Climate Conversations

Bert Lobert and his compatriots from "Save our Strathbogie Forest" are eager to keep what remains of the forest intact, especially for all the animals who live there and, of course, the thousands of people who enjoy the amenities it provides. The focus of the original legal case put by the group was the Southern Greater Glider (a young Greater Glider is pictured looking out from its threatened forest home), but Justice Horan found that "planned burns" in the forest were not a threat to the Greater Glider population. The Stratbogie group had been raising money through Chuffed to help fund its legal costs, but that is now closed, so those eager to support the campaign should contact Mr Lobert directly. The group's appeal against the planned burns will be held at the High Court in Melbourne on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 20 and 21. People are welcome to personally sit through the hearing or can watch it live via the High Court website. Writing on its website, the group says: "We’re appealing the recent Federal Court ruling on planned burns, which allowed the Victorian government to burn parts of the Strathbogie Forest last Autumn. Our legal argument stems from the knowledge that the Strathbogie Forest is home to one of the healthiest populations of the Endangered Southern Greater Glider in Victoria. But our broader concern is for the long-term health of the forest -the complex partnership of plants, fungi, microbes and animals- and the beneficial influence a healthy forest has for everyone and everything that shares that landscape."

Anna Rose (pictured) told a 2013 forum in Shepparton how a warmer atmosphere can hold much more water and the evidence of that is all around the world. "Thousands missing and feared dead after floods submerge eastern Libya"; "‘Catastrophe’ in Libya’s Derna as deadly floods engulf city"; Jane Fonda talks about her life as an activist on "Climate One"; "Why your perception of climate change threats might depend on where you live – new research"; "The heat is on"; "Their names appeared on letters urging fracking Ohio’s state parks. They don’t know how."; "How back-to-back disasters strain community resources"; "How Fires, Floods and Hurricanes Create Deadly Pockets of Information Isolation"; "Faster disaster: climate change fuels ‘flash droughts’, intense downpours and storms"; "Heat Waves May Be Slow, but They Are Just as Destructive as Faster Disasters"; "Five cars destroyed at Sydney airport after luxury electric vehicle’s battery ignites"; "‘Disastrous beyond comprehension’: 10,000 missing after Libya floods"; "Half the World’s Population Faced Extreme Heat for at Least 30 Days This Summer"; "$85 for a cheap piece of plastic? Push to overhaul green government scheme"; "Antarctic sea ice levels entering 'new low state', climate researchers say, with action urged on emissions"; "‘Transform Australia’: Critical minerals key in calls for $100 billion green plan"; "To efficiently harvest water from air, consider the humble spider web"; "1.5°C: where the target came from – and why we’re losing sight of its importance"; "Update needed for 1872 mining law to boost clean energy, report says"; "Climate breakdown: even if we miss the 1.5°C target we must still fight to prevent every single increment of warming"; "Libya, Greece, Brazil: Climate-driven storms cause catastrophic flooding around the world"; "US behind more than a third of global oil and gas expansion plans, report finds"; "Guess What? More Plastic Trash."; "The Fire This Time: Facing the Reality of Climate Change"; "You call this living? Dutch ‘cycling professor’ has some tough advice for Melbourne"; "Europe's climate activists face 'repressive tide,' rights watchdogs warn"; "Flood-hit homes uninsurable or unaffordable as climate change hikes premiums"; "Labor won't release climate report on national security threat"; "U.S. Sets Record for Billion-Dollar Disasters in a Single Year, With Almost Four Months to Go"; "“Complete habitat destruction” – scientists rally against NSW Forestry Corporation clear felling"; "It's Official: International Agency Marks 'Beginning of The End' of The Fossil Fuel Era"; "More Than 5,000 Dead in Libya as Collapsed Dams Worsen Flood Disaster"; "How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled"; "Renowned conductor allows climate activists to address crowd at Swiss music festival"; "Working in Extreme Heat Is Dangerous. We Must Make It Safer"; "U.S. has seen a record number of weather disasters this year. It’s only September."; "Lethal Heat Is Spreading across the Planet"; "Murray measured the indoor temperature at home. The results were shocking"; "In Libya, 10,000 missing following devastating floods"; "We just blew past 1.5 degrees. Game over on climate? Not yet"; "Overwhelming Heat This Summer Could Kill Twice as Many People as Usual"; "How rising water vapour in the atmosphere is amplifying warming and making extreme weather worse"; "What El Niño means for the world’s perilous climate tipping points"; "The engineering brain drain facing Australia's renewable energy sector"; "We urgently need $100bn for renewable energy. But call it statecraft, not ‘industry policy’"; "Is Climate Change Causing More Record-Breaking Hail?"; "How Green is Burning Man?" "Climate Science Is under Attack in Classrooms"; "Large Herbivores Can Help Prevent Massive Wildfires"; "Our unsung farm dams provide vital habitat to threatened species of frogs"; "Sand Dredging Is Unsustainable and Wiping Out Mari

