How to transition from coal: 4 lessons for Australia from around the world

With 12 coal power stations in Australia closed since 2013, a full transition out of coal is coming.

A Hazelwood power station employee hangs his hat
on the fence after it closed after 52 years of operation.

Around the world, governments and stakeholders are considering how to implement a “just transition” from coal to clean energy – a transition that’s fair for local workers and communities in coal regions.

Some coal-producing nations, such as Germany and Spain, are delivering major just transition packages. Other nations are less successfully trying to navigate social conflicts around the transition, such as Poland and South Africa.

Read the story from The Conversation - “How to transition from coal: 4 lessons for Australia from around the world.”

See everything bad about climate change in a swingle Californian town

MONTECITO IS COMING back to life this morning. The 9,000 person town to the east of Santa Barbara has been empty since Tuesday, when mandatory evacuations forced residents out of their homes for the fifth time in four months.

Rain continues to fall on the flood-damaged area in
Montecito, CA where many residents have evacuated.

This week it was a channel of tropical moisture called the Pineapple Express, dumping bands of intense rain and triggering flash floods throughout Southern California. In January it was a once-in-a-200-year storm that dropped half an inch of water in five minutes, unleashing massive mudslides that ripped houses from their foundations and killed 27. In December it was the deadly Thomas Fire that incinerated 280,000 acres—the largest wildfire in California history.

To some, Montecito might just seem like a town hit by a string of superlatively bad luck. But to people crunching the numbers it looks less like an outlier and more like an inevitability of climate change. If you want to see what California looks like in the future, you don’t need a crystal ball. You just need to hop on the 101 and drive until you hit Montecito.

Read Megan Molteni”s Wired story - “See everything bad about climate change in a swingle Californian town.”

Disruption from electric car 'revolution' will rival the introduction of the iPhone: Josh Frydenberg

The global electric car revolution is coming to Australia, Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg has declared, likening the scale of technological disruption to the introduction of the iPhone.

Australia's Environment and Energy
Minister, Josh Frydenberg, says the
electric car revolution is coming.

In an interview and opinion piece for Fairfax Media, he said three barriers to electric vehicle uptake in Australia - high purchase prices, limited driving range and a lack of charging infrastructure – are on their way to being solved.

Read Nicole Hasham’s story in today”s Melbourne Age - “Disruption from electric car 'revolution' will rival the introduction of the iPhone: Josh Frydenberg.”

(The idea of the electric car is, in itself, not offensive, but what is disturbing is the creation and establishment, of an industry and infrastructure that his enmeshed with the ideology of private profit and public expense. Rather than government endorsement of an electric car industry we need our politicians to support, in every sense, the creation of a publicly owned nation-wide fleet of autonomous vehicles that would respond to smartphone instructions, taking people hither and thither and once a task is completed, return to their base for recharging - Robert McLean)

Victoria, Tasmania and NSW to be hit with coldest snap of the year

A MONSTER storm is coming our way and expected to cause chaos as it moves through south eastern Australia.

A storm being described as a "monster" will move
through south-east Australia this weekend.

It will bring with it what is expected to be the biggest snow dump of the year.

A low-pressure system will move over the Western Australia and South Australia border later this week, pushing a cold front over Tasmania and Australia’s south-east this weekend.

South Australia will cop a chilly weekend, with just 6C expected in Adelaide on Saturday and Sunday.

Victoria, Tasmania and southern NSW will be hit on the weekend with damaging winds, rain, hail and blizzards.

Read the story by Olivia Lambert - “Victoria, Tasmania and NSW to be hit with coldest snap of the year.”

America’s First Climate Change Refugees

Climate change is often discussed as a problem that’s coming, but in reality it’s already here.

Rising sea levels caused by global warming are, right now, forcing some Americans out of their homes, while others fear for the future of their communities.

This week on Dateline, reporter Jeannette Francis meets Americans, from Alaska to South Beach, who are worried their cities and towns are at risk of going underwater.

Miami is one of the most populous cities in the US and one of its biggest tourist attractions, but its long-term future is uncertain. Hurricanes and flooding are becoming more regular and more damaging, sea level rises are having an effect on property development in the city, and residents are increasingly fearful for their safety. The city has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to address rising sea levels – but some scientists say Miami is unlikely to survive the century.

Professor Harold Wanless has been tracking the tides and sea levels in Miami for decades – he says current trends indicate the issue could be terminal for the city.

“[Miami] won’t be here in 100 years,” Professor Wanless predicts. “It will either be a few stragglers trying to hang on to a city that has no infrastructure, no fresh water, no sewage facility, or it will be abandoned completely.”

Watch the SBS Dateline’s - “America’s First Climate Change Refugees.”