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Global warning: Australia and Asia predict climate cost of Trump's agenda – live Global warning: Australia and Asia predict climate cost of Trump's agenda – live
(35 minutes later)
3.44am GMT
03:44
Here’s another part of the Q&A I did with 350.org Australia’s chief executive Blaire Palese. Here she discusses the recent suceses of the climate movement, and what we’re going to see this year.
Question: Despite some big setbacks, the climate movement has claimed some victories too. It now looks like the whole movement in Australia is focussing on stopping Adani building the Carmichael Coal mine. What will that campaign look like?
Blaire Palese
The divestment of more than A$6 trillion (US$5.2 trillion) from fossil fuels is something I and the 350.org team are particularly proud of. The campaign started off very much as a symbolic effort. But much to our amazement after three years, it was all about money – and lots of it! – being moved from coal, oil and gas. Some 688 institutions and 58,399 individuals across 76 countries have committed to divest in some way. This is a real indicator that people are frustrated with government inaction and are taking their own steps to be part of the climate change solution.
The Victorian gas ban could not have been achieved without a strong coalition of farmers, rural communities and city progressives that became a force that could not be ignored by the Andrews Government.
Getting BP to drop plans to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight was a different story, with environmental groups using delaying tactics and the threat of a global public campaign to ensure the project was too costly and unviable.
Right now, efforts to stop Adani from building the world’s largest new coal mine in Queensland is, for most of us concerned about climate change, the most critical fight in the country right now. Australia hasn’t opened up a new mineral reserve in 40 years, and if the Adani project goes ahead, the whole Galilee Basin could be developed, which would unleash enough coal to tip the carbon budget not just for us, but for the whole world. A broad coalition of environmental groups, local communities and Traditional Owners are coming together to do all we can to ensure this project doesn’t see the light of day. If you’d like to do something about climate change, join us to stop this climate-threatening coalmine!
3.38am GMT
03:38
Elle Hunt
While the Queensland state government has said it’s doing all that it can to preserve the Great Barrier reef, a different kind of preservation work has been ongoing far from the reef – even the coastline – in regional New South Wales.
Since 2011, scientists from Sydney’s Taronga Zoo, the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Smithsonian Institution have been collecting and freezing coral sperm to store at Taronga’s CryoReserve in Dubbo.
The project began in Australia in 2011, but has international partners that ensure the preservation of coral reefs worldwide. “It’s a bigger collaboration than just the Great Barrier Reef,” said coral scientist Bec Hobbs.
By freezing the cells in liquid nitrogen to preserve them indefinitely, scientists can use similar technology as sperm-banking for human IVF to grow new coral and make entire reef systems more resilient to coming change. Researchers are also investigating the possibility of freezing coral eggs and larvae.
There are more than 600 species of coral on the Great Barrier Reef – in the last spawning event in November, scientists were able to add four more to the bank, said Hobbs.
“At the moment we have samples from about a meagre 11 species, but that is still the most species that are banked anywhere in the world.”
But their efforts to collect more species have been frustrated by lack of knowledge about reefs and coral reproduction. “We know quite a bit about certain species and others, relatively nothing,” said Hobbs.
The research currently being carried out by Reef Recovery Initiative partners, then, is all the more vital for preserving the future of reefs.
3.24am GMT
03:24
Our correspondents around the region have been monitoring the air quality in their various cities.
While Beijing is usually incredibly smoggy, Tom Phillips is reporting unusually blue skies and remarkably low PM2.5 readings.
Beijing marking Guardian's #globalwarming extravaganza with gorgeous blue skies & rock bottom air pollution levels pic.twitter.com/xBxwqNT9Sc
@tomphillipsin air quality in Guardian bureau a magnificent, lung-cleansing (and rare) 4! pic.twitter.com/qczg8r9JGb
But when Tom descended into the subway, things didn’t look so great.
@tomphillipsin on the underground, situation not so great. 4x WHO 'safe' levels on my commute to work this morning #globalwarning pic.twitter.com/KcrvN2ZcZy
@tomphillipsin the air quality around this poster of boris johnson also not great #GlobalWarning pic.twitter.com/0G61wm1DZo
Updated
at 3.28am GMT
3.17am GMT
03:17
Blair Palese is the chief executive of 350.org Australia. I asked her a series of questions about the climate movement here and abroad. Here’s the first question and answer:
Question: The rise of Trump in the US, and the continued lack of federal action on climate change here in Australia, must be seen in some ways as a failure of the climate movement. What lessons can be learned from what’s happened in recent years and how can the climate movement win?
