Australia left in the shade over coal

Funafuti, Tuvalu: Pacific leaders have left Australia isolated over the future of coal in the region after a marathon summit meeting on Thursday night, as fears grow that China will seek to exploit diplomatic differences in the region over climate change.

Kiribati's President Taneti Maamau, Cook Islands
 Prime Minister Henry Puna, Tonga's Prime Minister
Akilisi Pohiva, Scott Morrison and Solomon Islands
 Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare. 

Representatives from Beijing will address the Pacific Island Forum in Tuvalu on Friday after a tense and lengthy leaders' retreat where Prime Minister Scott Morrison attempted to persuade his counterparts against a joint declaration of a climate emergency.

Global heavyweights will turn the international focus on the 18-nation meeting when US Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt speaks with leaders, followed by China's special envoy to the Pacific Islands, Wang Xuefeng.

Read the story from The Age by Rob Harris - “Australia left in the shade over coal.”

Record-breaking heat

Thursday night was likely to be the hottest night Sheppartonians endured in a decade, according to a Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster, with the mercury not dipping below 30°C.

Among locations seeing warm overnight records broken, Bureau of Meteorology Victoria senior forecaster Michael Efron highlighted Shepparton among the ‘‘uncomfortable conditions across most of the state’’.

Searing: It was almost
hot enough to fry an egg
 outside yesterday as
temperatures soared to more
 than 45°C.

According to BoM data, Shepparton was 40°C at 7 pm on Thursday night, before dropping to about 33°C by midnight.

It continued to drop until it reached a low of 30.2°C at 7 am yesterday, before climbing back up once more.

It was 40°C once again by noon.

After growing hotter and hotter through the afternoon, the hottest the city reached yesterday was 45.4°C at 4.30 pm, before the heat subsided somewhat after 5 pm.

The State Control Centre had stressed the total fire ban in effect yesterday.

The centre had warned Victorians to be prepared for ‘‘the continuation of extreme heat’’, anticipating high winds developing later yesterday.

The authority asked Victorians to stay aware, especially of local conditions and risks if travelling, and with elevated fire danger and little relief from the hot weather, it was important for Victorians to know how to access good, timely information.

According to BoM, temperatures of up to 46°C and 47°C had been expected across some north and eastern parts of the state.

‘‘They could break records,’’ Mr Efron had said early yesterday.

He said the change was going to be ‘‘gusty’’ and ‘’significant’’.

‘‘I think as we head into the early (yesterday) evening, we’ll start to see those winds easing …’’

He predicted a ‘‘pleasant night for Melbourne’’ last night, but the change was expected to come later for the north.

‘‘Unfortunately over in the north-east that change won’t move through until the second half of Saturday . . . So a really warm night up in places,’’ he said.

According to BoM readings from Shepparton Airport, the city temperature sat at about 44°C for about three hours with the fire danger deemed extreme for the northern country yesterday.

Story from The Shepparton News by Thomas Moir -  “Record-breaking heat".