Can planting billions and billions of trees really mitigate climate change. We talk to experts about the economics and the feasibility of such an effort.
Trees are burning up around the planet at an alarming rate and impacting the climate. Now a new effort to plant as many trees as possible has taken hold around the globe. But will it mitigate climate change?
Venice's mayor declared a state of emergency floods swept through the city, flooding its historic basilica and inundating squares and centuries-old buildings. The floods were at the highest level since 1966. Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro blamed climate change for the disaster. "Venice is on its knees," said Brugnaro. "The damage will run into hundreds of millions of euros." The floods, accentuated by driving rains and strong winds, also ravaged areas beyond the city itself.
Hundreds of people blocked one of Madrid's most emblematic streets on Saturday by dancing to demand action against climate change in what protesters dubbed civil disco-bedience.
Victoria Falls, on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia, has slowed down to a trickle after an unprecedented decline in water levels, officials have said. Data from the Zambezi River authority showed water flow at its lowest since 1995, and well under the long-term average. The Zambian president, Edgar Lungu, said it was a stark reminder of what climate change is doing to the environment, yet some scientists are cautious about categorically blaming the climate crisis. Harald Kling, a hydrologist at engineering firm Pöyry and a Zambezi River expert, said climate science dealt in decades, not particular years, ‘so it’s sometimes difficult to say: this is because of climate change because droughts have always occurred’
RFS says Gospers Mountain blaze expected to take weeks to put out and temperatures forecast to soar above 40C in NSW by Tuesday
We are going to close this blog now. So far today, fire crews have fought back blazes, and containment lines have held. But there are still more than 100 fires burning across New South Wales and 45 in Queensland, some of them posing immediate risk to lives and homes. Crews face a difficult night ahead. There are hopes for some brief respite: a cool change on Sunday might give firefighters a chance to prepare for worsening conditions early next week. Temperatures are forecast to soar above 40C across NSW by Tuesday.
Kookaburra sits in the old burnt tree He doesn’t look like a merry King to me Cry for Kookaburra, cry for Kookaburra For he has got no tree ...
A shipping container full of fireworks? Really? This is from AAP: A shipping container loaded with fireworks has exploded and residents have been warned to flee as an unpredictable fire closes in on homes in south-east Queensland. The fast-moving blaze is burning in bushland at Bundamba, west of Brisbane, and travelling in a northerly direction from White Street towards the Warrego Highway.
This, I fear, will be the trend for the afternoon. Across the east coast of Australia, fires worsening with strengthening winds, no respite in temperatures.
Watch & Act - Blue Gum Road (Tenterfield LGA) Fire is burning SW of Urbenville. Spot fires are starting ahead of the main fire front. If you are in the Wallaby Creek area, seek shelter as the fire approaches. Protect yourself from the heat of the fire.
The Bundamba fire near Ipswich in Queensland is posing a threat to homes and lives. Police have declared an emergency situation. See here:
Police have declared an emergency situation as crews work to contain a dangerous bushfire at Bundamba this afternoon.
Properly scary ... this is how much of Australia is burning
How big are the fires burning on the east coast of Australia? Interactive map
Fire activity is increasing across a number of fires in NSW.
Watch and Act - Currowan fire (Shoalhaven LGA) Fire activity is increasing in the area of Woodburn Road. If you are in the area of Lake Tabourie, including areas west to Woodburn Road, monitor conditions. Fire is increasing in the area.
Watch & Act - Jarrah Rd (Mid-Coast LGA) Fire in Myall Lakes NP moving Nth towards Girvan & Bulahdelah. If you're near Crawford River Rd, Apple Tree Rd, Old Inn Rd, Old School House Rd, Nerong Rd, Nugra Ln, Greys Ln, Booral Rd & Lowreys Rd, monitor conditions.
Fires in Queensland are choking the state, hope lies in a cool change. AAP reports: Queensland is choking on NSW’s bushfire smoke as a southerly change sweeps across the state bringing testing conditions for firefighters. The south-east corner of the state is shrouded in smoke, with the World Health Quality index showing unhealthy levels of air quality across parts of Queensland.
