Climate Conversations – Details, episodes & analysis

Prolific Australian writer, Tim Winton, has published "Juice" and in doing so has unveiled a dystopian future - "Can Tim Winton’s new book save us? With six grandkids, he had to try";

"Tim Winton goes cli-fi – his dystopian novel Juice breaks new ground to face the climate emergency";

"Why Tanya Plibersek is ‘absolutely prepared to put the blowtorch on Peter Dutton’";

"Hurricane Milton aims at Florida as Helene recovery continues";

"Why Hurricane Helene Could Finally Change the Conversation Around Climate Change";

"Florida faces the daunting prospect of another strong hurricane";

"The People Fleeing Climate Disasters Are Going to Transform the American South";

"In Georgia, another hurricane disaster unfolds. And it’s hardly the first time.";

"What is the Nature Positive Summit?";

"Govt advised repealing gas ban likely to breach trade deals";

"Absolutely world-leading:” Why Australia is leading the charge away from baseload power";

"More than 150 dead after Hurricane Helene dumps over 40tn gallons of rain";

"Air conditioning is a moral imperative";

"How to stop climate change";

"Desperate to find Grandma, a family hit the road with bikes and chain saws";

"New research reveals why the mighty Darling River is drying up – and it’s not just because we’re taking too much water";

"Helene cast a pall over the Blue Ridge".

Dr Friederike Otto (pictured), a Senior Lecturer in Climate Science at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment, was one of two speakers at a recent event staged by "Covering Climate Now".

The press briefing staged by Covering Climate Now was aimed at equipping reporters with the knowledge and confidence to report the story; the story that is climate change.

You can view the event: "Press Briefing: How Do We Know Climate Change Fueled That Storm?" here.

Also, check out the "World Weather Attribution" website.

Mark Carter (pictured) from Flight Free Australia was clearly the first person to call when it was announced that Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport would receive Federal Government cash to make the complex's third runway a reality.

A story in The Melbourne Age - "Melbourne Airport’s $3 billion third runway cleared for take-off" - told of this development.

Mark explains how his group draws inspiration and sustenance from the European organization, "Stay Grounded" and is affiliated with the locally-based group, "Climate Action Network Australia".

High-speed rail is an alternative to flying and one view can be read in an article on The Conversation by Phillip Laird, "High-speed rail plans may finally end Australia’s 40-year wait to get on board".

The Geelong-based, "The Sustainable Hour" talked with Mark earlier in the year and this episode of "Climate Conversations" includes the audio from that interview, which happened before the confirmation announcement of the the third runway.

Electric cars have advantages but are still just that, demanding a spacious road network and copious parking areas in our towns and cities.

"Why do Chinese EVs meet so much resistance?";

"Victoria’s blackout crisis is rooted in a decade of Coalition inaction";

"Be brave, stay positive, find your tribe: three climate activists explain how to get started";

"Five women scientists working to save the world";

"Mike vs the fossil fuel machine: Push for a new legal duty to the environment";

"Climate case explores how law and tikanga intersect";

"Climate Is Now a Culture War Issue";

"Fearsome threesome: how a trio of climate drivers is baking Australia’s west and leaving the east soaked";

"Ross Garnaut and Rod Sims have proposed a $100 billion-a-year fossil fuel tax – and it’s a debate Australia should embrace";

"20°C seems the optimal temperature for life on Earth to thrive – what does this mean in a warming world?"

