Are the bushfires Scott Morrison's Hurricane Katrina moment that he can't live down?
5 years ago

Are the bushfires Scott Morrison's Hurricane Katrina moment that he can't live down?

ABC  

Hurricane Katrina was one of the worst natural disasters in US history. As people yell at the Prime Minister when he visits their devastated communities, or howl for his blood on social media, the story of Bush's failure to immediately recognise a catastrophe and the urgent need for leadership it represented tells us what problems are created by Scott Morrison's perplexing failures of political and policy judgement in recent weeks. But the scale of this ongoing catastrophe — which on Thursday saw the one of the biggest peacetime evacuations in our history — and its likely length, means the Prime Minister and his Government will be daily confronting the realities of climate change in their response, however much they continue to choke on the words. For starters, that poses big problems for all those glib "meet it and beat it" responses to climate change questions by Morrison and his ministers. Treasurer and Deputy Liberal Leader Josh Frydenberg said on Thursday that what the Government is focused on is "the most effective way for Australia to meet its international obligations, recognising that we are, as a planet, seeing climate change and we need to be part of the global solution, which we are".

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History of this topic

This year's federal budget offers a preview of what the next decade of climate wars will look like
7 months, 3 weeks ago

This year's federal budget offers a preview of what the next decade of climate wars will look like

ABC  

Below the radio grabs for this budget — the $300 power bill rebate for every household and the extra rent assistance and the tax cuts and the inevitable "does my budget look inflationary in this?" There was a suggestion, even, that by budget day 2024 — that is to say, yesterday — Mr Dutton would have released six proposed sites …

Australia is better prepared for bushfires now than before Black Summer, but firefighters say there's still more work to do
1 year, 3 months ago

Australia is better prepared for bushfires now than before Black Summer, but firefighters say there's still more work to do

ABC  

For the first time in three years, Australians face the risk of significant bushfires. "We're much better prepared than we were prior to the Black Summer," Dr Cope says. The royal commission recommended Australia invest in things called "downscaled climate models" — models that provide projections for areas down to just a few kilometres. "It was a royal commission put …

'Australia is sleepwalking': A bushfire scientist explains what the Hawaii tragedy means for our flammable continent
1 year, 4 months ago

'Australia is sleepwalking': A bushfire scientist explains what the Hawaii tragedy means for our flammable continent

ABC  

As I hear reports of the fire tearing through the Hawaiian island of Maui, I feel utterly depressed. Northern Hemisphere inundated with climate disasters Photo shows Men in white shirts fight an orange blaze of fire As the global temperature hits a record high, the Northern Hemisphere is feeling the full impact of how climate change is hitting us hard …

‘Climate wars’: Australia caps major fossil fuel polluters
1 year, 9 months ago

‘Climate wars’: Australia caps major fossil fuel polluters

Al Jazeera  

New laws signal the end of Australia’s decade of political brawling that repeatedly derailed attempts to tackle its contribution to global warming. Experts on Thursday said the laws signalled the end of Australia’s bitter “climate wars” – a decade of political brawling that has repeatedly derailed attempts to tackle the country’s contribution to global warming. “What the parliament has done …

Australia is unprepared for the health consequences of climate change: report
2 years, 2 months ago

Australia is unprepared for the health consequences of climate change: report

ABC  

Australia is unprepared for the health burden of climate change, and our lack of a national climate change and health adaptation plan has put Australians' lives at risk, according to a report. Key points: Almost all aspects of human health are declining due to climate change, according to reports Concurrent crises, such as geopolitical conflict and disease outbreaks, exacerbate climate …

Australia passes landmark climate change bill for net zero emissions by 2050
2 years, 4 months ago

Australia passes landmark climate change bill for net zero emissions by 2050

Firstpost  

The legislation, a key election promise of Australia’s new centre-left Labor government, aims to slash emissions in the carbon-intensive economy by 43 per cent from 2005 levels Sydney: Australia on Thursday passed its first major climate change bill in over a decade, codifying emissions targets and enshrining into its law for the first time a goal to reach net zero …

