Australian Apocalypse

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"The measure of this world is all the things not made by man.”

Tasmanian author Richard Flanagan speaking about the wild lands of Tasmania.

SHOW NOTES

1. Australia's summer (our winter) this year was like a hike through the Book of Revelations. Along with record breaking temperatures and a seven-year drought, there has been record flooding, forest fires where they have never burned before and the country's largest river system has gone dry. How hot was it? In South Australia farmers reported that the pits in peaches and nectarines had gotten so hot that they burned the fruit from the inside. Yes, people are impacted, but the real toll is on Australia's unique native wildlife. Are we witnessing a glimpse of our global future?

2. Global Warming vs. Climate Change —what's in a name? Apparently a lot. Neither term seems to describe what we are up against. Tune-in to find a brief history of the perceptions of the language of our new and exciting climate and check below for more appropriate phrases that might better communicate what is really happening to the planet — "Stay Tuned for a Weather Forecast from....Hell"

Great southern drought: Australian farmers crippled, climate action stalled | DW | 09.08.2018Amidst the worst drought in living memory, the world's driest continent is also heating up due to climate change. Critics say too little is being done to prevent increasing temperatures and decreasing rainfall.

Australia's marine heatwaves provide a glimpse of the new ecological orderReceding kelp forests, jellyfish blooms and disruption to fisheries are just some of climate change’s impacts on the ocean

We must strengthen environmental protections during drought – or face irreversible loss

Australia Wilts From Climate Change. Why Can’t Its Politicians Act?

It Was Supposed to Be Australia’s Climate Change Election. What Happened?On Saturday, in a result that stunned most analysts, voters re-elected the conservative coalition that has long resisted plans to sharply cut down on carbon emissions and coal.

Australia faces 'world-first' climate change human rights caseTorres Strait Islanders say Australia's failure to tackle climate change puts their homeland and culture in danger.

'Like opening a fan oven': Australia's rainforest threatened by bushfiresAs the weather gets hotter and drier, and cyclones increase, those living in Australia’s north will need to adapt to the fire danger

Climate change damage to Queensland's world heritage rainforest 'as bad as Great Barrier Reef'Management authority warns wet topics area is in ‘accelerating decline’ and endemic species under immediate threat

David Attenborough blasts Australian politicians over climate changeSir David Attenborough didn't hold back when putting Australian politicians on public blast for their inaction and skepticism of climate change.

Call to arms: how can Australia avoid a slow and painful decline?Australia has been warned it risks ‘drifting into the future’ if it fails to respond to challenges in a fast-changing world

Fossil fuel exports make Australia one of the worst contributors to climate crisis

Australia is third largest exporter of fossil fuels behind Russia and Saudi Arabia

Australia records its hottest day ever – one day after previous recordAverage maximum reaches temperature of 41.9C or 107.4F on Wednesday – a full degree above previous mark set the day before

Climate of chaos: the suffocating firestorm engulfing AustraliaThe death toll from the unprecedented crisis has reached eight and sparked an apology from the prime minister

Too hot for humans? First Nations people fear becoming Australia's first climate refugeesAs the big dry bites and temperature records tumble, Aboriginal people in Alice Springs say global heating threatens their culture and very survival

'I don't know how we come back from this': Australia's big dry sucks life from once-proud townsGuardian Australia reports from three communities hard hit by one of the worst droughts in living memory

Australia's Facing an Unprecedented Ecological Crisis, But No One's Paying Attention

Opinion | Australia’s Burning, Flooding, Disastrous New NormalWe are a land of proudly resilient people. But in an age of climate change, we can’t just hike up our Stubbies and move on.

Tasmania is burning. The climate disaster future has arrived while those in power laugh at us | Richard FlanaganScott Morrison is trying to scare people about economic policy but seems blithely unaware people are already scared – about climate change

Floods, fire and drought: Australia, a country in the grip of extreme weather bingoAmid record temperatures, severe flooding and devastation of wilderness, the political message from the government is business as usual

In Rural Australia, a Generation Gap Widens Over Climate Change

Australia to import wheat for first time in 12 years as drought eats into grain production

‘Like canaries in a coal mine’: Idyllic Australian islands choked with 414 million pieces of plastic pollutionOver 230 tonnes of plastic, including almost a million shoes and 370,000 toothbrushes found on tropical beaches

'It just didn't make any sense': why Australians are turning away from meatAustralians are among the biggest meat eaters in the world, but that’s changing. Recent converts to diets with less meat explain their motives

David Attenborough says it's 'extraordinary' climate deniers are in power in AustraliaCelebrated naturalist’s most vivid impression of human impact on the planet is Great Barrier Reef bleaching

Australian power stations among world's worst for toxic air pollution

Half the world's ecosystems at risk from habitat loss, and Australia is one of the worstSince 1992, an area of land two-thirds the size of Australia has been converted to human use.