Blair Palese:
Climate change is an incredibly difficult issue for people to get their heads around. Complex, yes, but more importantly, made confusing by media with vested interests questioning climate change science – a tactic straight out of the tobacco playbook. Understanding that science is never 100% certain is not something most of us think much about, so it’s easily exploited. And, as our movement is up against the most cashed up industry in the world – the fossil fuel industry – it’s a David vs Goliath battle to convince people and politicians that the longer we wait, the harder and more expensive are the steps we must take to stop climate change.
That said, those working on the issue do need to reach out more broadly to everyone, everywhere about the importance of the issue and ensure our movement spans the political, race, gender and age spectrum to be truly representative. It’s worth remembering that the People’s Climate Marches of 2015 saw more than 600,000 people take to the streets in 175 countries -- by all accounts the biggest thing of its kind in history.
Our job now is not only to raise the alarm about climate change but to communicate the huge benefits we will all get from solving it. Our voices need to be loud and varied if we are to successfully stand up to fossil fuel dollars.
Come back soon to see some more Q&A’s with Blaire.
3.14am GMT
03:14
Elle Hunt
The Homeward Bound Project aims to take 1000 women working in science around the world to Antarctica to increase their influence and impact in policy and decision-making.
Belinda Fairbrother, the community conservation manager at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo, was part of the inaugural contingent of 76 women to spend 22 days in Antarctica in December: the largest-ever female expedition to Earth’s southernmost continent.
She said the impacts of climate change were keenly felt there, with the Antarctic peninsula was among the fastest-warming places in the world and penguin populations suffering.
“It really brings home the challenges we face elsewhere in the world.”
Having met scientists at Palmer Station, a US station in the Antarctic, she realised that no progress was possible alone, and that storytelling was as important as facts in mobilising people to act.
“In these remote landscapes, that’s what really struck me – we need to work together, past issues and conflict. Going forward, that radical collaboration is what we’re going to need to deal with climate change as a global issue.”
Hearing personal accounts of knowledgeable people experiencing the effects of climate change firsthand and working to combat them helped to mobilise her, said Fairbrother: “Data’s only going to get us so far. … Climate change is real but what’s also real is people’s innovation and ability to stand up to issues like this.”
Fairbrother also said her experience had shown her that gender equity and more equal decision-making was a key part of the solution to climate change.
The Homeward Bound Project aims to elevate each participant’s leadership capabilities and profile with view to addressing underrepresentation of women in positions of power and influence, “to impact policy and decisions towards a sustainable future”.
There are already hundreds of women waitlisted for the second program, to depart in 2018.
3.07am GMT3.07am GMT
03:0703:07
HOUR 20: Through the smogHOUR 20: Through the smog
Elle HuntElle Hunt
We started on Lizard island and went all the way to China, by way of the Tumblrverse and a possible planet populated only by carp.We started on Lizard island and went all the way to China, by way of the Tumblrverse and a possible planet populated only by carp.
“There’s no time to lose”: a coral reef scientist urges governments to act on carbon emissions“There’s no time to lose”: a coral reef scientist urges governments to act on carbon emissions
Street violence over water supplies not some future dystopia, but a present reality in Tamil Nadu, southern IndiaStreet violence over water supplies not some future dystopia, but a present reality in Tamil Nadu, southern India
John Connor, chief executive of the Climate Institute, comments on the slow-moving gains of climate policyJohn Connor, chief executive of the Climate Institute, comments on the slow-moving gains of climate policy
China correspondent Tom Phillips reports back from one of the largest solar farms on Earth in Qinghai provinceChina correspondent Tom Phillips reports back from one of the largest solar farms on Earth in Qinghai province
Millennial lobby group Generation Zero gets to advocates young in New ZealandMillennial lobby group Generation Zero gets to advocates young in New Zealand
The worst mangrove dieback in recorded history in Australia’s Northern Territory, and the ramifications for that coastlineThe worst mangrove dieback in recorded history in Australia’s Northern Territory, and the ramifications for that coastline
Smog from China aggravates a severe air pollution problem in Hong KongSmog from China aggravates a severe air pollution problem in Hong Kong
Mikey Slezak looks to the futureMikey Slezak looks to the future
Calla Wahlquist with the latest on “fire behaviour” analysis in Victoria, Australia’s most fire-prone stateCalla Wahlquist with the latest on “fire behaviour” analysis in Victoria, Australia’s most fire-prone state
China doubles down on its pledge to cut carbon emissions – no matter what the Donald may doChina doubles down on its pledge to cut carbon emissions – no matter what the Donald may do
Meanwhile, here’s the carbon countdown again – only 27.5% of the total carbon budget remaining in tons (CO2-e), if we want to to limit human-induced warming to less than 2C.Meanwhile, here’s the carbon countdown again – only 27.5% of the total carbon budget remaining in tons (CO2-e), if we want to to limit human-induced warming to less than 2C.