Australian Capital Territory Chief Minister Andrew Barr (pictured) claims his government is a national and world leader in taking the jurisdiction to a serious reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. Minister Barr was the first speaker on the opening day of the Better Futures Australia Forum held in Canberra on September 6 and 7. He saw the forum as both critical in that it would solidify ideas and processes for achieving net zero and important that it brought together people and ideas that could help achieve the ambitious target. Enjoy "Music for a Warming World".

The then deputy mayor of the City of Greater Shepparton, Cr Seema Abdullah (pictured) used her casting vote in 2020 to see the municipality endorse and embrace a climate emergency. "How drought and rising temperatures drove millions of Somalis from their homes"; "‘Carbon mega bomb’: climate experts urge Biden to block gas export hub"; "The huge climate problem of cement, steel and chemicals, visualized"; "Where malaria is spreading"; "One of Europe's most polluted cities wants to ban cars from its centre"; "West Antarctic ice sheet faces ‘unavoidable’ melting, a warning for sea level rise"; "Utilities Have Been Lying to Us About Gas Stoves Since the 1970s"; "Rapid ice melt in west Antarctica now inevitable, research shows"; "EV ruling could jolt Australia’s financial foundations"; "The dams are full for now – but Sydney will need new water supplies as rainfall becomes less reliable"; "Tesla Value Tops $1 Trillion After Hertz Orders 100,000 Cars"; "Antarctica has lost 7.5tn tonnes of ice since 1997, scientists find"; "The Crisis in the Middle East is a Crisis of Growth"; "Suicide rates increased after extreme drought in the Murray-Darling Basin – we have to do better as climate change intensifies"; "Here’s what winter weather the U.S. can expect"; "Migrant workers toil in perilous heat to prepare for Cop28 climate talks in UAE"; "Prepare for a turbulent El Niño winter — with a major wild card"; "Fossil-fuel industry embrace raises alarm bells over direct air capture"; "A Path to Sustainable Energy by 2030"; "Low-cost solution to the grid reliability problem with 100% penetration of intermittent wind, water, and solar for all purposes"; "End of coal-fired power stations to crush decent incomes, report reveals"; "Children at ‘existential risk’ from climate crisis, UK’s top paediatrician says"; "Here’s what happens to workers when coal-fired power plants close. It isn’t good"; "Storm Babet kills at least three people in UK as floods strike northern Europe"; "Alabama Wood Pellet Mill Seeks Millions in Climate Funds, but Critics Say It Won’t Cut CO2"; "Small islands struggle to get help from UN’s flagship climate fund"; "The climate impact of plastic pollution is negligible – the production of new plastics is the real problem"; "In Florida, Gen Z Activists Step Into the Fight Against Sugarcane Burning"; "How to beat ‘rollout rage’: the environment-versus-climate battle dividing regional Australia"; "Research by Public Health Experts Shows ‘Damning’ Evidence on the Harms of Fracking".

John Bell (pictured) has written a script for a television advertisement that begins: "I am planet Earth". The artistic director of the Bell Shakespeare Company was one of several speakers at the May 9 Smart Energy Conference and Exhibition in Sydney, which was in fact, the 60th conference organized by the Smart Energy Council, a fact proudly pointed out by the council's Chief Executive, John Grimes. Among the speakers was the founder and chief scientist of "Otherlab", Saul Griffith, who talked about "Rewiring Australia". Enjoy "Music for a Warming World".

