Farmers count cost of fires, but hopes new vintage not up in smoke

This summer's savage bushfire season has burnt out over 1000 hectares of Australia's vineyards, killed hundreds of livestock and destroyed thousands of kilometres of farm fences, adding more stress and heartache for agricultural industries already battling years of drought.

Fire approaches a horse paddock at Orangeville,
north of Picton in NSW, earlier this month.

South Australia’s Adelaide Hills wine region lost about half its annual crop in fires last week, valued at $100 million, or more than 1000 hectares of vineyards.

But in hopeful signs for next year's vintages, wine growers in South Australia and NSW say the fires may have come too early for ripening fruit to be tainted by smoke flavours.

Read the story from The Age by Mike Foley - “Farmers count cost of fires, but hopes new vintage not up in smoke.”

What we can learn from China’s fight against environmental ruin

A good news story about China’s environment is something you don’t hear every day. But a major review published today in Nature has found that China has made significant progress in battling the environmental catastrophes of the past century.

Hukou Waterfall of Yellow River, China.

Our team, which included 19 scientists from 16 Australian, Chinese and US institutions, reviewed China’s 16 major programs designed to improve the sustainability of its rural environment and people.

Read the story from The Conversation - “What we can learn from China’s fight against environmental ruin.”

Still fighting on the front lines: Puerto Rico’s energy warriors

It’s been five months since Hurricane Maria devastated the Caribbean. The rest of the world may have moved on to other news, but Puerto Ricans are still battling mudslides and eroded trees, garbage in the sewers, contaminated water, and limited electricity.

The Sonnen battery at Iglesia Bautista Mediania Alta.

Although there’s plenty of destruction to see this article won’t focus on the destruction. This is a story of problem-solvers.

In November 2017, I went with my team of renewable energy explorers at Vittoria Energy Expedition to visit Puerto Rico. We discovered some truly inspiring stories–individuals and groups fighting for energy independence and security. They are rebuilding an island 1,100 miles off of the mainland United States with limited resources and exceptional fortitude. They are finding new ways to recharge their phones, TVs, washers and dryers, streetlights, and hospitals.

They are Puerto Rico’s Energy warriors and here are some of their stories.

Read the Impakter story by Andrew Polich - “Still fighting on the front lines: Puerto Rico’s energy warriors.”

Massive California wildfire spreading

Firefighters are battling to gain control of a destructive wildfire burning near Santa Barbara, California that has mushroomed in size overnight, pushed by gusty offshore winds into dry brush that has not burned in decades.

The Whittier Fire continues to burn as seen from
 Los Olivos, California, during the weekend.

The Whittier Fire, which broke out on July 8 and has already destroyed eight homes, had been more than 50 per cent contained on Friday before so-called ‘‘Sundowner’’ winds picked up in the evening, according to a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection website.

Nearly 3000 people who were forced to flee their homes near Cachuma Lake and the community of Goleta remained under evacuation orders as fire officials said another evening of Sundowners could drive the flames toward populated areas.

‘‘The fire continues burning in an area above the community of Goleta and crews continue to build containment and contingency lines to hold the fire in check,’’ Cal Fire said on the Inciweb fire-tracking website. ‘‘The east and west flanks of the fire continue to burn towards established containment lines,” it reported.

More than 1600 firefighters were working the blaze, assisted by water-bombing planes and helicopters.

Highway 154 was shut down in both directions and the Los Padres National Park was closed to the public.

Evacuation shelters were opened at a high school in Goleta.

The conflagration, which had blackened 7000 ha along California’s scenic central coast as of Saturday afternoon, was being fed by brush and vegetation that had not burned since 1955, according to fire officials.

The Whittier Fire is among more than 50 large, active wildfires burning across the US West as forecasters warned that hot, dry conditions could persist, creating tinderbox conditions.

Red flag warnings were issued for Northern California and parts of other states, where the National Weather Service said temperatures could reach above 32°C and winds to gust 80 km/h.

Read the story in today’s Shepparton News - “Massive California wildfire spreading.”