And here’s a thoughtful response to CassandrasVoice’s earlier question about how long – specifically – we’ve got before climate change has severe enough impact on the majority for us to act.And here’s a thoughtful response to CassandrasVoice’s earlier question about how long – specifically – we’ve got before climate change has severe enough impact on the majority for us to act.
Been trying to find similar information for the last 5 years. I believe if the general public were to know how climate change will impact on their day to day living, as well as when these changes will occur, there would be many more involved in climate action. But scientists are conservative creatures and putting up such predictions would inevitably be very difficult due to inherent uncertainties in the modelling, which relies on very complex algorithms. There would also be cries from the tired old deniers of alarmism which may cause wholesale derailment of any climate action. And most people I feel, would rather be ignorant of the impending doom that awaits them.Been trying to find similar information for the last 5 years. I believe if the general public were to know how climate change will impact on their day to day living, as well as when these changes will occur, there would be many more involved in climate action. But scientists are conservative creatures and putting up such predictions would inevitably be very difficult due to inherent uncertainties in the modelling, which relies on very complex algorithms. There would also be cries from the tired old deniers of alarmism which may cause wholesale derailment of any climate action. And most people I feel, would rather be ignorant of the impending doom that awaits them.
UpdatedUpdated
at 3.08am GMTat 3.08am GMT
3.04am GMT3.04am GMT
03:0403:04
Tom PhillipsTom Phillips
Li Shuo, a Beijing-based campaigner for Greenpeace, is among the activists hoping that China, the world’s largest polluter, will take up a greater leadership role on climate change in a post-Trump world.Li Shuo, a Beijing-based campaigner for Greenpeace, is among the activists hoping that China, the world’s largest polluter, will take up a greater leadership role on climate change in a post-Trump world.
Li is an expert in clean energy, air pollution and climate change and also studied US-China relations at Nanjing University in east China.Li is an expert in clean energy, air pollution and climate change and also studied US-China relations at Nanjing University in east China.
Writing in the Guardian today, Li argues that Trump’s election “casts a dark shadow on the prospect of future international climate cooperation” but says Beijing’s apparent willingness to take on a larger role offers some hope.Writing in the Guardian today, Li argues that Trump’s election “casts a dark shadow on the prospect of future international climate cooperation” but says Beijing’s apparent willingness to take on a larger role offers some hope.
You can read Li’s full piece here:You can read Li’s full piece here:
3.00am GMT3.00am GMT
03:0003:00
I recently sat down over Skype with the chief executive of Greenpeace Australia Pacific, David Ritter.I recently sat down over Skype with the chief executive of Greenpeace Australia Pacific, David Ritter.
I pressed him on whether or not the election of Trump in the US meant that the public has stopped caring for climate change. He was adamant that was not the case.I pressed him on whether or not the election of Trump in the US meant that the public has stopped caring for climate change. He was adamant that was not the case.
“There’s much that might be said about this election but i don’t think we can in any way treat it as a mandate for inaction,” he said.“There’s much that might be said about this election but i don’t think we can in any way treat it as a mandate for inaction,” he said.
“One of the sad ironies of protest electoral votes may be that some of those who have been most left behind by an economic system that is deepening inequality, and are lashing out and voting for candidates seen as anti-establishment, are also people that are at the greatest risk from global warming when we see extreme weather events, we see extreme temperatures and so on. So I don’t think there’s any doubt that inequality and climate change are intimately, intimately connected.”“One of the sad ironies of protest electoral votes may be that some of those who have been most left behind by an economic system that is deepening inequality, and are lashing out and voting for candidates seen as anti-establishment, are also people that are at the greatest risk from global warming when we see extreme weather events, we see extreme temperatures and so on. So I don’t think there’s any doubt that inequality and climate change are intimately, intimately connected.”
