World’s oceans at a tipping point, indicates UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report

Australia's affinity for the ocean is renowned, but it is likely to be dramatically disrupted, according to the latest report from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Most Australians live within 50 kilometres of the coast.

Eighty-five per cent of the population lives within 50 kilometres of the ocean — we fish, surf, swim and bask in coastal life, but beneath the sea's surface, the story is far from idyllic. 

Oceans cover more than 70 per cent of Earth's surface and are made up of a mixture of water, salt, organic materials, particulates and atmospheric gasses. 

They help to produce half of the planet's oxygen and contain important food sources. 

So, what happens in the oceans has ramifications for life on Earth — specifically what we breathe and what we eat. 

Read the ABC News story by Penny Timms - “World’s oceans at a tipping point, indicates UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report.”

Tokyo Olympics prepare for heat effect

The Japanese are renowned for their organisation, so it's not really a surprise that with one year to go until the Olympic Games in Tokyo, preparations are well and truly on track.

Spray stations are part of the plan to limit the
effects of heat at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Venue construction is on track and ticket sales have exceeded expectations. But one of the key - albeit limited - problems facing these games is likely to be out of Japan's control - heat.

North Asia Correspondent Jake Sturmer reports from the host city.

Listen to the story from Radio National - “Tokyo Olympics prepare for heat effect.”

Stephen Hawking's Final Warnings Urged World to Halt Climate Change

Stephen Hawking, one of the greatest minds on Earth, died peacefully at his home in Cambridge on Wednesday at the age of 76.

Stephen Hawking - final warnings were for
the world to halt climate change

As well as being a renowned physicist whose groundbreaking theories helped us understand the complexities of space, time and the universe, the British professor also taught us about our home planet.

In his last years, Hawking used his platform to warn that human activity is causing irreversible planetary damage and that we must take action to halt climate change.

Read the EcoWatch story by Lorraine Chow - “Stephen Hawking's Final Warnings Urged World to Halt Climate Change.”