[SunriseChampion]

Could you not lump all of us who are over 50 together.

Yes, I can manage that.

I know I was making a massive generalisation.

 

[SunriseChampion]

Do you mean total GHG for a country, or for the world. If the former, than Canada will be amazing when Alberta and Quebec separate.

The world, obviously.

We're all stuck on this rock together and the sooner some of us realise that, the better all of us will be. Even the head-up-arse-so-far-it's-effectively-back-in-place crowd.

 

[tayser]

Despite our energy minister making an arseclown of himself in Madrid and overall contributing to the effort of the US, China, Brazil and India - the effort of attempting to prolong the status quo - climate action or more to the point: transitioning our energy supply away from fossils to renewables so then we can start transitioning other sectors of the economy, is well underway in Australia - despite roadblocks from the federal coalition government.

The beauty of federation is that electricity/gas and the like is a state issue and states (of both political persuasions) are responding to varying degrees. The Australian Energy Market Operator for the past two years has been helping the states map out where investment should be put into transmission to unlock far more renewables.

Coal is the main fossil fuel in use (there's also gas but coal is our dirtiest) - black in Queensland, New South Wales and WA, brown in Victoria. The National Energy Market (NEM) is actually only Queensland, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania - they're all interconnected. Western Australia and the Northern Territory operate independently.

This just came out last week from AEMO on new transmission - dollar figures are starting to be added to all these system changes.

2020 Integrated System Plan (ISP)

The 2020 ISP is currently under development, with a detailed timeline shown below. The consultation on scenarios, inputs and assumptions was completed in August 2019. The Draft 2020 ISP has now been released, and consultation on this document opened on 12th December 2019, along with a separate...

www.aemo.com.au

The South Australia-New South Wales interconnect (red) will likely be 330kv AC so SA and NSW can trade independently of Victoria, plus SA is building renewables like mad + there's timeshifting benefits.
The second Victoria-New South Wales interconnect (pink) will likely be 500kv AC - connects Melbourne, Ballarat and Bendigo to other parts of the snowy scheme, the parts that are going to be turned into an enormous pumped hydro scheme (by re-using existing hydro storages). Other benefit is that it brings a brand new big phat pipe through the sunniest part of Victoria and one of the best parts of NSW for solar generation (and fixes a grid problem in western Vic).
The second Bass Strait crossing (green) between VIC-TAS will a HVDC link with almost double the current capacity in the Basslink cable. Tasmania is a bit like some Canadian provinces (huge amounts of hydro) and the state government down there wants to "do a snowy" and augment existing storages + hydro generators into pumped hydro gens.

 

[W. K. Lis]

'Like a furnace': Massive heatwave could roast Australian records

See link.

Almost all of mainland Australia will be roasted in a huge heatwave next week, with the mercury likely to nudge 50 degrees in parts of the south.

Perth is in the midst of a four-day scorching as it plays host to the first day-night cricket Test between Australia and New Zealand.

Maximum temperatures are likely to near or exceed 40 degrees until Sunday, with the heat gradually shifting east.

Records are likely to tumble in many areas for days of consecutive heat even if individual daily maximums are broken, Kim Westcott, a meteorologist with Weatherzone, said. Remaining moisture in the environment may not fare well.

"Days when it feels like a furnace outside are not going to be great for any moisture that's still around," she said.

Apart from humans caught in the prolonged heat, wildlife from birds to bees, livestock and pets may also struggle.

On present forecasts, the hottest places may be in South Australia, with the Bureau of Meteorology indicating back-to-back days of 49 and 50 degrees in some remote regions for next Wednesday and Thursday.

Ms Westcott said a "very weak pressure pattern" meant the heat has been able to build over the inland with little disturbance from cold fronts. The system will drift slowly eastwards next week.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1205290780555763718

 

[W. K. Lis]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1403342003167644

 

[AlbertC]

How Africa will be affected by climate change

15 December 2019

Africa is more vulnerable than any other region to the world's changing weather patterns, explains climate specialist Richard Washington.

The African continent will be hardest hit by climate change.
There are four key reasons for this:

• First, African society is very closely coupled with the climate system; hundreds of millions of people depend on rainfall to grow their food
• Second, the African climate system is controlled by an extremely complex mix of large-scale weather systems, many from distant parts of the planet and, in comparison with almost all other inhabited regions, is vastly understudied. It is therefore capable of all sorts of surprises
• Third, the degree of expected climate change is large. The two most extensive land-based end-of-century projected decreases in rainfall anywhere on the planet occur over Africa; one over North Africa and the other over southern Africa
• Finally, the capacity for adaptation to climate change is low; poverty equates to reduced choice at the individual level while governance generally fails to prioritise and act on climate change

How Africa will be affected by climate change

The African continent is more vulnerable than any other region to the world's changing weather patterns.

www.bbc.com

 

[Johnny Au]

How Africa will be affected by climate change

15 December 2019

Africa is more vulnerable than any other region to the world's changing weather patterns, explains climate specialist Richard Washington.

