Climate Conversations

Darwin's successor, the late Edward O. Wilson, clearly understood humanity and the dilemmas it facedwhen he said it has "Palaeolithic emotions, medieval Institutions and God-like technology". Read the story about the late professora nd hear the interview in a story from The New York Times: " E.O. Wilson, a Pioneer of Evolutionary Biology, Dies at 92 "; " Deny, delay, d...

The war in Iran, initiated by the U.S. and Israel, may have trapped some twenty per cent of the world's fossil fuels, but sunshine is still free to shine anywhere in the world. This webinar, organised by "Covering Climate Now", was a press briefing considering " The Iran War and the Climate Emergency ". Two websites mentioned by speakers that would help reporters covering t...

Professor David Lindenmayer from the Fenner School of Environment & Society at the Australian National University is critical of many issues impacting Australia's forest industry, arguing he has worn out many pairs of shoes trekking to Federal Parliament to plead the case for the nation's forests. His frustration with the country's politicians, other decision-makers, and industry l...

Dancing will be just one of many activities at the Victorian Degrowth Festival 2026 , being held at Carlton's Curtain Square on Sunday, March 22. Degrowth is an idea whose time has come as nearly 40 stalls, workshops and displays, along with music and dancing, will bring the City of Yarra event to life. One of the organisers, Tonié has urged people to register their intent to attend as it'...

President of the Mansfield Football/Netball Club , Bo Christopher, has seen his club score ever before the season proper has begun, as it teamed with F ooty for Climate to set up solar panels and a battery to capture energy from the sun on the club's facilities, reducing its power costs substantially. Jo Printz from ABC radio, Shepparton , interviewed Bo. " Extreme weather is transforming...

Melbourne Age letter writer questions court finding on Santos. " There’s a New Forecast for Peak Oil Demand. It’s Increasingly Cloudy ."; "‘ Ball bearings in the snow’: The role of climate change in deadly avalanches "; " US Youth, Climate Coalition Sue to Stop Trump EPA ‘From Torching Our Kids’ Future’ "; " Missing Profits May Be a Problem for the Green Transiti...

Sarah Newman (pictured) is the founder and director of the " Climate Mental Health Network " and was the MC for the webinar, "T hriving in an Age of Disasters: Building Emotional Resilience & Taking Climate Action ". One of the speakers was Elizabeth Bagley, the Managing Director of " Project Drawdown ". She encouraged those at the webinar to check out the "...

David Brian (pictured) is the president of the Victorian Hemp Association , which has a field day at Northern Victoria's Nanneella on Sunday, February 22. David is passionate about educating people, particularly farmers, about hemp. He regularly attends exhibitions, conferences, field days and festivals to educate people about hempcrete and its benefits. He also works with farmers in Victoria...

The Director of Strategy and Campaigns at polling firm Redbridge , Kosmos Samaras (pictured), explains the ever-unfolding intricacies of elections, emphasising the importance of climate change. This educational and revealing webinar - " Why We Shouldn’t Be Held Hostage to the Past: Unlocking the Consensus on Pricing Pollution " - was organised by The Superpower Institute. In this third w...

Professor Sarah Perkins-Kirpatrick and Professor Mark Howden (pictured) were at the Australian National University's Climate Update 2026 . Professor Perkins-Kirkpatrick was the keynote speaker. The event, which had the subtitle "Adaptation from soil to stars", helped people understand why, in 2025, Australia experienced simultaneous flooding in the north and drought in the south.  Pr...

Adam Bandt (pictured) is the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Conservation Foundation and just this week was a "guest" on a webinar organised by the foundation's community organiser, Dan Scaysbrook. Bandt has been the leader of the Australian Greens party, but lost his Melbourne seat in the 2025 Federal Election. His new role at the foundation as CEO sees him...

The Washington Post was once one of America's most influential newspapers, and in some ways it still is, but Amazon owner, Jeff Bezos, who bought the paper and had the wealth to sustain it, now appears to be shredding it. Layoffs at this once great newspaper were nowhere near inevitable. But Jeff Bezos was never committed to the paper’s best traditions - " The Washington Post Is in Free F...