Australia’s climate stance is inflicting criminal damage on humanity | Ian Dunlop and David SprattThe government opts for conflict rather than change, while suppressing details on the implications of its climate inaction

Australia's Longest River and the Fight over Water

Thousands of dead fish found floating in drought-stricken AustraliaWhile the federal government has blamed the deaths on a severe drought, experts and locals say they stem from the systemic depletion and pollution of the river.

Water Thefts in Australia Undermines Plan to Restore Environmental Water to Murray-Darling River Basin | University of Denver Water Law Review at the Sturm College of Law

Why is the Murray-Darling Basin so important and how did we end up at this point?SBS News looks at why Australia's largest river system is in crisis.

Toxic: what is rotten in the Murray-Darling Basin? - Policy Forum

The Darling River is simply not supposed to dry out, even in droughtMass fish deaths are a blaring warning sign for the heath of the Murray Darling Basin, but just as worrying is the sight of dry areas in the Darling.

Menindee fish kill: another mass death on Darling River 'worse than last time'Locals report thousands of ‘fish all around me just gasping for breath’ after third mass death in a matter of weeks

New South Wales government largely culpable for fish kill, report finds

Pay more attention to forests to avert global water crisis, researchers urgeAustralia’s Murray Darling basin covers more than a million square kilometers, 14 percent of the country’s landmass. It’s the site of tens of thousands of wetlands, but increasing demand for water has stretched its resources to the limit. Many of the basin’s wetlands and floodplain forests are declining — several former wetlands and forests have […]

‘Up to a million fish dead’: Murray-Darling River disaster worsens“Up to a million fish dead.” That’s the little-known disaster taking place in Australia’s most famous river system, the Murray-Darling Basin. Blue-green algae blooms have ca…

Deadly Flooding

'Sea of dead cattle' after Australia floodsTOWNSVILLE (Australia) • Hundreds of thousands of cattle weakened from a severe drought are feared to have died in record-breaking floods in north-eastern Australia as the authorities stepped up efforts to feed surviving livestock.. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Thousands hit by record floods in AustraliaWhat is being described as once-in-a-century rainfall is causing catastrophic flooding in northeast Australia.

Up to 500,000 drought-stressed cattle killed in Queensland floodsAfter years of drought graziers were elated when the rain came. Now floods have created a humanitarian crisis

Australian river swells to 37 miles wide due to floodsA river has gone from thin and dry to 37 miles (60 kilometers) wide in a matter of weeks as a result of floods in northeast Australia, satellite imagery shows.

500,000 cattle survived years-long drought only to die in the rainAfter seven years of drought, the cattle farmers in the Australian province of Queensland thought the rain heading their way was a blessing.

The Big Dry: Drought causing domestic and wild animals fight for resources and both lose

Australian drought: What you can do to help | Torrens“No-one’s talking about drought because everyone in Sydney has still got water from the big dams and they can still wash their cars and their driveways, but we’ve got farmers out here who are going broke because they can’t afford feed.”

Australia is devastated by drought, yet it won't budge on climate changeThe vast majority of Australians accept climate change is real, yet the subject is still controversial in Australian politics, and climate change skepticism still has a platform.

Shocking pictures show dead horses at dried-up waterhole in central AustraliaDeaths of about 40 horses discovered near Santa Teresa blamed on extreme weather conditions

Native, domestic animals in a life or death tussle for food during droughtWildlife carers are having to keep the release of rehabilitated kangaroos secret to avoid the animals being shot.

5 reasons to combat global warming — for the animals.We know the causes of global warming, and we must act to stop animals suffering from climate change.