"As the world heats up, solar panels will degrade faster – especially in hot, humid areas. What can we do?";

"Why Don’t We Just Ban Fossil Fuels?";

"Climate chaos: world overheats while Europe faces a new Ice Age";

"Report: Plastics, Oil Industry Deceived Public on Recycling Use for More Than 50 Years";

"In Wyoming, Sheep May Safely Graze Under Solar Panels in One of the State’s First “Agrivoltaic” Projects";

"Q&A: Everyday Plastics Are Making Us Sick—and Costing Us $250 Billion a Year in Healthcare";

"Take a Cue From Texas: Socialize Energy";

"As the Number of American Farms and Farmers Declines, Agriculture Secretary Urges Climate Action to Reverse the Trend";

"February on course to break unprecedented number of heat records";

"Very cool: trees stalling effects of global heating in eastern US, study finds";

"Climate Change Is Forcing Families Into a New Kind of Indefinite Hell";

"Beyond Catastrophe: A New Climate Reality Is Coming Into View";

"Power struggle: fears for UK energy generation as green projects delayed";

"Weather tracker: Flash flooding in Oman and record temperatures in Western Australia";

"Problems mount for Sahara gas pipeline, leaving Nigerian taxpayers at risk";

"Switzerland proposes first UN expert group on solar geoengineering";

"Blended finance can perpetuate climate colonialism";

"How your editors deal with climate grief";

"Last month was the world’s warmest January on record";

"Danish photos from the 1930s show what Greenland’s glaciers used to look like";

"The essentials of climate scenario analysis for financial institutions";

"How to prepare for an evacuation";

"‘They lied’: plastics producers deceived public about recycling, report reveals";

"California Tried to Ban Plastic Grocery Bags. It Didn’t Work.";

"Climate activists dump pink powder on case containing US Constitution";

"What a waste: New York City budget cuts eviscerate community composting groups";

"Explainer: How climate change affects Europe's farmers";

"A traditional automaker just turned a profit on EVs";

"1.7 million deaths in cities linked to air pollution with Delhi ranked worst in world – report";

"Bhavreen Kandhari’s Post";

"Mystery over ‘unexpectedly large’ emissions from Africa’s tropical ecosystems";

"British Gas profits surge tenfold as energy bill rules relaxed";

"Parts of Amazon rainforest could tip toward collapse by 2050, study warns";

"The Age of the Urban Inferno Is Here";

"Ross Garnaut and Rod Sims have proposed a $100 billion-a-year fossil fuel tax – and it’s a debate Australia should embrace";

"Porsche EV will lead Bathurst 500 into a greener, faster future";

"How China Built BYD, Its Tesla Killer";

"Author Spotlight on Joëlle Gergis";

"Oldest platypus found in the wild is ‘beyond all our expectations’, say researchers";

"Push to weatherproof Australia’s electricity grid as 77,000 still without power in Victoria";

"Postcards from Kamikatsu: Japan's 'zero waste' town";

"National Archives closes after climate change protesters dump red powder on U.S. Constitution".

CEO of Good for the Hood, Jo Taranto (pictured) sees the circular economy as the solution to climate change, as she said on a recent webinar organised by The Australia Institute.

"Smart Energy 2024";

"Climate experts sound alarm over thriving plant life at Greenland ice sheet";

"This Arctic Circle Town Expected a Green Energy Boom. Then Came Bidenomics.";

"January Was Awash With Extreme Winter Storms. Climate Change Likely Played a Role";

"Migrants can be a transformative force for sustainable development";

"Fences have big effects on land and wildlife around the world that are rarely measured";

"Sweltering Cities panel warns Brisbane heatwaves will worsen";

"Climate-driven migration overtakes Russian aggression as biggest security concern, report finds";

"Australian fossil fuel tax could raise $100bn in first year alone, Rod Sims and Ross Garnaut say";

"Rise in e-scooter injuries concerns doctors";

"Global military spending hits record $2.2 trillion amid multiple wars";

"What is a circular economy?";

"The Heavy Price of Next-Day Delivery";

"Sweltering Cities panel warns Brisbane heatwaves will worsen";

"Climate change is forcing Australians to weigh up relocating. How do they make that difficult decision?";

"Greenland's ice sheet melting faster than scientists previously estimated, study finds";

"A Collapse of the Amazon Could Be Coming ‘Faster Than We Thought’";

"The Racist Origins of 'Tipping Point'";

"‘Litigation terrorism’: the obscure tool that corporations are using against green laws";

"Nearly 15% of Americans deny climate change is real";

"Transitioning to a Circular Economy: The value and opportunity for citizens".

