Neil deGrasse Tyson Has A Sobering Reminder For You This Earth Day

Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson took a moment on Earth Day to remind those calling for the planet’s “saving” to revise their message.

The author, podcast host and director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Natural History tweeted the advice on Sunday.

Read the Huffington Post story - “Neil deGrasse Tyson Has A Sobering Reminder For You This Earth Day.”

Paul Hawken to visit Bendigo in February for Drawdown Summit

Paul Hawken first brought the Drawdown message to Bendigo in 2009 and changed the minds of many people.

And now the American environmentalist, entrepreneur, journalist, and author will be back next month at the Bendigo Climate Drawdown Summit.

Mr Hawken’s latest book,”Drawdown” is described on its cover as “The Most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming”.

The Thursday, February 22, event is being staged by the Bendigo Sustainability Group, which it says, will allow Mr Hawken to provide insights on how Bendigo, and regional communities with clear goals, targets, actions, and projects will reap the economic, social and environmental benefits of the fast increasing global shift to a zero emissions economy.

The international Drawdown organisation is a group of qualified and experienced researchers from around the world to identify, research, and model the 100 most substantive, existing solutions to address climate change. 

The Bendigo group said: “What was uncovered is a path forward that can roll back global warming within thirty years. It shows that humanity has the means at hand. Nothing new needs to be invented.

“The solutions are in place and in action. Our work is to accelerate the knowledge and growth of what is possible. We chose the name Drawdown because if we do not name the goal, we are unlikely to achieve it.
“We’ve had global climate summits. We’ve had national targets and goals that come and go. 

“The real action however is happening and will continue to happen at the city and local community level,” the group added. 

The February 22 event will be held at Ulumbarra Theatre on Bendigo’s Gaol Rd with the two-hour session to start at 7:00 pm.

General admission is $32.65 and concession is just $22.45 and tickets can be secured from
https://goo.gl/DXdxW3

Don’t go in the water, Environment Protection Authority warns

Don't go swimming at Melbourne's beaches today – it could make you sick.

It's best to keep out of the water at Melbourne's beaches. 

That's the message from the authorities, who are urging people to steer well clear of every Port Phillip beach as the bacteria-filled runoff from the weekend's storms pours into the bay.

Indeed it may not be safe to swim tomorrow or right through the weekend.

The Environment Protection Authority is doing water-quality testing on Tuesday, which will determine how bad things are in the bay and how long people should avoid the water.

Read Liam Mannix’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Don’t go in the water, Environment Protection Authority warns.”

Victoria storm: keep off the roads, stay at home and prepare for flooding

Keep off the roads, stay at home and prepare for flooding. That was the message from Victorian premier Daniel Andrews, as torrential rain hit the state on Friday.

About 100mm of rain has been forecast for Melbourne between 1 and 3 December.

“With some common sense and looking out for each other, I know Victorians will get through this very difficult period,” Andrews told reporters in Melbourne, as he urged people to leave work early.

He warned Victorians not to become complacent and to check on neighbours and loved ones with more heavy falls to come on Friday night and into Saturday.

In the 24 hours up to 5pm on Friday, the state’s highest rainfall of 73mm was recorded at Arcadia, near Shepparton.

Read The Guardian story - “Victoria storm: keep off the roads, stay at home and prepare for flooding.”

NYC Creates Climate Change Roadmap for Builders: Plan for Rising Seas

The nation's largest city has a message for the architects and engineers planning the New York of tomorrow: Fortify new buildings against the ravages of climate change or risk rebuilding as global warming worsens.

To help plan future buildings and infrastructure that avoids the hazards
of sea level rise, the city designed an interactive flood risk map looking
ahead to the end of the century. This image shows how the flood plain
is expected to expand across more city blocks between 2020
 (light blue) and 2080 (white).

New guidelines issued last week by the office of New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio are some of the most comprehensive for how builders should protect infrastructure against rising seas, more powerful storms and climbing temperatures. They draw on science published in 2015 by a city panel of experts that estimates rainfall, sea level rise and other climatic shifts expected for the city in the decades ahead.

For now, developers are not required to follow the recommendations, but the plan is for all city agencies to be using the guidelines for new projects by the end of the year, according to Susanne DesRoches, deputy director of infrastructure policy for the mayor's Office of Recovery and Resiliency.

Read the Inside Climate News story - “NYC Creates Climate Change Roadmap for Builders: Plan for Rising Seas.”

IKEA spends big to help poorer nations with renewable energy, climate change

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KEA, the world's biggest furniture retailer, plans to spend 1 billion euros ($1.13 billion) on renewable energy and steps to help poor nations cope with climate change, the latest example of firms upstaging governments in efforts to slow warming.

Chief Executive Peter Agnefjall said the measures would "absolutely not" push up prices at the Swedish group's stores. The investments will be "good for customers, good for the climate and good for IKEA too," he told Reuters.

He said the plan was motivated by a desire to tackle climate change, rather than to court favourable publicity. "Getting that message out to the customers is secondary," he said.

An internal review last year showed only 41 percent of its customers see IKEA as a company that "takes social and environmental responsibility", below its goal of 70 percent by 2015.

Read The New York Times report - “IKEA Pledges 1 Billion Euros to Help Slow Climate Change”.