Prime ministers of Australia and Iceland discuss effects on their countries even as some shy away in face of war and inflation
World political leaders are descending on New York for the UN general assembly and some of them are putting the climate crisis on the agenda as they spoke on Monday at the start of the city’s annual Climate Week.
This year’s Climate Week – which runs alongside UNGA – comes after months of extreme heat in large parts of the world including Europe and the US, wildfires in Africa, flash flooding in Asia and a record-breaking El Niño.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
09/21/2026 - 16:26
09/21/2026 - 14:31
Super El-Niño has already broken temperature records and is predicted to bring an extremely wet winter to the state
‘Jaw-dropping’ El Niño bursts through temperature record months before peak
California is bracing for a record breaking El Niño that is expected to bring severe winter storms and flooding across the state, with the state’s governor declaring a state of emergency in anticipation of extreme weather in the months ahead.
The global climate phenomenon known as a “super El Niño” is already breaking temperature records and drawing predictions of an extremely wet winter in places such as California, where El Niño typically brings more severe winter storms and flooding risks. Several coastal California cities have recently faced high surf, flooding and coastal erosion linked to Hurricane Marie as well as El Niño. Experts have said the effects offered a glimpse at what the coming winter could look like.
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09/21/2026 - 14:00
New rules also include a ban near schools and childcare centres and require them to source their own renewable energy
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Datacentres in Victoria will be banned in residential areas and required to use renewable energy and contribute to the community under new state government rules.
On Tuesday, the premier, Ben Carroll, will release the government’s sustainable datacentre action plan after it was approved by cabinet on Monday.
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09/21/2026 - 12:00
Before United Nations meeting, prime minister says Australians knows the impact of global heating as well as anyone
Australia understands the dangers of global warming and the urgency of climate action as much as any other country, Anthony Albanese has said in a keynote speech shortly before the United Nations general assembly.
Speaking at the opening of the Climate Week event at the UN in New York on Monday, the prime minister said Australians had experienced the impact of climate breakdown up close with a series of disastrous bushfires and floods in the past decades.
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09/21/2026 - 11:18
Iowa senator Chuck Grassley calls for embargo on diesel exports as tariffs and Iran war drive up costs for sector
Donald Trump is facing growing calls, including from within his own party, to boost support for US farmers as his administration faces mounting anger over its treatment of the agricultural sector.
Republican senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa called on the US president to place an embargo on diesel exports this weekend and help farmers grapple with high prices.
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09/21/2026 - 10:00
Salmon companies operating in Tasmanian marine areas deployed almost 1,800 explosives in first half of 2026, government figures reveal
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More than 150,000 underwater explosives have been used to deter seals at Tasmanian salmon farms since 2016, according to new government data.
Department of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE Tas) data released last week revealed salmon companies directed almost 1,800 underwater explosives at seals at fish farms in the first half of 2026.
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09/21/2026 - 10:00
New study describes two species, Anchiale robusta and Anchiale mabiensis, both found in far north Queensland
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Two new large stick insect species have been identified by Australian researchers, in a discovery they say illustrates how little we still understand about insect diversity.
The two species, both found in far north Queensland, are described in a study published in Austral Entomology.
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09/21/2026 - 09:00
New report shows key indicators of Earth’s health are ‘outside the safe operating space’ as climate disaster looms
The planetary life support systems relied upon by humans have deteriorated to their worst levels ever recorded amid ongoing pollution and habitat destruction, according to a key yet grim annual update by scientists.
Of the nine “planetary boundaries” that help determine whether life can flourish on Earth, seven are being breached at their highest ever levels of transgression, according to the latest planetary health check, a process that was established in 2009.
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09/21/2026 - 08:25
‘Godzilla-level’ phenomenon is supercharging the climate crisis and will have a huge impact on communities across the world
The “jaw-dropping” El Niño currently heating up the planet has burst through the highest temperature ever recorded for the phenomenon, several months before its expected peak.
The latest data shows the temperature rise at the heart of El Niño in the Pacific Ocean has now reached 3.05C. That is higher than the 3.02C set in late November 2015, the previous high set in the 150 years of modern records. This temperature is measured against the average of 1991-2020.
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09/21/2026 - 06:54
A large Amazon study suggests the most powerful conservation move may be protecting the forests that are already standing. Preventing damage from wildfires and logging delivered the greatest biodiversity benefits and nearly matched deforestation prevention for protecting carbon. Restoration remains important, particularly where forests have already been heavily cleared, but it was more expensive and less effective on its own.