Check out the full video below. And tweet your comments or thoughts to me at @mikeyslezak or to David at @David_Ritter, or leave them below in the comments.Check out the full video below. And tweet your comments or thoughts to me at @mikeyslezak or to David at @David_Ritter, or leave them below in the comments.
2.53am GMT2.53am GMT
02:5302:53
Tom PhillipsTom Phillips
The war on global warming is “a responsibility we must assume for future generations,” Chinese president told the world’s economic elite in Davos this week, signalling that Beijing would stay true to its pledge to cut carbon emissions, even if Donald Trump did not.The war on global warming is “a responsibility we must assume for future generations,” Chinese president told the world’s economic elite in Davos this week, signalling that Beijing would stay true to its pledge to cut carbon emissions, even if Donald Trump did not.
China has several reasons for sticking to its guns.China has several reasons for sticking to its guns.
Firstly, there is consensus in China that the country is likely to be among the biggest victims of climate change: a 2015 government report warned rising sea levels, temperatures, and rainfall posed a real and present danger to hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens.Firstly, there is consensus in China that the country is likely to be among the biggest victims of climate change: a 2015 government report warned rising sea levels, temperatures, and rainfall posed a real and present danger to hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens.
Melting glaciers in China’s extreme west and the desertification of large swaths of land in the north have set alarm bells ringing in Beijing.Melting glaciers in China’s extreme west and the desertification of large swaths of land in the north have set alarm bells ringing in Beijing.
Secondly, Beijing understands it must take action against deadly episodes of air pollution that are fuelling increasing public rage. China’s leaders view climate change mitigation as an effective argument with which to take on the powerful energy sector responsible for the smog, which is blamed for up to one million premature deaths per year.Secondly, Beijing understands it must take action against deadly episodes of air pollution that are fuelling increasing public rage. China’s leaders view climate change mitigation as an effective argument with which to take on the powerful energy sector responsible for the smog, which is blamed for up to one million premature deaths per year.
Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, Beijing sees huge economic benefits in transitioning towards a consumption and services based low carbon economy and becoming a world-leader in the energy technologies of the future. Already its global dominance of the renewables market is becoming clear through billions of dollars of overseas investment last year in countries from Australia to Brazil and Pakistan.Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, Beijing sees huge economic benefits in transitioning towards a consumption and services based low carbon economy and becoming a world-leader in the energy technologies of the future. Already its global dominance of the renewables market is becoming clear through billions of dollars of overseas investment last year in countries from Australia to Brazil and Pakistan.
China is now the world’s largest investor in clean energy and recently unveiled plans to pump more than $360bn into renewable energy sources by 2020.China is now the world’s largest investor in clean energy and recently unveiled plans to pump more than $360bn into renewable energy sources by 2020.
Finally, there is the question of soft power. With a climate denier now occupying the White House, some in Beijing see a golden opportunity to boost China’s global standing by spearheading the war on global warming.Finally, there is the question of soft power. With a climate denier now occupying the White House, some in Beijing see a golden opportunity to boost China’s global standing by spearheading the war on global warming.
Xi’s speech at the World Economic Forum - in which he urged the world to “meet the challenges of climate change” and praised the Paris climate deal as “a hard-won achievement” - suggests China may be preparing to do just that.Xi’s speech at the World Economic Forum - in which he urged the world to “meet the challenges of climate change” and praised the Paris climate deal as “a hard-won achievement” - suggests China may be preparing to do just that.
“History,” the Chinese president told his audience to loud applause, “is created by the brave.”“History,” the Chinese president told his audience to loud applause, “is created by the brave.”
2.50am GMT2.50am GMT
02:5002:50
Calla WahlquistCalla Wahlquist
Lightning struck bushland east of the coastal Victorian town of Wye River on 19 December, 2015. On 25 December the fire burned the town, destroying 116 homes.Lightning struck bushland east of the coastal Victorian town of Wye River on 19 December, 2015. On 25 December the fire burned the town, destroying 116 homes.
Most of the residents had already been evacuated on the order of fire authorities, who mapped the fire behaviour, with astonishing accuracy, five days earlier.Most of the residents had already been evacuated on the order of fire authorities, who mapped the fire behaviour, with astonishing accuracy, five days earlier.