Watch & Act - Nth Black Range, Palerang (Queanbeyan-Palerang LGA) Fire increasing Warri & Butmaroo. If you're in Warri & Butmaroo, particularly Foxs Elbow Road, Watsons Rd & Butmaroo Rd, your plan is to leave or you're not prepared, leave now towards Bungendore.
This morning I travelled up the Hawkesbury river and Mangrove Creek. The smoke was incredibly thick and getting heavier with little wind yet.
As Australia burns, it is worth remembering that the annual UN climate change talks are underway at #COP25 in Madrid. Australia’s record on emissions, and its role as a major exporter of fossil fuels, has not gone unnoticed by some.
Australia is flying under the radar at with rising emissions, rising coal & gas exports, rising impacts (it doesnt want to link to climate), and accounting tricks to cut its 2030 Paris target by half using KP carryover My OpEd
Community meetings for those affected by the Gospers Mountain fire...
Gospers Mountain fire (Lithgow and Hawkesbury LGA) A community meeting will be held at 9am Sunday for people in the East Kurrajong area. formation on this fire is available here:
Gospers Mountain fire (Lithgow and Hawkesbury LGA) A community meeting will be held at 6pm Saturday for people in the area. formation on this fire is available here:
Dr Bidda Jones is the chief scientist at the RSPCA, and told me the NSW fires, which have burned through thousands of hectares of land, including national parks and adjoining forest, would have a “major impact on biodiversity”. Depending on the intensity of the fire, it will have had a massive impact on wildlife. And not just on those iconic species like koalas. You have to think of this in terms of how it affects the entire ecosystem. You have animals relying on the eucalyptus trees for their primary diet - greater gliders are another example of that. Then you have a whole range of other species living off nectar or the insects in that environment, and there’s going to be a considerable loss of insect life in those fires. At this point almost all of that has been burnt, all of that forest, up to 31,000 hectares. The big trees are still there, and we have greater gliders that live in the forest, as well as powerful owls. So I’m hoping that they’ll be OK. They’ll have lost nesting holes because the many big trees have fallen and it’s the big old trees that have the nesting holes.
Good news in Queensland, a string of fires being downgraded, fire crews no longer needed ...
**Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) crews are no longer required on scene at this incident.**
**Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) crews are no longer required on scene at this incident.**
**Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) crews are no longer required on scene at this incident.**
**Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) crews are no longer required on scene at this incident.**
A helicopter involved in firefighting efforts has crashed on the mid north coast of New South Wales. Emergency services says the pilot was the only person on board and he is unharmed.
At 12pm there are 95 bush fires, with half yet to be contained. There are currently 12 fires at Watch & Act level, and more than 2,200 firefighters out in the field. While fire activity has reduced this morning, there's still 8 areas of Total Fire Ban today.
I’m out on the Hawkesbury River, where the heavy smoke has reduced visibility to dangerously low levels. The Three Mile fire - which last night joined with the Wrights Creek fire - is just up Mangrove Creek, and I’ve watched several Marine Rescue vessels head up that way in the last half an hour.
Watch and Act - Bengala Creek fire (Tenterfield LGA) Fire activity is increasing across the fireground. If you are in the areas of Bonalbo, Old Bonalbo, Duck Creek and Bottle Creek, monitor conditions. Know what you will do if the fire approaches.
Visibility is appalling near Spencer on the Hawkesbury River.
This is an actual photo taken in Camden this afternoon! So intense.
Roads in bushfire areas will be affected all day. The situation can change quickly, so please check conditions before setting out.
BRAIDWOOD TO BATEMANS BAY: The Kings Hwy remains closed btwn North Batemans Bay and Braidwood due to a bushfire. Araluen Rd is also closed from Moruya to Braidwood. Avoid the area.
Our awesome Volunteer at Stanmore rescued this orphaned fawn. These amazing people are making a difference in so many ways. Amid the chaos and the destruction, this is just a lovely story, as told by volunteer firefighter Michael Tiley: My name is Michael Tiley and I am from the Stanmore Rural Fire Brigade. Our brigade is part of the Stanley Rivers Group, located west of Caboolture.
