The Week That Was - August 2 2012

This week, things are looking brighter! Professor of physics and sceptic Richard A Muller says he agrees – climate change is real and is caused by humans. Hurrah! And even though Mr Abbott is still scared – pretty much everyone else has said they are not so phased by the carbon price. Solar powered trees in Singapore are proving very effective and carbon sucking funnels are revealed. All this and more in August’s first Week That Was.

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“Saudi authorities reported that it had rained in Mecca despite a temperature of 109 (f) degrees, the hottest downpour in the planet's history.”
-Bill Mckibben, 350.org founder

SENIOR federal ministers have seized on recent Herald/Nielsen poll to back their claims that Tony Abbott's scare campaign over the price on carbon has begun to unravel. Even so Abbott says people are still very, very scared. This despite Victorians telling the Herald Sun that that they don’t mind paying a bit more than other states, as it’s still less than they had expected.

350.org founder Bill McKibben writes in Rolling Stone that  - so far, we've raised the average temperature of the planet just under 0.8 degrees Celsius, and that has caused far more damage than most scientists expected.

His article is followed up here with a critique of Mr McKibben’s ask for a movement toward carbon disinvestment. This while we are told carbon emissions are up by three per cent.

And maybe it’s time for global leaders to DO something about the situation. Goodness me, if even Richard A Muller and other sceptics are getting with the program surely it is time …

Back in Australia, an Environment Victoria report tells us that the Baillieu government doesn’t consider environmental protection a priority and has no clear plan to tackle declining biodiversity, climate change, unsustainable water use or Melbourne's urban sprawl. Even though new stats just in tell us that the traditionally erratic Melbourne weather has just recorded its longest July warm spell since 1855.

Friend of Climate Reality, scientist Graeme Pearman says climate change is not just an issue for scientists it is an issue about us. Meantime a study of tree-ring data recently found that in some regions temperatures during Roman times (21AD to 50AD) were 1.05 degrees Celsius higher than the 1951-1980 mean.

Plastic shopping bags could soon be banned in Leederville, Mt Lawley and North Perth after City of Vincent mayor Alannah MacTiernan said she was in favour of replicating draft laws passed by Fremantle council and scientists say they have unravelled the mechanism by which Earth-warming carbon is sucked deep into the Southern Ocean to be safely locked away.

The Northern Territory will receive the benefit of $500,000 in the form of investment from the Australian Solar Institute. This hopes to reduce the reliance of remote communities on diesel fuel.

And possibly only in Singapore… a botanic garden full of solar-powered trees is providing refuge for Singapore's birds and residents, SBS reports. And our own Damian Paull does a splendid job presenting in Geelong recently.

And while the athletes try their best in London at the Olympic Games, it would seem the organizers are doing their best to be as sustainable as possible, let us keep a close eye on the proceedings! And maybe more people would think twice before cutting them down once they have read research from WA which tells us plants do communicate.