The Environment

Scientists and experts warn that Australia's fire season has grown longer and more intense due to climate change.

Officials have confirmed that 2018 and 2017 were Australia's third and fourth-hottest years on record respectively, and last year the nation experienced its warmest summer on record.

The Bureau of Meteorology's State of the Climate 2018 report said climate change had led to an increase in extreme heat events and raised the severity of other natural disasters, such as drought.

Climate emergency 'clear and unequivocal'

Even if global temperatures are contained to a 2C rise above pre-industrial levels - a limit set out in the landmark Paris accord, agreed by 188 nations in 2015 - scientists believe the country is facing a dangerous new normal.

Last year, a UN report said Australia was falling short in efforts to cut its CO2 emissions.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has declined to acknowledge climate change while the fires are raging.

and this is why we're all fucked.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has declined to acknowledge climate change while the fires are raging.

and this is why we're all fucked.

Unbelievable.

TBF maybe he just thinks that the application of an agricultural Northern European culture on landmass totally unsuited to it is the real issue.

Only historic info,
but,
anyone who lives in a flood zone can check the local river levels with this
Environment Agency page.

Looks like you might be sharing your full address with the internet via that link?!

Thanks for your concern.
That is the closest postal address to the EA River Pinn level gauge
at some distance from me in Ruislip.
(I've lived here long enough to know not to buy a property in the flood zone).

Ah, no worries.

Post-brexit agriculture bill looks to be an improvement on the EU's CAP - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51128709

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/28/coronavirus-tackle-climate-crisis-and-poverty-with-zeal-of-covid-19-fight-scientists-urge

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/creating-the-transport-decarbonisation-plan

Michael Moore's latest, which he has released for free. A whole lot to think about:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk11vI-7czE

Discussion after is also good:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBGcEK8FD3w

If there's one environmental problem that caught me completely by surprise and that I didn't have any idea existed, it's the microplastics thing. I still find it utterly baffling.

Scientists trawled waters off the coasts of the UK and US and found many more particles using nets with a fine mesh size than when using coarser ones usually used to filter microplastics. The addition of these smaller particles to global estimates of surface microplastics increases the range from between 5tn and 50tn particles to 12tn-125tn particles, the scientists say.

Plastic pollution is known to harm the fertility, growth and survival of marine life. Smaller particles are especially concerning because they are the same size as the food eaten by zooplankton, which underpin the marine food chain and play an important role in regulating the global climate. The new data suggests there may be more microplastic particles than zooplankton in some waters.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/22/microplastic-pollution-in-oceans-vastly-underestimated-study

This is a feel good story, global heating as caused winter in this part of the Andes to be longer and colder, so passive heating technology has been roled out to some house, reducing respitory illness 20-30% and giving the poor families a better quality of life:
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/may/25/now-we-sleep-peacefully-life-in-peru-transformed-by-warm-houses

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/may/26/michael-moore-film-planet-of-the-humans-removed-from-youtube

This was such a depressing segment:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw6KR2vj_bc

There has to be a better solution than this

Yeah, it should be done locally, not shipped overseas, the cheapest processing option isn't likely the best and actually having procedures in place to ensure it's processed properly or the companies are liable for fines, etc.

Ty for the video. Previosly it was done in Malaysia(War on Plastic show) now it moved to Turkey!

I feel so much frustration when I need to buy vegetables/produce and a lot of them are wrapped in plastic. I try to stay out of it as much as I can, but still feel I don't do enough. I do not understand why for example cereales/rice/grains are bagged in plastic bags!

Potatoes, as an example, have no issue in being kept as they are, especially if they have some dirt on them.

On the other hand the fill yourself stores I found them a bit too expensive.

Anyone near Lewisham, the SWOP shop (Shop Without Packaging) in Lee is great and not expensive. Most things organic too.

Buying power of the supermarkets just means they've cut the prices the farmers are getting or they're importing the stuff from somewhere cheaper. It shouldn't be cheaper to add packaging or ship stuff around the world but there you go. Thankfully, we have spare coin so can be more picky with where we shop - the local greengrocer still has plastic punnets of berries though so even they aren't immune.

I read this the other day.

I think a great guide in having the mindset to address climate change without being overcome by crippling climate anxiety..

Has anybody on here volunteered with https://www.treesforcities.org/?

Maybe @eldweebio ? Does a lot of tree planting for sure.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/29/bees-food-crops-shortage-study

I have even heard rumours that on occasion bears treat the woods as if they were a toilet.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/23/magazine/climate-migration.html

Detailed study of projected climate change migration. Only halfway through it but seems worth it.

Article in the Graun today saying that migration of skilled Brits to EU up 30%, and that’s before we exit transition. Going to be an interesting place if the brain drain intensifies once we hit 2021- I wonder what the impact will be on zero waste shops for e.g.