Running out of water. A couple of months ago, there seemed to be some hope that the record-breaking drought in south-eastern Australia was breaking. There was good rain, and the switch from El Nino to La Nina seemed to be established. Now, it seems, those hopes are gone . — John Quiggin

Who owns water? So a handful of trans-national corporations, backed by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, are aggressively taking over the management of public water services in countries around the world, dramatically raising the price of water to the local residents and profiting especially from the Third World’s desperate search for solutions to its water crisis. — YourDemocracy

Schoolgirl’s “smog hog” cuts air pollution. Amy Clucas, a 14-year-old (14!) schoolgirl from Christchurch, New Zealand, is the lead inventor of a device that knocks out air pollution. Her “Smog Hog” uses water to trap pollutants from a fire as they gust up a chimney, preventing them from entering the environment. — Treehugger

It’s a nice day for a green wedding. Green weddings are big business nowadays. With the average cost of that special day in the region of £16,000, more and more couples are saying “I do” in the most lavish of surroundings. – Environmental Graffiti