The mapping system, called Phoenix, allows fire behaviour analysts to input data about the terrain, dryness of the fuel, predicted temperatures, and predicted wind patterns, and come up with a predicted image of fire behaviour.The mapping system, called Phoenix, allows fire behaviour analysts to input data about the terrain, dryness of the fuel, predicted temperatures, and predicted wind patterns, and come up with a predicted image of fire behaviour.
Until 2010, this was done with considerably less accuracy using a pocket calculator and a slide-rule, crosshatching on paper maps. As fire behaviour analyst Andy Ackland explained in the video below, the mapping system also predicts the occurrence of convection currents, where a blast of hot air pushes through the inversion layer of the atmosphere. That’s one of the key conditions of a firestorm.Until 2010, this was done with considerably less accuracy using a pocket calculator and a slide-rule, crosshatching on paper maps. As fire behaviour analyst Andy Ackland explained in the video below, the mapping system also predicts the occurrence of convection currents, where a blast of hot air pushes through the inversion layer of the atmosphere. That’s one of the key conditions of a firestorm.
The system is used to inform public warnings and help firefighters prioritise when there are multiple fires on the same day (bushfires tend to come in crops of 12, Emergency Management commissioner Craig Lapsley said). It is also used in a strategic sense to figure out which power lines are most likely to cause devastating bushfires.Ackland said it is increasingly used to map potential changes in bushfire risk caused by long-term climate change, which is drying out the mountain ash forests around Victoria and leaving them more prone to a severe bushfire.The system is used to inform public warnings and help firefighters prioritise when there are multiple fires on the same day (bushfires tend to come in crops of 12, Emergency Management commissioner Craig Lapsley said). It is also used in a strategic sense to figure out which power lines are most likely to cause devastating bushfires.Ackland said it is increasingly used to map potential changes in bushfire risk caused by long-term climate change, which is drying out the mountain ash forests around Victoria and leaving them more prone to a severe bushfire.
“Some of the most extreme fuel loads that you would see anywhere in the state are that type of mountain ash fuel,” Darrin McKenzie, deputy chief fire officer of Forest Fire Management said.“Some of the most extreme fuel loads that you would see anywhere in the state are that type of mountain ash fuel,” Darrin McKenzie, deputy chief fire officer of Forest Fire Management said.
Like many Australian trees, mountain ash has evolved to use fire to regenerate, shedding long ribbons of bark to create fuel. That strategy backfires in a catastrophic fire Black Saturday in February 2009, which burned hot enough to kill the mountain ash seeds and, with that, jeopardise the whole alpine ecosystem.Like many Australian trees, mountain ash has evolved to use fire to regenerate, shedding long ribbons of bark to create fuel. That strategy backfires in a catastrophic fire Black Saturday in February 2009, which burned hot enough to kill the mountain ash seeds and, with that, jeopardise the whole alpine ecosystem.
UpdatedUpdated
at 2.52am GMTat 2.52am GMT
2.41am GMT2.41am GMT
02:4102:41
An interesting comment below the line.An interesting comment below the line.
What one comes away with from this and many of the comments here, is that it will be the China, unbelievable only a few years ago, that will be the global power leading sustainability. I never thought that in my life time I would see the inevitable decline of the USA and the rise of another superpower; and less so that that would be China. Trump and the altright have done an extraordinary thing in such a short time.What one comes away with from this and many of the comments here, is that it will be the China, unbelievable only a few years ago, that will be the global power leading sustainability. I never thought that in my life time I would see the inevitable decline of the USA and the rise of another superpower; and less so that that would be China. Trump and the altright have done an extraordinary thing in such a short time.
2.41am GMT2.41am GMT
02:4102:41
Earlier today I posted an opinion piece I wrote today about panic and despair, and other emotions a lot of people feel when writing about climate change.Earlier today I posted an opinion piece I wrote today about panic and despair, and other emotions a lot of people feel when writing about climate change.
In that piece I mention a moment I felt almost panicked, while I was half-way through James Bradley’s brilliant novel Clade, which is set a few decades in the future. Here’s something James has written for the blog today about the process of writing a book about the future of climate change, as that change was happening:In that piece I mention a moment I felt almost panicked, while I was half-way through James Bradley’s brilliant novel Clade, which is set a few decades in the future. Here’s something James has written for the blog today about the process of writing a book about the future of climate change, as that change was happening:
Back in 2012, when I began writing the book that would become Clade a lot of what I was writing was science fiction. Although there was no question climate change was an urgent problem, or that its effects were already being felt, most of the direr predictions still lay somewhere over the horizon.Back in 2012, when I began writing the book that would become Clade a lot of what I was writing was science fiction. Although there was no question climate change was an urgent problem, or that its effects were already being felt, most of the direr predictions still lay somewhere over the horizon.