The African continent will be hardest hit by climate change.
There are four key reasons for this:

• First, African society is very closely coupled with the climate system; hundreds of millions of people depend on rainfall to grow their food
• Second, the African climate system is controlled by an extremely complex mix of large-scale weather systems, many from distant parts of the planet and, in comparison with almost all other inhabited regions, is vastly understudied. It is therefore capable of all sorts of surprises
• Third, the degree of expected climate change is large. The two most extensive land-based end-of-century projected decreases in rainfall anywhere on the planet occur over Africa; one over North Africa and the other over southern Africa
• Finally, the capacity for adaptation to climate change is low; poverty equates to reduced choice at the individual level while governance generally fails to prioritise and act on climate change

How Africa will be affected by climate change

The African continent is more vulnerable than any other region to the world's changing weather patterns.

www.bbc.com

The Sahara was lush as recently as a few millennia ago.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Australia So Hot They’ve Run Out Of Colours To Use On Heat Map

From link.

Temperatures in Australia have broken records this week, peaking at an insane 41.9°C – and it’s so hot they’ve run out of colours to use on their heat maps.

The record, held since January 2013, was initially broken on Tuesday, December 17, but was topped once again yesterday, December 18, for the second day running.

A state of emergency has been declared in New South Wales amid fears the record breaking heatwave will exacerbate the state’s bushfire crisis. In New South Wales alone, fire services are currently battling around 100 bushfires.

Following the state of emergency being declared by New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian, the Rural Fire Service now have the power to direct any government agency to halt operations, control government resources and shut down utilities such as electricity and water.

Much like the tumbling temperature records, this is the second time in a month a state of emergency has been declared in NSW – the last one being declared in October 2013.

Adding to the concerns, Australia’s bushfire season is typically in March/April time, meaning Australians may be enduring the fires for quite some time.

Average temperatures were confirmed by the Bureau of Meteorology at 41.9 degrees Celsius across the country.

The record for the hottest individual December day at any location was also broken on Thursday, December 18, with Eucla, in south-east Western Australia hit an outrageous 49.8 degrees Celsius. The Nullarbor came in second place at 49.7 degrees Celsius.

Both temperatures surpass the previous December record held since 1972 by Birdsville, Queensland.

According to the Met Office, today, December 19, Sydney will be a comfortable 23°C, while Adelaide is predicted to hit a whopping 43°C.

The devastating fires have been broadcast across the globe, with one story in particular going viral. Capturing the hearts of people all over the world, a grandma called Toni literally took the shirt off her own back to save an injured koala from the overwhelming bushfires.

The rescued bear came to be known as Lewis. However, despite her best efforts, as well as the hard work from the team at Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, Lewis the koala bear sadly passed away from his injuries.

Temperatures are expected to exceed 45°C in NSW, Victoria and South Australia this week so we could see the record broken yet again as the Bureau takes around 700 observations from weather stations across the country in order to get accurate national averages.

Heatwaves are Australia’s deadliest natural disaster and have killed thousands more people than bushfires or floods.

A state-wide ‘total fire ban’ has been put in place across NSW until midnight on Saturday, December 21.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Australian state declares emergency as wildfires surround Sydney

From link.

Australia’s most populous state declared its second emergency in as many months on Thursday as extreme heat and strong winds stoked scores of uncontrolled bush fires, some on Sydney's doorstep.

In the same week the continent experienced its hottest day on record, thick smoke blanketed the harbor city, shrouded the Opera House and brought many outdoor activities to a halt.

The state of emergency declaration gave firefighters broad powers to control government resources, force evacuations, close roads and shut down utilities across New South Wales, which is home to more than 7 million people.

Firefighters are battling more than 100 fires, more than half of which are uncontrolled, and with temperatures forecast to top 45 degrees Celsius (113°F) in some areas, officials warned residents to be on high alert.

“The fire front has been spreading very quickly and intensely,” NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons told reporters in Sydney, adding that two firefighters had been airlifted to hospital with burns to their faces and airways. “It's still a very difficult and dangerous set of circumstances.”

Days out from Christmas, a time when many Australians head to the coast for the holidays, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian advised people to make sure “you are prepared to change your plans should circumstances change.”

The RFS posted footage on its official Twitter account showing firefighters tackling one of the three blazes ringing Sydney. A water bomber aircraft was dwarfed by thick grey and black billowing cloud as it attempted to douse flames in bushland just meters away from homes.

