I live in Wellington NZ.We've just had a storm with buckets of rain and plummeting temperatures. A massive water sodden slip has temporarily cut of the one road access to one of our seaside suburbs.
A crossing of the cook strait which should have taken 3 and a bit hours took 10 hours! And! we have an unseasonal southerly from the southern ocean(A cold Place!)which is giving Winter temperatures when we're supposed to be almost in Summer!.London is heading for Winter(that is a cold windswept city)is having higher temperatures than us!!
Point? Could Australia export some of its heat and dryness to us,please? And we can export our overabundent water supply to them! A good deal?

By the end of 2008 - the climate will have changed past a point we may
not be able to repair
Starvation from food that won't grow is the main danger - Woolworths are
about to double the cost of fresh vegies NOW - get everyone you know to
start collecting seeds and start a veg garden to swap the excess with
neighbours
Disease from lack of rain is the second - next winter is when it will
get into full stride - stock up in antibiotics
Flooding from ice melt is third 2008 and on- Asia is in deep shit - 100
million will be displaced or die
Weather extremes will start next year - where & when they hit is unclear
I am sick of everyone living in denial - all must face it
Coal must be shut down immediately - no one has the guts - protecting
the economy is all they are thinking about
All cars must be converted to LPG or let Hydrogen motors through - not
new cars just convert
Solutions are what I am working on - this is a now event - please stop
telling people that we should sign the Kyoto protocol it is too late for
that - there is not enough time - act now is the message to survive
The SUN is more the culprit than CO2
The earths magnetism has reduced enough to allow more gamma rays through
and the sun is increasing in solar flares - communication and electrical
power will be shut down in many areas around the world - prepare for
that
And all I can hear is
MUST PROTECT THE ECONOMY - what bullshit denial is that - man is in deep
shit - I do not know if we can get past 2011 at this stage
We have had 16 ice ages according to NASA - all are proceeded by a heat
rise

Brett

Calm down man - get a grip.

Yes, we have some unpleasant choices to make. We must cut CO2 emssions by 90% by 2050, which means starting now a cut of around 1.7% each and every year.
But there will be an upside from this.
We need to relocalise and rebuild our local communities.

Spinning out and urging unviable technologies like H2 are not the solution.

We have all the technology we need.

We need the political will to make the changes. We need to learn to share the earth's bounty with others.

And we need to recognise that the root of many of our problems is over population: globally and in countries such as Oz.
Gaia may yet have the last laugh.

Peace.

I live in Melbourne, Australia, one of the most southerly cities in the country, I regularly travel all over the city, some facts about the city/country I live in of late...
the grass on nature strips and lawns is all brown and brittle,
water restrictions are almost if not already in effect,
temperatures this month (October) regularly exceed 30degrees C,
I am 20 years old and for 18 of those years I never expirienced temperatures over 40, then in 2004 there was one day above 40, 2005 there were 5 days above 40, 2006? well it isnt even summer yet and we've had a few 36degree days so I'm gussing at least 10 days will be over 40,
Our prime minister actually agreed that climate change was the cause of this drought,
The federal government is going to build a solar power plant in northern Victoria and are going to make use of technologies that reduce emissions from coal plants,
I'm the only student of drafting/architecture that I know of who is activly interested in energy efficient & environmentally friendly design.

Thanks, Nick

I think we're already past the point of no return. My teacher believes the polar ice caps will be melted in less than 10 years and Europe will go into a deep freeze overnight as well part of North America. It's time to prepare.

Did anyone read the NIWA report - particularly the section on interdecadal variations. Or is a headline enough? The drought will break.

Sea levels have risen by 2mm a year for 150 years. The entire IPCC prediction for sea level rise this century is between 100mm and 900mm. I understand that they are reducing that to 430mm nax. in their next report.

The arctic ice and the Greenland ice shelf would take 100's if not thousands of years to melt. Antartica is getting bigger.

The Gulf Stream is driven by wind and waves not artic melting.

