Climate Conversations

Osprey Orielle Lake (pictured) is passionate and committed to navigating through the "keyhole" of opportunity we have to avoid the worst of the climate crisis. Osprey founded " The Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) ", international, and through that organisation engages women and feminists across the gender spectrum worldwide in policy advocacy, on-the-ground pro...

The Melbourne-based "Conversation at The Crossroads" opened its six-week series, " Ethics in Turbulent Times: How to Bring Society to Higher Ground " with broad and sweeping discussion and a presentation from the internationally known philosopher, Peter Singer (pictured). During his presentation at the University College at the University of Melbourne, Mr Singer mentioned the p...

Shepparton businessman, Sebastian Mangiameli (pictured), is thoroughly impressed with his long-range all-wheel-drive Tesla. The car, he explains is economical in every sense, and requires almost no servicing, has the latest in technology and most everything can be attended to in a virtual sense with upgrades being applied by the Tesla factory. This exciting, new and different way of buying and own...

The devastation of Super Typhoon Rai showed a whole generation of Filipino youth the impacts of climate change, according to youth activist Grace Ann Enriquez. Now in Canberra, she's joining First Nations climate activist Eduardo Maher and other youth campaigners in calling for the federal government to take stronger action on climate change " 'I lost my childhood home': From disa...

Bill McKibben (pictured) writes in The Guardian about the danger of Donald Trump winning the U.S. Presidential election - " Donald Trump gets everything wrong about the climate crisis "; " Hottest summer on record could lead to warmest year ever measured "; " Households, EVs to the rescue as Australia’s emissions cuts stagnate "; " ‘Make good on what they promise...

Kelsie Williams (pictured) has a key role with Farmers for Climate Action along with Paul Stark, a Policy and Farmer Engagement Officer with the group, who represented the organisation on the Thursday, September 5, screening of the movie, " Farming Forever ". The screening was held at the University of Melbourne's " Melbourne Connect " building. Among the small crowd was Ke...

Kamala Harris (pictured) rarely mentions the 'C' word as she campaigns to become the next U.S. President and although that was once the case in news stories it's now becoming almost daily usage. " Why Kamala Harris has said the c-word only twice on the campaign trail "; " How climate change accelerated spring winds "; " Clean up begins but strong winds will hit...

An American listener, "Tim" from Michigan, quoted Carl Sagan: "Extinction is the rule, survival the exception". Tim has argued, in an email: "If we want to be exceptional we have to move the Overton Window a lot more than Tom Steyer can even imagine". My American friend was commenting on a recent " Climate Conversation s" episode featuring a discussion betwe...

The recent launch of The Shepparton Irrigation Region Land and Water Management Plan for 2050 was a wonderful opportunity to record some impressive speakers, but put to the test, I failed - what I recorded was less than adequate. The event, at Girgarre's Gargarro Botanic Garden Cafe, was attended by more than 100 people and was organized by the " Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Autho...

Tom Steyer (pictured) put himself up for election in America's 2020 presidential race, but unfortunately for America and the world, chance did not fall his way. Steyer was a guest on the interview program organised by Climate One and shared the stage with Greg Dalton, the face, and voice of Climate One. Although Steyer never became the U.S. president, he has not allowed that to discourage him...

A fellow who questions the legitimacy of our economic system and is the convenor of Public Interests before Corporate Interests (PIBCI ), Joseph Toscsano, has a Wattle Day Picnic coming up this Sunday in Melbourne's Parliament Gardens. " Green dreams go bad: Why feel-good investing doesn’t make for good returns "; " Big emitters chase new climate fix: turning their pollution int...

Genevieve Barlow (pictured) was part of a core community group that spent the best part of two decades creating a solar farm for the central Victorian community. Along with others on the Renewable Newstead committee, Genevieve worked with the State Government and ultimately " Flow Power " to make the solar farm a reality. Interest from across Australia in what has happened at Newstead wa...

