Climatologist Michael Mann talks about Australia's bushfires with Joe O'Brien

Leading climate scientist Michael Mann talks to Joe O'Brien about Australia's unprecedented bushfire crisis and what he calls inaction by the Morrison government. 

Watch the seven-minute interview here.

Only rebellion will prevent an ecological apocalypse

Had we put as much effort into preventing environmental catastrophe as we’ve spent on making excuses for inaction, we would have solved it by now. Everywhere I look, I see people engaged in furious attempts to fend off the moral challenge it presents.

‘Catastrophe afflicts people now and, unlike those in
 the rich world who can still afford to wallow in despair,
 they are forced to respond in practical ways.’

The commonest current excuse is this: “I bet those protesters have phones/go on holiday/wear leather shoes.” In other words, we won’t listen to anyone who is not living naked in a barrel, subsisting only on murky water. Of course, if you are living naked in a barrel we will dismiss you too, because you’re a hippie weirdo. Every messenger, and every message they bear, is disqualified on the grounds of either impurity or purity.

As the environmental crisis accelerates, and as protest movements like YouthStrike4Climate and Extinction Rebellion make it harder not to see what we face, people discover more inventive means of shutting their eyes and shedding responsibility. Underlying these excuses is a deep-rooted belief that if we really are in trouble, someone somewhere will come to our rescue: “they” won’t let it happen. But there is no they, just us.

Read the opinion piece from The Guardian by George Monbiot - “Only rebellion will prevent an ecological apocalypse.”

No More Excuses - George Monbiot

Had we put as much effort into preventing environmental catastrophe as we’ve spent on making excuses for inaction, we would have solved it by now. Everywhere I look, I see people engaged in furious attempts to fend off the moral challenge it presents.

The commonest current excuse is this: “I bet those protesters have phones/go on holiday/wear leather shoes.” In other words, we won’t listen to anyone who is not living naked in a barrel, subsisting only on murky water. Of course, if you are living naked in a barrel, we will dismiss you too, because you’re a hippie weirdo. Every messenger, and every message they bear, is disqualified, on the grounds of either impurity or purity.

As the environmental crisis accelerates, and as protest movements like YouthStrike4Climate and Extinction Rebellion make it harder not to see what we face, people discover more inventive means of shutting their eyes and shedding responsibility. Underlying these excuses is a deep-rooted belief that if we really are in trouble, someone somewhere will come to our rescue: “they” won’t let it happen. But there is no they, just us.

Read the story by Guardian columnist, George Monbiot - “No More Excuses.”

Architect of Paris climate accord says Morrison government's emissions stance is ‘anti-science’

A key architect of the landmark Paris climate deal has lambasted the Coalition government’s inaction on greenhouse gas emissions, saying it “goes against the science”, squanders economic opportunity and risks Australia’s international standing.

Laurence Tubiana in 2015 arriving for international climate talks in Paris.

Laurence Tubiana, a respected French diplomat and economist, also says Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s claim that Australia will meet its Paris targets “at a canter” is contradicted by international scientific opinion.

Her comments follow an official report on Friday showing Australia’s climate pollution rose by 1.3 per cent in the year to March – the highest quarterly rise in eight years. The troubling findings were released on the eve of the long weekend in some states and on the same day as the banking royal commission interim report - timing critics say was designed to bury the report.

Read the story by Nicole Hasham from The Sydney Morning Herald - “Architect of Paris climate accord says Morrison government's emissions stance is ‘anti-science’."

Russia and the U.S. Could Be Partners in Climate Change Inaction.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, shaking hands with
then-Exxon chief executive Rex Tillerson during a
2013 ceremony awarding oil company heads and
employees, now finds himself aligned philosophically
 with the U.S. on a lack of enthusiasm for the
Paris climate agreement. 

As Donald Trump pushes the United States toward inaction on climate change, he is likely to find an ally in Russia.

Russia is the fifth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world. Yet the plan it submitted under the Paris agreement to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 is one of the weakest of any government and actually permits Russia to increase carbon pollution over time. The Paris agreement went into effect last November, but Russia is the only major emitter that has not ratified it. Instead, it has laid out a timetable that would delay ratification for almost three years.

"Russia will not artificially accelerate the process of ratification of the Paris climate agreement," Russia's special presidential representative on climate, Alexander Bedritsky, said last September.

Read the Inside Climate News story - “Russia and the U.S. Could Be Partners in Climate Change Inaction.”

Why teenage hip-hop artist and climate change warrior Xiuhtezcatl Martinez is suing the US government

Xiuhtezcatl Martinez is one of a group
 of teenagers suing the US government
to force action on climate change - he
will speak in Melbourne next month.

