‘Monster' El Nino a chance later this year, pointing to extended dry times

Relief for Australia's drought-hit regions could be a long way off, with climate influences in the Pacific and Indian oceans tilting towards drier conditions and a large El Nino event a possibility by year's end.

Climate scientists said the conditions in the Pacific were particularly concerning given an unusual build-up of equatorial heat below the surface that could provide the fuel for a significant El Nino.

Read the story from The Sydney Morning Herald by Peter Hannam - “‘Monster' El Nino a chance later this year, pointing to extended dry times.”

South Asia floods: Appeals for help as monsoon rains cause havoc in India, Nepal, Bangladesh

There is an urgent need for rescue and relief services on the Indian subcontinent as severe monsoon flooding spreads across India, Nepal and Bangladesh, leaving more than 1,200 people dead since the rains started.

Oxfam says two-thirds of Bangladesh is under water.

Oxfam said its Bangladesh staff reported two-thirds of the country was under water and in some areas the flooding was the worst since 1988, creating an urgent demand for humanitarian supplies.

Wide scale flooding in an arc stretching across the Himalayan foothills caused landslides and washed away tens of thousands of homes and vast swathes of farmland.

The UN said about 40 million had been affected.

Read the ABC News story - “South Asia floods: Appeals for help as monsoon rains cause havoc in India, Nepal, Bangladesh".

How one city is preparing for extreme heat - with trees

The cool shade of a tree makes a hot day more bearable. But in San Fernando, California, a small city near downtown Los Angeles, that relief is hard to find.

Tree People dedicates five years
of care for each tree it plants.

Montañez: “Not only do you have concrete everywhere, you have very few trees in that community.”

That’s Cindy Montañez of the nonprofit “Tree People.”

She says climate change is making the heat in San Fernando worse. Twenty-five years ago, the city experienced about 50 days a year with temperatures over 95 degrees. That number is likely to double to almost 100 days by mid-century.

Read and listen to the Yale Climate Connections story - “How one city is preparing for extreme heat - with trees.”

Turnbull needs to excavate his old 'climate self' if he is to win an election

N

Malcolm Turnbull - needs to go back to
 his old climate-self to win an election.

o more “stop the boats” or “axe the tax”. In announcing his challenge to Tony Abbott on Monday, Malcolm Turnbull promised to take Australian politics away from the mantrafication of policy by three-word chant.

He offered to treat the public intelligently, to engage it with reasoned explanations for policy change, and to fashion a convincing positive economic narrative for Australia.

You could almost hear a collective sigh of relief from the withered body politic.

Read The Conversation story - “If he wants to win an election, Turnbull should go back to his oldself on climate”.