Climate change has made old measures predicting weather events in Australia 'essentially worthless'
2 years, 7 months ago

Climate change has made old measures predicting weather events in Australia 'essentially worthless'

ABC  

When Jo Groves bought her property in Lismore, she worked hard to make it her own and thought she would grow old in it. Key points: Statistical measures like the "one-in-100-year flood" level are used by authorities in Australia to determine safe building standards Experts say climate change has made those measures "essentially worthless" They say accurate climate change projections …

Australian election: Where is climate change on the agenda?
2 years, 7 months ago

Australian election: Where is climate change on the agenda?

Al Jazeera  

The majority of Australians want action on climate change, but you would not know that from the campaign for Saturday’s election. “Despite decades of warnings from scientists about climate change, Australia is unprepared for the supercharged weather that it is now driving,” said Hilary Bambrick, co-author of Australia’s annual assessment of progress on climate adaptation. “Australia is at the forefront …

Climate wars enter election campaign — and Scott Morrison, Angus Taylor rely on old tactics
2 years, 8 months ago

Climate wars enter election campaign — and Scott Morrison, Angus Taylor rely on old tactics

ABC  

If you thought Australia's infamous "climate wars" were staying out of the election campaign, think again. Last election we saw the Coalition claim modelling revealed Labor's emissions reduction target would take a "wrecking ball" to the economy — costing hundreds of thousands of jobs, pushing up energy bills and cost the economy half a trillion dollars. In a story run …

Scott Morrison: Under-fire Australia PM says up to companies, not government, to tackle climate crisis
3 years, 1 month ago

Scott Morrison: Under-fire Australia PM says up to companies, not government, to tackle climate crisis

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Australian prime minister Scott Morrison on Saturday sought to shift the responsibility for tackling the …

Cop26: Climate crisis victims tell their stories
3 years, 2 months ago

Cop26: Climate crisis victims tell their stories

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “To see such destruction near the place that I grew up made the climate crisis much more real.” He …

Deputy Speaker warns PM not to blindside Nationals as climate talks heat up
3 years, 2 months ago

Deputy Speaker warns PM not to blindside Nationals as climate talks heat up

ABC  

The Deputy Speaker of Australia's House of Representatives has warned Prime Minister Scott Morrison not to blindside the Nationals party room in an effort to lock in a plan to cut carbon emissions. Key points: Llew O'Brien says he will not back any plan to cut carbon emissions unless it benefits his electorate He warned the PM against trying to …

Analysis: Australia’s climate policy is being dictated by a former accountant in a cowboy hat
3 years, 3 months ago

Analysis: Australia’s climate policy is being dictated by a former accountant in a cowboy hat

CNN  

CNN — Australia’s Prime Minister has all but confirmed he won’t join global leaders at crucial climate talks in Glasgow. “It’s talking to people in regional Australia, how the deputy prime minister and I believe our plan will help them in their communities, how our plan will help them realize their future.” With that remark, Morrison made it clear his …

Australia widely criticised over emission reduction targets ahead of COP26 climate talks
3 years, 4 months ago

Australia widely criticised over emission reduction targets ahead of COP26 climate talks

ABC  

This week has seen the UK, the US and others pile onto Australia's approach to climate change at a virtual conference on climate action. Ban Ki-moon put it bluntly: "Australia's current goal of a 26 to 28 per cent reduction on 2005 levels by 2030, and the absence of a national zero emissions target, is out of step with its …

As Australia's COVID crisis reaches boiling point, Morrison seems unable to articulate what's wrong with our lack of policy
3 years, 5 months ago

As Australia's COVID crisis reaches boiling point, Morrison seems unable to articulate what's wrong with our lack of policy

ABC  

Last Sunday, Australia's Deputy Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce, was asked a very simple question: Would he support any sort of target to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050? In a week when the NSW Government unilaterally declared its COVID pandemic crisis a national emergency, and two other states were fighting to suppress outbreaks, and in a week where …

