Climate change strikes across Australia see student protesters defy calls to stay in school

Tens of thousands of young Australians have walked out of their classrooms today to stage protests in capital cities demanding action on climate change.

Melbourne protest organisers said about 20,000
people attended the rally outside Parliament House.

Rallies began in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Canberra and Hobart outside state parliament buildings and town halls.

Students have also marched at rallies across regional Australia, with large crowds protesting at Geelong, Byron Bay, Coffs Harbour, Cairns and Townsville.

Many used humour to get their point across, with posters referencing internet memes and suggesting fail grades for the nation's political efforts on climate change policy.

Read the story from ABC News - “Climate change strikes across Australia see student protesters defy calls to stay in school.”

Minor earthquakes emerge as major threat to UK fracking

Protests, legal challenges and planning rejections have failed to stop the return of fracking in Britain, but the government’s regulations on earthquakes are fast emerging as the biggest threat to the nascent shale gas industry.

 Cuadrilla’s fracking well at Little Plumpton
 ( with Blackpool Tower behind) in Lancashire.

The energy company Cuadrilla has been forced to stop work at its Preston New Road site in Lancashire twice in four days – on Friday last week and on Monday – due to minor earthquakes occurring while it was fracking. The tremors breached a seismic threshold imposed after fracking caused minor earthquakes at a nearby Cuadrilla site in 2011.

Read the story from The Guardian by Adam Vaughan - “Minor earthquakes emerge as major threat to UK fracking.”

Donald Trump's environment boss Scott Pruitt heading to Australia.

A climate science critic and one of the most controversial figures in the Trump administration will soon tour Australia in a visit environmental activists are likely to target with protests.

Controversial US Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) boss, Scott Pruit, will soon tour Australia.

Lawyer Scott Pruitt was last year handpicked by Donald Trump to head the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Critics accuse the former Oklahoma attorney-general of trying to weaken the EPA since assuming his role as administrator in February.

The ABC has confirmed the Republican politician is scheduled to fly to Australia this year, joining other Trump administration figures who have already made the journey, including Vice-President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defence James Mattis.

Federal Government backbencher and climate change sceptic Craig Kelly has welcomed Mr Pruitt's impending visit.

Read Andrew Green’s story on ABC News - “Donald Trump's environment boss Scott Pruitt heading to Australia.”