Who Is David Bernhardt? (And Why Every Environmentalist Should Care.)

Navy SEALS are known for their incredible endurance and superior ability to get out of tough, high-stakes situations. But ex-SEAL Ryan Zinke, our current secretary of the Interior, likely won’t be able to climb, jump, swim, or rappel his way out of the ethics mess he’s gotten himself into.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt
waits to speak at the annual state of Colorado energy
 luncheon, sponsored by the Colorado Petroleum Council.

If the rumors are true and Zinke’s days in the Trump administration are numbered (rumors that President Trump isn’t doing much to dispel), then Americans who care about the future of our national parks, national monuments, and other public lands should get to know his replacement. Meet David Bernhardt, the Interior Department’s current deputy secretary, whose long Washington résumé suggests that he would happily continue to carry out the Trump administration’s war on public lands and federal waters—albeit with greater legal sophistication and fewer unforced ethical errors than his predecessor.

Read the NRDC story by David Zalubowski/AP - “Who Is David Bernhardt? (And Why Every Environmentalist Should Care.)”

Sydney weather: BOM forecasts 45C in parts of city as heatwave takes hold

Head back home and sit in the aircon," is the advice from the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS), with total fire bans in Greater Sydney and temperatures set to climb to 45 degrees Celsius in parts of the city today.

Today the temperatures are predicted to reach
45C in the central west and patches of the mid-north coast.

The NSW RFS also warned of a severe fire danger in the greater Sydney region and the Hunter.

"If someone sees a fire that is unattended, report it to Triple-0, don't assume someone else has reported that fire," NSW RFS Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers said.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said the western centres of Penrith and Richmond were expected be the hottest areas but there would be no escape in the Harbour City's heatwave.

Read the ABC News story - “Sydney weather: BOM forecasts 45C in parts of city as heatwave takes hold.”

Water bills headed 'same way as energy' as population gains, climate change bite

Urban water users face water bills that will increase by half within a decade and continue to climb without "substantial" reform as rising population and climate change add stress to ageing networks, Infrastructure Australia said in a new report.

People could be paying a lot more for water in the future. 

The future surge will build on a steady run-up in costs in recent years even as total water consumption has stagnated since the 1980s, with consumers responding to calls for more thrifty use.

The paper, Reforming Urban Water, also argues poor planning processes led to an $11 billion splurge on desalination plants that – with the exception of Perth – have largely gone unused and precluded cheaper short-term measures.

Victoria earlier this year ruled out a second plant after its multi-billion dollar Wonthaggi was left on standby since its completion five years ago.

Read Peter Hannam’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Water bills headed 'same way as energy' as population gains, climate change bite.”

A step back': Emissions rise as world economy gathers pace

Global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels and industry have renewed their climb after a three-year pause, driven higher by quickening economic growth and the failure to find alternatives particularly to oil, international researchers say.

Carbon emissions will rise 2 percent in 2017 to almost 37 billion tonnes as the world economy heads for 3.6 percent annual growth. Total emissions, including from land clearing, push that tally to 41 billion tonnes.

A slightly faster pace of GDP expansion in 2018 will also send emissions from industry and fossil fuel combustion higher for at least another year, according to the 2017 Global Carbon Budget.

"This year's carbon budget news is a step back for humankind," said Amy Luers, executive director of Future Earth, a sponsor of the report.

Read the story by Peter Hannam in today’s Melbourne Age - “‘A step back': Emissions rise as world economy gathers pace.”