Australian Budget infuriates climate activists AND oil and gas industry with $1bn to lower emissions
3 years, 7 months ago

Australian Budget infuriates climate activists AND oil and gas industry with $1bn to lower emissions

Daily Mail  

Climate activists and the oil and gas industry are unhappy at parts of the federal budget, with a mixed bag of measures for the environment and energy sector. The Morrison government's 2021/22 budget revealed on Tuesday confirmed $1billion on measures to lower emissions and $58.6million to support an expansion of the gas industry. Climate activists and the oil and gas …

Australia faces more fires, drought as climate continues to heat
4 years, 1 month ago

Australia faces more fires, drought as climate continues to heat

Al Jazeera  

Country’s weather bureau says higher temperatures and less rainfall creating conditions for more extreme weather events. Australia’s climate is expected become hotter and drier, increasing the risk of drought and extreme weather events such as the bushfires that devastated swathes of southeastern Australia in the last southern hemisphere summer, according to the latest climate report from the country’s weather bureau. …

Bushfire royal commission's final report issues warning to Australia over climate change
4 years, 2 months ago

Bushfire royal commission's final report issues warning to Australia over climate change

ABC  

The bushfire royal commission's final report is a stark warning of a future marked by extreme weather impacts of climate change. "Extreme weather has already become more frequent and intense because of climate change; further global warming over the next 20 to 30 years is inevitable," they say. "The Bushfire Royal Commission has laid out the facts in no uncertain …

Australia wildfires probe recommends climate risk forecasts
4 years, 2 months ago

Australia wildfires probe recommends climate risk forecasts

Associated Press  

CANBERRA, Australia — An investigation into Australia’s catastrophic wildfire season on Friday recommended greater efforts to forecast the impacts of climate change on specific parts of the country, warning fire behavior was becoming more extreme. Discrepancies between states’ fire hazard mapping methods “make it difficult to measure risk at a national scale or to undertake comparative risk between regions.” “Improving …

Bushfire royal commission says governments need to coordinate for 'more intense' natural disasters
4 years, 4 months ago

Bushfire royal commission says governments need to coordinate for 'more intense' natural disasters

ABC  

Australia's a new emergency warning system needs to be finished quickly, the bushfire royal commission has said, after warning of "more frequent and intense" natural disasters in coming decades. Key points: The bushfire royal commission says a National Cabinet-style approach could work for emergencies other than COVID-19 The commission says work on a new Australian warning system needs to be …

Bushfire royal commission looks to the past to show a troubling future
4 years, 7 months ago

Bushfire royal commission looks to the past to show a troubling future

ABC  

Six months ago, Australia was burning. While these predictions are not new, the last bushfire season showed the potential destruction when multiple events happen at once — drought, followed by fire, followed by flood. Worse still, the commission heard even if we do reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, the effect of a warming climate has "partially locked in" future extreme …

Has the climate crisis finally reached a tipping point?
4 years, 7 months ago

Has the climate crisis finally reached a tipping point?

ABC  

It is difficult to write about climate. These two events — the fires and COVID-19 profiteering — are deeply fused: the plans for a fossil fuel led “recovery” are also the plans for the next climate catastrophe. These new forms of support for fossil fuel industries come on top of already existing plans for 52 major coal projects and 16 …

Australia’s most senior former public servants and scientists reveal their anger about climate policy failure
4 years, 7 months ago

Australia’s most senior former public servants and scientists reveal their anger about climate policy failure

ABC  

For more than 30 years, Australian politics has been grappling with climate change and the nation's most senior public servants have been there through it all. Former secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet Peter Shergold, former Treasury secretary Ken Henry, and former secretary of the Department of Climate Change Martin Parkinson. The first and last time Australia …

50 Years of Earth Day: What’s Better Today, and What’s Worse
4 years, 8 months ago

50 Years of Earth Day: What’s Better Today, and What’s Worse

New York Times  

In the 1970s, environmentalism was overwhelmingly bipartisan. While research by Pew shows that voters’ interest in climate and environmental issues is soaring, it also reveals an astonishing split: More than 75 percent of Democrats called climate change a top policy priority, while less than 25 percent of Republicans did. Fossil fuel companies and political donors have funded denial of the …