The inaction by governments around the world to institute changes in their respective country’s governance in response to climate change is considered by many to be a crime.

Some, particularly younger people and sometimes only teenagers, have taken their governments to court over their failure to act and one who has done that in America will be speaking in Melbourne next month.

Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, just 16, is the public face of a group of 21 US teens who in October last year launched a court action against the American government. The case alleged that because the government was undertaking activities that cause climate change, it was therefore denying the constitutional rights of young people to life, liberty and property.

Martinez will speak that Melbourne’s Sustainable Living Festival and you can learn more about him by reading Andrew Masterson’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Whyteenage hip-hop artist and climate change warrior Xiuhtezcatl Martinez is suing the US government.”

Action on global warming could save trillions of dollars

C

iti Global Perspectives & Solutions (GPS), a division within Citibank (America’s third-largest bank), recently published a report looking at the economic costs and benefits of a low-carbon future.

The report considered two scenarios: “Inaction,” which involves continuing on a business-as-usual path, and Action scenario which involves transitioning to a low-carbon energy mix.

One of the most interesting findings in the report is that the investment costs for the two scenarios are almost identical. In fact, because of savings due to reduced fuel costs and increased energy efficiency, the Action scenario is actually a bit cheaper than the Inaction scenario.

Read the Guardian story - “Citi report: slowing global warming would save tens of trillions of dollars”.

'Pissed off' and so Alan is walking to Canberra to tell our politicians

Alan Cuthbertson is so “pissed off” with Australia’s response to Climate Change he is walking to Canberra to make his point.

Alan Cuthbertson is "pissed off" and
so is taking (walking) his
disillusionment to Canberra in
 "Climate Change -Walk to Canberra".

The 62-year-old Lower Plenty man, along with three fellow walkers, will carry a petition with the intention of delivering it to Canberra’s politicians.

Disillusionment with the Federal, and State inaction on tackling the root causes of Climate Change drove Alan to do something and so it has become a 750km walk to Canberra.

The “Climate Change – Walk to Canberra” starts in Melbourne of the day of the People’s Climate March in Melbourne from where the march ends at the city’s Treasury Gardens.

That first day will be rather gentle covering about five kilometres to end about 4pm at Fairfield and then in the evening at 7:30, those walking to Canberra will have an informal talk about Climate Change at the Lower Plenty Scout Hall.

The serious walking begins the next day with Alan and his counterparts walking up to 30km each day to arrive in Canberra on Monday, October 20.

Those walking with Alan, and equally committed to igniting some Federal and State action in response to Climate Change are: an experienced walker and campaigner who organized last year’s Reef Walk of 1300km, June Norman; a retired hobby farmer from South Australia, Dave Norman, who has been concerned with climate change for 30 years and in 2012 walked 328km in the Walk for Solar Power from Port Augusta to Adelaide; and Eltham’s Martin Hengeveld who has been involved in the environment movement for many years and although he has not participated in any long distance walks, he is a keen hiker.

Likewise, Alan has never participated before in a long-distance activist walk, but has been a keen bushwalker.

A sea turtle will be the mascot for the walk, which is nearly a metre wide and will be carried whenever possible.

Alan said he had chosen the turtle as it will be one of the early victims of Climate Change as increasing temperatures will seriously disrupt it breeding behaviour to such an extent that it could be driven into extinction.

Alan said: “If we are able to walk eight hours a day we can easily cover 25 km, so we can reach Canberra within a month.

“Since there will be at least four people on the walk and only two people need to walk at a time, any person feeling tired or sore can rest in the support vehicle.” he said.

A core group of four will tackle the entire walk, but other people have been invited to join in for particular sections.

“On any given day, people can join us - we would love to have someone else to talk to!  It would be good to contact us the day before so we can organise a time to meet, otherwise just turn up,” Alan said.

Alan said he was hopeful that he and his fellow walkers would be greeted at Canberra by the Greens Member for Melbourne, Adam Brandt.

Belief in biblical end-times frustrates climate change action

The number of outright climate change deniers appears to be dropping.

However, what has not changed much at all is the numbers of those who able to accept that climate change, along with any adaptation to it, will be bring significant changes to our way of life.

Most everything I can see, read or hear about adaptation appears to be couched in terms in continuing to live as we do and that, quite obviously, will be impossible.

Much stands in the way of a broad acceptance about climate change and a willingness to do something about it, including the fact that many people, particularly Americans, believe in the Biblical idea that the world has a God-created expiration date.

A recent story on the website, The Raw Story: “Belief in biblical end-times stifling climate change action in U.S.: study” tells us of another unsettling reason for climate change inaction.