Naming the elephant in the room - 'climate change'

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ushfires have been raging in many parts of Australia over the last week, with Victoria particularly affected. As we write, there is an out-of-control bushfire near Lancefield.

Australia regularly experiences such bushfires – in summer. But this is the first week of October. Indeed both Victoria and South Australia set a temperature record for the start of October.

Interestingly in 2013, the Climate Council put out a report Be Prepared: Climate Change and the Australian Bushfire Threat, where they noted: “In southeast Australia the fire season is becoming longer, reducing the opportunities for hazard reduction burning. These changes have been most marked in spring, with fire weather extending into October and March.”

Read the Climate Action Moreland story - “Bushfires in earlyOctober – Why won’t government name the elephant in the room? Hint: it’s called “climate change”.

Climate change making Australian drought conditions worse

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limate change is making drought conditions in southwest and southeast Australia worse, with serious ramifications for people’s health and the agriculture industry, a new paper has warned.

The Climate Council report states that since the mid-1990s, southeast Australia has experienced a 15 percent drop in rainfall during late autumn and early winter, with a 25 percent slump in average rainfall in April and May.

The Climate Central story - “Climate Change Makes Droughts in Australia Worse” – says that severe droughts were linked to a drop in agricultural productivity and a 15 percent increase in suicide risk for rural males aged between 30 and 49.