Australia has been battling wildfires across much of its east coast for weeks, leaving six people dead, more than 680 homes destroyed and nearly 3 million acres (1.2 million hectares) of bushland burnt.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has weathered a storm of criticism on social media in recent days for going on an overseas holiday during the emergency, adding to criticism that his government is failing to deliver adequate climate change policies.

As the media reported Morrison was in Hawaii with his family to enjoy a break, about 500 protestors gathered outside his official Sydney residence to demand urgent action on climate change. Morrison's office refused to confirm his whereabouts.

Canada had sent fire fighters to help in Australia.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Global Average Temperature Map Shows Australia Is Literally On Fire

From link.

As bushfires continue to burn through Australia and temperatures reach record highs, a world heat map shows how the country is suffering

The map shows Australia coloured an angry, dark red, indicating temperatures around 40°C. However, some spots of the country are covered with white spots, indicating the heat is inching towards 50°C.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1207872650128683009

 

[TrickyRicky]

Until atmospheric terraforming technology becomes mainstream we basically just have to live with climate change. The best political solution would at best get us to zero emissions increases at this point which doesn’t solve anything because of our current burn rate.

The good part here in Toronto is that we already deal with some of the harshest climate variability in the world because we live with annual 70 degree temperature swings. It’s largely business as usual. Some flooding concerns but these are largely existing vulnerabilities in the system that should be fixed anyways

 

[W. K. Lis]

2019 has been a year of climate disaster. Yet still our leaders procrastinate

From link.

We should pause to remember just how extraordinary this year has been, and reflect on what it might mean for our future

2019 may go down in history as Year Zero of the climate apocalypse. The tsunami of extreme events has been so relentless that each is quickly forgotten in favour of its successor.

So before the year ends we should pause, remember just how extraordinary it was, and reflect on what this might mean for our future.

The year started with a record-breaking heatwave in southern Australia with temperatures in the mid-40s, in some areas for 40 days in a row. Then followed the immolation of vast areas of moist Tasmanian forests, forests that date back to the last ice age. Approximately 3% of the state burned as a long-term trend of less rainfall and more evaporation was capped off by the driest January on record. On the mainland, who could forget those horrifying images of the Menindee fish kills?

To our north, Pabuk, the earliest forming tropical storm in the north-west Pacific Ocean on record, smashed into the coastal resorts of Thailand, killing 10 people and causing almost US$160m in damage.

While Australia was sweltering, North America was freezing thanks to a disruption of the polar vortex that might, perversely, be linked to the warming of Arctic waters.

February brought little climatic relief with Townsville hit by devastating floods and Sydney lashed by storms.

March saw fires continue to rage in Victoria, with over 30 homes lost. Meanwhile, Cyclone Idai, one of a record number of Indian Ocean cyclones, swept through south-eastern Africa, killing thousands in what some called the worst weather-related disaster ever to strike the southern hemisphere. Australia was not immune from cyclones, with Trevor and Veronica wreaking billions of dollars’ worth of damage.

Flooding in Iran claimed at least 70 lives in early April, while cyclones returned to south-eastern Africa, causing another 50 deaths.

In late April-early May Cyclone Fani lashed Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and Bhutan, causing 89 deaths, capping off a season of very atypical cyclones likely triggered by uncommonly warm seas.

In Hawaii, the Mauna Loa observatory recorded its highest-ever reading of carbon dioxide at 414.8 parts per million, confirming the relentless upward trend. The Guardian adopted a new editorial policy to prefer the term “climate crisis”. Inspired by a determined teenager from Sweden, hundreds of thousands of students from thousands of towns in hundreds of countries protested for the future of their planet.

June saw weeks of rain drown the midwest United States, on top of a near-record tornado season and the wettest 12 months on record.

Then hell came to Europe with a widespread heatwave that saw France record its highest ever temperature of 45.9C while climate scientists confirmed the link to climate change. In the US, a month of above-average temperatures baked Alaska and fuelled hundreds of fires.

As the tropical storm season started in the Gulf of Mexico in July, Louisiana and Mississippi braced for more floods. Across the Atlantic, Britain boiled while temperature records were also broken in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands during the planet’s hottest month on record.

August saw record-low sea ice levels in the Arctic and, as August turned to September, Hurricane Dorian missed Mar-a-Lago but terrorised the Bahamas. There was scarcely time to take a breath before torrential rain submerged entire towns in south-east Spain and Imelda drowned Texas.

In response, millions of students once again took to the streets, as Scott Morrison chastised them for needless anxiety and Greta Thunberg “dared” world leaders to ignore them.

Rain towards the end of September brought some relief for the devastating fires in the Amazon, and Noaa confirmed the month as the hottest September on record.

October saw the fires move north to California, as Europe continued to swelter, parts of Australia choked on dust, and Japan was pounded by the costliest Pacific typhoon in recorded history.

In November, a Venetian council rejected action on climate change only to have its council chambers flooded by record high tides, Cyclone Bulbul displaced millions in Bangladesh and India, and heavy rain triggered deadly flooding across central and eastern Africa...