The Coalition’s Climate Change Conundrum
4 years, 10 months ago

The Coalition’s Climate Change Conundrum

The Diplomat  

The bushfires in Australia these past few months have brought to the fore discussions on the local effects of climate change. With drier conditions fuelling longer and more intense fire seasons, Australia will continue to be vulnerable to fire events, like this year’s, that have devastating effects on people’s lives and on the country’s unique wildlife. Yet this vision of …

Deadly fires in Australia have made climate change converts, as in California
4 years, 10 months ago

Deadly fires in Australia have made climate change converts, as in California

LA Times  

The turning point came in 2017, when wind-whipped blazes swept through the foothills, jumped a freeway and burned through thousands of homes and businesses, killing more than 40 people. “No one can recall an event like this,” said Nick Clark, a farmer who lost most of his sheep’s pasture to a wind-driven fire on Southern Australia’s Kangaroo Island in mid-January. …

What Australians really think about climate action
4 years, 11 months ago

What Australians really think about climate action

ABC  

With the country burning and otherwise "quiet Australians" crying for action, it's worth asking: what do Australians really think about climate change? Just after the election, we asked 54,000 Australians what climate action they want — and when — through the Australia Talks National Survey. Immediate action ; Some action ; More research first ; Do nothing The most common …

Australia state announces inquiry into catastrophic bush fires
4 years, 11 months ago

Australia state announces inquiry into catastrophic bush fires

Al Jazeera  

New South Wales’ six-month inquiry will look into the effect of climate change and how it responded to the emergency. New South Wales, the Australian state worst hit by this season’s enormous bushfires, has announced an independent inquiry into the continuing blazes, including the reasons why they started and the role that climate change may have played. The six-month inquiry …

‘We are a ghost town’: Counting the cost of Australia’s bushfires
4 years, 11 months ago

‘We are a ghost town’: Counting the cost of Australia’s bushfires

Al Jazeera  

The agriculture and tourism industries are feeling the worst effects of Australia’s devastating bushfire season. “The costs also remain manageable for the general government, with the immediate fiscal costs expected to be less than 0.1 percent of Australia’s gross domestic product in 2020 and 2021,” Moody’s Analytics said in a recent statement. And AMP Capital’s head economist Shane Oliver predicts …

Bushfire recovery package to tackle Australian tourism's 'biggest challenge in living memory'
4 years, 11 months ago

Bushfire recovery package to tackle Australian tourism's 'biggest challenge in living memory'

ABC  

The Federal Government has announced a $76 million recovery package in response to this summer's bushfires, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying Australian tourism is facing "its biggest challenge in living memory". Key points: The recovery package includes funding to attract domestic and international visitors While money has also been allocated for grants for "new attractions" in bushfire affected regions …

Bushfire tourism flagged by SA Environment Minister following Kangaroo Island crisis
4 years, 11 months ago

Bushfire tourism flagged by SA Environment Minister following Kangaroo Island crisis

ABC  

Like other fire-ravaged parts of Australia, Kangaroo Island is still coming to terms with the scale of the devastation, but one MP says the problem could be part of the solution. Key points: Seal Bay has reopened after being closed for safety precautions during the bushfires Environment Minister David Speirs said the Government hopes to create a "safe corridor" through …

Bushfire lessons available to act on ahead of royal commission, experts say
4 years, 11 months ago

Bushfire lessons available to act on ahead of royal commission, experts say

ABC  

The Government has flagged a national review around bushfires, but experts believe Australia can do better than another inquiry — and actually deliver outcomes before the next bushfire season. Key points: The head of the national fire council called for a "national commitment" to implement outstanding recommendations of previous inquiries He said any bushfire inquiry should focus on coordination, which …

Australia fires: The town with no water in worst drought on record
4 years, 11 months ago