An ice age will happen but these are on 100,000 year cycles possibly related to variations in earth's orbit.

Your teacher should be showing you how to do your own resaearch and thinking rather than feeding you these alarming and wrong ideas.

Arctic temperatures of the 20th century showed a warming phase to the 1940’s, a cooling phase to the 1970’s and renewed warming to 2003. Climate science has never adequately explained the decades long climate variations in the context of steadily increasing greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere.

http://www.junkscience.com/MSU_Temps/Arctic.htm

The temperatures trends in the Arctic reflect the warming and cooling periods seen in the global surface temperature record. These periods mirror shifting phases of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), a natural climate phenomenon that has been traced back in trees and coral for more than 400 years. The divergent climate states were first discerned in arctic fisheries in 1996 but have since been discovered in changing abundances of anchovies and sardines in Monterey Bay (having given rise to John Steinbeck's novel Cannery Row) and in Australian multi-decadal rainfall trends (long periods of persistent droughts or long periods of persistent floods).

(http://jisao.washington.edu/pdo/

The divergent states are the warm and cool phases of the PDO. A cool phase brings persistent La Nina conditions over a few decades (more summer rainfall in Australia) and reduced global temperatures (fewer El Ninos). The alternating phases last for 20 to 30 years. The last warm phase of the PDO (1975 to 1998) produced between 1976 and 1977 a 0.50C rise in the temperature of the lower atmosphere.

(http://www.worldclimatereport.com/index.php/2004/08/09/non-linear-climate-change/ - see Figure 2 especially).

Australia has good flood records going back more than 100 years. It has been known for some time that Australia experiences decades long periods of extended drought and, alternatively, decades long periods of flooding. These periods coincide with the temperature record of the last century. The period of rising temperature to the mid 1940’s saw drought, the period to 1975 was a wet period and then dry again to – well – now.

Recent flood analysis suggests that the phenomenon is a result of long term modulation of both the frequency and intensity La Nina and El Nino events in the El Nino Southern Oscillation. There is a direct relationship between increasing frequency and intensity of El Nino and higher global temperatures.

The indication from increasing negativity of the PDO index since 1998 is that the PDO has shifted phase – this is supported by other observations. The lack of an increase in global temperature since 1998 suggests that the effect of a ‘cool phase’ of the PDO is being felt. The effect will last for decades and will moderate global warming – although I am still waiting for the rain to fall.

This is not to suggest that carbon dioxide does not impose a rising temperature trend on a background of naturally variable climate. Simply, that GHG alone are insufficient to account for climate variation over the last century.

The powerful climate signal of the PDO is not included in the climate models because, quite simply, there is no agreed explanation for the observed phenomenon. Although this seems a trifle theoretical when confronted with real world observations – it was assumed that the background variations were chaotic and unpredictable when in fact they are cyclical and predictable.

I do not endorse continually increasing the concentrations of GHG in the atmosphere. There are serious problems with this course of action even with a moderation of global warming.

Its not just climate that is a worry. There are a variety of other natural resources that are decreasing as they are used up. It seems that perhaps there are a variety of causes for drought which includes global warming. In addition, as a person who loves and studies biblical scripture, the Bible is also clear that there can be spiritual reasons which cause drought as well. These can be caused by curses or by ignoring God. It seems to me that either way it is the selfishness of mankind that has put us in this position we are in.

I think everyone needs to do their bit to reduce the impact of Global Warming.
Write to your friends and tell them ways they can reduce their impact. Join a conservation group and plant some trees.
WRITE TO JOHN HOWARD and tell him to stop giving out most of the country's budget on Welfare and put the majority of the money into protecting our environment and Green Energy.
You can find John Howard's email address on the www.australia.gov.au website by clicking on "Contact Us". Tell your friends and family to write to him too!
Sign the "Cool the Globe" petition on Channel 7's Sunrise Program's website.
Buy energy efficient light globes and use your car less!
All these things make a difference.
The fact is, we are heading towards some tough times, and we must keep our spirits high, otherwise we will all become depressed and suicidal.
Start buying organic products and don't use any products that have synthetic chemicals in them. Use Lavendar Oil and Bicarb of Soda in your Final Rinse of your laundry instead of Fabric Softener. Look up these things on the internet and do them! Encourage others to do so as well. Install Solar Power in your home. You will save in the long run and will be putting those nasty companies out of business who burn fossil fuels for electricity.
Australia has waited too long to do something, and the government is still not doing enough. They are policitians after all and the people who get into power are usually selfish and ruthless. They are just after your vote.
I have always voted for John Howard, but not anymore. I don't think any politian does, so I will probably vote for some minority party this time round.
We can save the Planet if we put our minds to it!

