The Climate Sentinel

The hot, dry conditions that primed southeastern Australia’s forest and fields for the bushfires that have been ravaging the country since September are likely to continue, scientists warn — and climate change has likely made the situation much worse.
Climate scientists warn that the scale and devastation of the wildfires are clear examples of the way climate change can intensify natural disasters.
The Australian bushfires were exacerbated by two factors that have a “well-established” link to climate change: heat and dry conditions, says Stefan Rahmstorf, department head at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany and a lead author of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fourth Assessment Report.

The independent MP Zali Steggall is calling on self-styled “modern Liberals” to support legislation to establish a new climate change framework, warning them to ignore the views of their constituents “at their peril”.
Steggall, who toppled Tony Abbott in the Sydney seat of Warringah at the May 2019 election, largely on a platform of climate change action, is finalising draft legislation for a “national climate change framework” that sets out a roadmap for Australia to transition to a decarbonised economy.
The legislation is modelled on the UK’s Climate Change Act, passed in 2008, and mirrors framework laws in place in New Zealand and Ireland.

The impact of the climate crisis is all too visible.
Did you watch and wonder what you could do to help the global climate movement?
With the 26th Conference of the Parties UN climate conference taking place in Glasgow this November, there has never been a better time to add your voice to those calling for urgent action to end our reliance on fossil fuels, cut greenhouse gases and protect the planet from global heating.

They are dense eco-systems strong universities, innovative start-ups, small, medium and big companies, well-financed investors, deep and diverse talent pools, state of the art communication, transport and energy infrastructures, large local markets, good governance structures, and strong economic ties to the rest of the world.
But both these natural assets and the city itself are feeling the effects by climate change.
“Human resilience to climate change depends on ecosystems, and we need urgent measures to protect them,” says Isabel Garcia, author of a study examining the climate vulnerability of Xalapa.

And while the concept of flying less to help combat climate change has yet to take off in the States, it’s also no longer a distant possibility.
American consumers are increasingly aware of the harmful effects of climate change.
“The consciousness of the impact of climate change has increased substantially over the last year,” notes Anders Fagernæs, head of sustainability at Norwegian Airlines.

By October, still in the belly of the southern hemisphere’s spring season, fires to Sydney’s west and south blew out of control, and the cloak of a climate change–stained sky settled over the city.
To anyone still refusing to accept the connection between anthropogenic climate change and these unprecedented fires, the simple act of breathing offered a powerful rebuttal.
What I saw in his eyes was not sympathy or sadness but fear: fear at the full, murderous force of climate change and at the unvarnished fury of those left behind to battle it.

Muzaffar’s life story illustrates the complex linkages between climate change and conflict.
From Sudan to Syria to Bangladesh, climate change is often presented as a powerful and simple root cause of violent conflict and mass migration.
Directly linking climate change with aggression and mass migration risks dehumanizing those vulnerable to environmental stresses, and casts their attempts to escape a problem caused by mainly rich nations as a security threat.

Crowe (via Aniston), Cate Blanchett and Joaquin Phoenix all ignored Gervais's humorous plea, using their winning platform to raise the alarm about climate change, particularly with regard to the fires Down Under.
In November, Coldplay went a step further, revealing to the BBC's Colin Paterson they had shelved plans to tour their new album due to climate change concerns; then in December, Massive Attack announced plans to tour Europe by train to reduce their carbon emissions.
"There are definite things that we can do to reduce our environmental impact and what is really exciting to see at the moment - and what really should be applauded - is a growing recognition, particularly from artists and people in the public eye, that they can really use that position to move the dial."

It’s just such a very sad day.” The unprecedented fire crisis in southeast Australia that has destroyed 2,000 homes and shrouded major cities in smoke has focused many Australians on how the nation adapts to climate change.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has faced fierce criticism both domestically and internationally for downplaying the need for his government to address climate change, which experts say helps supercharge the blazes.
The center-left opposition Labor Party has made political capital from the crisis by promising more ambitious policies than the ruling conservative coalition to tackle climate change.

Because of the impact of trans-boundary air pollution (and its effects on other countries), there are legal implications to be considered.
The story starts three decades ago, when CSIRO scientist Dr Barrie Pittock and I foreshadowed future climate projections for Australasia because of global warming, with Australia becoming the burning drying continent.
There have been various factors, which have exacerbated the conditions over Australia and had impact downstream on New Zealand’s late spring and early summer climate.