Sara Bice, The University of Melbourne; Mike Sandiford, The University of Melbourne, and Will Howard, The University of Melbourne
In a recent article on The Conversation, Queensland coal seam gas (CSG) researchers argued that the industry is progressing faster than the science, leading to concerns over fugitive emissions and impacts…
Queensland’s cuts to water red tape could leave outback bores high and dry.
kdliss/Wikimedia Commons
On Wednesday, Queensland’s parliament passed water reform legislation that will make it easier to take and use water, particularly for large mining and agriculture projects. The state government also recently…
Across California there are plenty of signs of just how dry it’s been, such as here in Topanga Canyon near Los Angeles.
wasim muklashy/Flickr via CC BY-NC-SA
Last January, California Governor Jerry Brown declared a State of Emergency following projections of severe drought. State bureaucrats and local officials jumped into action and mandated any number of…
The Alpha Coal Project in Queensland’s Galilee coal basin. The Carmichael project is the second to be approved in the region.
Lock the Gate Alliance
Australia’s biggest coal mine, the Carmichael Coal and Rail Project, yesterday received the go-ahead from the federal government. Environment minister Greg Hunt approved the mine, proposed by Indian coal…
The once-popular Loch McNess north of Perth has dried up almost completely after a decades-long dry period.
ron_n_beth/Flickr
Since 1970, average rainfall in the south-west of Western Australia has decreased by nearly a fifth, and the science suggests that this is linked to human-caused climate change. Across Australia, CSIRO…
A test mine for the Alpha Coal project in central Queensland, which appears likely to go ahead but with greater groundwater protections.
AAP Image/Greenpeace, Andrew Quilty
This week’s court ruling on the future of the A$6.4 billion Alpha Coal project in Queensland – set to be one of the biggest coal mines in the world – is of major significance for how mining projects are…
Coal seam gas landscape in New South Wales, showing ponds holding wastewater.
Jeremy Buckingham MLC/Flickr
Recently reported leaks of water containing high levels of radioactive uranium from a coal seam gas (CSG) wastewater pond operated by Santos in New South Wales put the spotlight on an industry already…
Many coal and CSG projects will affect groundwater, much of which is already in use.
Flickr/rhondda.p
New environment minister Greg Hunt recently announced 50 large coal and coal seam gas developments to be pushed through Australia’s environmental approval process, including assessment under the new federal…
Fracking would exacerbate problems with low water levels in reservoirs.
John Giles/PA
The drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) of wells for oil or gas is a well-established technique and requires large quantities of water. During the initial drilling of the well, water is needed…
Queensland’s groundwater is vital to the continued success of its agriculture.
Brian Yap
Mine operators have proposed nine major new coal mines for the Galilee Basin in central Queensland. Those proposals currently being assessed by the Queensland government could significantly impact water…
Male gobies are like peacocks. This is the Edgbaston Goby.
Adam Kereszy
Gobies are one of the largest and most widespread fish families in the world, but even so, the presence of endemic species in the Great Artesian Basin spring complexes of central Australia is a little…
Biologists have revealed new methods in identifying threats to freshwater habitats in arid areas of Australia. Studies conducted…
The Great Artesian Basin, characterised by iconic springs such as the Blanche Cup Mound Spring in outback South Australia, provides groundwater to four states.
Greg Rinder, CSIRO
The Great Artesian Basin is huge and ancient underground “water tank” big enough to fill Sydney Harbour 130,000 times. It streches from Cape York down to Dubbo and further west than Coober Pedy and has…
Better protection for and public consultation on CSG’s effect on aquifers is good news.
Kate Ausburn
The Federal Government has moved to exert greater control over coal seam gas mining projects which are currently largely in the hands of the states. Under the proposed new rules if a coal seam gas project…
Welcome to the State of the Future series. This series addresses 15 global challenges posed by the Millennium Project, an international non-profit think-tank collecting responses for 40 nodes worldwide…
Tug of water: the Murray-Darling Basin is fraught with competing interests.
AAP/Lukas Coch
The Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) today released a revised plan that recommends cutting the volume of groundwater to be extracted, in a variety of changes following 20 weeks of consultations. The…