Dear Glen,

Thanks for your opinions on what Australia needs to do to help ameliorate
the problem of excessive use of energy and resources.

I take an interest in this stuff as I have extensive experience of energy
matters having been responsible for the energy usage of the WA Water
Corporation for 5 years. Water Corp was the largest user of energy in WA at
that time.

From my perspective there is too much emotion and rhetoric associated with
the current debate. Basically I believe the solution to the issue is
totally political and not technical. Politicians only ever reflect the
thinking in the community as they want to align their policies with the
majority view in order to be voted into power and power is what politicians
strive for. My experience in dealing with governments is that they very
rarely pursue the "righteous" solutions because it is the right thing to
do. Ethics is hardly ever a consideration because the underlying driver
is, as I mentioned, votes. The experienced politician will do whatever he
has to to win the most votes.

John Howard is a master of this. He, almost instinctively, knows what the
public is thinking and proposes to do that. And the public view is most
times uninformed and ugly. Whether the issue is boat people or terrorism
or global warming, the general public's view is based upon self interest.
What is best for me. Getting people to change habits of a lifetime is
almost impossible as we are all selfish deep down.

In regard to the issue of energy usage and global warming the public is
very little idea what to think as it is a very technical and confusing
subject. Often times the views verbalised by those in the media are just
plain wrong and misleading. Then of course, decisions are made on false
information.

The basic underlying problem for Australia is, even if we completely solve
our greenhouse gas problems, it will make very litle difference to the
overall global problem. Our population and total energy usage is about 1%
of the world total. If our politicians and informal leaders were serious
about getting a global impact the money and effort we plan to spend in
Australia would be better spent on some really fundamental problem solving
in countries including India, China, Malaysia, Africa etc,. This is very
unlikely to happen because the local renewable energy industry lobby would
go bananas.

From my experience the renewable energy industry is not philanthropic or
greatly driven to do the right thing but rather driven to win business for
their technology. This is understandable but it is unhelpful in the
overall scheme of things as their message is biased as well.

Wind power is a good example. To build large windturbines GRP technology
has to be used which requires oil to be refined into epoxy and polyester
resins and carbon fibre. The turbines have to be transported large
distances and erected in remote sites which need large tracts of power
lines to access them. All this infrastructure requires large inputs of
energy and processing which do not get taken into account when doing the
"green" sums. Then because the wind doesn't always blow when you want it
too, the power utility actually has to have, as back-up, a 100% reliable
generation source that can kick in on windless days. Therefore, we end up
paying for and consuming resources to build two power stations, one
renewable and one non renewable as only coal or gas power can currently
provide base load support. The net benefit is .....the saving in the fuel
emissions when the wind blows minus the emissions generated in building the
second power station and associated infrastructure and operating the whole
system in a less than optimal fashion.....in fact close to zero benefit
overall.

What is really needed to support renewable energy development is a focus on
energy storage techniques so that RE generators can store their product and
sell it when it has most value. However, how much effort do you see in
this regard...very little I suspect, as it is pure research and not a
product requiring marketing like solar panels and solar water heaters and
wind turbines.

I guess the point I am making is be very careful how evangelical you are in
delivering your message as it can marginalise those who are not quite so
enthusiastic. Maybe a better role is to try to truly educate and let folks
make their own minds up based on facts....I know that's hard to do but as
everyone votes an educated voter is a good voter in the end.