Yet as I wrote a peculiar and discomfiting thing began to occur. Events I was weaving into the fabric of the novel – the release of methane from the seafloor and the permafrost, mass die-offs of wildlife, the breakup of the Antarctic ice sheets, even changes in the Earth’s rotation due to the shifting weight of melting ice – started to move out of the pages of the book and into reality.Yet as I wrote a peculiar and discomfiting thing began to occur. Events I was weaving into the fabric of the novel – the release of methane from the seafloor and the permafrost, mass die-offs of wildlife, the breakup of the Antarctic ice sheets, even changes in the Earth’s rotation due to the shifting weight of melting ice – started to move out of the pages of the book and into reality.
The sense of hastening intensifies with every passing day. A decade ago it was possible to say the window for stopping dangerous climate change was closing, but that’s no longer true. If you live in the Pacific, or Africa, or many other parts of the world dangerous climate change is already here. The question is no longer whether we can avert dangerous climate change but whether we can avert a runaway climate catastrophe.The sense of hastening intensifies with every passing day. A decade ago it was possible to say the window for stopping dangerous climate change was closing, but that’s no longer true. If you live in the Pacific, or Africa, or many other parts of the world dangerous climate change is already here. The question is no longer whether we can avert dangerous climate change but whether we can avert a runaway climate catastrophe.
There are days when I wonder whether continuing to believe that might be possible isn’t simply denial, a refusal to confront the truth. Speak to any scientist working in a field connected to climate change and you will quickly encounter a deep seam of despair. What is happening is occurring so quickly, so irrevocably it often seems overwhelming.There are days when I wonder whether continuing to believe that might be possible isn’t simply denial, a refusal to confront the truth. Speak to any scientist working in a field connected to climate change and you will quickly encounter a deep seam of despair. What is happening is occurring so quickly, so irrevocably it often seems overwhelming.
Yet another part of me knows this sort of despair is self-fulfilling. Change doesn’t come from giving up, it comes from practical action and engagement. But it also requires hope, and hope requires we believe change is possible.Yet another part of me knows this sort of despair is self-fulfilling. Change doesn’t come from giving up, it comes from practical action and engagement. But it also requires hope, and hope requires we believe change is possible.
2.37am GMT
02:37
Benjamin Haas
Hello from smoggy Hong Kong.
This the Hong Kong harbour, captured 6 hours apart. The Air Quality Index is 128 right now. #airquality #airpollution #cough pic.twitter.com/5UYhK6XCyo
Despite its reputation as a futuristic global city, Hong Kong has terrible air quality and the government has been slow to respond to the problem. Nearly all government pollution targets far exceed World Health Organization recommendations.
In terms of PM2.5, tiny particles that cause haze and have been linked to cancer, government targets are three times higher than the WHO. Even during the best year for deadly PM2.5, levels were still more than twice WHO guidelines.
Congested roads flanked by skyscrapers cause a “street canyon” effect, where pollution caused by road traffic can be trapped and recirculate, exacerbating the problem.
Hong Kong’s port, one of the busiest in the world, is also a massive source of bad air. Ships are only required to switch to cleaner fuels when docked at port, so the entire journey sailing through the city’s waters is emitting high levels pollution. On top of that, almost all of Hong Kong’s power comes from fossil fuels.
Lastly, let’s not forget Hong Kong’s neighbor to the north: China. Smog from China often wafts into Hong Kong, aggravating an already severe problem.
Air pollution in Hong Kong vs Beijing last night. Hong Kong 4+ times WHO levels for deadly pollutant pm2.5, Beijing clear #climatewarning pic.twitter.com/bDANavJdlN
Hong Kong 12 hours after last tweet: air pollution blown away. Here's how my air monitor stacks up against gov readings #climatewarning pic.twitter.com/X4aMWrRu45
2.30am GMT
02:30
Helen Davidson
About 20% of Australia’s coastline – 11,000km – is lined with 52 different species of mangroves, with more than a third of it in the Northern Territory.
But last year something extraordinary occurred in the Gulf of Carpentaria, when scientists were informed of a mass dieback along a stretch about 700km long.
