ABC Environment

With nothing to pump from the local weir, Walgett, NSW is the latest town forced to go underground for water, a move that health experts say could have potentially serious health implications.

Christmas tree growers are busy getting their trees off to market; shellfish reefs return to Pt Phillip Bay; we make wooden spoons from timber off-cuts; and jump on board the 'Savannahlander'

'The Wrap' is RN Drive's summary of the biggest stories of the year, plus some you may have missed.

Environmentalists are calling for a review of the nation's environmental laws, which have failed to save any threatened species from extinction. There are fears the current protections are not enough to save critical koala populations under threat from habitat loss in Queensland, NSW and the ACT.

Researchers looked at data from tens of thousands of rainfall stations and rivers and found that while climate change is causing heavier rainfall, river systems are declining.

A group of councils in Western Sydney last week launched its regional "Turn Down the Heat" program, focussing on how urban design and infrastructure can cool the local environment.

The Australian Government maintains it's committed to reducing emissions.

Scientists found corals that survived a bleaching event in 2016 were also more resistant when the next bout of extreme heat struck the following year.

Students get involved in 'wombot' research; we make furniture from salvaged timber; meet a couple of rock farmers; and get your photo taken with Santa on the sand.

Stories of resurrection and revival. If you could bring an extinct animal alive again what would it be? Should we if we could?

More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, but only around 2.5 percent is drinkable. In this episode we talk to various scientists engaged in making water out of thin air.

It’s only 30 kilometres east of Brisbane but the economic gap between Cleveland and the Queensland capital is massive. Now an influential developer wants to revitalise the coastal town by building a $1.4 billion precinct on the foreshore. There’s just one problem: the region’s wetlands are protected under an international treaty known as the Ramsar convention. So who prevails in a battle between birdlife and business? Steve Cannane investigates.

With a taste for the nectar of Australian flowers, the Western Pygmy Possum is the sweetest little thing you'll hear about today.

Mass plantings of palm oil are bad for the environment. The alternatives are worse.

Augmented reality is used in mining and infrastructure companies, but how could it help in farming? And we find out about a special reef regeneration project off the Sunshine Coast.

Students get involved in 'wombot' research; make furniture from salvaged timber; meet a couple of rock farmers; and get your photo taken with Santa on the sand.

A study has revealed 70 per cent of the Northern Bettong population has disappeared. This has prompted calls to establish a so-called "insurance population" to make sure the marsupials don't disappear completely.

With Sir David Attenborough warning that the extinction of much of the natural world is "on the horizon", do we need an All Ordinaries Index for our wildlife?

After being denied a meeting with the PM, students hold a sit-in at Parliament and demanded action on climate change.