Dancing will be just one of many activities at the Victorian Degrowth Festival 2026, being held at Carlton's Curtain Square on Sunday, March 22.Degrowth is an idea whose time has come as nearly 40 stalls, workshops and displays, along with music and dancing, will bring the City of Yarra event to life. One of the organisers, Tonié has urged people to register their intent to attend as it's important to have a clear idea of how many people will be at Curtain Square, and people can note their planned attendance at Humanitix.More information about Degrowth can be found at Degrowth Network Australia.

President of the Mansfield Football/Netball Club, Bo Christopher, has seen his club score ever before the season proper has begun, as it teamed with Footy for Climate to set up solar panels and a battery to capture energy from the sun on the club's facilities, reducing its power costs substantially.Jo Printz from ABC radio, Shepparton, interviewed Bo."Extreme weather is transforming the world’s rivers. We need new ways to protect them";"Who's driving up our power bills?";"Marge, the rains were here";"The Great Olympic lie: untold story of Winter Games’ huge environmental impact";"‘Don’t leave late’ is the best advice for fires or floods. These terrifying videos show why";"Under water, in denial: is Europe drowning out the climate crisis";"New U.S. Rule Aims to Speed Up Mining of the Seafloor";"How to get mass adoption of EVs in city areas? It’s not just about public chargers";"Pumped hydro is vital to the future grid. So why does gas exploration get all the tax benefits?";"Victoria’s mountain ash forests naturally thin their trees. So why do it with machines?".

Melbourne Age letter writer questions court finding on Santos."There’s a New Forecast for Peak Oil Demand. It’s Increasingly Cloudy.";"‘Ball bearings in the snow’: The role of climate change in deadly avalanches";"US Youth, Climate Coalition Sue to Stop Trump EPA ‘From Torching Our Kids’ Future’";"Missing Profits May Be a Problem for the Green Transition";"Have China's carbon emissions peaked?";"From fossil fuelled tanks to wildfires: How Russia’s war on Ukraine is destroying the planet";"Ocean Warming Drives ‘Deeply Concerning Loss of Marine Life,’ Study Shows";"Prehistoric creatures flocked to different latitudes to survive climate change – the same is taking place today";"Released emails reveal heavy political lobbying as massive gas project extended";"Mass extinction: our fossil study reveals which types of species are most at risk from climate change";"Severe flooding – in central Australia? How a vast humid air mass could soak the desert";"Climate change is drying out the ‘forgotten rivers’ that keep the Murray-Darling alive. We need a new plan".

Sarah Newman (pictured) is the founder and director of the "Climate Mental Health Network" and was the MC for the webinar, "Thriving in an Age of Disasters: Building Emotional Resilience & Taking Climate Action".One of the speakers was Elizabeth Bagley, the Managing Director of "Project Drawdown".She encouraged those at the webinar to check out the "Drawdown Explorer".Climate change and mental health are increasingly appearing in the same sentence, and this webinar helps people develop some perspective on what is an inherently challenging question.

David Brian (pictured) is the president of the Victorian Hemp Association, which has a field day at Northern Victoria's Nanneella on Sunday, February 22.David is passionate about educating people, particularly farmers, about hemp.He regularly attends exhibitions, conferences, field days and festivals to educate people about hempcrete and its benefits. He also works with farmers in Victoria and southern New South Wales who are interested in growing hemp, and they will have a chance to learn more on Sunday, February 22, at Nanneella, during a field day.David's company, "Southern Hemp", will be at the "Seymour Alternative Farming Field Day" in April this year.

The Director of Strategy and Campaigns at polling firm Redbridge, Kosmos Samaras (pictured), explains the ever-unfolding intricacies of elections, emphasising the importance of climate change.This educational and revealing webinar - "Why We Shouldn’t Be Held Hostage to the Past: Unlocking the Consensus on Pricing Pollution" - was organised by The Superpower Institute.In this third webinar in TSI’s series supporting The Case for Pricing Pollution, Kos Samaras, Director and co-founder of Redbridge Group, unpacks new national polling on public attitudes to pollution, fairness, and Australia’s gas resources - and what those views mean for the prospects of reform.Redbridge Group recently conducted national quantitative and qualitative research into Australian voter sentiment on pollution, economic fairness, and fossil fuel taxation, exploring how people think about these issues in the context of cost-of-living pressures and broader concerns about economic fairness.The findings cut through long-held and outdated assumptions about carbon pricing and shed light on:where public support is strongest,what issues policymakers need to manage, andwhere the real political obstacles to adoption lie.This conversation focuses squarely on political shifts, and how proposals such as a Polluter Pays Levy and a Fair Share Levy are likely to land with voters.