This was the situation early this morning in NSW: 94 fires, 11 at Watch and Alert...
At 5:30, there are 94 bush and grass fires burning across NSW. 11 fires remain at Watch and Act alert level where there has been an ongoing threat to properties overnight. Severe fire danger forecast for New England and Northern Slopes.
Due to a revised forecast, a Total Fire Ban will be in force from 8:00am for the Illawarra/Shoalhaven in addition to 7 other areas. A Total Fire Ban means no fires in the open. Know the rules prevent new fires from starting.
My colleague Lisa Cox has written this most excellent, timely and sobering piece: climate experts bewildered by government “burying their heads in the sand” and say the bushfires on Australia’s east coast should be a “wake-up call”. If you read nothing else today (save for this blog, obviously), read this.
Behind all of those out there on the firefront, there is an army of support.
It’s been a hectic couple of days helping family and friends through this tough time. So pumped to see the generosity and community spirit shining through! Turning Point Camden and Pizza Spot in Camden South, you guys are ANGELS!! (Links in comments)
This vision, broadcast on ABC, demonstrates what volunteer fire crews have been up again, and will face again today.
Unbelievable courage and selflessness. Humbling. Thank you, thank you. Still waiting for any sort of leadership state or national level.
Good morning, welcome to Guardian Australia’s rolling coverage of the bushfire crisis. Australia is on fire, and the country’s east coast, in particular NSW and southern Queensland, faces a brutal day of hot weather, strong winds and no rain in sight. This morning, the NSW Rural Fire Service has warned the Gospers Mountain ‘mega fire’ north of Sydney will burn for many weeks. The fire has already burned more than 300,000 hectares and has a front more than 60 kilometres. Around 1000 homes have been damaged or destroyed by fire this season.
RFS says Gospers Mountain blaze, which has merged with neighbouring fires, will take many weeks to put out
Fires in Queensland are choking the state, hope lies in a cool change. AAP reports: Queensland is choking on NSW’s bushfire smoke as a southerly change sweeps across the state bringing testing conditions for firefighters. The southeast corner of the state is shrouded in smoke, with the World Health Quality index showing unhealthy levels of air quality across parts of Queensland.
Watch & Act - Nth Black Range, Palerang (Queanbeyan-Palerang LGA) Fire increasing Warri & Butmaroo. If you're in Warri & Butmaroo, particularly Foxs Elbow Road, Watsons Rd & Butmaroo Rd, your plan is to leave or you're not prepared, leave now towards Bungendore.
This morning I travelled up the Hawkesbury river and Mangrove Creek. The smoke was incredibly thick and getting heavier with little wind yet.
As Australia burns, it is worth remembering that the annual UN climate change talks are underway at #COP25 in Madrid. Australia’s record on emissions, and its role as a major exporter of fossil fuels, has not gone unnoticed by some.
Australia is flying under the radar at with rising emissions, rising coal & gas exports, rising impacts (it doesnt want to link to climate), and accounting tricks to cut its 2030 Paris target by half using KP carryover My OpEd
Community meetings for those affected by the Gospers Mountain fire...
Gospers Mountain fire (Lithgow and Hawkesbury LGA) A community meeting will be held at 9am Sunday for people in the East Kurrajong area. formation on this fire is available here:
Gospers Mountain fire (Lithgow and Hawkesbury LGA) A community meeting will be held at 6pm Saturday for people in the area. formation on this fire is available here:
Dr Bidda Jones is the chief scientist at the RSCPA, and told me the NSW fires, which have burned through thousands of hectares of land, including national parks and adjoining forest, would have a “major impact on biodiversity”. Depending on the intensity of the fire, it will have had a massive impact on wildlife. And not just on those iconic species like koalas. You have to think of this in terms of how it affects the entire ecosystem. You have animals relying on the eucalyptus trees for their primary diet - greater gliders are another example of that. Then you have a whole range of other species living off nectar or the insects in that environment, and there’s going to be a considerable loss of insect life in those fires. At this point almost all of that has been burnt, all of that forest, up to 31,000 hectares. The big trees are still there, and we have greater gliders that live in the forest, as well as powerful owls. So I’m hoping that they’ll be OK. They’ll have lost nesting holes because the many big trees have fallen and it’s the big old trees that have the nesting holes.
