Australian CEOs must rupture the political stagnation to lead the charge on climate action

The unprecedented, devastating bushfires that engulfed Australia – from even before our summer began – have forever disrupted our usually laconic and relaxed memories of Christmas and New Year.

Zali Steggall (right) with members of the crossbench 
Helen Haines (left) and Rebekha Sharkie who are
introducing a climate change bill that provides an
internationally proven framework to help manage climate risk.

Those memories are instead marked by anguish, anxiety, grief and consternation about our future.

We turned to fire and emergency chiefs, tireless local volunteers, our national broadcaster and the spirit of community to find leadership in this crisis. And very late, but at last, we turned to scientists; fire, flood and climate experts; and vitally, Indigenous knowledge, to start to rebuild a sense of a path forward for our nation.

Read the opinion piece from The Guardian by Sam Mostyn - “Australian CEOs must rupture the political stagnation to lead the charge on climate action.” 

Monash air quality station records index almost 20 times above hazardous level

The new year has brought thick smoke haze to Canberra and some of the highest levels of air pollution ever seen in the nation's capital. The air quality in Tuggeranong on Wednesday morning was almost 20 times above hazardous levels. 

The War Memorial barely visible from a thick
smoke haze that has impacted Canberra.

The thick smoke haze descended on Canberra on Tuesday night from fires burning at the South Coast. Authorities said the haze was likely to remain well into Wednesday.

Acting chief health officer Dr Paul Dugdale said all Canberrans were advised to avoid physical activity outside during periods of heavy smoke.

"We are strongly advising people who are sensitive to smoke, especially those with pre-existing heart and lung conditions, to take extra care during these conditions," he said.

Read the story from The Canberra Times by Lucy Bladen - “Monash air quality station records index almost 20 times above hazardous level.”

Hot start to 2019 after Australia ends its third-warmest year

The searing end to 2018 for much of Australia will likely make it the third-hottest on record for maximum temperatures with little early relief in sight in the new year, preliminary data from the Bureau of Meteorology shows.

Less heat and more rain: what many Australians will be hoping 2019 brings.CREDIT:

For mean temperatures, 2018 will also come in among the top five, according to bureau meteorologist Skye Tobin. The year was also "very much drier" than average for Australia, particularly in the south-east.

Read the story from The Age by Peter Hannam - “Hot start to 2019 after Australia ends its third-warmest year.”

Plenty of energy went into doing nothing about our energy crisis

In 2017 we heard a lot from the federal government about energy. In fact, there was too much talk, and very little action. As we head into the new year, it's time to reflect on the past 12 months, and ask ourselves whether our elected representatives have been naughty or nice when it comes to climate and energy policy?

Illustration: Andrew Dyson.

The year began on a prescient note, with federal ministers cheerily handing about an actual lump of coal in Parliament, supplied by the Minerals Council of Australia.

Read Petra Stock’s comment in today’s Melbourne Age - “Plenty of energy went into doing nothing about our energy crisis.”

Ideal weather to produce an unpalatable outcome

by Robert McLean

We are quickly making 
earth uninhabitable
for humans - let's
see if see can slow, or
 change this in 2013.

Shepparton’s near ideal weather on New Year’s Eve – 27 degrees and a light southerly breeze – virtually extinguishes, in the minds of many, the idea that the earth is warming bringing decidedly unsettled weather.

Subsequently those of us who accept the science and so are conscious of the evolving weather difficulties and who gather each month Beneath the Wisteria to consider individual and society’s response face a 2013 loaded with challenges.

The record will show that I have said that bad things happen quickly and good things, by comparison, occur rather slowly.

Climate change doubters look at that and argue that climate change must be a good thing as it happening slowly.

Sadly, they misunderstand realities – human-induced climate change has evolved in the past 200 years; a long time on the human scale, but like a flash of lightning on a geological time scale and on an earth that is some 13 billion years old.

Considering the broad misunderstanding about the difference between weather and climate, next year and within that just how quickly our climate is changing, each of has a significant responsibility to do what we can to help those around us better understand the seriousness of what faces us.

Many people are conscious that we have damaged our climate and although eager to do something seem to be at a loss as to what should do or how they should behave.

We are being constantly subjected to “greenwash” (endless PR from many firms and corporations that their behaviour is ecologically friendly) and that the idea of simply changing a few light globes or re-cycling our rubbish will be more than enough right the earth-wide imbalances we are experiencing.

The greenwash is delusionary, as is the idea that a few different light globes and some re-cycling will end climate change.

It is the energy intensive lifestyle, particularly of the developed world, that is essence of the difficulty and any attempt to mitigate, change or slow climate change demands we re-examine how we live.

The answer, a least to me, is obvious, but the necessary changes to our lifestyles are so dramatic and unpalatable that few appear even prepared to think about them and beyond that discuss what is needed.

Briefly we need to dethrone the economy and turn our attention to the creation of resilient communities and relinquish consumerism as a way of life to invest our time and effort into our neighbourhoods rather invest our money buying stuff we don’t need to impress people we don’t know.

A small committee spun off Beneath the Wisteria is busy working on a program to bring three or four high profile speakers to Shepparton to talk about climate change, not to convince people it is happening rather, to help them understand what it is they can do, both personally and in a community sense, to help alleviate what has been described as “the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced”. The working group meets again early in January.

So, standing on the cusp of 2013, I urge you to re-commit yourself to helping those around you understand more about the difficulties associated with climate change.
That said, we next gather Beneath the Wisteria in Shepparton’s Maude St Mall on Saturday, February 2, at 11:30am.

I look forward to seeing you there and I wish you well for 2013.