 

[SunriseChampion]

No worries mate!

NSFW unless your workplace is cool like mine.

 

[SunriseChampion]

Yeah, as I said, no worries.

 

[W. K. Lis]

New Zealand passes historic zero carbon bill with near unanimous bipartisan support

From link.

The New Zealand parliament has passed landmark legislation that enshrines the country’s commitment to the Paris Agreement into law, and will see the country achieve zero net carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.

The legislation establishes New Zealand as one of the few countries in the world with a legislated commitment to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement, with the New Zealand bill committing to establishing policies consistent with limiting global warming to just 1.5°C.

The bill was passed with bipartisan support, including from the centre right Nationals, in contrast to Australia where climate and energy policy has provoked toxic debate and scare campaigns from the far right factions that dominates the Coalition government.

“This is a historic piece of legislation and is the centrepiece for meaningful climate change action in New Zealand”, New Zealand climate minister James Shaw said following the passage of the bill.

“Climate change is the defining long-term issue of our generation that successive Governments have failed to address. Today we take a significant step forward in our plan to reduce New Zealand’s emissions.”

The bill sets a trajectory for reducing emissions and introduces a range of complementary measures, including the establishment of an independent Climate Change Commission to advise advice to the NZ government on reducing emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change, as well as determining emissions budgets.

The Ardern government has also established a $100M Green Investment Fund, which will invest public funds in projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, serving a similar role to that of the Australian Clean Energy Finance Corporation.

It is a further step that will cement New Zealand’s position as a climate leader in the Pacific region, a position that has effectively been abdicated by the Australian government.

New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern said that the passage of the bill sent a meaningful message to the Pacific region that New Zealand took the threats of climate change seriously.

“We have committed ourselves to a 1.5°C target that we are embedding in legislation, not just because of the statements of the Paris Agreement but because that is what is required if we are to show our Pacific neighbours that we understand what the impacts above 1.5°C will have on them — it is real,” Ardern told the parliament.



Shaw said that the passage of the bill had the backing of the wider New Zealand public, after consultation on the bill received a huge response from a wide diversity of stakeholders.

“We as the elected representatives of New Zealanders must take the opportunity to act on climate change before the window closes,” Shaw added.

“We’ve led the world before in nuclear disarmament and in votes for women, now we are leading again.”

“The Bill had nearly eleven thousand written and oral submissions. The Committee heard from parents, students, scientists, farmers, academics, health professionals, activists, iwi, local government and many more,” Shaw added.

The Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill, passed through the New Zealand parliament with near-unanimous support, although the National party has pledged to make amendments to the zero carbon legislation if it wins government at next year’s election.

“We have taken a bipartisan approach to climate change but we will continue to fight for the changes we think will make the law better,” NZ leader of the opposition Simon Bridges said.

The sole dissenter was David Seymour of the ACT New Zealand party, which has consistently held a position of climate change denial.

The passage of the bill was welcomed by environmental groups, along with business groups that welcomed the multi-party support passage of the bill as a strong signal of policy stability.

“We want to congratulate Generation Zero and all of the people who worked so hard to get the Zero Carbon Act across the line,” Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Amanda Larsson said.

“Now that the Zero Carbon Act is passed, the Government can get to work on introducing policies to cut climate pollution.”

However, there was angst amongst New Zealand farming groups, which see the Bill as a potential threat to industries dependent on the raising of sheep and cattle, which are major contributors to New Zealand’s national emissions.

“They had a golden opportunity to pass a Bill that was fit for purpose, and could have taken a bipartisan approach to climate change, and could have taken farmers along as well,” NZ Federated Farmers vice president Andrew Hoggard said.

While the bill enshrines a target of achieving zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, the bill has taken a softer approach on biomethane, a potent greenhouse gas that is predominantly produced by New Zealand’s agricultural emissions.

Given the significant portion of New Zealand’s economy that is reliant on the agricultural sector, the NZ government opted to set ambitious methane reduction targets, but stopped short of mandating zero methane emissions by 2050.

Approximately half of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions are produced by the agricultural sector, and the zero carbon bill establishes a target of reducing methane emissions by 24% to 47% from 2017 levels by 2050.

The softer target was justified by a desire to protect agricultural producers from stricter targets and acknowledges the difficulties of completely eliminating emissions from the agricultural sector.

New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra announced in July that it would phase the practice of using thermal coal to process and dry milk. The practice had been labelled “insane”by the founder of Bloomberg New Energy Finance Michael Liebriech.

The New Zealand government is pursuing a range of initiatives towards meeting these emissions reduction targets, including the planning of one billion new trees by 2028, strengthening its emissions trading scheme and stopping the exploration for new oil and gas reserves.