Climate Conversations

Bushfire expert, David Bowman, has warned us against "kicking the can down the road" - he asks: " Could what happened in LA occur here? Short answer: Yes "; " Los Angeles prepares for return of strong winds as fire death toll rises to 16 "; " Five battles that will define Australia’s climate war election "; " The Last House Standing "; " Gov. Gavin Newsom says he expects death toll will rise "; "...

Tesla and X owner, billionaire Elon Musk uses his position to spead disinformation about the LA fires and the California Fire Authority using sexist and racist language: " Elon Musk blames female firefighters of colour for LA fires "; " Their homes torched amid a housing crisis, L.A. residents wonder where to go "; "‘ We don’t know the half of it’: More deaths feared in ever-expanding LA fires ";...

What's happened in Los Angeles is a portent for what we could see in Australia according to: listen to Greg Mullins - " As California burns, how will Australia respond to this climate-fuelled crisis? "; " Los Angeles residents flee wildfire, firefighters battle blaze in Pacific Palisades "; " Southern California is extremely dry, and that’s fueling fires − maps show just how dry ;" " BoM data find...

Devastating fires at Palisades in America's California are, in my view from some 12,000 kilometres away, a direct outcome of climate change. " What it was like on the ground as the Pacific Palisades fire spread "; " California wildfires ignite as strong winds fuel flames "; " The A.I. Power Grab "; " The new phantom menace isn’t as bad as you think. Waymo rocks! "; " Fires rage out of control acro...

Geelong's Climate Cafe meets again this month - " Climate Café launched in Geelong "; " Winter Storm Blankets the East Coast, With Arctic Air on Its Heels "; " Locking up a 77-year-old climate protester is proof of a broken justice system "; " Wind Wars "; " Cost-of-living crisis meets new era of electric cars "; " Biden Bans New Oil and Gas Drilling Along Most U.S. Coasts "; " What Would It Take...

Ingrid Robeyns (pictured) has written an amazingly timely book - "Limitarianism: The Case Against Extreme Wealth ". You can hear an interview with her by Adam Canover on " Factually - Why Billionaires Should Be Banned ". Powerful writing by Adam Knox in the Melbourne Age - " It’s worse than any war or pandemic, so why are our leaders ignoring it? "; " More than 100 water rescues as heatwave sweeps...

Heat records are tumbling - " Australia just had its second-hottest year on record – and temperatures will rise again "; " The $80 billion question buried in Dutton’s nuclear power plan "; " Victoria braces for weekend heatwave as total fire ban declared in state’s west "; " The key step to making your holiday period more environmentally friendly" ; " Drilling could resume where a 1969 oil spill i...

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter (pictured) died a few days ago at 100. Here is Jonathon Altrer, who said that as President, " He peered over the horizon, especially on energy and the environment "; " Canary Media’s top 10 clean energy stories in 2024 "; " A Triple Threat to Humanity: Climate Change, Pandemics, and Anti-Science "; " Nuclear power had a strong year in 2024, but uncertainty looms...

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (pictured) looks back, looks ahead and looks for hope. " Podcast: Facing the world at 3-degrees of warming "; " New York to fine fossil fuel companies $75 billion under new climate law "; " Long recovery ahead for wildlife hurt by Grampians fire, ecologist says "; " Is there a new energy future for Australia’s remaining oil refiners? "; " 2024’s most costly cl...

There are now more electric cars on Norway's roads than petrol models - " Saturday Extra Summer "; " Victorian fire authorities confirm one home and sheds destroyed in Grampians bushfires "; " Grampians fire expected to burn for weeks, as warnings scaled down, residents return "; " REFRESH – Big Plastic: The New Big Oil "; " Climate crisis exposed people to extra six weeks of dangerous heat in 202...

Michigan's "Tim" who declares himself "troll" says: To completely replace fossil fuels with any other energy source, we'd have to ramp up mining, replace giant fleets of machines, and rebuild a massive amount of infrastructure, not to mention inevitable changes to how we live.  Doing that will (A) burn a bunch of carbon in the short run, (B) create new waste problems in the long run, (C) take too...

Our costs jump at Christmas and so do our house gas emissions - " A pot plant tree, homemade gifts: How to have a sustainable Christmas "; " Why Trump will force Labor to delay 2035 climate target, and the Dutton challenge that follows "; " Is It Wrong to Bring a Child Into Our Warming World? "; " Arctic Tundra Shifts to Source of Climate Pollution, According to New Report Card "; " How the Renewa...