Australia fires: The town with no water in worst drought on record

CNN  

Murrurundi, Australia CNN — It’s 8 p.m. at the Royal Hotel in Murrurundi and the mercury is hovering at around 42 degrees Celsius. “Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of bushfire conditions in Australia and around the world,” according to the country’s Bureau of Meteorology. “It’s coal that has ensured for over 100 years that Australia has enjoyed …

Scott Morrison\'s popularity plunges after Australian bushfires
4 years, 11 months ago

Scott Morrison\'s popularity plunges after Australian bushfires

Deccan Chronicle  

Melbourne: A political poll showed Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s popularity declined sharply as his government grappled with a bushfires crisis that has killed 28 people and destroyed 2,000 homes. “We have heard the message loud and clear from the Australian people,” Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on Monday, when asked about the poll result as he announced a A$50 million …

Australian prime minister’s approval rating singed by bushfires
4 years, 11 months ago

Australian prime minister’s approval rating singed by bushfires

Al Jazeera  

Scott Morrison has come under attack for being slow to respond to the crisis, even taking a holiday as Australia burned. A new poll shows the popularity of Australia‘s Prime Minister Scott Morrison has declined sharply amid deepening anger at his government’s handling of the bushfires that have killed 28 people, razed more than 11 million hectares of land and …

Australia bushfire crisis: Prime Minister admits mistakes amid mounting criticism
4 years, 11 months ago

Australia bushfire crisis: Prime Minister admits mistakes amid mounting criticism

CNN  

CNN — Australia’s beleaguered prime minister, Scott Morrison, has admitted there were things he “could have handled much better” in the bushfire crisis and will propose a royal commission into the disaster. Wolter Peeters/The Sydney Morning Herald via Getty Images “These are sensitive environments, they are very emotional environments,” said Morrison, adding that “prime ministers are flesh and blood too …

Australia is burning. The Arctic is melting. Yet Trump keeps gutting climate change regulations.
4 years, 11 months ago

Australia is burning. The Arctic is melting. Yet Trump keeps gutting climate change regulations.

CNN  

CNN — Editor’s Note: A version of this story first published in September 2019. “Once we go beyond key tipping points – the melting of the major ice sheets – there is no going back.” Here’s a look at some of the most consequential climate policy rollbacks: Overhauling a landmark law requiring environmental assessments On January 9, the Trump administration …

Australians protest PM Scott Morrison’s climate policies amid bushfire crisis
4 years, 11 months ago

Australians protest PM Scott Morrison’s climate policies amid bushfire crisis

CNN  

CNN — Thousands of activists marched in several major citiesacross Australia on Friday, calling on the government to act on the climate crisis and do more to stop the bushfires that continue to ravage large swathes of the country. “The Morrison government needs to act before it’s too late, before we reach a tipping point, before these impacts get worse …

Respite from Australian bushfire unlikely as weathermen rule out significant rain; temperatures may soar for few more months
5 years ago

Respite from Australian bushfire unlikely as weathermen rule out significant rain; temperatures may soar for few more months

Firstpost  

Australia’s weather agency sees no sign of cooler weather or significant rainfall in the next few months, an unwelcome forecast for authorities who have warned that only a large downpour will halt bushfires sweeping across the country Melbourne: Australia’s weather agency sees no sign of cooler weather or significant rainfall in the next few months, an unwelcome forecast for authorities …

Australians urged to evacuate as monster bushfires regenerate
5 years ago

Australians urged to evacuate as monster bushfires regenerate

Al Jazeera  

Hot temperatures and high winds expected to fan flames of blazes that have devastated parts of country since September. The Rural Fire Service in New South Wales state told fire-weary community meetings in coastal communities south of Sydney that northwesterly winds were likely to drive blazes towards the coast once again. “Don’t get complacent from the rain we have had …

Australian PM’s leadership criticized during wildfire crisis
5 years ago

Australian PM’s leadership criticized during wildfire crisis

Associated Press  

CANBERRA, Australia — As his country burned, Australia’s prime minister was cursed and jeered out of a town, called an “idiot,” a “moron” and worse, and skewered at home and abroad for his dismissive response toward climate change. The outpouring of frustration and rage from many Australians toward Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s lethargic wildfire response has been likened to the …