I missed the chance to talk with Australian historian Manning Clark, and death again intruded, unexpectedly, to rob me of the chance to meet and talk with Emma Johnston (pictured) - " Emma Johnston was a visionary scientist, environmentalist and leader, with an abiding hope for humanity "; " Grant Guidelines for Libraries and Museums Take “Chilling” Political Turn Under Trump "...

Greg Mullins (pictured), who has fought and experienced fires around the world, was one of two guests on a webinar organised by Australia's " Climate Council ", which discussed how fires that devastated huge parts of America's Los Angeles could easily erupt in Australia. Mullins is the former Chief Fire Officer and CEO (Commissioner) for New South Wales, and he is a member of &qu...

Australian astronaut, Katherine Bennell-Pegg (pictured), is the 2026 Australian of the Year and reminds us that all life on Earth depends on a thin blue envelope surrounding the planet. " Victoria to reach 49 degrees as communities brace for week-long heatwave "; " For the first time, renewable energy is supplying most of our power "; " This Is Why Our Rivers Are Turning I...

Brisbane family, Jon and Emelie Watson, and their two children (pictured) are " Living More With Less " in the Queensland capital city, creating a life free of the W.E.I.R.D.; way of living that most wealthy westerners seem addicted to. Jon and Emily don't insist that others follow their example; rather, they hope to illustrate how living with less brings joy and happiness, a state that eludes mos...

The 1970 music of Edwin Starr (pictured) sent a shiver around the world, and his song " War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing " is as relevant today as it was 55 years ago. Check out the impressive presentation my Canadian PM Mark Carney delivered recently at the Davos World Economic Forum .

Carolyn Ingvarson, pictured at her rooftop-panelled Melbourne home, says the current lack of recycling is a big barrier to many people installing panels - " The dirty secret in Australia’s love affair with rooftop solar "; " Water wars ahead now Australia’s longest river officially critically endangered "; " Country Breakfast "; " Cleeland says government needs t...

Phillip Ruddock (pictured) was Australia's Attorney General in 2005, and along with his parliamentary counterparts was well aware of the perils of climate change - " Cabinet Papers 2005: From The Archives "; " Previously secret cabinet documents reveal Howard government tried to mitigate 'homegrown' terrorist threat "; " Socialism Should Give Us Hope for Tomorr...

Tijana Jovanovic from Queensland's School of Social Impact interviews freelance journalist and author, Bridget Shirvell, about her book " Parenting in a Climate Crisis: A Handbook for Turning Fear into Action ". Shirvell, an Environmental journalist and parent, has created a handbook for parents to help them navigate these questions and more, weaving together expert advice from clima...

David Spratt's " Climate hot takes for 2025 "; " Greenpeace’s Fight With Pipeline Giant Exposes a Legal Loophole "; " When disasters strike, home batteries could be a lifeline "; " Trump Administration Plans to Break Up Premier Weather and Climate Research Center "; " ‘The biggest transformation in a century’: how California remade itself as a clean...

The Shepparton News has one view about how to best care for the Goulburn River (pictured) - "G overnment actions wreak havoc " - and the Goulburn Valley Environment Group has another - " Environment group critiques News" . "I nterstate refugees: Why more Aussies are moving south "; " Trump threatens world-leading forecasting and climate research centre "; &q...

Cascadia Times Editor, Paul Koberstein, teamed with Jessica Applegate to write the wonderful book, " Canopy of Titans: The Life and Times of the Great North American Temperate Rainforest ". The pair had written an article for the Cascadia Times, but realised that what they had was more than a newspaper article; rather, the adventure of researching the great North American temperate rain...

The council of the City of Greater Shepparton has extended its approval for the staging of the Spring Car Nationals at the city's showground, in breach of its covenant with the 2020 climate emergency declaration. That apparently simple act of endorsing the continued use of the city's showgrounds for what is a "climate offensive" event effectively amounts to the hidden approval of...

The Australia Institute's joint CEO, Richard Denniss, (pictured) was one of a trio of guest speakers several weeks ago at an event organised by The Royal Society of Victoria , warning of the emerging problems of recovery from weather-related disasters arising from climate change. ‘" Just heartbreak’: At least a dozen homes lost in bushfires near Sydney "; " ‘Crippling prices’: Manufacturers demand...