Dr Michael Spencer (pictured) from Monash University and colleagues from the University of Melbourne, Dr Franz Wohlgezogen and Associate Professor, Janet Stanley, will conduct a workshop in Shepparton on Thursday, February 22.

The four-hour workshop originally targeted 30 people, but Dr Spencer said that had blown out to 40, demonstrating a wide interest in the idea of adaptation to climate change.

Following a similar event at Euroa in 2022, the workshop is part of an international research program supported by the Goulburn Broken Catchment Authority.

The workshop invite said "The research team are interested in how adaptation decision-making can be improved. For example, interactions between different levels of government and the community. How to bring all relevant parts of the community into decision-making on adaptation (including older people). If adaptation requires transformational change, are communities prepared and how does that happen."

Dr Andrew Glikson (pictured) warns of troubles ahead without global unity to address climate change - "Too late? Climate change denial and the rise of fascism";

"Joyce, Price and Littleproud make ‘false and exaggerated claims’ at anti-renewables rally";

"Earth's warmest January on record extends run of unprecedented temperatures to eight months";

"Q&A: Dr Andrew Glikson on the Plutocene age";

"Chile’s deadly wildfires wiped out neighborhoods. One stood unscathed.";

"Labour’s reduced home insulation plans ‘simply not enough’";

"Michael Mann, a Leading Climate Scientist, Wins His Defamation Suit";

"‘It would be devastating’: inside Trump’s plan to destroy the EPA";

"Policy Experts Say the UN Climate Talks Need Reform, but Change Would be Difficult in the Current Political Landscape";

"Dr. Cornel West Is Running to Become President of the United States. What Are His Views on Climate Change and the Environment?";

"Las Tormentas: L.A. County Meets a Next-Level Atmospheric River";

"Polluted Flowers Smell Less Sweet to Pollinators, Study Finds":

"John Deere aims to offer variety of electric tractors, construction equipment by 2026";

"Atmospheric river threatens historic life-threatening floods in California";

"California residents survey damage caused by historic storms: ‘We were in shock’";

"Access to slow EV chargers could speed up EV adoption among renters";

"Trump Allies Plan to Gut Climate Research if He Is Reelected";

"US trade agency backs oil and gas drilling in Bahrain despite Biden pledge";

"The Climate Cooling - Mini Summit";

"‘It was total panic – with black smoke, falling fireballs and tongues of flame’: the terror of Chile’s wildfires";

"How a Climate Group That Has Made Chaos Its Brand Got the White House’s Ear";

"The National Sustainable Living Festival";

"With climate change, Colorado River officials peer into muddy future";

"World Breaches 1.5°C for an Entire Year for First Time on Record";

"One of NZ’s most contentious climate cases is moving forward. And the world is watching";

"Schools, parks close as catastrophic conditions tipped in Victoria";

"Revealed: the 1,200 big methane leaks from waste dumps trashing the planet";

"Disaster management needs more forethought to avoid ‘polycrisis’, government hears";

"US weather agency on La Niña watch but BOM says climate pattern not guaranteed";

"The Australian water industry is undergoing profound change";

"Victoria schools closed over 'catastrophic' fire danger warning";

"Florida could remove the majority of mentions of climate change from state law";

"Big Oil’s hopes are pinned on plastics. It won’t end well.";

"Wildfire Smoke Will Worsen, New Study Shows, and Protections Are Few";

"Philadelphia mural tells a story of transformation";

"What in the world is weather whiplash?";

"Australian red meat industry’s net zero target based on land-clearing data that is ‘not reliable’";

"Woodside dramatically expands oil and gas exploration spend despite net zero pledge";

"Our proposal for a Climate Ready Victoria";

"Remembering Black Saturday. Preparing for the next Big One";

"This ‘tipping point’ would be catastrophic for Europe but scientists are unsure when we’ll reach it";

"California Isn’t Ready for a Megaflood. Or the Loss of Daniel Swain".

