Australia's fires, our floods and the climate crisis

Urmstongran, yes two teenage boys were accused of starting fires in NSW.
We will never know how many others could have been started deliberately.

*EllenVannin" I'm an asthma sufferer who used to live in Suffolk and my asthma worsened during the 20 years I lived there. You would think that living in a rural area would be good, but no. In a nearby village there was a pollution measuring station and I read a report that placed it in the top 10 of polluted areas. One reason was the industrial pollution coming over from the Ruhr valley. Another was oil seed rape, the pollen of which, combined with heavy rain was disastrous for asthmatics.

My DH read an article about a wine tasting held on a boat on the Australian coast. Apparently the tasters were talking about the smoky flavour (obviously not caused by this year's fires) and they were bringing out their Ventolin inhalers and didn't know what was causing the problem because they couldn't see the smoke.

A couple of year ago, in London, I was so incapacitated by the atmosphere that I had to go everywhere by taxi. It wasn't the diesel fumes wot did it, it was caused by all the building works - on the underground but also renovating blocks of flats and adding extra storeys.

Where i live in France the air quality is very good - witnessed by the growth of lichen which only likes clean air. But, if I go into a supermarket, often the air quality is poor. Most people won't notice but us poor asthmatics do.

Weren’t some of the bush fires in Oz started on purpose? I’m sure I read that. Then with the bush as dry as tinder some of the small fires joined up and the wind fanning the flames did the rest.

As regards our canals when was the last time you saw a dredger on one? Ditto for grids & drains everywhere - huge kerbside ‘lakes’.

Many people are not on town water, EllanVannin and rely on stored rainwater or water channelled from the reservoirs which then has to be filtered and are also sinking bores.

I did hear that one of the problems is that Sydney and surrounds have just not invested in reservoirs to conserve any water that does fall - average rainfall is higher than London and the UK as a whole. They must start thinking ahead but I don't hold out a lot of hope with their present PM.

I'm surprised that the Aborigines haven't found water, or even a source of it as those who live in the outback must surely have tried---then it could be drilled.

When my D was here in June she was worried about the drought and the thought of fires then, as she's outside of Sydney. I'm sure she's not enjoying the heat they've got, even though she's used to it. Her H suffers with asthma so he has to stay in because of the smoke. No Christmas BBQ's for them.

I remember our wet and windy weather in the 80's and thought then that there was something going on because of the floods then and the drains being unable to cope with the volumes of water.
I also remember before the 8o's when the council used to come round in a lorry clearing and flushing the outside drains----then they seemed to have stopped doing it?

Have you heard the latest news? Seems the world isn’t flat. How stupid is that.

We had to have cold showers at school, Alexa

At my age I wouldn't relish the thought of that!

Alexa sadly that is true.

How can you produce enough energy to make thousands of wind turbines?

Presumably fossil fuels are required to produce wind turbines, solar panels?
How else?
The raw materials to produce them will need to be mined too.

It's a conundrum.

Of course we can supply energy through renewables JE ...why doubt it? The technology exists and it’s simply a matter of refining and restructuring. All my electricity is from renewables and 10% of my gas.

Widespread use of electric cars in just on the horizon.

Fracking is not the answer as that, again is use of fossil fuels.

Grammaretto, I too have wondered about this. I do really believe what the scientists tell us but I still heat the water for my shower. I have come to the conclusion human beings including myself are more selfish than self-sacrificing.

There is no easy answer Jennifer. We need a mixture of all ways of producing energy for the time being. But in my view not Fracking.

Or are those mad who think our energy can be supplied by solar panels and wind farms?

The people who support those ideas are also against nuclear power and fracking of course.

Widespread use of electric cars is a long way off, and there is the question of minerals used in the manufacture of the millions of batteries required.

Australia is all set to exploit a new coal seam the size of the UK. They are mad.

I despair of the mountains of non recyclable tat in the shops, and knowing how much is going to thrown away. All stuff no one really needs but has cost so much in terms of the environment to produce.
I despair of deforestation, the impact on wildlife, the melting of the ice caps, the pollution of seas and rivers by industry.
I can see how the millions of plane journeys and car ownership and usage contributes to the whole problem. People are commuting for long, long distances each day, families living 100's or 1,000's of miles away from each other as if it's no problem.
I see acres of unrecyclable rubbish every fortnight around here and wonder what on earth some people do to generate so much.
Too many people buy, and have rooms full of clothes, shoes, handbags which hardly get worn/used.
Clothes are washed after a few hours use.
I'm sick of plastic wrapping/packaging on so many items when there are alternatives a lot of the time.
The manufacturers are too slow to amend this and many other issues.
Growing up after the war ended has made me notice all this all the more. We would walk to school, short bus ride to work, holiday in the UK, eat vegetables from the allotment, fruit from the garden, local food, only had food and clothes which we could afford...no plastic toys.

I know it's a different world now but I think we all have and expect too much without enough thought. I wish there was a real push now to alter the way we all live, more innovations, more policies, more biodegradable materials. A lot of people are trying but there needs to be much more effort and much, much more awareness.

GagaJo. At least you are thinking about it and doing what you can. Most people are still not.

Surely you don't need to fly as often as you used to? Cutting down before cutting out is the way to go. Crash diets don't work!

Yes Meryl, if that isn't an argument for working together to try to save the planet, and stop fighting each other and wasting money on wars, I'll eat my hat.

I've just read the link crafty. Ah, it's rather nice and nostalgic but in a way the checkout girl is right because we only did the correct thing because that was the only way we knew!
As soon as all the labour saving gadgets were available, we jumped at them.

I shop at a " Green* shop and yesterday I was teasing a customer who was getting into his car to drive to the next town. I told him the bus number but he looked worried and told me he was pressed for time and it took him several hours to complete an errand with his DS if he went by bus.

I don't want to be Holier than thou but it is as well to be reminded of what we do and why.

I use quite a lot of plastic, one way or another, but I do reuse it. I also carry an enviable willow basket.

My 4yr old DGD gave me quite a wee lecture on how plastic is destroying the ocean life.

I've just read that over 300 million people now use desalinated water: but!! most of the energy needed comes from fossil fuels!!!!
As if it couldn't get worse ? the worst offenders are the Middle East countries ? They might not have much fresh water but what have they got a lot of, SUN SUN SUN.
?

If the sea levels rise as predicted low lying inland areas will also flood. Not just on occasions but be permanent lakes. Where will all the inhabitants go then!

One of our AC has just moved, they have a sizeable "shared garden" with a portion fenced off where the residents are able to grow vegetables, brilliant idea.

overpopulation and almost every new adult learns to drive. I wish we could get back to communities with communal allotment sites.

Remember the waxed bread wrappers? re-cycled to wrap cold toast for lunch. This is worth reading

www.sistersofmercyunion.org.uk/_uploads/_cknw/files/The%20Green%20Thing%20(002).pdf

I agree. We all need to look to our own habits. I feel very bad because although I HATE flying, I'm going to have to start doing it again, because of work.

My disinclination to shop these days is age related I think BUT fortunately, is a good thing for the environment. As is my gradual move away from eating as much meat. I'm light on laundry washing too, but the car (in the UK at least) I can't do without. I do cringe at the amount of stuff in my recycling bin. I try to remember it's because I now live as a family of 3 after years on my own, but still, that full bin is mortifying.

People want river views or to live adjacent to River walks but have no real respect for the river

Old style flood defences were based on reclaiming one area and allowing the river to bulge elsewhere. But when you try to fill in the gaps and build defences all the way along with no flood plains: the older defences fail where they didnt fail before

Im not denying climate change, but those types of newer floods are created closer to home!