Region is heating up: Heat raise alarms for fire danger in north-east area

Shepparton is set to sweat with temperatures above 25°C for the next 48 hours, with the Bureau of Meteorology predicting the state’s first burst of summer heat.

After two weeks of mild temperatures across Victoria, the heat has arrived, raising alarms for fire danger in the north-east area.

Bureau senior meteorologist Richard Carlyon said concerns were justified by lack of rainfall documented and scheduled strong winds.

‘‘Over the last six weeks or so there has been very little rainfall. 

Normally spring can be one of the wetter times of the year, but we just haven’t seen any rain bands develop ahead of cold fronts,’’ he said.

‘‘It has been very dry of late and as temperatures increase, particularly with these windy changes the fire dangers can escalate very quickly.’’

Mr Carlyon said temperatures were set to ease later this afternoon from a northerly wind, which would prepare the state for tomorrow’s heat.

‘‘The temperature will be in the high 20s to low 30s for most of tonight,’’ he said.

‘‘The short burst of heat has come through from Western Australia and it’s only just glancing over Victoria for about 48 hours, which will be followed by some mild weather heading to the weekend.’’

Strong winds are scheduled for the state tomorrow.

Mr Carlyon said winds across central and eastern ranges caused concern.

‘‘The winds look to be strong during the morning . . . a warning for damaging winds may be issued at that time,’’ he said.

Story from The Shepparton News by Madeline Bryan - “Region is heating up: Heat raise alarms for fire danger in north-east area.”

Climate Change Is Already Reshaping How We Farm

Ramón Barba Torres had been working in the fields of Delano, California, for more than a decade when he decided to head north. The summer heat, which he recalls approaching 100 degrees nearly every day, was forcing employers to stop field work after about five hours, and he simply wasn’t making enough money. Torres had migrated from Guadalajara, Mexico, in 2003, at age 16, to help support his mother after his father died, and now he had a family of his own to support. He’d heard rumors that field work paid better, and the weather was more hospitable, in Washington State. So in 2012, he migrated for the season to pick strawberries and blueberries on the Sakuma Brothers farm near Bellingham.

Ramón Torres, cofounder of the Cooperativa
Tierra y Libertad farm in Everson, Washington.

Summer temperatures there rarely rose above 80 degrees, far more tolerable than in the California fields. Some other differences, though, were less welcome. For instance, Washington labor laws allowed children as young as 12 to work in the fields for less than the minimum wage, while in California farmworkers were required to be at least 14 years old. But because he was returning to California after the season, he kept quiet and did his work.

Read the story from The Nation by Audrea Lim - “Climate Change Is Already Reshaping How We Farm.”

Thinking about a sustainable retrofit? Here are three things to consider

Choosing the appliance is the
easy part of retrofitting.

Sitting at home in the summer heat, your mind may start to wander to that fancy new air conditioner.

But when it comes to making your house comfortable and sustainable, prevention is better than cure. By prevention we mean simple retrofits that will set you on the path to comfort and sustainability.

As we spend more than ever on maintaining and improving our homes, we’re also becoming more aware of how their design and use impact on our health and society. Add to this climate change and rising energy costs.

There are many ways to reduce energy and stay comfortable (for instance here and here). Numerous reports suggest it should be possible to reduce your energy use by 50-80% using existing and available materials and appliances.

Appliances are the easy bit, and you can find the most efficient appliances using energy star ratings. But before you go out and buy that air conditioner, consider the following principles that can help you decide what you need to create a comfortable home.

Read the piece on The Conversation - “Thinking about a sustainable retrofit? Here are three things to consider.”