Federal judge demands Trump administration reveal how its drilling plans will fuel climate change

A federal judge ruled late Tuesday that the Interior Department violated federal law by failing to take into account the climate impact of its oil and gas leasing in the West.

Scientists say global warming nears an irreversible level,
President Trump has been promoting business growth
 instead of climate change.

The decision by U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras of Washington marks the first time the Trump administration has been held to account for the climate impact of its energy-dominance agenda, and it could signal trouble for the president’s plan to boost fossil fuel production across the country. Contreras concluded that Interior’s Bureau of Land Management “did not sufficiently consider climate change” when making decisions to auction off federal land in Wyoming to oil and gas drilling in 2015 and 2016. The judge temporarily blocked drilling on roughly 300,000 acres of land in the state.

Read the story from The Washington Post by Juliet Eilperin - “Federal judge demands Trump administration reveal how its drilling plans will fuel climate change.”

What makes a horror fire danger day?

Textbook fire conditions are forecast over the next few days as hot northerly winds bear down on south-eastern Australia and a cold front creeps across from the west.

Fire is a part of life in Australia, but some
conditions can signal catastrophic danger.

The danger has been rated as extreme today for the Mount Lofty Ranges and Lower South East of South Australia, with the worst of the threat expected to move into Victoria's Mallee and Northern Country forecast areas on Friday.

Very high to severe fire danger has been forecast for Tasmania as the front moves through. The state is already battling several major bushfires and a total fire ban is in effect for the entire state until Monday.

There is a classic set-up that signals disastrous fire danger in Australia, so when this pattern develops it's important to sit up and pay attention.

Read the ABC News story by Kate Doyle - “What makes a horror fire danger day?”