Australia's Liberal Party Leader Peter Dutton (pictured) has abandoned facts, and his party's fundamental beliefs to argue the benefits of nuclear power: " Dutton said a reactor’s waste would fill a Coke can. Try 27,000 of them "; " ‘He’s scared’: Dutton demands debate as Albanese taunts ‘hiding’ opposition leader "; " Police, nurses and firefighters to be enticed to buy electric vehicles "; " Is...

Tim answers the call for comment and Peter Dutton (pictured) releases costs for nuclear power. " ‘Farcical’: PM rubbishes Dutton’s nuclear plan "; " The Coalition reveals the cost of its nuclear power plan – but the devil is in the missing detail "; " Malaysia, Thailand brace for more rains after floods kill more than 30 "; " Australia sweats through hottest spring on record as temperatures soar 2...

Carl Sagan (pictured) testified before Congress in 1985 about the perils of climate change - " Carl Sagan testifying before Congress in 1985 on climate change "; Here's the chance to listen early to the latest episode of " The Climate Revolution series coming up, with Dr Mark Diesendorf and three economists ." " Peter Dutton’s bid to politicise top science agency is ‘absurd’, former CSIRO energy d...

Dave Sweeney (pictured) stood on Melbourne's Collins St and told the crowd of about 30 why nuclear power stations are a bad idea and a step backwards for Australia. Dave, a nuclear-free campaigner with the Australian Conservation Foundation , was also the co-founder of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) , two things about which he is passionate and subsequently deeply com...

Seven years ago the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) won the Nobel Peace Prize and T,oday the Executive Director, Melissa Parke (pictured) was interviewed on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Sunday Extra program and pointed out that climate change could cause devastation equal to nuclear war, albeit slower., the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (IC...

The Melbourne office of Friends of the Earth organized a Collins St protest outside a building that was the venue for a Federal Government inquiry into the Liberal National Party's idea that Australia should build and commission seven nuclear power stations throughout the nation. More than 30 people joined the noisy but peaceful demonstration. While passers-by were left with no doubt the nuclear p...

Former NSW Liberal Party Treasurer, Matt Kean (pictured), talks with Michelle Grattan about how he felt before and after COP29 at Baku - " Politics with Michelle Grattan: Climate Change Authority head Matt Kean says ‘put more solar panels on commercial rooftops’ "; " Social media can harm children's mental health. The question now is whether a ban will help or make it worse "; " A $13 billion, 30-...

Transition Town's end-of-year dinner reminds us that most people can't grasp or even attempt to understand the implications and ramifications of climate change. " The struggle against climate change is foundering. Enter Trump. "; " A strange new climate era is beginning to take hold "; " Post US Election Blues: Where Do We Take Our Activism from Here? "; " ‘ Unprecedented’ climate extremes are eve...

Peter Fiekowsky (pictured) has played a critical role in developing The Foundation for Climate Restoration . At the recent finale of the Founders Series for 2024 , he said, "It is an idea whose time has come." Peter has agreed to be a guest on Climate Conversations, but as I confused the international time zones (Peter's in the U.S. and I'm in Australia) we failed to connect - my fault.

A decade ago Rob Dietz and Daniel O'Neill were so concerned about our prolific use of Earth's resources that they wrote the book: " Enough is Enough: Building a Sustainable Economy in a World of Finite Resources " " Delhi’s air turns deadly "; " Are we locked in a dangerous illusion? "; " Future Council: How Children are Responding to our Planetary Crises "; " AI’s hunger for electric power is thr...

A hybrid event featuring the GV Community Energy CEO, Geoff Lodge (pictured), attracted about 80 people, who heard about how to "Cool Down your Home, this Summer". Geoff, who some would describe as the "full bottle" when it comes to home energy efficiency, talked about improving insulation ("installation trumps insulation"), maximising ventilation, and broadly capitalizing on energy efficiency. Th...

Hundreds of researchers and scientists have gathered in Hobart this week for what they're calling an "emergency" summit on Antarctica. It comes as the federal government defends its level of funding for scientific research in the region but it's resisting calls to fund a second ice-breaker vessel to help carry it out - listen to Professor Matt King, the director of the Australian Research Council'...

The recent "Relax Festival" in Tatura organized by " Tatura Transition Towns " was highly successful, on a comparative basis. More than 100 people came to the town's Stuart Mock Place to enjoy free music; a free barbecue cooked on induction hotplates powered by an electric car; learn about composting; watch a karate display; book in to either see a rather special garden and visit another home and...