Climate Conversations

Simon Kerr (pictured) is known to many because of his music group, "Music for a Warming World", but his feel for words extends well past song lyrics, extending to this thoughtful and almost jarring piece about the climate crisis. Simon's most recent piece of writing - "It’s time to rapidly rethink the climate crisis"  - has appeared on the international website, Medium. Although Simon would never...

Finding success in failure can be little more than a "mind trick" or it can be a reality - my visit to the Echuca Moama Market on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 8, was in terms of recording interviews for this podcast, was unquestionably a failure, but for me, it was a success. This podcast is about keeping people abreast of climate change and helping them understand how they should respond  and that i...

Author, podcaster and "Climate Engager", Sarah Wilson (pictured), was one of six guests on a webinar staged last night (Friday, April 6) by the Australian Conservation Foundation - the event was entitled "Together We Can Solve the Climate Crisis". The six-strong panel took a deep dive into climate solutions that are here now, and ready to go. Taking Sarah's advice, check out the George Carlin clip...

Tatura's Jacob Dedman (pictured)has faithfully recorded images of the birds living in the town's Cussen Park, publishing them in a book, a book that is now available in its second printing; an improved edition. More can be discovered about the 17-year-old photographer at his website - "Digital Journey Photography". The birds of Cussen Park, just like our birds everywhere, need our help and it's th...

A public forum at Melbourne's St Paul's Cathedral entitled "Fighting a Climate Emergency" was held under a huge three dimensional (it is seven metres across) artwork of Gaia created by British artist, Luke Jerram. Ever worsening warnings of trouble for the Shepparton-based Nicholls electorate has reached a new level with the Climate Council declaring the Federal Seat to be the worst in Australia w...

President of the Goulburn Valley Environment Group, John Pettigrew (pictured), argues for leadership to help Australians navigate the climate crisis. Mr Pettigrew was interviewed by the ABC about the flooding in Nicholls and the fact that some 25% of homes in Shepparton will be uninsurable in the story - "Climate Council finds 25pc of homes in Nicholls electorate will be uninsurable by 2030 as flo...

Climate Conversations is eager to hear from ordinary people (I say that, but there is really no such thing as in our own way we are all unique and so rather special) about what they think about climate change. We will have a short conversation about the dilemma, I'll record that chat to create a new episode for Climate Conversations. So please come along a have a chat with me - I'll be set up and...

Shepparton's new multi-million dollar courthouse (pictured) is, along with the rest of the city, at risk of being uninsurable because of risks posed by climate change -  Shepparton proper is on a flood plain and so threatened with flooding. Yes, Shepparton is a benign place, but it is strikingly flat and while for decades that has been a bonus allowing for extensive irrigation, it is now a burden...

Charlie Prell (pictured) chairs Farmers for Climate Action and talks here with Climate Conversations about a recent media release from the group, "Farmers deserve certainty on net-zero target". Charlie's sheep farm at Crookwell, about an hour north of Canberra on the New South Wales southern highlands, hosts a wind farm and being able to see one of the turbines from his kitchen window, Charlie has...

Professor David Karoly (pictured) is retired and no longer working with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and having shed those shackles he can now present publicly with the honesty and frankness for which he had become known. A story from The Guardian has quoted him:  - "CSIRO has become ‘extravagant consulting company’, one of its former top climate scienti...

Today we have something of a mixed bag. First, we hear from a new member of the Climactic Collective, "The BIrd Emergency"; The publisher of the Climactic Collective, Mark Spencer, moved from Melbourne to New Zealand but has now moved back to the Victoria capital and reports from a small park above one of the city's freeways. Setting itself up for the Federal election, The Conversation polled some...

The podcast "Nourishing Matters to Chew On" talked with the Chief Executive of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation (ARLF), Matt Linnegar, who helped us grasp more completely the importance of good leadership in these different and difficult times. Nourishing Matters to Chew is one of the many podcasts hosted by the "Climactic Collective" Other Quick Climate Links for today are: "‘It’s just...

Hello everyone! Ngadyu narri Coedie - My name is Coedie  As a Wangan Jagalingou man, I invite you to come to my Country.  I am writing to you from Waddananggu, where we have occupied Wangan and Jagalingou homelands for over 6 months now opposite the Adani/Bravus Carmichael mine pit.  I am inviting you to join me on my homelands for the Annual Tour De Carmichael – Cycle for Countrybeing held on Wan...

