Tag Archives: Forest fires

Australia

Australia’s leading athletes are calling for greater action on climate change | Instant News


13.36 ET

  • ESPN staff

A group of leading Australian athletes is calling for greater action on climate change following the release of a Climate Council report saying Australia’s summer sports could be wiped out within 20 years.

The Climate Council report, “Game, Set, Match: Calling Time on Climate Inaction” says temperatures could reach 50 degrees Celsius in Sydney and Melbourne by 2040, putting the sustainability and safety of summer sporting events in grave danger.

“If global emissions continue to increase, Australian sports will have to make significant changes, such as playing summer games at night or changing schedules to spring and fall,” said Dr Martin Rice, head of research and lead author of the Climate Council.

Paceman Australia and world number 1 bowler Pat Cummins are no stranger to playing in hot conditions at home. But in the summer of 2019/20, Cummins was forced into the middle of the smoke from the wildfires that lingered in Sydney for weeks, and he realized the need for urgent action.

“Like all Australians, I am devastated to see the impact of this [2019/2020] wildfires and some coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef, “said Cummins.

“I am used to competing in the fight between bat and ball. The battle for climate change is, of course, much more important than just the game of cricket … we have seen athletes forced out of their events due to extreme heat and fire, and community cricket clubs forced to end their season early. “

Joining Cummins in the call for greater action is long-time environmental fighter and former Wallabies rower David Pocock.

Pocock in 2014 famously tied herself to the mining machine in protest in the NSW country and she has continued to push the case for action on climate change since retiring from rugby, most recently appearing on the BBC podcast Emergency on Planet Sport.

“Australia is overweight in sport, winning gold and top podiums, but we are lagging behind in climate action,” said Pocock.

“We don’t have a credible climate policy. We could easily be leaders in clean technology, but our federal government is sticking with it and subsidizing fossil fuels, like coal and gas.”

Key findings from the report include: the fact that athletes and spectators have fallen ill after exposure to extreme heat in recent years, including events such as the Australian Open series and the Ashes; climate change is driving longer and more intense seasons of wildfires, exposing athletes and spectators to dangerous air pollution; Australian sports are worth the $[AU]50 billion for the economy and employing more than 220,000 people, but the government is not ready to increase climate risk.

Netball professional Amy Steel, whose career ended after the heatstroke, said all levels of the sport were at risk unless urgent action was taken to fight climate change.

“Physically I am the strongest and strongest I have ever experienced. I never imagined this would be the last game I would play, that it would end my netball career,” he said.

“The incident left me with lifelong health problems, including chronic inflammation and fatigue. If this could happen to me – an elite athlete – then what are the risks to community sports clubs, because climate change is making heat waves longer, hotter and longer. often?”

.



image source

Australia

Australia’s rare pink flannel blossoms – in pictures | Environment | Instant News


These flowers grow in eastern Australia, from the Blue Mountains to northeastern Victoria. Their seeds can lie dormant for years, requiring the right conditions to germinate – a year after a forest fire is followed by rainfall

Brook Mitchell / Getty Images

Main image: A bee lands on a pink flannel (Actinotus forsythii) near the Golden Stairs lookout in Blue Mountains National Park.

Sunday 14 Feb 2021 20.48 EST

.



image source

Australia

Australia Zoo’s Robert Irwin won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award | Instant News


Australia Zoo’s Robert Irwin won the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award with a drone image of the raging Cape York wildfires.

Mr Irwin, whose father Steve is a world-renowned conservationist, said his work is “about telling a story to make a difference to our environment and planet”.

“I feel very special for this image to be awarded, not only as a deep personal honor but also as a reminder of our influence on nature and our responsibility to care for it,” he said.

The director of the London Natural History Museum, Dr Doug Gurr, said the image was “both thrilling and symbolic”.

“Last year the world was amazed to see the devastating forest fires that ravaged much of Australia, and this photo represents only one example of the staggering loss of biodiversity caused by the devastating effects of climate change, habitat loss and pollution,” he said.

“I hope those who see this image are interested in learning more about the problems facing our natural world, but also in taking action in their daily lives – be it changing their diet or travel habits or even joining a local wildlife volunteer group. . “

The “electrifying and symbolic” image stands out in the Natural History Museum’s annual competition.(Robert Irwin)

Selected from a list of 25 images, selected by the Natural History Museum from more than 49,000 images submitted for their annual competition, Irwin, and four other photos, stand out as favorites.

The five images will be featured in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition when the museum reopens.

The man in the green sweater puts his head, head on the sick rhino
Joseph Wachira comforted Sudan, the last male northern white rhino left on the planet, moments before he died at Ol Pejeta Wildlife Conservancy in northern Kenya.(Vitale’s friend)
Rabbit Ball Large Image
Andy Parkinson takes a shot of a rabbit curled up in a Scottish snowfield.(Andy Parkinson)

Popular images include Ami Vitale’s heartwarming depiction of the bond between a ranger and a rhino and Andy Parkinson’s beautifully composed winter portrait (both above); Innovative long-range catch of two squirrels from Neil Anderson and an encounter between an anxious-looking labrador in a car and an elk, taken by Guillermo Esteves (below).

