into the uterus.

Study finds only 1% of cities in world have such high levels of pollution that the activities could prove detrimental to health

The health benefits of cycling and walking outweigh the harm from inhaling air loaded with traffic fumes in all but the world’s most polluted cities, according to a study.

An international team of researchers who have modelled the effects say only 1% of cities in the world have such high levels of air pollution that cycling or walking could make a person’s health worse.

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