Emus Swarm Town As Australia's Drought Worsens The tough conditions are drying up huge swathes of land, leaving farmers struggling. Groups of thirsty emus recently showed up in an outback mining town looking for water.

10 ways climate change is affecting Australia’s wildlife, according to scienceOur unique wildlife and the natural places we love face a perilous future if we don’t step up to protect our planet and our home from the impacts of climate change. To see how you can help, click here. Climate change (and the resulting destruction of nature) is the top problem facing the world, according to millennials.

The new normal? How climate change is making Australia's droughts worseIn the first part of a new series, we take you through the current conditions, and then put them in context with other severe droughts in Australia’s history

Australia spends billions planting trees – then wipes out carbon gains by bulldozing them

143 Million Mammals Lost in Australia Wildfires, New Report Finds

Farm animals suffer in Australian state's '100% drought' - CNN VideoFarmlands have been hit hard in one of the driest winters on record in New South Wales, Australia.

Australian farmers hit hard by worst drought in living memory in country's eastSYDNEY (REUTERS) - The worst drought in living memory is sweeping parts of eastern Australia, leaving farmers struggling to cope and asking questions about their future.. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Feral camel 'plague' sees pastoralists shoot 2,500 camels in a month

Thousands of Australian Animals Die in Unprecedented HeatwaveFreshwater fish suffer from low levels of oxygen in the country's rivers, while bats are unable to survive the extreme air temperatures.

‘A Harbinger of Things to Come’: Farmers in Australia Struggle With Its Hottest Drought EverThe impacts of climate change are increasingly difficult to ignore

'Rough end of the stick': Drought toll on wildlife starts to mountThe worsening drought is beginning to affect the state's wildlife, bringing animals closer to roads and towns and triggering a big jump in calls to rescuers.

Koala and kangaroo culling considered as numbers become 'overabundant'Species’ expansion threatens South Australia’s habitat and biodiversity, report says

The silent decline of the platypus, Australia’s beloved oddity

Nearly 500 million animals killed in Australian bushfiresAround 480 million animals are feared to have died in the bushfires sweeping Australia, including nearly a third of the koalas in New South Wales's main habitat.

'Roos: Beloved national symbol killed by the millions

Reality of Australia's drought laid bare in tragic photo of kangaroo skeletonNew South Wales was declared entirely in drought last Wednesday and struggling farmers were given new authority to shoot kangaroos that compete with livestock

NSW drought: Kangaroo culling could have drastic consequences on populations, experts warnKangaroo culling laws have been relaxed as NSW battles drought, and experts are concerned.

Mass roo death ‘shame’ in western NSWCall for action on roo quota to stop animal welfare crisis

My View About Australia's Brutally Cruel Commercial Kangaroo Slaughterby Antje Struthmann

Kangaroo: A Love-Hate Story Examines the National Icon Australians Both Love and Eat“If Australians really knew what happens out there in the dark, they would be horrified.”

Why kangaroo culling divides AustraliaA million marsupials are likely to be shot this year, but some argue it is a needless slaughter.

Global warming threatens Australia's iconic kangaroosAs concerns about the effects of global warming continue to mount, a new study published in the December issue of Physiological and Biochemical Zoology finds that an increase in average temperature of only two degrees Celsius could have a devastating effect on populations of Australia's iconic kangaroos.

Australia tells farmers they can kill more kangaroos because of droughtRules relaxed as New South Wales experiences driest start to year since 1965

Kangaroo: A Love Hate StoryA new documentary exposes the perils kangaroos face in Australia

Perilous times for Australia wildlife amid severe droughtFrom abandoned baby kangaroos to wallabies being blinded by the sun and koalas having to go walkabout to look for eucalyptus leaves, Australia's exotic wild animals are struggling to adapt to a crippling drought.

Roo ‘statue’ a grim sign of state of decayLIKE some kind of museum exhibit or echo of a dinosaur’s relative, this kangaroo was found stiff as a board in the heart of the Riverina in the state’s southwest.

Why I didn't save the animals: Photographer explains shot of roo stuck in mudSydney Morning Herald photographer Nick Moir has come to the defence of his photo, explaining why he couldn't save the animals stuck in mud at Lake Cawndilla near Menindee.