It was the worst mangrove dieback in recorded history, covering 7,000 hectares, and came at the same time as the more highly publicised coral bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef.
Believed due to a combination of factors related to climate change, the mangrove dieback has serious ramifications for the health of that coastline and future erosion, but went largely unnoticed at the time.
“Essentially the plants died because of moisture stress and that’s linked with a combination of factors,” Prof Norman Duke, an expert in mangrove ecology from James Cook University, tells the Guardian.
“High temperatures obviously, a lack of rainfall, and strangely also a temporary drop in sea level at the critical time when these plants were so stressed out because of the climate itself.
All these factors are related to the southern oscillation index, the El Niño southern oscillation cycles, and that means that they’re related to climate in general.”
Duke says the dieback and subsequent response were pretty indicative of how the issue of climate change is dealt with in the NT.
“I may not be privy to all that’s going on but from my perspective, we just have to look at the example of the die back. The only reason we know is because of concerned community members sending in pictures to me and others saying: we think something’s going wrong but nobody else is interested. That took four, five, six months in 2015 from when it was first publicised.”
“It’s now well over a year since the dieback started and still there is no dedicated surveys going on on the ground to establish what has gone on, the extent of it, and what we can do about it and what are the consequences, which are potentially enormous.”
Updated
at 2.49am GMT
2.28am GMT
02:28
Eleanor Ainge Roy
When Pubudu Senanayake cycles through the Christchurch CBD he feels a quiet sense of satisfaction that New Zealanders are adapting their island home of 4.5m to be more climate-friendly. A NZ $150m cycle network in Christchurch and increased rail services in Auckland are recent wins.
Senanayake is a member of youth-led lobby group Generation Zero, formed in 2011 with the aim of pushing the New Zealand government to take swifter action on climate change, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by the year 2050. He says successive governments have not “understood the urgency with which we need to act”, with emissions increasing.
Are ever-increasing emissions a 'moderate' response? | PM on #climatechange: moderate not extreme response needed https://t.co/kgP5DyebUJ pic.twitter.com/0faXjIO6F3
With over 30,000 members and high-profile, imaginative lobbying action, Generation Zero campaign as vociferously for leadership from government as they do for individual choices such as eating less meat or walking to work.
A number of members, “empowered to act” while at university, have gone onto work for NGOs or in government, says Senanayake. “We try to increase youth participation in the civic process and help youth gain more skills and knowledge to have an impact at the policy level.”
For Senanayake and his fellow climate warriors the pay-off is clear: a sustainable New Zealand for decades to come.
“Climate change is not just an environmental issue. The symptoms are environmental but the issue is social and economic. And the urgency with which we need to take action makes me pretty devoted to it.”
It’s official: 2016 was the WARMEST 🌡year on record in #NewZealand since 1909, based on NIWA’s seven-station series. #NZACS #climate pic.twitter.com/9FcW1v2hrl
2.25am GMT
02:25
My colleague Tom Phillips has just filed this piece from Qinghai province in western China.
Tom is back from spending two (freezing cold) days there on the Tibetan plateau visiting what is reputedly the largest solar farm on earth and one of a growing number of super-sized symbols of China’s quest to transform itself from climate villain to green superpower.
“The scale of the solar park is just extraordinary and building it was clearly a huge, huge task,” says Tom. “Engineers there told me thousands of workers had taken part in construction, braving temperatures as low as -20C to turn the region into a sea of silicon panels.”
You can read the full piece below and come back soon for more from Tom.
2.17am GMT
02:17
John Connor has been the chief executive of the Climate Institute in Australia for 10 years. In that time, he’s seen federal climate policy begin to be established, only to be dismantled and then replaced by ongoing stagnation.
I spoke with him and asked him whether the lack of movement meant the climate movement had been doing things wrong, whether Trump’s election was the death knell for the Paris Agreement, and what individuals could do to help prevent climate change.
Watch the video here:
Updated
at 2.27am GMT
2.14am GMT
02:14
Michael Safi
Parched reservoirs, street violence over dwindling water supplies, and the emergence of a “water mafia” sound like some fevered vision of a future dystopia. Except, all three are already happening in parts of southern India, and most acutely in Tamil Nadu.
One of India’s wealthiest and best developed states, Tamil Nadu is nonetheless in the grip of its worst water shortage on record. This year’s monsoon brought less than half the usual rainfall. The reservoirs that supply Chennai, the capital, are at around 13% capacity – and the state still must weather six hot months before the monsoon rains returns in July.