Scott Morrison meets bushfire victims on Kangaroo Island
5 years ago

Scott Morrison meets bushfire victims on Kangaroo Island

Daily Mail  

Scott Morrison has returned to the front line to meet with bushfire victims after he was snubbed by locals in one of Australia's worst hit areas last week. The Australian prime minister was on Kangaroo Island on Wednesday where he pledged to provide more support after an inferno ripped through the island, off the coast of South Australia, on Friday …

I'm doing what the Australian government won't – telling the truth about the climate crisis
5 years ago

I'm doing what the Australian government won't – telling the truth about the climate crisis

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. This must have come as a …

Australia’s leaders unmoved on climate action after devastating bushfires
5 years ago

Australia’s leaders unmoved on climate action after devastating bushfires

The Hindu  

Australia's government is sticking firmly to a position that there is no direct link between climate change and the country's devastating bushfires, despite public anger, the anguish of victims and warnings from scientists. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his Emissions Reduction Minister, Angus Taylor, say Australia does not need to cut carbon emissions more aggressively to limit global warming, even …

Storms bring relief — and danger — to Australian wildfire regions
5 years ago

Storms bring relief — and danger — to Australian wildfire regions

LA Times  

Thunderstorms and showers brought some relief for firefighters battling deadly wildfires across Australia’s drought-parched east coast on Wednesday, but also raised concerns that lightning will spark more fires before dangerous hot and windy conditions return. Around 2,300 firefighters in New South Wales state were making the most of relatively benign conditions by frantically consolidating containment lines around more than 110 …

As celebrities and people around the world follow the Australian bushfires, is our national reputation at risk?
5 years ago

As celebrities and people around the world follow the Australian bushfires, is our national reputation at risk?

ABC  

Some 4,600 kilometres across the pond, a humble Fijian coffee shop is urging its customers to "caffeinate generously". Australia's plight was again catapulted into the global consciousness when Russell Crowe used his Golden Globes acceptance speech to call for climate change action — a sentiment echoed by Australian actress Cate Blanchett, who labelled the bushfire crisis a "climate disaster". He …

Australia bushfire crisis: PM Morrison announces $2 billion for relief support
5 years ago

Australia bushfire crisis: PM Morrison announces $2 billion for relief support

The Hindu  

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday announced an additional 2 billion dollars over two years to a new agency to coordinate a national response to rebuild communities and livelihoods following the deadly bushfire crisis. “It’s a long road ahead and we will be with these communities every step of the way as they rebuild,” Morrison, who is facing widespread …

The bushfire crisis has given the Government a political 'out' to its climate change problem
5 years ago

The bushfire crisis has given the Government a political 'out' to its climate change problem

ABC  

The fires across Australia are taking a terrible toll. You need to lead It could be the turning point for Australia's climate change politics and policy that is so deeply in the ditch. The party of progress and social justice needs to stand for strong action on climate change, and for helping workers and communities in the transition that will …

Photos | Wildfire-weary Australians see no end to unprecedented calamity
5 years ago

Photos | Wildfire-weary Australians see no end to unprecedented calamity

LA Times  

Exhausted firefighters welcomed cooler weather and patchy rain in blaze-ravaged southeastern Australia Monday after a calamitous few days, even as authorities warn of a return to dangerous conditions later this week. With no end in sight to the months-long crisis, authorities are counting the cost after the weekend saw properties in small towns on the south coast of New South …

Australia fires, climate change take center stage at the Golden Globes
5 years ago

Australia fires, climate change take center stage at the Golden Globes

LA Times  

At the Golden Globes, Cate Blanchett, from left, Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Aniston and Pierce Brosnan. My heart goes out to everyone who is suffering in Australia … all the animals that we’ve lost.” Introducing his sons as this year’s Golden Globe ambassadors, actor Pierce Brosnan said, “Speaking of opening our hearts, all of us at the Golden Globes and the …

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