Wasn’t our summer hot?
The 10 warmest years in the 174-year record have all occurred during the last 10 years!
It’s not like we weren’t warned.
Scientist Eunice Foote (a women's rights activist) described the power of carbon dioxide gas to absorb heat in 1856.
An article in the March 1912 edition of Popular Mechanics speculated that burning coal could raise the earth's temperature, and it "may be considerable in a few centuries". This was reproduced on page 4 of the 17 July 1912 issue of "The Braidwood Dispatch and Mining Journal" (of all things!)
Scientists worried about the issue in the late 1950s, and by the 1990's, scientists were seriously concerned.
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Unfortunately, what little action we have taken to ward off climate change hasn’t been enough.
So what are groups doing now?
Efforts are increasingly turning to adaptation. “Adaptation” means changing the way our economies and societies work to live with the effects of climate change.
Sweltering Cities, an organisation recently launched in Brisbane, has recognised the need for adaptation. It has a number of aims including:
Urging new building standards, so new buildings are better adapted to cope with heat and wild weather
A plan to retro-fit existing houses (with a focus on public and community housing)
Town planning to increase tree cover, reduce the urban heat island effect, and develop parks and cool public spaces across the city, not just in wealthy areas
Support people to access cool spaces or heat shelters, including ensuring homeless people have somewhere welcoming and cool to go
Support outdoor workers to stop work in during heatwaves
Queensland Walks is a community based organisation which advocates for more walkable places. We need walking and bicycle paths with shade! (The walk my street checklist will get you thinking about what it means to have a “walkable” walk).
Some weeks ago I walked around the Brisbane CBD and I can see what they are getting at. Some of the CBD’s open spaces and walkways are a sea of unshaded concrete. It was a hot day, so nobody was out in these usually crowded areas.
A 2019 paper predicts that by 2050 Brisbane will be a 'difficult place to live'. Two-thirds of summer nights would become unbearably hot. Even healthy adults will need to avoid outdoor activity throughout most of the summer. In 2050 my two grandsons will be young adults, trying to live, work and play in these conditions.
Even the Queensland Govt has a Climate Adaptation Plan. It recognises that climate change is a fact and we need new approaches for Queensland’s economies, landscapes and communities to survive the impact of heat and extreme weather.
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Plans, strategies and tools are all very well and good. But you know what worries me?
All the adaptation in the world isn’t going to cope with this sort of change. We need to push for climate action: more of it, and much faster. You can do your bit through this issue’s actions.
What can you do today?
🐰🐰🐰🐰 Save the Date: 29 April- 10 May 🐰🐰🐰🐰
With 116 new coal and gas projects in the pipeline and Labor considering reforms to our laws that govern fossil fuel approvals, there's never been a more critical time to rise up in our communities to demand No More Coal and Gas! Rise Up: 12 Days of Action! aims for an action in all 77 Australian Labor Party seats across the country.
Dial in to a webinar tonight Wed 3rd April, 6pm Qld time for more information.
🐝 If you have 5 minutes:
Glencore is about to get approval for an experimental fossil fuel project in Queensland’s groundwater. Glencore wants to capture CO2 emissions from the Millmerran coal power station and pump them underground into the Great Artesian Basin. Qld farmers, represented by the Queensland Farmers Federation and AgForce, know of the risks from this project, and don't want to see a precedent for future carbon capture projects in the Great Artesian Basin.
Action: Sign the petition to Qld’s water minister, Glenn Butcher, asking him to say NO to this destructive project by rejecting the project's water licence application.
Jefferies Group is a New York Investment Bank that continues to finance coal companies in Australia such as New Hope Group, Adani and Whitehaven. Self promotion for their 2024 Sustainability Report includes gems such as "Advancing Jefferies’ sustainability and diversity efforts remain core to our values, with over $22 million in charitable contributions and expanded scope of emission offsets last year."
Action: Add your polite comment to @Jefferies Linked In or Twitter accounts, or send an email to the CEO.
🐇 If you have 15 minutes:
Whitehaven Coal is seeking joint venture partners for their newly acquired Blackwater coal mine in Queensland's Bowen Basin.
Action: Use the digital tactic guide to let Nippon and Itochu know just how bad a business partner Whitehaven Coal would be.
💃🏽 If you have 30 minutes or more: Seminars, seminars!
Interested in battery storage? Does size matter? What can batteries do? What services should be encouraged? What markets should be created? What support should be provided? Where are costs headed?
Action: Register for the free webinar hosted by Renew Economy Editor Giles Parkinson, with Akaysha Energy’s Paul Curnow, Eku Energy’s Daniel Burrows, and Climate Energy Finance’s Tim Buckley on Wednesday April 10 at 12 noon.
The Nagana Yarrbayn Wangan and Jagalingou Cultural Custodians who have re-occupied their land within the Adani mining lease for more than two years have launched a legal case against the Qld Government, based on new evidence that Adani’s Carmichael mine is poisoning the Doongmabulla springs. Hear why Doongmabulla is sacred and must be protected, and learn how this case has potential to set important environment and human rights legal precedents in Qld.
Action: Register for this free webinar on Thursday 18th April from 6pm - 7.15pm.
And last but not least…. renewable energy combined with local storage is lowering energy bills for many in the Sunshine State. But not everyone can access it. What's the solar potential of Queensland's untapped rooftops? Hear this short panel discussion with leading community energy experts, including local case studies, followed by Q&A and next steps for how you can stay involved.
Action: Register for this free in person or online seminar Tuesday April 16 at 6 pm, Griffith University Southbank Campus. I used to work with moderator Tom Dixon at CSIRO, so I know it will be an interesting session!
Lately I’ve been traveling around and came across the Baldy Archy prize.
Artists of all styles and standards enter their portrait paintings of humour, dark satire, light comedy or caricature. Although it has been to Brisbane a few times, I was lucky enough to see the exhibition last week at Mansfield, Victoria.
Here are some of my highlights:
The Bald Archy Portrait Prize is presented by the Museum of the Riverina and images are used with permission. The Museum of the Riverina is a cultural facility of Wagga Wagga City Council.
That’s all for today, folks 👋🏽 Thanks for taking action.
See you in two weeks, Ron
plus Malcolm, Robyn and Jan - The Climate Club Qld team
To help us keep these newsletters helpful, you can always reach us by email climateclubqld@gmail.com or check out the simple info on our About page.
We live, work and play on the lands of the Yuggara and Turrbal people in and around Meanjin - Brisbane. We pay respect to their Elders, past and present, and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded - always was, always will be Aboriginal land.