Steve Brown

Yep its incredibly dry over here & temps are warmer every year - I've just come back from my birth country - New Zealand which is so incredibly green and lush its unbelievable - their dams overflowed last week due to the constant rain they get (however Auckland is windy & wetter than ever before). Our dams in Sydney are still low at only 41% capacity...

There is a Walk Against Warming here in Sydney Saturday 5th November... So we're onto it! It temps do keep increasing, we may have to move back to New Zealand - its around 10 degrees cooler there than here at the moment... Hope it doesn't come to that....

Thanks for the info Glen, will pass it onto my list...

Kind regards
Julie

Hi Glen,

A friend of mine sent me an alert in regards to a petition you Climate Ark has created and promoted.

I was wondering if it would be possible to also make people aware of the Walk Against Warming that is happening throughout Australia. My understanding is that there are 20 towns/cities, formally organised and have heard of some that are informally organised.

I am assisting with the organising of the Brisbane WAW. On behalf of the Climate Action Group, we would appreciate if you could place WAW on your website with the link to www.walkagainstwarming.org so that people can obtain more information.

On behalf of one of the living entities that lives on this planet, I thank you for your efforts. Keep up the good work and keep on inspiring.

Take Care,
Cassie

Dear Glen

Please see my altered letter to the Australian PM. Please note that I
include the clearfelling and BURNING of native forests and plantations in
Australia. I do not support the Kyoto Protocol in its present form because
carbon credits are being directed at tree plantations. It's an industry
whose net CO2 reduction is non-existent (it adds to emissions) and because
the plantations are replacing native forests in Australia.

Kind regards
Brenda Rosser
(See: www.tasmaniantimes.com - use the search engine to find out more)

As a natural resource economist, I feel dooms-day predictions do little to help the cause. Scaring the life out of people with largely uninformed propaganda scare people into submission and promote the 'it is all too hard' argument. Whilst we should not ignore the worst case scenario, we should be focused on promoting a solution to this problem and encouraging change through positive goal setting.

RESPONSE: We are constantly amazed at the power of climate change denial. Doomsday predictions? Look around you, it is happening now! These science based actions do promote solutions. We disagree that the truth need lead to immobilization.

We'll stop mining coal if you Poms cease production from your North Sea oil wells. Also, we in Australia haven't forgotten Maralinga, so don't be so sanctimonious. There's nothing worse than hypocrisy.

I'm only 12 and i think that people older than me don't care about golbal warming. From what i heard John Howard is only doing something serious about global warming if other countries do. I think everybody should install water tanks and stop waisting water. We only have 10 years before humans destroy the earth. The cole industries should be shut down now. I think some damage we do could be pernament. It will be Australia's hottest summer ever (LIKE ALWAYS). Plus could think of a worser death? seriously...you would either die form the hot sun and drought or get crushed or drowned in a storm. and do people take any notice of this problem...no...i tell my friend about this and what does she do...laugh....what will it take for people to realize what is going on? Can people put it on the news again and again and on the front pages of the newspaper....tell them what to do stop this....what is the point of us going to school fi we won't even have time to get a job........ten years the earth dies....i barly won't even make 21.

Think of the Children!!

Thanks for your email, and thanks for being part of an international
campaign to put pressure on the Australian government to get real about
climate change

The Australian Greens are well aware of the issues associated with
Australia's reliance on coal and our failure to support international
climate action through the Kyoto protocol.

We have been campaigning and speaking out on these issues to the best of
our ability for over a decade.

We believe that what is needed is a focus on the long-term future of
Australia and the world.

We want to see a sustainable Australia within a generation.

Australia is currently facing a water crisis as a result of climate
change that threatens the viability of our agriculture and the water
supplies of our cities.

Australia has in the past been a research leader in the area of
renewable energy, but Australian innovations have had to go overseas to
be developed due to the policies and lack of support of our government.
The Greens continue to lobby for mandatory renewable energy targets and
putting a price on carbon.

