Just 90 companies are to blame for most climate change, this 'carbon accountant' says | Science | AAAS Last month, geographer Richard Heede received a subpoena from Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX), chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Smith, a climate change doubter, became concerned when the attorneys general of several states launched investigations into whether ExxonMobil had committed fraud by sowing doubts about climate change even as its own scientists knew it was taking place. The congressman suspected a conspiracy between the attorneys general and environmental advocates, and he wanted to see all the communications among them. Predictably, his targets included advocacy organizations such as Greenpeace, 350.org, and the Union of Concerned Scientists. Heede is less well known than his fellow recipients, but his work is no less threatening to the fossil fuel industry. Heede's research shows that nearly two-thirds of anthropogenic carbon emissions originated in just 90 companies and government-run industries. Annual Emissions
154 Australian scientists demand climate policy that matches the science 154 Australian experts have signed on open letter to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull demanding urgent action on climate change that matches the dire warnings coming from climate scientists. The letter, organised by Australian National University climatologist Andrew Glikson, calls on the federal government to make “meaningful reductions of Australia’s peak carbon emissions and coal exports, while there is still time”. Signatories include leading climate and environmental scientists such as the Climate Council’s Tim Flannery, Will Steffen, and Lesley Hughes, as well as reef scientists Ove Hoegh-Guldberg and Charlie Veron. They point out that July 2016 was the hottest month ever recorded, and followed a nine-month streak of record-breaking months. The world is already witnessing the effects of climate change, the letter argues, including an increase in extreme weather events, melting of the polar ice sheets, and ocean acidification.
Cigarettes, asbestos, now fossil fuels. How big business impacts public health | Kingsley Faulkner | Opinion The decisions reached at the recent Coag energy council meeting are reminiscent of a long series of failures to understand the impacts of powerful business on the health of the community. The failures extend historically from tobacco, to asbestos to the health scourges of coal, and now to the health and community impacts of the unconventional gas industry. It is too much to believe that governments fail to understand the implications. Just 30 years ago, Australia was awash with tobacco advertising and promotion by tobacco companies and their agents through multiple media outlets and sporting organisations, supported by newspaper editorials opposed to any restrictions. Major political parties readily accepted large donations, and some individual politicians were not immune to personal gifts and favours. Tobacco lobbyists had ready access to legislators to ensure that measures to deal with the health consequences were thwarted. This is nothing short of outrageous.
Australia among the climate laggards as G20 action falls far short of goals The world's 20 largest economies need to increase their 2030 climate commitments six-fold to keep within the two-degree warming curb agreed at the Paris summit, and Australia is among the worst laggards, a new global report argues. The Brown to Green study of the decarbonisation plans of the G20 nations by the Climate Transparency group was released on Thursday ahead of the G20 summit in Hangzhou, eastern China, on September 4-5. Loaded: 0% Progress: 0% Climate warming began 180 years ago Lindt siege police response in question Skinner: 'I have a soft spot for families' Rogerson, McNamara 'overwhelmed by greed' Airbnb owner returns to find 'junkie den' Rogerson, McNamara trial: What happened in unit 803? City of Sydney election: the elevator pitch Bays Precinct industries warn Baird An international research project has found human-induced climate change is first detectable in the Arctic and tropical oceans around the 1830s, earlier than expected. Big emitter
Top Scientist Calmly Destroys Anti-Climate Science Politician With Science - BuzzFeed News Climate & Health Alliance Sea-level rise has claimed five whole islands in the Pacific: first scientific evidence Sea-level rise, erosion and coastal flooding are some of the greatest challenges facing humanity from climate change. Recently at least five reef islands in the remote Solomon Islands have been lost completely to sea-level rise and coastal erosion, and a further six islands have been severely eroded. These islands lost to the sea range in size from one to five hectares. This is the first scientific evidence, published in Environmental Research Letters, that confirms the numerous anecdotal accounts from across the Pacific of the dramatic impacts of climate change on coastlines and people. A warning for the world Previous studies examining the risk of coastal inundation in the Pacific region have found that islands can actually keep pace with sea-level rise and sometimes even expand. However, these studies have been conducted in areas of the Pacific with rates of sea level rise of 3-5 mm per year – broadly in line with the global average of 3 mm per year. Waves add to damage The human story
Welcome to hell on Earth in Australia - Higgins Storm Chasing Welcome to hell on Earth in Australia Home/Uncategorized/Welcome to hell on Earth in Australia Previous Next View Larger Image Welcome to hell on Earth in Australia The strongest heatwave for 2016/17 is about to sweep South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland bringing extremely hot conditions with increased bushfire and heat stress risks. Over the next 4 to 5 days, a low pressure trough is forecast to move slowly though South Australia and VIC before drifting North through New South Wales and Queensland. BOM Heatwave Pilot for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 5 capital cities are forecast to be in the firing line with the following temperatures over the next 4 to 5 days.• Adelaide 41 / 41 / 39 / 37 • Melbourne 34 / 37 / 27 / 28• Canberra 26 / 35 / 40 / 41 / 35• Sydney 26 / 29 / 35 / 39 / 36• Brisbane 31 / 31 / 32 / 35 / 37 While most people will be feeling the above temperatures given the population density in cities. Forecast Maximums via OCF/BSCH for Wednesday, February 8th
El Niño is causing global food crisis, UN warns | Global development Severe droughts and floods triggered by one of the strongest El Niño weather events ever recorded have left nearly 100 million people in southern Africa, Asia and Latin America facing food and water shortages and vulnerable to diseases including Zika, UN bodies, international aid agencies and governments have said. New figures from the UN’s World Food Programme say 40 million people in rural areas and 9 million in urban centres who live in the drought-affected parts of Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, Malawi and Swaziland will need food assistance in the next year. In addition, 10 million people are said by the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) to need food in Ethiopia (pdf), and 2.8 million need assistance in Guatemala and Honduras. “Almost 1 million children are in need of treatment for severe acute malnutrition in eastern and southern Africa. “Governments are responding with available resources, but this is an unprecedented situation.