Good news in Queensland, a string of fires being downgraded, fire crews no longer needed ...
**Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) crews are no longer required on scene at this incident.**
**Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) crews are no longer required on scene at this incident.**
**Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) crews are no longer required on scene at this incident.**
**Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) crews are no longer required on scene at this incident.**
A helicopter involved in firefighting efforts has crashed on the mid north coast of New South Wales. Emergency services says the pilot was the only person on board and he is unharmed.
At 12pm there are 95 bush fires, with half yet to be contained. There are currently 12 fires at Watch & Act level, and more than 2,200 firefighters out in the field. While fire activity has reduced this morning, there's still 8 areas of Total Fire Ban today.
I’m out on the Hawkesbury River, where the heavy smoke has reduced visibility to dangerously low levels. The Three Mile fire - which last night joined with the Wrights Creek fire - is just up Mangrove Creek, and I’ve watched several Marine Rescue vessels head up that way in the last half an hour.
Watch and Act - Bengala Creek fire (Tenterfield LGA) Fire activity is increasing across the fireground. If you are in the areas of Bonalbo, Old Bonalbo, Duck Creek and Bottle Creek, monitor conditions. Know what you will do if the fire approaches.
Visibility is appalling near Spencer on the Hawkesbury River.
This is an actual photo taken in Camden this afternoon! So intense.
Roads in bushfire areas will be affected all day. The situation can change quickly, so please check conditions before setting out.
BRAIDWOOD TO BATEMANS BAY: The Kings Hwy remains closed btwn North Batemans Bay and Braidwood due to a bushfire. Araluen Rd is also closed from Moruya to Braidwood. Avoid the area.
Our awesome Volunteer at Stanmore rescued this orphaned fawn. These amazing people are making a difference in so many ways. Amid the chaos and the destruction, this is just a lovely story, as told by volunteer firefighter Michael Tiley: My name is Michael Tiley and I am from the Stanmore Rural Fire Brigade. Our brigade is part of the Stanley Rivers Group, located west of Caboolture.
This was the situation early this morning in NSW: 94 fires, 11 at Watch and Alert...
At 5:30, there are 94 bush and grass fires burning across NSW. 11 fires remain at Watch and Act alert level where there has been an ongoing threat to properties overnight. Severe fire danger forecast for New England and Northern Slopes.
Due to a revised forecast, a Total Fire Ban will be in force from 8:00am for the Illawarra/Shoalhaven in addition to 7 other areas. A Total Fire Ban means no fires in the open. Know the rules prevent new fires from starting.
My colleague Lisa Cox has written this most excellent, timely and sobering piece: climate experts bewildered by government “burying their heads in the sand” and say the bushfires on Australia’s east coast should be a “wake-up call”. If you read nothing else today (save for this blog, obviously), read this.
Behind all of those out there on the firefront, there is an army of support.
It’s been a hectic couple of days helping family and friends through this tough time. So pumped to see the generosity and community spirit shining through! Turning Point Camden and Pizza Spot in Camden South, you guys are ANGELS!! (Links in comments)
This vision, broadcast on ABC, demonstrates what volunteer fire crews have been up again, and will face again today.
Unbelievable courage and selflessness. Humbling. Thank you, thank you. Still waiting for any sort of leadership state or national level.
Good morning, welcome to Guardian Australia’s rolling coverage of the bushfire crisis. Australia is on fire, and the country’s east coast, in particular NSW and southern Queensland, faces a brutal day of hot weather, strong winds and no rain in sight. This morning, the NSW Rural Fire Service has warned the Gospers Mountain ‘mega fire’ north of Sydney will burn for many weeks. The fire has already burned more than 300,000 hectares and has a front more than 60 kilometres. Around 1000 homes have been damaged or destroyed by fire this season.