Sign the PetitionStop cruel kangaroo massacre implicated by pet food company Purina

Don’t buy into kangaroo crueltyOn a ten year average, it is estimated that 800,000 dependent joeys are killed as collateral damage of the kangaroo industry each year.See Ben-Ami D, Boom K, Boronyak L, Townend C, Ramp D, Croft D and Bekoff M, ‘The welfare ethics of the commercial killing of free ranging kangaroos: an evaluation of the benefits and costs of the industry’ (2014) 23(1) Animal Welfare 1, 5. Estimation based on ecological data and national commercial kill statistics for the period 2000-2009. This does not include the joeys killed as a consequence of non-commercial shooting.

Kangaroo's Giving Birth in a Most Unusual Way

Koalas — being cuddly and cute is not enough

Some Reasons Why Koalas Are Endangered Animals

The Dwindling Pride of Oz: Reasons Why Koalas are EndangeredThe Koalas in Australia are facing a serious threat of extinction. Here is more on this...

Australia unveils plan to save endangered koalasAustralia unveiled on Monday a £25m million plan to help bring its koala population back from the brink, following a rapid decline in the furry marsupial's fortunes.

10 things you can do to stop koalas from going extinctKOALAS will "disappear from this part of the world unless behaviours change”, a Lismore volunteer group has warned.

Wildlife wipe-out: Australian koala populations at risk of extinctionEARTH has lost a staggering 60 per cent of its wildlife populations since 1970, a bleak new report has revealed.

Koalas will be driven to extinction before 2050 in NSW, major inquiry findsState parliamentary investigation finds biggest threat to the species’ survival is habitat loss – but logging and clearing has continued

Koala, Australia's beloved animal, likely to become extinct by 2050Australia has one of the highest land clearing rates in the world due to which 80 per cent of Koala habitat has already disappeared. Here are other reasons behind the looming extinction.

Wildlife wipe-out: Australian koala populations at risk of extinctionEARTH has lost a staggering 60 per cent of its wildlife populations since 1970, a bleak new report has revealed.

This heartbreaking photo shows our koalas’ sad plightSHOCKING photos of koalas in their diminishing natural habitat have exposed the dire plight of the Australian marsupial.

Australia's environment minister says up to 30% of koalas killed in NSW mid-north coast firesSussan Ley’s estimate suggests up to 8,400 koalas may have perished in the bushfires

Not to worry — we can always buy furry replicas of our favorite wildlife.

Other Australian Environmental Issues — we didn't have time to talk about

The Devastating impact of Australia's Shark Net Program

Whales, crocodiles and dolphins: The painful toll of Queensland's shark programOnly a handful of sharks captured in drum lines or nets escape alive, while Queensland's shark control program is proving lethal for other endangered species.

NSW shark nets kill protected turtles, dolphins and Australian fur sealAnimal advocates have condemned the use of shark nets on the NSW coast.

Shark nets - busting the mythsWe are set to begin another summer season, and shark nets have been installed on Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong beaches since September as they have been every summer since the late 1930s.

Whale freed from shark nets in delicate rescue off Gold CoastRescuers free a whale that became entangled in a shark net off the Gold Coast.

GREAT NEWS:

After decades of shark nets and drumlines acting as indiscriminate killers of the magnificent fauna in the oceans, the decision has been made to shut them down. - It has been common knowledge for years that these methods are not effective and they are killing almost everything else but the target species. This kind of indiscriminate killing is absolutely damaging to the environment and Australia's reputation as a tourism destination. A recent report shows that people are 100 times more likely to drown at the beach than to be killed by a shark in Australia. The risk is infinitesimally small.

Endangered sharks, dolphins and rays killed by shark net trialOnly one target shark caught in NSW nets in two months, while 55 other marine creatures killed or trapped

Shark nets at NSW beaches 'do nothing' to reduce attacksA statistical analysis finds that the shark nets in NSW do nothing to reduce the chance of shark attack.

Collateral damage too brutal from NSW shark netsThe government seems to think that killing dolphins, turtles and rays is fine. But catching a whale? That’s a totally different story.

Disturbing truth behind Australia’s shark netsDisturbing truth behind Australia’s shark nets

Shark control program to be shut down in the Great Barrier ReefHooks will be removed from drumlines on the Great Barrier Reef after a ruling welcomed by environmental groups.