Andrew Skeoch, the author of "Deep Listening to Nature" (pictured), believes we have lost our connection with nature and through that, we are creating the conditions that manifest as climate change.

Andrew was recently on a three-town book tour in the Goulburn Valley speaking to audiences at the Tatura, Cobram and Violet Town libraries.

When completing this episode of "Climate Conversations", The Guardian published a story that seemed relevant to what Andrew had been discussing at the GV Libraries - "The native Australian frog call quiz: is it a frog – or a distant motorbike revving?".

Andrew is nationally recognized for his sound recording and subsequently is the president of the "Wildlife Sound Recording Group".

His skills were acknowledged when he presented at Canberra's TEDx several years ago - "Hearing your place in nature".

Donald Trump (pictured) would argue he cares about democracy and climate change, but many would argue otherwise - "‘In a word, horrific’: Trump’s extreme anti-environment blueprint";

"Democracy in danger when lies go unchecked";

"Carbon in, carbon out: Australia’s ‘carbon budget’ assessment reveals astonishing boom and bust cycles";

"Europe calls for swift reduction of fossil fuels, despite ‘greenlash’';

"Introduction with climate specialist Graeme Anderson";

"Geelong Sustainability":

"Deep Listening to Nature";

"Deadly California storm triggers flooding, mudslides, power outages";

"Fuel efficiency standards: Labor unveils proposal, highlighting petrol savings of $1,000 a year for motorists";

"Labor’s fuel-efficiency standards may settle the ute dispute – but there are still hazards on the road";

"Australia is finally adopting emissions standards – will electric vehicles become cheaper?";

"‘Like a war zone’: Chile wildfire death toll reaches 123 amid race to clear rubble";

"Is it time for a Category 6 for super cyclones? No – warnings of floods or storm surges are more useful";

"Climate change will strike Australia’s precious World Heritage sites – and Indigenous knowledge is a key defence";

"How better broadband access in rural areas could help the planet";

"Making Farming More Climate-Friendly Is Hard. Just Ask Europe’s Politicians.";

"The Nationals want renewables to stay in the cities – but the clean energy grid doesn’t work like that";

"If plants can pick fungi to help fight pests and diseases, it opens a door to greener farming and ecosystem recovery";

"Donald Trump’s Energy Plans “Potentially Disastrous” for the Climate";

"How to Make Urban Agriculture More Climate-Friendly";

"Rising Temperatures Are Turning Some Animals Nocturnal";

"Joyce, Price and Littleproud make ‘false and exaggerated claims’ at anti-renewables rally";

"Investors were offered 4 climate messages. Only one made them bullish on green investing.";

"The first large-scale study to quantify the carbon footprint of urban farming yields surprises";

"New air pollution rule could prevent thousands of premature deaths";

"Why is CSIRO hiding its advice on Carbon Capture and Storage?";

"Shock report finds legacy car companies are bigger polluters than Big Oil";

"Mr Bean is blamed for slump in electric car sales: Rowan Atkinson is accused of 'damaging' public perception of EVs by House of Lords report after describing the vehicles as a 'bit soulless'";

"Call to cancel renewable rollout, Nationals declare bush is full";

"Think last year had weird weather? La Nina may already be on the way back";

"Cheaper renewables pile into grid and slash power costs";

"In Poland, I Saw What a Second Trump Term Could Do to America".

Professor Mark Howden (pictured), the director of the Australian National University's Institute for Climate, Energy & Disaster Solutions, is optimistic and pessimistic.

Professor Howden saw last year's COP28 process as completely ambiguous. Although the conference produced some heartening eventualities for the world, there was, in his words, "Not a huge amount of good news".

Listen to this episode and you can hear where it is Professor Howden believes the world is headed in 2024.

Professor Howden said many at COP28 referred to this as the "critical decade", but he argued we are in fact in the "critical year".