Time for action as disaster risks rise, insurer says

By Peter Hannam, Carbon economy editor8 January 2013 (Sydney Morning Herald) – Australia’s exposure to natural risks is on the increase and governments at all levels should step up joint efforts to limit the losses and prevent insurance costs from spiralling higher, one of the country’s biggest insurers says. Modest investments in flood or fire […]

Local CFA firefighter David Tree shares his water with an injured Australian koala at Mirboo North after wildfires swept through the region, 9 February 2009. The koala, later named “Sam” suffered second- and third-degree burns to her paws in the February fires and is recovering at the Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter in Victoria state. Photo: Mark Pardew / AP

Remembering Australia’s Black Saturday 2009

9 January 2013 (Desdemona Despair) – In February 2009, Desdemona was new to blogging. The world was still reeling from the global financial collapse caused by the deregulated, automated, shadow banking system – currently valued at $67 trillion and growing! Global warming was fading into the background of the public consciousness. Except in Australia, where […]

‘Exceptional’ Australia heatwave challenges records – ‘Australia-wide, we are currently well above average by many degrees’

By Peter Hannam, Carbon economy editor8 January 2013 Australia’s “exceptional” heatwave has produced record-breaking temperatures, with at least six of the first seven days of 2013 among the top 20 hottest days in the past century. The extreme January heat has prompted the Bureau of Meteorology to issue a special climate statement, with further updates […]

Over 100 missing in Tasmania as ‘catastrophic’ fire conditions sweep Australia – ‘Perhaps the worst fire danger the state has ever faced’

6 January 2012 (BBC) – Australian police are searching fire-ravaged towns in southern Tasmania looking for 100 unaccounted people. Tasmania’s police commissioner said he feared lives may have been lost in the wildfires which swept through parts of the island in recent days. Almost 3,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, many stranded in […]

Australia firefighters face threat levels not seen for years – ‘It’s in areas now that haven’t seen fire activity for decades’

By Stephanie Gardiner7 January 2013 THE heatwave Sydney has managed to avoid is due to hit on Tuesday, as firefighters prepare for the most dangerous bushfire conditions in years in the city and around the state. […] Some of the hottest areas in the state at the weekend were in the far west and the […]

New South Wales faces most dangerous bushfire threat in 12 years as state swelters through record-breaking heatwave – ‘It is too late to leave’

By Nick Ralston and Saffron Howden6 January 2013 (Sydney Morning Herald) – NSW is facing its most dangerous bushfire threat in 12 years as the state swelters through a record-breaking heatwave and fire officials express concern about the public’s preparedness. Across the country, fire crews were battling more than 100 bushfires on Saturday. The NSW […]

Heatwave across Australia set to break records – ‘Most serious bushfire threat in more than a decade’

By Peter Hannam, Carbon economy editor4 January 2013 (Sydney Morning Herald) – LONG-STANDING temperature records may be broken in coming days as a massive heatwave sizzles much of the country. A huge swath of central and south-eastern Australia is poised to swelter on Friday with temperatures expected to peak at 41 degrees in Melbourne, 44 […]

Climate Central: Hurricane Sandy tops list of 2012 extreme weather and climate events

By Andrew Freedman, Michael Lemonick, and Dan Yawitz27 December 2012 (Climate Central) – From unprecedented heat waves that shattered “Dust Bowl” era records from the 1930s, to Hurricane Sandy, which devastated coastal New Jersey and New York, 2012 was the year Mother Nature had it out for the U.S. No country on Earth rivaled the […]

Mortality of biggest and oldest trees around the world is increasing rapidly, study warns

By JIM ROBBINS7 December 2012 The death rate of many of the biggest and oldest trees around the world is increasing rapidly, scientists report in a new study in Friday’s issue of the journal Science. They warned that research to understand and stem the loss of the trees is urgently needed. “It’s a worldwide problem […]

World Bank report warns of dramatically warmer world this century

Media Inquiries: 202.473.7660, media@worldbank.org18 November 2012 (World Bank) – Like summer’s satellite image of the melting Greenland ice sheet, a new report suggests time may be running out to temper the rising risks of climate change. Turn Down the Heat: Why a 4°C Warmer World Must be Avoided, [pdf, eBook] warns we’re on track for […]

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