Rural areas already appear to already be in crisis: India’s human rights agency estimates at least 106 farmers have killed themselves in the past month.
It isn’t all down to climate change. “The way Tamil Nadu is geographically rendered denies it access to precipitation,” says Jayshree Vencatesan, the managing trustee at the environmental group, Care Earth Trust. Mismanagement of crops and existing water resources also takes some share of the blame.
But the annual monsoon season, the state’s lifeline, is bringing less rain than it used to. And when it does finally pour, the storms are intense and brutal, causing destructive floods of the kind that have ravaged Chennai each December of the past two years, killing over 300 people.
And though researchers are yet to study the link, Vencatesan says the state is “consistently warmer” than in the past. “You don’t really have a great seasonality. So, you have a monsoon, that’s followed by an intense summer – and there’s an immediate drying up of the system,” she says.
Tamil Nadu has been forced to beg surrounding states for help. In September, it won a legal battle with neighbouring Karnataka state for more access to water from the Cauvery, a river the two states share. But Karnataka too is desperately thirsty. The result was days of anti-Tamil violence in the streets of the Karnataka capital, Bangalore, including the torching of dozens of Tamil-owned vehicles and businesses. Demonstrators carried signs that read: “We will give blood, but not Cauvery.”
Some unscrupulous water-tanker drivers have begun to exploit the situation. Vencatasan says hundreds are involved in buying water from farmers, and hauling it to villages where supplies are low. There they hock it for a steep markup. “They haven’t reached the point of forming cartels yet,” Vencatasan says. “But they are a water mafia.”
2.14am GMT
02:14
Elle Hunt
We’ve collaborated with Tumblr to create a “quilt” of user-submitted messages and artwork about climate change for this Global Warning project. Here’s my new favourite submission:
“A world full of carp is probably not the long-term goal”. Let us know if you disagree in the comments!
2.10am GMT
02:10
After speaking with Anne Hoggett about the devastating bleaching that hit the Great Barrier Reef, I asked her what she thinks individuals can do to help stop climate change to protect the reef from bleaching.
Here’s what she said:
Let our government know that you want them to take meaningful action to contain carbon emissions - now. There’s no time to lose.
Throughout the afternoon, we’re going to hear from a number of people about what they think individuals can do to help stop climate change.
2.07am GMT
02:07
HOUR 19: Adding sugar to water to mask salt
Elle Hunt
I’ve got to say, the hours are flying by as we steer the live blog back to London. It’s 1pm here in Sydney, it’s pouring down with rain, and Mikey Slezak has just inhaled a cheeseburger in between blog posts.
In the past hour:
Guardian Australia’s photographer extraordinaire Mike Bowers shared a shot and a story from his trip to Kiribati, featuring prominently in our coverage today as a site on the bleeding-edge of rising sea levels
Jason Roberts answered just one more question for us from Casey Station in Antarctica
My colleague Calla Wahlquist reported back on how Victoria, the most fire-prone state in Australia, approaches bushfire management
David Tong, now of WWF New Zealand, gave a chilling account of household items being taken by rising sea levels in Kiribati – and locals putting sugar in their water “to counteract the salty taste”
We heard from Lock the Gate, a group of Astralian farmers concerned about coal mining and gas extraction
Michael Safi, the Guardian’s Asia correspondent, reported from Delhi on plans for the largest electricity rollout in history
Even the Sydney Opera House faces problems posed by climate change, Guardian Australia’s Joshua Robertson found
A coral reef biologist who’s been based on Lizard Island in far north Queensland for almost three decades reports back on the challenges
Here’s a talking point for you to deliberate in the comments:
@mlle_elle I have a question about climate change, I'm not sure whether to be optimistic or pessimistic about the future?
Onwards and upwards.
Updated
at 2.12am GMT
2.01am GMT
02:01
Yesterday I spoke with coral reef biologists Anne Hoggett. She’s lived and worked on Lizard Island in remote far North Queensland for almost three decades. She is now director of the Australian Museum’s research station there.
Lizard Island was at the epicentre of the disastrous bleaching that killed about a fifth of the coral on the entire Great Barrier Reef.
Check out the interview below, where Anne describes what it has been like living there, and watching the impacts of climate change hit her remote home.
Updated
at 2.07am GMT