Climate Conversations Robert McLean

The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) has today urged a suite of actions and
investments to protect the future of the Murray-Darling Basin in the face of climate change, which is threatening the river’s health and sustainability.

In a new essay series A thriving Murray-Darling Basin in 50 years: Actions in the face of climate change,
ATSE urges more investment in technologies to monitor the river for climate impacts and in sustained governance with regional and rural communities at the centre, coupled with evolving our agriculture industry in the face of decreased water availability and accepted water-sharing policies.

The essay series highlights the vibrant, thriving potential of the Basin if sustainably managed for the benefit of communities and the environment.

To achieve this, it recommends reinstating a body to provide independent objective policy advice on national water management, including for the Murray-Darling Basin, to help guide consistent national data-driven decision-making.

ATSE President Katherine Woodthorpe AO FTSE (pictured) said the future of the Murray-Darling Basin is recognised to be at severe risk. That comprehensive action across Federal, State and Territory Governments will be decisive in safeguarding its biodiversity, and social and economic importance to Australia.

"Essays address climate change in the Murray-Darling Basin";

"Australia could play a key role: what a key Paris Agreement negotiator thinks about our climate future";

"Poorer nations must be transparent over climate spending, says Cop29 leader";

"Weather tracker: Mexico swelters under season’s first heatwave";

"Oil giant plans to move 60,000 tonnes of steel, rig waste to UN-listed wetlands";

"A Grampians town’s remarkable recovery after ‘the beast’ burnt through";

"Energy Efficiency Council".

"YIMBY: Community composting for connection and climate action";

"The Loudest Guys in the Room: How the Fossil Fuel Industry Warps the Information Ecosystem";

"In ‘Silent Spring,’ Rachel Carson Described a Fictional, Bucolic Hamlet, Much Like Her Hometown. Now, There’s a Plastics Plant Under Construction 30 Miles Away";

"A Plastics Plant Promised Pennsylvania Prosperity, but to Some Residents It’s Become a ‘Shockingly Bad’ Neighbor";

"Wildfire smoke a threat to already endangered orangutans";

"Why some corals are better off dead";

"Reflections on being an Earthling";

"The EPA’s Carbon Crackdown Is Finally Here";

"We aim to call Government and Industry to action . . . . .Charter 29";

"Curious Kids: why do trees have bark?";

"Weather tracker: torrential rainstorms cause death and destruction in Brazil";

"Here’s why so many Republicans won’t buy EVs";

"Making merry: how we brought Melbourne’s Merri Creek back from pollution, neglect and weeds";

"Buddha taught us to be happy with less. How does this apply to the climate crisis?";

"3 energy questions hang over EPA’s carbon rule";

"Sometimes, to Make an Electric Car Better, You’ve Got to Make It a Little Worse";

"Climate Change Is Making Your Seasonal Allergies Worse";

"As the Environmental Crisis Worsens, So Too Does the Safety of Journalists Covering It";

"‘Like wildfires underwater’: Worst summer on record for Great Barrier Reef as coral die-off sweeps planet";

"Federal Court hears closing arguments in Torres Strait Islanders' climate change case";

"Floods in southern Brazil kill at least 75 people over 7 days, with 103 people missing";

"‘We’re looking at losing 20% of Olympic nations’: how the climate crisis is changing sport";

"First ever cyclone confronts flood-hit Kenya";

"Over 100 temperature records in Vietnam broken in April as heatwave scorches";

"There's a soundtrack to our coral reefs and scientists are hopeful it can encourage coral regrowth";

"The cleanest air in the world is at Tasmania's Kennaook/Cape Grim. It's helping solve a climate puzzle"


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"I’ve done the sums. All we need is 1,200 square kilometres. That’s not much. The area devoted to agriculture is about 3,500 times larger at 4.2 million square kilometres. The area of land that would be taken away from agriculture works out at about 45
square metres per person – about the size of a large living room.

"We can ditch fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse emissions with negligible impact on agriculture. And, in many cases, farmers can be paid for hosting renewable energy infrastructure while continuing to run
sheep and cows or grow crops."

So says a Professor of Engineering from the Australian National University, Professor Andrew Blakers (pictured), in an article published in The Conversation: "No threat to farmland: just 1,200 square kilometres can fulfil Australia’s solar and wind energy needs".

Professor Blakers visited Mooroopna, just across the Goulburn River from Shepparton, several years ago as one of about three speakers at a climate change forum organised by the Shepparton-based group, "Slap Tomorrow".

The convenor of Zero Carbon Tatura, Terry Court, also on the Goulburn Valley-based GV Community Energy board, joined me for the conversation with Professor Blakers.


