Recognising Aboriginal legal rights to access and manage water is the key to addressing the “unfolding ecological and cultural disaster on the Murray-Darling”, Indigenous nations of the river system say.

“With our rivers facing ecological collapse and our communities on the brink of survival, there is no other option left,” the Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations (MLDRIN) chair, Rene Woods, said.

The deaths of millions of fish in the lower Darling River system over the past few weeks should come as no surprise. Quite apart from specific warnings given to the NSW government by their own specialists in 2013, scientists have been warning of devastation since the 1990s.

Put simply, ecological evidence shows the Barwon-Darling River is not meant to dry out to disconnected pools – even during drought conditions. Water diversions have disrupted the natural balance of wetlands that support massive ecosystem.

Unless we allow flows to resume, we’re in danger of seeing one of the worst environmental catastrophes in Australia

After 40 years in the grocery business, Jack Keeley was a bit surprised to find himself the focus of a children’s protest.

Given her new role as federal environment minister, one of Sussan Ley’s comments in an interview with Nine Newspapers was eyebrow-raising, to put it mildly. She said:

Sometimes the environment doesn’t need all its water but farmers desperately do need water.
This is inaccurate and concerning, but not all that surprising, given the attitude to water and rivers of some in the community and federal government.

Access to clean drinking water is a basic human right. Our aim is to make sure everyone can.
SAFEWATER is a transdisciplinary research centre working to deliver clean drinking water in underdeveloped areas around the world

Judges have chosen the winner of the Water Abundance Xprize, and it might just be vital to solving some of the world's most difficult shortages. The Skysource/Skywater Alliance has earned $1.5 million for WEDEW (Wood to Energy Deployed Water), a system that converts air into drinking water using natural resources for power. The heart of the technology imitates clouds by cooling warm air and collecting the condensation in a tank. A biomass gassifier, meanwhile, vaporizes wood and other organic material to generate the necessary power for the system.

Imagine if you could turn almost any surface into a solar panel: office windows could power the buildings that house them. Your backpack could charge the devices inside while you walk down the street. In a disaster, the tent walls of emergency shelters could generate enough energy to improve conditions for the people inside.

What if solar power was so cheap and efficient that even cloudy places like the Pacific Northwest could rely on it? Scientists at the Clean Energy Institute at the University of Washington are making this future a reality by developing light, thin, cheap, flexible solar panels you can print like newspaper.

Environmental responsibility is fundamental to how we do business. We follow strict standards and policies, and take special measures in water, energy, biodiversity and resource management.