The Fence that has Changed the Local Weather

All cost, little benefit: WA's barrier fence is bad news for biodiversity Every five or ten years Western Australia’s emus undertake mass migrations in search of food. On the way they encounter the 1,170km State Barrier Fence, which seeks to stop dingos, emus and kangaroos entering…

At Australia’s Bunny Fence, Variable Cloudiness Prompts Climate StudyA fence across the Australian outback has unintentionally allowed scientists to study the effects of land use on regional climates.

Living on Earth: Fencing the Weather

Intact ecosystems the best buffer against climate change - ECOSWhen talking about solutions to help mitigate and adapt to climate change, we shouldn't forget that intact ecosystems offer some of the best prospects.

All cost, little benefit: WA's barrier fence is bad news for biodiversity

Coal and death of the greatest living structure on earth

Adani coal mine 'devastating' for AustraliaControversial Adani coal mine project is about to break ground in Australia amid protests over environmental impact.

Australia must choose between coal and coral – the Great Barrier Reef depends on itThe government hopes its latest reports will keep the reef off Unesco’s world heritage in-danger list. But protecting the reef for future generations involves addressing the threat posed by climate change

Great Barrier Reef contaminated by toxic coal dust, inquiry toldGuardian Australia: Coral reef expert says 'damning' report found coal dust had spread hundreds of kilometres from dredging sites

Preserving the Great Barrier Reef | Greenpeace Australia PacificThe Reef has been a natural wonder for thousands of years, home to Aboriginal first peoples and tens of thousands of tourism jobs. Our kids deserve to grow up in a world where they can still marvel at it.

Coal vs. Coral: The Dredging Threat to the Great Barrier ReefAs the Australian government pushes for the construction of a giant coal mine near the world’s largest coral ecosystem, Finnish scientists have developed a way to minimize the impact of dredging required to expand coal ports and accommodate increases in ship traffic.

Stop Adani Wrecking Our Reef - Fight For Our ReefIt’s the fight of our times. Stop Adani’s massive coal mine wrecking our vibrant Great Barrier Reef. Thousands are standing up - will you be one of them?

Why Australia's biodiversity is in trouble - video explainerAustralia’s political landscape is scarred by bureaucratic mismanagement and political indifference but a UN report is urging governments make urgent, transformative change to curb mass biodiversity and ecosystem loss

It’s not too late to save Great Barrier Reef from politiciansAustralia is pushing ahead with plans for a giant coal mine, despite the threat it poses to the imperilled reef and hints that the appetite for coal is waning

Australia has approved a coal mine that threatens the Great Barrier ReefThe long delayed Carmichael project in Australia has been approved by Indian coal giant Adani. It faces lack of funding and will cause disastrous environmental consequences.

Saving the Great Barrier Reef, from Coal! - Blue Ocean NetworkAustralia’s Great Barrier Reef is one of the planet’s most inspiring treasures. The Great Barrier Reef is also confronting almost insurmountable perils. Over the last several years as a result of climate change, we have witnessed, repetitive and extreme, ocean warming events that have killed or severely damaged over 65% of the coral reef habitat. …

Join the #CoalFree movementCoal pollution destroys the things we love. But together, we can protect our climate, the Great Barrier Reef, and our forests. Sign the petition to go #CoalFree.

Great Barrier Reef authority gives green light to dump dredging sludgeA million tonnes of spoil to be disposed of in marine park – prompting calls for a ban on all offshore dumping

Great Barrier Reef Authority Warns That Climate Action Is Needed UrgentlyThe federal agency that manages the Great Barrier Reef issued an unprecedented statement that broke ranks with Australia's conservative government and called for urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Guardian.

Outlook For The Great Barrier Reef Is Now 'Very Poor,' Australian Government SaysClimate change remains the greatest threat to the Australian natural treasure, and things are not looking good.

Fires in Tasmania

“Ancient Gondwanan plant communities thousands of years old stand to be irrevocably lost to fire — never to recover in our lives, our children’s lives, or our children’s-children’s lives.”

'It's unprecedented': Satellites show extent of Tasmania's fire disasterTasmania is in the grip of a fire crisis which has displaced hundreds and caused massive smoke pollution. Images from space reveal just how much of the landscape has been scarred.