If you want to learn more about the Australian Greens policies, check
out our website at www.greens.org.au

Senator Christine Milne is our spokesperson on climate and energy, and
continues to show leadership on this issue at the national and
international level. Check out some of her speeches and media releases
at www.christinemilne.org.au

If you want to find out how I've been speaking out on these issues in my
portfolio areas, or look at the interim reports on Peak Oil and on
Australia's Water Resources I released as Chair of the Senate Rural and
Regional Affairs References Committee, then check out my website at
www.rachelsiewert.org.au

Water policy initiatives
http://www.rachelsiewert.org.au/500_parliament_sub.php?deptItemID=66

Australia's future oil supply
http://www.rachelsiewert.org.au/500_parliament_sub.php?deptItemID=67

Please keep up the good work. I wish you all the best with your ongoing
work for the future of our planet

Yours sincerely

Senator Rachel Siewert
Australian Greens Senator for Western Australia

What is happening to this country? Why isn't the government trying to take some REAL action on what is happening? I don't accept the phrase of "protect the economy" - the only economic thing that we should really be doing is paying extra taxes towards wind farms and solar plants. I don't care if I have to live in conditions that aren't that preferable, if I have to use a fan over an air-conditioner. I want my kids and my grandkids and their kids to be able to grow up in a world that is healthy enough to support them and grow them good food. I don't want them to come up to me one day with eyes narrowed in accusation and ask me, "Ma, why didn't you do anything about global warming when you could have? Why did you and Dad just sit there and watch the world liquidate around you?"
When we're all running for the mountains, trying to escape the floodtides, then maybe people will realise that money doesn't matter at all. You can't eat it. You can't build a house out of it. The power of money will be gone, because people will be too busy trying to save their kids and collect enough half-fresh water to get through another day in Tartarus.
I only hope that the government takes a radical turn before this all becomes true.

If the sun were “turned off,” the temperature of the atmosphere would be with only 28°C above absolute zero, viz.-245°C. With the sun and the “greenhouse gases”, but without water, the average temperature on earth would be of- 11°C (resulting from a daytime mean temperature of approximately +135°C and a nighttime temperature of approximately-175°C). The moon provides such conditions at night. CO2 would delay the cooling towards the absolute minimum only for a short time. Its functioning on earth is not so much different.

Another view on CO2 emissions study can be found on http://www.1ocean-1climate.com/climate_changes_today.php. You can find there a nice graph about the emissions of CO2 in 1990, ordered by states. Also, there are some elements highlighted regarding the impact that the ocean and naval war has on climate change.

Hey - my twin sister left a message on here yesterday, I think. We're both doing a major work on the effects of global warming by creating stories in Extension English II. Both Yllina and I believe that this is a perfect site to include. Thankyou, Senator Siewert - Yllina and I support you completely. If we don't do something now - like RIGHT NOW - then we will have nothing left. Not only will we have limited water supplies, we will have hotter and drier summers which can contribute to the spread of diseases such as dengue fever. If it gets really bad, cholera won't be very far away. There will be a very clear denominational distinction between the have's and the have-not's - those who can afford to seek good medical treatment will be OK, but think about it. It'll be expensive, and from what I have seen from human nature people will be thinking of money even when they've got their children in their arms and are trying to find a place away from the advancing coastline. Sporadic storms will make it dangerous to go near the sea, and coastal flooding will be a major problem.
You know, this planet is only a baby by universal terms. An abandoned baby left out in the rain. This baby has the flu and is seething in good and bad bacteria. So far, it looks like the bad bacteria is winning. What will we do once the baby is dead? Baby has no Ma to look after him. When Baby is dead, both the good and bad bacteria will die as well - because it's not like we can just skip merrily away and screw up Mars as well.
Think about it. We don't have that much time left. I, for one, do not want to leave a legacy that will have my children and my grandchildren wandering around the Blue Mountains in 70 or 80 or 100 years time, trying to find water or just getting away from the tidelines. It's not like we have anywhere else to go to.
~Minnah