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Those who understand climate change see adaptation and mitigation as key planks in national security and former international oil, gas and coal industry executive, chair of
the Australian Coal Association and CEO of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Ian Dunlop, writes on Pearls and Irritations - "Climate security risks and Australia’s failure";

"Australia’s National Defence Strategy: Where ideology trumps strategy";

"As climate change pushes deer north, other animals may lose out";

"Startup mimics nature to produce zero-carbon cement";

"Here’s what record-breaking temperatures looked like around the globe";

"8 years into America’s e-scooter experiment, what have we learned?";

"Why India is key to heading off climate catastrophe";

"Southern Africa drought flags dilemma for loss and damage fund";

"Where seas are rising at alarming speed";

"Air Pollution Could Potentially Exacerbate Menopause Symptoms, Study Says";

"Girt by Sea: can Australia reduce its dependence on US security?";

"‘Near unliveable’ extreme heat poses national security risk";

"Study: Climate change boosted July's heat for 81% of world's population";

"Getting together on climate action";

"ELECTRIC SUV EXPO 24, MELBOURNE";

"Mom fights air pollution in North Denver";

"Welcome to the Regen Learning Hub";

"Surveyors warn EV chargers in old apartment buildings should have fire safety approval";

"Slow Fashion 101: Everything You Need to Know";

"‘Near unliveable’ extreme heat poses national security risk";

"Climate-security risks too hot to handle for Australian Government";

"Florida sees thriving future if climate resilience managed, research finds";

"Appeals Court Ordered the Dismissal of a Landmark Youth Climate Court Case";

"Loss and Damage Meeting Shows Signs of Giving Developing Countries a Bigger Voice and Easier Access to Aid";

"Policy Experts Say the UN Climate Talks Need Reform, but Change Would be Difficult in the Current Political Landscape";

"Perth residents question use of groundwater for Coca-Cola bottled water amid record low rainfall";

"Roger Cook faces defamation threat from teen climate protesters";

"Minnesota’s biggest solar project will help replace a huge coal plant";

"Texas Companies Eye Pecos River Watershed for Oilfield Wastewater";

"Increasingly Frequent Ocean Heat Waves Trigger Mass Die-Offs of Sealife, and Grief in Marine Scientists";

"First ever planet-wide analysis shows conservation work is making a measurable difference";

"We think we control our health – but corporations selling forever chemicals, fossil fuels and ultra-processed foods have a much greater role";

"Is bioenergy ever truly green? It depends on 5 key questions";

"El Niño not climate change key to drought that caused Panama Canal disruption, study says";

"No Mow May: How to turn your garden into a haven for butterflies this spring";

"How close is the world to securing a global treaty to end plastic pollution?";

"Can Forests Be More Profitable Than Beef?";

"Curbing Contrails: A Climate Solution in the Skies";

"Trains Are Cleaner Than Planes, Right";

"Corn to Power Airplanes? Biden Administration Sets a High Bar.";

"Why 40°C is bearable in a desert but lethal in the tropics";

"Sharing the Truth About Electric Vehicles and Clean Energy";

"Transformative Incrementalism: Changing Global Systems By Changing Our Part Of The World".


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Nuclear energy was given a brief platform on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Q&A program and was championed by the National Party Senator for Victoria, Bridget McKenzie.

"Charged up: WA town to home Australia’s biggest battery";

"GV Community Energy";

"Farmers must innovate or risk profits says CSIRO";

"Colbinabbin residents oppose huge solar farm";

"Heat wave in Southeast Asia closes schools, triggers health alerts";

"Dangerous heat kills dozens, closes schools, prompts four-day workweek";

"Peter Dutton calls for government to engage in ‘mature conversation’ on nuclear energy";

"Some anglers say Rhode Island’s Block Island wind farm has improved fishing";

"Alaska Native community experiments with growing food above the Arctic Circle";

"Australia mining at risk from climate change-fueled drought and heat";

"Mexico proudly controls its energy but could find it hard to reach its climate goals";

"I found a $2,100 EV. Here’s how you can, too";

"Great Barrier Reef’s worst bleaching leaves giant coral graveyard: ‘It looks as if it has been carpet bombed’";

"Labor’s first extinction";

"NSW to announce life extension of Eraring, Australia’s largest coal-fired power station";

"A Uniquely French Approach to Environmentalism";

"Saying the stakes could not be higher, Newsom to speak at Vatican climate summit";

"How do we define climate responsibility? Woodside has no answer";

"The Green Gas Lie";

"Repeated periods of heat and drought causing some trees to die – study";

"Hydrogen Offers Germany a Chance to Take a Lead in Green Energy";

"Scotland’s leader resigns after conflicts over climate change, gender identity weakened government";

"Heavy Rains Threaten China’s Rice as Extreme Weather Grips South";

"European cities are turning to nature-based solutions amid climate crisis";

"Majority of critical minerals face heightened climate risks by 2050, study finds";

