Public comment in response to massive cuts to CSIRO’s climate change science activities
If the cuts to a significant swathe of CSIRO’s climate research activities proceed, Australia faces the prospects of losing forever its world-leading research and application work on climate. This research has been painstakingly built up over decades and places Australia
Plastic not fantastic
I’m a baby boomer. I grew up in the ‘60s. I remember the early morning clip-clop of the milkman’s horse. Each night my mum would leave out two or three empty bottles. The milkman would replace them with full bottles. We
Communicating Climate Change Internationally
The international climate change assessment body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has launched a communication guide for scientists, put together by Climate Outreach — a UK-based team of social scientists and communication specialists focused on climate communication. The IPCC’s
Today Al Gore reminded me that when someone tells you something, do something
Ten years ago I saw the Al Gore film, An Inconvenient Truth. Driving home from the cinema that night, I passed a car with its headlights off – and flashed my headlights at them using the local language for ‘you’ve
A safer, cleaner environmental future: the CRC CARE High School Essay Competition
Enter the CRC CARE High School Essay Competition with a 500- to 1000-word essay about contaminants in the environment (for a safer, cleaner environmental future) and you could win a great prize! Choose from two categories: * The Dr Roneal Naidu award
Everyone has a good story
I had the privilege of interviewing half a dozen of Australia’s newest ecologists this week, after more than $1 million in funds for students were announced by the Ecological Society of Australia. In speaking with just six of the 100 students
Movin’ on up to cooler climes
Climate change impacts on the natural world are accelerating rapidly. ‘Many plants and animals are proving to be highly sensitive to the changes in climate we have experienced over the last few decades’ says Professor Lesley Hughes from Macquarie University. Lesley says
Climate of change
Ice and heat are enemies. As the world warms, the ice on the land melts. Most glaciers are in retreat, with their water gushing into the sea. This makes the sea level rise. Add the expansion of the oceans, which
Help! Lending a hand to vulnerable species
Global hotspots, such as the waters southeast of Australia, have warmed dramatically and dozens of marine animals have moved south. Many others need our help. Dr Alistair Hobday, from CSIRO, says these sea temperature changes are clear – not only in
Ouch! Feeling the record heat
Last summer, temperatures around the world showed an unusual upward spike. Globally, February was more than a degree warmer than usual, breaking the record set in 2015 that had itself broken the record set in February 2014. A stable climate
The value of local knowledge
When a coastal town faces increased flooding, what comes next must come from the community. The most important thing for Councils when planning adaptation to climate change is to identify the risk to people, and then work with the community to
CoastExchange: Another brick in the seawall
Scientell is proud to be helping the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF) launch their online discussion about coastal adaptation, CoastExchange. You can sign up at https://connect.coastadapt.com.au/. The purpose of this virtual community of adaptors is to provide a forum in
The 60-second guide to world water
Written by Paul Holper The ocean covers 71 per cent of the Earth’s surface and contains almost 97 per cent of the planet’s water. But only 2.5 per cent of Earth’s water is freshwater, and just a fraction (1.2 per cent)
Observations on observers
Written by Simon Torok With hundreds of climate scientists meeting in Melbourne this week for the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society conference, it is worth reflecting that climate research owes a great debt to voluntary weather observers who, through their careful documentation
New climate change brochures for Victoria
Recently we worked with the Victorian Government to prepare a series of regional brochures explaining the likely impacts of climate change and describing how best to adapt. This project was a collaboration with Karen Pearce of Bloom Communication and Rohan Hamden & Associates. The 8-page brochures