Global warming will bring more extremes, including floods, to Australia
“We will have an increased frequency of quite major events similar to what we had, particularly the flooding event in south-east Queensland,
More natural disasters on Australia’s radar, ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), By Francis Tapim and Bruce Woolley Jan 23, 2011 An expert says Australia will see a higher incidence of extreme weather events like the flooding in Queensland. Global Change Professor Peter Grace from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) says greenhouse gases and global warning are contributing factors, whether people want to accept it or not. Continue reading
Extreme weather? – some basic climate science
Why is the ocean warmer than ever? Because the extra carbon dioxide we have put into the atmosphere has trapped outgoing heat radiation and warmed the earth, notably the oceans……Even the cold spells in the northern hemisphere are being driven by stronger weather patterns in the Arctic which, while freezing the land of the climate deniers, are melting more and more ice in the Arctic
Humans add heat to La Nina cycles, The Age, Keith Burrows, January 18, 2011“………some basic climate science. Of course the floods are a consequence of an exceptionally strong La Nina. But why is this La Nina exceptionally strong? The El Nino-La Nina cycles are driven by heat stored in the ocean and the oceans are warmer than ever. Continue reading
Australia’s floods are the result of warmer seas
“Sea surface temperatures across the north and northwest had been the “highest on record by some margin, which is favourable for heavy rainfall, since August-September”….The current La Nina is forecast to last into autumn.
Warm seas fuelling deluges across nation Brendan O’Keefe The Australian *January 15, 2011 RECORD warm seas across the Top End and off the northwest coast of Western Australian have fuelled this week’s deluge, experts say. Continue reading
Young Australian comments on floods and climate change
But we need to start talking about what climate change actually looks like – and we don’t need to look much further than Queensland.
It’s time to talk of climate change, Sydney Morning Herald, Ellen SandellJanuary 14, 2011 What kind of world are we going to leave for the next generation? IN APRIL 2009 the Los Angeles Times ran the headline: “What will global warming look like? Scientists point to Australia”. The article said events unfolding in Australia – record-breaking droughts, killer bushfires and devastating floods – gave a snapshot of our future in a globally warmed world. Nearly two years on, it seems very little has changed…….. Continue reading
Sunshine Coast Council takes positive action on Climate Change
“The Energy Transition Plan—which supports the Sunshine Coast Climate Change and Peak Oil Strategy—maps out the path to get there and sets energy conservation, low carbon energy generation, demand management and fuel reduction targets not only for council, but for the whole Sunshine Coast.”….
Australia’s Labor and Liberal ‘stuck in last century’ on climate change
former prime minister Kevin Rudd was right when he called climate change ”the greatest moral, economic and environmental challenge of our generation”…….”Our two major political parties are between them the worst combination to get things going,” he said. ”You’ve got Tony Abbott and his neanderthals and Martin Ferguson still stuck in last century.
Politicians blamed for climate ‘gridlock’, Sydney Morning Herald, Paddy ManningDecember 4, 2010 THE businessman Graeme Wood has condemned Australia’s failure to act on climate change, criticising ”scared” politicians for a lack of leadership. Continue reading
Labor MPs speak out against nuclear power for Australia
“We’ve got untapped supplies of wind and solar energy so I think the economics of developing those sorts of energy sources are going to far outweigh the benefits and the costs of developing a nuclear industry.”…….”I don’t think that the end result, which is the whole expense and difficulties of decommissioning and dealing with the waste, have been addressed.”
llawarra MPs oppose nuclear power proposal – ABC Illawarra NSW – Australian Broadcasting Corporation December 2, 2010 Illawarra Labor MPs have voiced their opposition to nuclear power amid talks of a debate on the agenda for next year’s national conference. Continue reading
Australian National University research- Climate Change + Renewable Energy
ANU combines climate change, energy research – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), 2 Dec 10, The Australian National University has announced a new department which will bring together climate change and renewable energy research projects. Continue reading
Australians have been deceived about global Climate Change action
There’s a lot happening out there in the world that Australians have been deceived about by the “the world isn’t acting, Australia shouldn’t lead” line. It’s a blatant lie and one that should be completely shattered by the time the Cancun negotiations are over, so we can get on with setting an effective carbon price as the Government’s number one priority in 2011.
Global renewable energy – China is the leader
“The level of wind energy being deployed in China shows what can be achieved with a carefully planned energy and industrial policy that elevates cleantech to a national strategic level,”
China secures the lead in renewable energy – UPI.com, BEIJING, 1 Dec. 10 — China is now the leader in the global renewable energy market, a report by Ernst & Young says. Continue reading
Victorian election – not a good result for Climate Change action
Coalition has explaining to do on climate targets, The Age, Adam Morton, November 30, 2010“……….Environment Victoria, the state’s main green lobby group, said there were many gaps in the new government’s environment and climate policy stance as it had not outlined its full plans before the election as promised. Continue reading
World must face the truth on Climate Change
Do we have the mindset to save the planet? UN Climate Change Conference In Cancun, The Age Lyn Bender, November 29, 2010 Where were you when you first realised that climate change was happening? Were you caught up in the horror of the worst bushfires in Victoria’s history on Black Saturday 2009?
Or moved by images of distraught parents in the aftermath of record monsoons that had flooded Pakistan? Continue reading
Australia neither needs nor wants nuclear power
That we don’t need nuclear power is obvious: the ”land of the cloudless skies” has cleaner, abundant energy available. The recent report Beyond Zero Emissions demonstrates baseload clean energy can be supplied by renewable sources within 10 years at an affordable cost – about $8 a household a week.
The question: should nuclear energy power our future?, Sydney Morning Herald, 29 Nov 10, “……...THE SCIENTIST: Ann Henderson-Sellers Cold, northern hemisphere countries may resort to nuclear power to try to achieve energy security and moderate climate change but Australia neither needs it nor wants it. Continue reading
Hard to get serious articles on climate change in THE AUSTRALIAN
the difficulties of having stories published [in THE AUSTRALIAN] about climate change because of the attitude of and pressure from senior editors at the paper.
The ‘torture’ of writing about climate change at The Oz, Crikey, by Andrew Dodd 26 Nov 10 A former senior News Limited journalist has described trying to write about human-induced climate change at The Australian newspaper as “torture” and has blamed the editor-in-chief for limiting coverage on the topic because he has “taken a political view”. Continue reading
Professor Ian Lowe counters nuclear spin in Australia
Professor Ian Lowe, the president of the Australian Conservation Foundation, said the report was deeply flawed. ”Given that wind or solar thermal could be providing cheap, low-carbon power within a year or two, and a reactor is probably decades away, there is simply no convincing argument for it.
Call for nuclear plants to combat warming, Sydney Morning Herald, Ben Cubby November 26, 2010 Continue reading
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 