University of Queensland economist, Professor John Quiggin (pictured), concerns himself with many things, including his fitness by running half marathons and presently training for an Ironman event, but central to his thinking is the economy. Professor Quiggin has long contributed to the public conversation, regularly writing articles for The Conversation and The Guardian . His latest work, a comp...

The idea of net zero by 2050, considered by many, including Adrian Whitehead , to be 'suicidal' is back in the news: " Australia’s window for hitting net zero is ‘rapidly closing’ "; Filmmaker, Damon Gameau, has given viewers something new with " Future Council: The kids talking truth to power "; " Girls in Southern Africa are being married off in exchange for food...

Hard economic and practical evidence dispels misinformation about farming sheep under solar panels - check out the Geni Energy website. The Goulburn Valley in northern Victoria needs a renewable energy hub, but interestingly it already has one, GV Community Energy just needs State Government recognition. The Shepparton Irrigation Region is planning for the future with its soon-to-be-launched 2050...

Adrian Whitehead (pictured) has spent most of life doing what he could to make people aware of environmental issues. Those early concerns have morphed into taking direct action on global warming and saw him play a significant role in the establishment of " Beyond Zero Emissions ". Adrian was one of a small group that worked to see Melbourn's " Darebin City Council " become...

Nobel-Prize winning economist, former World Bank Chief Economist Professor Joseph E. Stiglitz (pictured) speaks on a webinar organised by " The Australia Institute "; " Australian fossil fuel exports ranked second only to Russia for climate damage with ‘no plan’ for reduction "; " Greek officials advise staying in with windows shut due to fires near Athens "; "‘...

Melbourne's Arnold Dix (pictured) is something of a polymath, who is terrified of climate change, but who sees some value in Australia adopting nuclear power and he discusses that in a Melbourne Age story - " The ‘scared’ green activist who is now embracing a nuclear future "; " Magic thinking vs the hard truth of climate change "; " Last summer was so hot on the Great...

The latest webinar from the Maryland Department of Planning during its Climate Resilience Month was entitled: " Community Action for Climate Change ". Unprecedented heat waves, storms of the century, and devastating fires are impacting communities across the country. While large-scale interventions in policy and technology are necessary to preserve the planet, the most impactful adaptati...

Bert Lobert and his compatriots from " Save our Strathbogie Forest " are eager to keep what remains of the forest intact, especially for all the animals who live there and, of course, the thousands of people who enjoy the amenities it provides. The focus of the original legal case put by the group was the Southern Greater Glider (a young Greater Glider is pictured looking out from its th...

Australia's Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek (pictured), spent almost an hour listening to and chatting with people from all over the country during an online event organised by the Queensland Conservation Council . The event, entitled "An Evening with the Minister, Strengthening our Nature Laws", had the Chief Executive of the Conversation Council of South Australia , Kirsty Be...

The realities of climate change were spelt out with distinct clarity at the Tuesday, August 6, forum, both in person and online, organised by the Australian National University through its Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions . The keynote speaker was the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services, Stephen Jones. Mr Jones said his government, the Australian Labor Gover...

The Titanic, on its maiden voyage in 1912, is something of a metaphor for the world community today - like those in charge of the ocean liner, we know there's trouble ahead, but we steam into the future, doing nothing or little to make the world, and the people on "spaceship Earth" climate-ready. " Earth broke all-time heat record two days in a row, scientists say "; "...

Professor Joseph Camilleri (pictured) has long believed in the power of conversation. He acted on that belief about three years ago and set up the Melbourne-based group, " Conversation at the Crossroads ". Here he talks about that group, and the power of conversation and alerts listeners to an upcoming series of six, weekly sessions entitled " Ethics in Turbulent Times: How to Bring...

" Living Hot: Thriving and Surviving on a Heating Planet ", co-authored by Clive Hamilton and George Wilkenfeld, tells the blunt truth about our current climate change predicament: it's time to get cracking on making Australia resilient to intensifying climate extremes. If we prepare well, we can give ourselves a fighting chance to preserve some of the best of what we have, build str...