It’s been 30 years since the first alarm on global warming was sounded

After leading NASA climate scientist James Hansen told the US Congress 30 years ago this week global warming was already worsening heatwaves, many of his colleagues figured politicians would heed the warning.

James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for
Space Studies in New York, warned the US
Congress in 1988 that human-induced global warming
 was already underway and 'may have important implications
 other than for human comfort'. (This photo taken in 1989.)

"When I heard this news, I thought it was time somebody made such a clear message," said Stefan Rahmstorf, then a PhD student in New Zealand and now at Germany's Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

Read the story by Peter Hannam in today’s Age - “It’s been 30 years since the first alarm on global warming was sounded.”

Bill Shorten accused of flip-flopping on Adani coal mine

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has denied telling colleagues he wants to block the Adani mega-mine should Labor win government, instead insisting that blocking it would hurt foreign investment in Australia.

The Adani coal mine proposal has encountered strong public opposition.

Mr Shorten declared the position on Friday amid internal wrangling over the divisive coal mine proposal, and concern from some quarters within the party that Labor is sacrificing its electoral chances in Queensland for city votes.

Read Nicole Hasham’s story in The Age - “Bill Shorten accused of flip-flopping on Adani coal mine.”

Morrison and co are kneecapping my generation's future. And laughing about it

 Smiles and back slaps for the Government as
 the Carbon tax repeal bills pass in the House
of Representatives on 26 June 2014. 

Speaking in parliament on Thursday, treasurer Scott Morrison held aloft a large lump of coal and made the funniest joke he’ll ever think of in his life.

“Mr Speaker, this is coal. Don’t be afraid! Don’t be scared! It won’t hurt you.” Morrison yelled at the opposition as his colleagues jeered and hooted behind him. 

It was a comedic performance on-par with the guy at an open-mic night who opens with a joke about women shopping, but the people in charge of running the world’s twelfth-largest economy couldn’t get enough.

Read Alex McKinnon’s opinion on The Guardian - “Morrison and co are kneecapping my generation's future. And laughing about it.”

Mt Everest to have major loss of glaciers this century

T

he Washington Post tells readers that the iconic Mount Everest could see a major loss of its glaciers over the course of this century.

Temperature changes impacting
 Mt Everest faster than anticipated.

Its story is based on a new scientific study that its chief author calls the “the first detailed modelling study of all glaciers in the Dudh Koshi basin in the Everest region of Nepal.”

The paper, published Wednesday in the journal The Cryosphere, was authored by glacier researcher Joseph Shea of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development in Kathmandu, Nepal, and several colleagues from France and the Netherlands.

“The biggest result here is that the glaciers in the basin, we find them to be more sensitive to temperature than anyone expected before,” says Shea.

Read the story - “Climate change could shrink Mount Everest’s glaciers by 70 percent, study finds”.

Hansen and colleagues point to uninhabitable world

James Hansen.

The phase “intergenerational responsibility” is never mentioned, but a new paper from James Hansen and his colleagues is effectively about that.

In a Climate Project article headed: “Hansen Study: Climate Sensitivity is High, Burning all FossilFuels Would Make Most of The Planet ‘Uninhabitable’”

Thanks to Beneath the Wisteria supporter, Dave Glover for alerting us to this.