"Countries consider pact to reduce plastic production by 40% in 15 years";

"Taxing big fossil fuel firms ‘could raise $900bn in climate finance by 2030’";

"Capital Research Center";

"Kenya flooding: Around 50 killed in villages near Mai Mahiu town";

"PM Update: Records set after highs hit near 90, with more heat expected Tuesday";

"Alaska Native community experiments with growing food above the Arctic Circle";

"New rules will slash air, water and climate pollution from U.S. power plants";

"Ford Hybrids, EVs, Transit Set Records; Q1 Sales Top Industry, Up 7%";

"Climate change and human rights: how a landmark legal victory in Europe could affect NZ":

"Republicans want to plant a trillion trees. Scientists are skeptical.";

"What kind of diner are you? 6 types of diners who avoid plant-based meat dishes";

"House Republicans pass energy bill to roll back regulation of fossil fuel production";

"Our tall, wet forests were not open and park-like when colonists arrived – and we shouldn’t be burning them";

"Carbon Dioxide Levels Have Passed a New Milestone";

"Retired UK GP suspended for five months after climate protests";

"Sugar gums have a reputation as risky branch-droppers but they’re important to bees, parrots and possums";

"These European countries could lose more than 30 days of comfortable weather a year by 2100";

"17 fatalities, 736 crashes: The shocking toll of Tesla’s Autopilot";

"Drought, food shortages and deadly heat: El Niño has ended but its impacts are still being felt";

"With the clean energy transition, low-income communities fear they’ll be saddled with big infrastructure projects, again";

"High Seas Treaty: EU votes to ratify landmark international law to protect oceans";

"Heat Islands and Equity";

"‘A serious risk’: Mexican villagers take on cartel-backed avocado farms as water dries up";

"Pre-Bunking Climate Misinformation";

"IRA’s Solar for All Program Will Install Nearly 1 Million Systems in US";

"Why dimming the Sun would be an effective tool in the figh

The much loved ARIA and AIR Award-winning children’s act Teeny Tiny Stevies, featuring sisters Byll and Beth Stephen, released their fifth record The Green Album via ABC Music. It is launched into the world with a new single and accompanying video, Climate Change.

"Growing leaders in Maryborough: How a school groundsman and students tackle climate change";

"The Nymphageddon with Dr. Trebicki";

"The great distribution dilemma – can public interest journalism survive?";

"Green petrol and eco plastic? Fake ‘Earth friendly’ claims are out of control";

"The Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) International";

"Powering ahead with green hydrogen";

"Global plastic pollution treaty talks hit critical stage in Canada";

"Video Games Are Finally Waking Up to Climate Change";

"The $200 Billion Video Game Industry Is a Climate Opportunity";

"Players travel the world to learn about heat-resilience techniques—then come back and gallantly slay the heat dragon";

"Extreme Heat Series for Minecraft Education";

"Attention gamers! Defeat the ‘heat dragon’ or get burned.";

"Species living closely together in symbiosis is far older and way more common than you might think";

"Native bats should be celebrated like other Australian wildlife, ecologist says";

"Residents of climate change-affected communities support Torres Strait Islanders in landmark federal court case";

"If plastic manufacturing goes up 10%, plastic pollution goes up 10% – and we’re set for a huge surge in production";

"Blue Derby Wild's High Court appeal thrown out, with native logging set to continue near mountain-biking trails";

"Violent tornadoes wreak destruction in Nebraska and Iowa";

"PM Update: Summery night to follow warm Sunday. First 90-degree day Monday?";

"Tornadoes rip through Plains, with more possible Saturday";

"The Environmental Victories Keep on Comin";

"Chart: Heavy industry is the next big climate problem to tackle";

"G7 agrees to shut down coal plants by 2035, UK minister says, in climate breakthrough";

"Anatomy of a failed EV startup":

"Why are fish still dying in the Darling River at Menindee — and what can we do to prevent it?":

"Geothermal heat pumps are helping clean up city buildings";

"Majority of young American adults say climate change influences their decision to have children";

"Climate Change Has Infiltrated Game Night—and That’s a Good Thing, Experts Say";

"The Drowning South";

"Grasslands 101: Everything You Need to Know";

"Bunbury becomes 30th member of WA EV Network with new fast-charger along Blair Street";

"It’s time to strike an environmental grand bargain between businesses, governments and conservationists – and stop doing things the hard way";

"Battery Energy Storage Capacity Must Increase 6x Faster to Meet Global Climate Goals: IEA";

"4 Must-Read Graphic Nonfiction Books About the Environment";

"Creating a liveable, equitable world";

"A New Federal Tool Could Help Cities Prepare for Scorching Summer Heat";

"China’s quiet energy revolution: The switch from nuclear to renewable energy";

"A Simple Act of Defiance Can Improve Science for Women";