Professor Sarah Perkins-Kirpatrick and Professor Mark Howden (pictured) were at the Australian National University's Climate Update 2026.Professor Perkins-Kirkpatrick was the keynote speaker. The event, which had the subtitle "Adaptation from soil to stars", helped people understand why, in 2025, Australia experienced simultaneous flooding in the north and drought in the south. Promoting the event, the university said: "As we travel further from the historical bounds of the Earth’s natural systems, climate-fueled disasters are increasingly the new normal. "While still carrying the load of mitigation, Australia must now also plan for a changed climate. Our future policy direction is already being laid down, with the release of the first National Climate Risk Assessment and National Adaptation Plan last year".

Adam Bandt (pictured) is the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Conservation Foundation and just this week was a "guest" on a webinar organised by the foundation's community organiser, Dan Scaysbrook.Bandt has been the leader of the Australian Greens party, but lost his Melbourne seat in the 2025 Federal Election.His new role at the foundation as CEO sees him taking over from Kelly O'Shannasy, who had fulfilled that role for more than a decade.This statement appeared last year on the ACF website:Following more than a decade of outstanding service at the helm of Australia’s national environment organisation, trailblazing leader Kelly O’Shanassy has announced she will step down as CEO of the Australian Conservation Foundation at the end of 2025.“It’s been an honour to lead this powerhouse organisation and serve Australians who love nature and want climate action. It’s a hard decision to step away — but unlike solar and wind, CEO energy is not renewable, and it’s time for a break.“I leave knowing we have created so much impact for nature and people. Together we’ve protected ancient forests from bulldozers, saved world heritage reefs and wetlands from being dredged, stopped toxic waste dumps and helped return a million hectares of Country to Traditional Owners. “We’ve shaped new laws to cut climate pollution and boost renewables and made climate action a resounding feature of Australian politics and business.”ACF President Ros Harvey said Ms O’Shanassy leaves a lasting legacy at ACF and should be proud of her role in making a stronger, more powerful and more inclusive organisation.“Kelly has cultivated a welcoming and empowering culture within ACF and the broader environmental movement and has always led with great vision, compassion and integrity.“Under Kelly’s stewardship, ACF created more than 40 ACF community groups across the country and attracted more than half a million new supporters, from cities, farms, the bush, the beach and mining communities,” she said. As the second woman to lead the Australian Conservation Foundation, Ms O’Shanassy helped shatter the glass ceiling within the environment movement and has been deeply committed to making the organisation more inclusive and equitable for everyone. “Great organisations are not just about their CEO, they are about every person being the best they can be – our staff, our community and the other NGOs we get to work with every day,” Ms O’Shanassy said.“We have vast challenges still before us. 2030 is fast approaching, Australia’s emissions trajectory is a long way from 1.5° aligned, and the gas industry is still pushing to expand.  “Australia’s threatened species list is growing. Stronger nature protection laws remain the big unfinished business and winning them will be ACF’s focus in the crucial first 12 months of the new parliament.”   “There is so much more to do, and we need big, bold action more than ever,” she said.

The Washington Post was once one of America's most influential newspapers, and in some ways it still is, but Amazon owner, Jeff Bezos, who bought the paper and had the wealth to sustain it, now appears to be shredding it.Layoffs at this once great newspaper were nowhere near inevitable. But Jeff Bezos was never committed to the paper’s best traditions - "The Washington Post Is in Free Fall—and There’s One Person to Blame";"Briefing Recap | Oil and Gas Lookahead 2026";"Australian ministers met Japanese gas companies 20 times amid fossil fuel lobbying push";"Authoritarianism is undermining climate action – and time is running out";"Under GOP Pressure, Federal Agency Pulls Climate Change Chapter From Official Manual for U.S. Judges";"Mass layoffs fuel fears of ‘death spiral’ at Washington Post";"The Otways brace for another gas fight";"Why Scientists Are Rethinking 60 Years of Arctic Snow Data";"Milan protesters rally against environmentally and economically 'unsustainable' Winter Olympics";"'Easy and cheaper': Why a growing number of Australians are adopting this niche lifestyle";"The case for banning fossil fuel donations ".

