Author Archive

The blackouts during Australia’s heatwave didn’t happen by accident

Guardian: Australia is experiencing the most extreme heatwave since, well, the last one in 2013 and 2009. Earth wind map shows Australia as hottest place on planet #climate #heatwave #connectthedots pic.twitter.com/AJGCoitnVc -- Alexander White (@alexanderwhite) January 17, 2014 While the sunburned country is used to hot weather, our infrastructure was not built to cope with several days of above 40°C temperatures. Now Victoria has now seen 4 consecutive days above 41°C, breaking records that have...

Australia swelters under a sham climate change policy after hottest year on record

Guardian: Australia's temperatures have warmed by "about 1° C since 1910" according to the Bureau of Meteorology, and 2013 was the hottest year since records began in 1910. In the last 11 months leading to November 2013 average temperatures "were 1.25°C above average" and 2013 saw maximum temperatures 1.45°C above the average. The full update is available from the BOM here. It bears repeating: 2013 was Australia's hottest year on record and globally the seventh hottest year on record. Most of Australia...

Australia: Pricing carbon must be a Labor article of faith

Guardian: With this week starting with headlines about the bushfires burning in New South Wales, and reports that the federal Labor opposition is debating its response to demands by climate change denying prime minister Tony Abbott to "repent" on carbon pricing, it is timely to post this guest blog by Felicity Wade. Felicity is the national co-convenor of the Labor Environment Action Network, a group of Labor members working for strong, science-based climate change policies. Pricing carbon must be a...

Chevron granted access to environmental activists’ email accounts

Guardian: Oil giant Chevron has been granted access to "more than 100 email accounts, including environmental activists, journalists, and attorneys" involved in a long-running dispute involving damage "caused by oil drilling" in Ecuador, reports the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) which, with EarthRights International (ERI), is opposing the New York court's decision says: After years of litigation, an Ecuadorian court last year imposed a judgment of over $17 billion...