"Strict new EPA rules would force coal-fired power plants to capture emissions or shut down";

"Letting Your Grass Grow Wild Boosts Butterfly Numbers, UK Study Says";

"More Than 1 in 5 Cars Sold Globally This Year Will Be Electric: IEA Report";

"Humans might need to re-engineer the climate";

"Global warming threatens Antarctica’s meteorites";

"Extreme Heat Stress in Europe Hit Record Levels in 2023, Report Finds";

"Big Oil’s Dangerous Radioactive Secret";

"How an Arizona Medical Anthropologist Uses Oral Histories to Add Depth to Environmental Science";

"Biden to Announce $7 Billion in Rooftop Solar Grants to Power Nearly 1 Million Households";

"Birdsong once signalled the onset of spring on my street – but not this year";

"Renewable Electricity Generation Outpaces Fossil Fuels for Record Time Span

Life often stands in the way of goals, but eventually, the fog lifts and you get back to the essence of those aims - "Playing God With the Atmosphere";

"Why won’t Chris Packham have a real debate on climate?";

"‘Outrageous’ climate activists get in the faces of politicians and oil bosses – will it work?";

"Global battery rollout doubled last year – but needs to be six times faster, says IEA";

"Deadly Dubai floods made worse by climate change";

"E.P.A. Severely Limits Pollution From Coal-Burning Power Plants";

"“Guiding compass to 1.5C”: COP29 presidency unveils plans for global climate action";

"Tanya Plibersek rejects claims renewable projects are being held up by approval delays";

"Global heating and urbanisation to blame for severity of UAE floods, study finds";

"Nationals’ nuclear climate policy puts Australia’s Paris deal in doubt";

"Circular Action Guide";

"‘Just do it!’ Wisconsin couple built a net-zero home";

"Could fossil fuel companies be charged with homicide?";

"Clean image, dirty truth | Between the Lines";

"The truth about getting to net zero, according to the numbers – video";

"Honda Commits to E.V.s With Big Investment in Canada";

"Tesla Fell Behind, Then Leapt Ahead of ExxonMobil in Market Value This Week";

"Alabama Coal Mine Keeps Digging Under A Rural Community After Hundreds of Fines and a Fatal Explosion. Residents Are Rattled";

"In Wyoming, a Tribe and a City Pursue Clean Energy Funds Spurned by the Governor";

"How an obscure atmospheric phenomenon causes catastrophic flooding in California";

"NASA Announces Summer 2023 Hottest on Record";

"A long, hot U.S. summer is looming, forecasters say";

"Cities' heat solutions are mainly Band-Aids";

"How Phoenix is preparing for its next brutally hot summer";

"Climate Damage Costs Could Total $38 Trillion per Year by 2050, Study Finds";

"‘It’s Got to Be a Fight’: Author Adam Welz on Surviving Climate Breakdown and Saving Species of a ‘Tarnished Eden’";

"Worst wine harvest in 62 years blamed on ‘extreme’ weather and climate change";

"Will There Be Less Wind to Fuel Wind Energy?";

"Dozens of Climate Activists Arrested at Citibank Headquarters in New York City During Earth Week";

"How to talk to a climate doomer (even if that doomer is you)";

"Doctor: To fight asthma, fight global warming";

"Tensions rise over who will contribute to new climate finance goal";

"State of the climate: 2024 off to a record-warm start";

"Climate activist's 'Kafkaesque' trial";

"Climate Impact of Primary Plastic Production";

"Building a Net Zero Ready Home: Episode 1";

"Sinking land is a problem for cities all over the world";

"I’m asking BP to take its share of responsibility for my son’s death, and will take it to UK court if I have to";

"Could this pink rice be the food of the future? Scientists say it’s more nutritious than normal rice";

"How the EPA will spend $27 billion in carbon-reduction funds";

"Kiwis are learning how to fight climate change – polls";

"A global study just revealed the world’s biggest known plastic polluters";

"Ministers of Germany, Brazil, South Africa and Spain: why we need a global tax on billionaires";

"Hot Oceans Worsened Dubai’s Dramatic Flooding, Scientists Say";

"Mining Giant BHP Makes $39 Billion Bid for Rival Anglo American";

"Nearly Half the States Sue E.P.A. Over New Limits on Deadly Pollution";

"Energy Dept. Aims to Speed Up Permits for Power Lines";

"Biden Administration Pauses Approvals of New Gas Export Terminals";

"New Pollution Rules Aim to Lift Sales of Electric Trucks";

"So Much Produce Comes in Plastic. Is There a Better Way?";

"Survey finds that 60 firms are responsible for half of world’s plastic pollution";

"State of the science on plastic chemicals";

"For Earth Day 2024, experts are spreading optimism – not doom. Here's why.";

"This state is quickly becoming America's clean energy paradise. Here's how it's happening";


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