I missed the chance to talk with Australian historian Manning Clark, and death again intruded, unexpectedly, to rob me of the chance to meet and talk with Emma Johnston (pictured) - "Emma Johnston was a visionary scientist, environmentalist and leader, with an abiding hope for humanity";"Grant Guidelines for Libraries and Museums Take “Chilling” Political Turn Under Trump";"I used to have a great travel tip for Europe. It doesn’t work anymore";"In the Trump era of America first, scientists fear for the future of Antarctica";"More than $9 billion in renewable energy projects fast-tracked in two years";"Scientists Warn ‘Garbage’ Models Underestimate Risk of Economic Collapse From Climate Crisis";"Abbott, Boyce and Trump – three ways to deny a warming world";"Making polluters pay could fix Australia’s climate problem – and its budget";"Chance of El Niño forming in Pacific Ocean may push global temperatures to record highs in 2027".

Greg Mullins (pictured), who has fought and experienced fires around the world, was one of two guests on a webinar organised by Australia's "Climate Council", which discussed how fires that devastated huge parts of America's Los Angeles could easily erupt in Australia. Mullins is the former Chief Fire Officer and CEO (Commissioner) for New South Wales, and he is a member of "Emergency Leaders for Climate Action".

Australian astronaut, Katherine Bennell-Pegg (pictured), is the 2026 Australian of the Year and reminds us that all life on Earth depends on a thin blue envelope surrounding the planet."Victoria to reach 49 degrees as communities brace for week-long heatwave";"For the first time, renewable energy is supplying most of our power";"This Is Why Our Rivers Are Turning Into Sewers";"Corporate Polluters Running Rampant Under Trump as EPA Enforcement ‘Dying a Quick Death’";"Bushfire smoke triggers health alert, heat records could tumble as Mallee braces for 49-degree blast".

Brisbane family, Jon and Emelie Watson, and their two children (pictured) are "Living More With Less" in the Queensland capital city, creating a life free of the W.E.I.R.D.; way of living that most wealthy westerners seem addicted to.Jon and Emily don't insist that others follow their example; rather, they hope to illustrate how living with less brings joy and happiness, a state that eludes most.W.E.I.R.D - "Western, Educated, industrialised, Rich, Democratised.

The 1970 music of Edwin Starr (pictured) sent a shiver around the world, and his song "War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing" is as relevant today as it was 55 years ago.Check out the impressive presentation my Canadian PM Mark Carney delivered recently at the Davos World Economic Forum.

Carolyn Ingvarson, pictured at her rooftop-panelled Melbourne home, says the current lack of recycling is a big barrier to many people installing panels - "The dirty secret in Australia’s love affair with rooftop solar";"Water wars ahead now Australia’s longest river officially critically endangered";"Country Breakfast";"Cleeland says government needs to truly understand scale of devastation";"Longwood fire remains out of control";"Generosity shines through";"‘Garden of Eden’: the Spanish farm growing citrus you’ve never heard of";"UK urged to ratify high seas treaty to avoid being shut out of Ocean Cop summit";"Climate whiplash: We can no longer pretend this isn’t a crisis";"Global warning: Trump’s war on the planet heats up";"Fires destroy 500 structures, premier heckled over CFA funding";"‘Like something from Apocalypse Now’: Catastrophic bushfires tipped to become the new normal";"Why Wye River copped a rain bomb that washed away cars";"‘It was a few seconds’: Warning system under scrutiny after flash floods";"As Victoria’s Great Ocean Road flash floods show, we need to get better at taking warnings seriously";"2025 was Earth’s 3rd-warmest year on record";"Allan announces review into bushfire season";"Facing ‘a new enemy".