Better Futures Australia pulled together a powerful array of speakers to help us better understand the role transport plays in taking us closer to a plan to lower our carbon dioxide emissions. The event was hosted by Climate Action Network Australia's Program Director for Better Futures Australia, Lisa Cliff, and featured a researcher from The Australia Institute, Audrey Quicke; a Project Manager...

Senator Matt Canavan (pictured) has declared LNP's net-zero by 2050 target as "dead". Subsequently, some of his National Party compatriots have told him to "pull his head in". You can read about that in this story - "Net-zero ‘dead’: Nationals force climate war eruption in Coalition" and hear his National Party counterpart, Michelle Landry, telling him the pull his head in - "Matt Canavan told to...

Andrea Otto (pictured) is urgently worried about the climate crisis and as a Fusion Party candidate is seeking election on May 21 to the Federal, Seat of Nicholls. Andrea lives near Gunbower and works as an accountant with the Swan Hill Rural City Council and sees her home patch near Gunbower with its forests and magnificent waterways as both an inspiring and wonderful place to live. She is concer...

Bill Lodwick (pictured) represented the Australian Labor Party at the 2019 Federal Election when he contested the Seat of Nicholls and he is back again to contest the seat in the May 21 election. The Labor candidate was one of nine who fronted an audience of about 200 people at a "Nicholls Federal Election Candidates Forum " organized by the Committee for Greater Shepparton. The candidates' forum...

Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner (pictured) is a Marshallese climate activist and a poet convinced that words and art will help us deal with the climate crisis - she shared the stage with fellow climate activist and wordsmith, Bill McKibben in the final event in the 2022 Global Shifts Colloquium staged by Perry World House, "Islands on the Climate Front Line: Risk and Resilience." By coincidence, we feature a...

ANZAC DAY is about emotion and the climate crisis is about facts, and the former clearly has more clout than the latter. You can learn about the association of anxiety with the climate crisis and how it's impacting our health in the story: "Helping Kids with Climate Anxiety". The climate and our economic system is considered in "Making Money Easy" when Gillian Bowen asks "Climate action – do we ha...

Dr Haydn Washington (pictured) was one of the speakers at yesterday's (Saturday, April 23) digital workshop staged by the Australian Centre for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy (CASSE). The late Robert Kennedy understood the need for a steady-state economy and was assassinated soon after introducing the idea to the people of America. Other Quick Climate Links for today are: "Confronting...

Ian Christoe (pictured) has again stepped forward to represent The Greens in the Federal Seat of Nicholls in the May 21 election. The Undera farmer is a little late to the campaign as the person who had been nominated by The Greens withdrew and being eager to see a local nominee, Ian decided to again run, making this his fifth tilt at politics. Enjoy "Music for a Warming World". Support the show:...

Learn more here about Climarte's Poster Project through the group's 2022 event: "Poster Project III: WHY A CALL TO ART? Forum". Check out these podcasts: "Can We Get Clean Energy Without Dirty Mines?': "Are Paris Climate Goals Still Within Reach?". Other Quick Climate Links for today are: "Polling Council rejects Liberal complaint against Climate 200 polls"; "Landmark hearing into Clive Palmer’s G...

Alex Halliday (pictured), the Director of Columbia University’s Earth Institute, sees climate change as all-encompassing. Here he moderates the webinar "Climate Change and the Future of Our Cities" which was a Special Earth Day Presentation with Amale Andraos and Andrew Smyth. Enjoy "Music for a Warming World" Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/climateconversations

'Big Ideas Into Action' from the World Resources institute considers the latest IPCC reports - "The IPCC Reports on Climate Change". We go to "Crazy Town" for a serious main course with a side of frivolity. Other Quick Climate Links for today are: "Two of Victoria’s biggest coal-fired power stations hit with faults"; "Climate action: Victoria's emissions reduction target for 2035"; "Enough About C...

Our pollies (the Australian PM Scott Morrison shown here in a mural) seem to be oblivious to the reality that is climate change and that is leading to Australia's climate change isolation - "‘Climate laggards’: Australian isolationism puts us on par with Saudi Arabia". And it's: "Saving Democracy to Save Climate. Saving Climate To Save Democracy". "The climate clock: What’s the world’s carbon budg...