The squirrel curled up in the box
As the weather got colder, two Eurasian red squirrels (only one in plain view) found comfort and warmth in a box the photographer had installed in one of the pine trees near his home in the Scottish Highlands.(Neil Anderson)
The big deer saw the dog in the car.
The look on the anxious face on this dog’s face says a lot and is a reminder that elk, an unpredictable wild animal. Taken at the Antelope Flats in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA.(Guillermo Esteves)

The following are the photos that received the Highly Commended award from the judges last year:

Two possums peeked over the roof
Several pictures of Australia are on the Highly Praised list, such as a rogue possum captured by Gary Meredith in Yallingup, WA.(Gary Meredith / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
Crocodiles covered in babies
Dhritiman Mukherjee captured this image of a male gharial covered in his offspring in northern India.(Dhritiman Mukherjee / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
Hippo covered in mud
The entry of Jose Fragozo from a hippopotamus emerging from the mud was taken in the Mara River, Kenya, in the Maasai Mara National Reserve.(Jose Fragozo / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
Monkey sitting on tree
Arshdeep Singh, 13, includes the image of the threatened langur in the 11-14 year age group.(Arshdeep Singh / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)

The exhibition of images assessed in the 2020 competition opened in October last year at the Natural History Museum.

.



image source

Australia

Chief believes the tournament will continue despite new threats, more vaccines are ordered – as it happens. | Australian News | Instant News













What we learned today, Thursday 4 February

And we’ll leave it there for tonight. Here’s a quick summary of everything that happened today:

Finally, due to changes in border rules with Western Australia and now Victoria, if you intend to travel interstate this week please have a quick look at the list WA Hotspot, Hotspot Victoria and state boundaries.

Updated












Earlier today, Coalition deleted references to rising right-wing extremism in a Senate Labor motion have moved to condemn the movement.

The opposition accuses the government of trying to “downplay and ignore” the threat of right-wing extremism that runs counter to national security advice.

It comes after the minister of immigration, Alex Hawke, was on Sky News this morning, denying right-wing extremism was on the rise in Australia.


It’s an extreme element, a fringe element, in Australia that needs to be addressed, they’re being tackled. What we have here is an increase in social cohesion, not an increase in extremism.

Labor has moved Senate motions seeking to condemn right-wing extremism, including claims about voter fraud in US elections, and the cause of the Capitol rebellion promoted by Liberal MP Craig Kelly and members of the National Parliament. George Christensen.

The motion was passed on Thursday but only after references to Kelly and Christensen were removed, and criticism of left-wing extremism, communism, anarchism and violence, in general, was added.

You can read more about the story from Paul Karp here:

Updated












That Victoria Department of Health (a new department that was much easier to write), sending text to residents living on the outskirts of the exposure site.

The department appears to be trying to address a potential outbreak by providing information directly to residents.

VicGovDH
(@Sexy_gt)

If you are in a suburb where there are coronavirus (COVID-19) exposure sites, you may receive a text message from us urging you to check the location and exposure time of the site.
If you have symptoms, get tested and stay home. https://t.co/rwdp4FeCwe # COVID19Vic pic.twitter.com/nhs4KPeQI4


February 4, 2021

Updated












Kristina Keneally fired again, this time on Twitter.

Labor senators quickly caught the blame on the floor of the Senate, and used it to say the prime minister “has no clear plans for a vaccine”. But in the process he made his own mistakes. This is Colbeck, not Colebeck.

Kristina Keneally
(@Hospital)

Oops. Richard Colebeck is standing now in the Senate correcting the notes … because he entered the other figures.

He said come in #qt that the Government has contracts for 40 million doses of Pfizer vaccine (only 20 million)@Tokopedia does not have a clear plan for the vaccine.


February 4, 2021

Updated












The Collingwood player apologized in an open letter

Collingwood player have written an open letter, apologize to play a role in enabling a culture of racism to prevail at the club.

150 members the club’s football and netball teams signed the letter, saying they felt their silence allowed for “injustice”.


As athletes, we apologize to anyone who, through their association with our club, has been marginalized, hurt, or discriminated against because of their race.

Through our silence we feel responsible for this injustice.

We recognize that it is not enough to show support for the principles of anti-racism and inclusion. We will take on the history of our club to learn, heal and determine the best way to move forward together.

The letter came in connection with the Do Better report, which found a culture of structural racism had developed at the club.

You can read more about the story here:

Updated












The NT lists 10 Melbourne suburbs as Covid hotspots

Valid from 15.30 CST, 10 suburbs in Melbourne will be considered hot spot in Northern Territory.

That means anyone arriving in NT from these suburbs must go into mandatory quarantine for a fee of $ 2,500.

A suburb of Melbourne, West Melbourne, Brighton, Brandon Park, South Clayton, Heatherton, Keysborough, Moorabbin, Noble Park, and Springvale.

Anyone who has arrived in the NT from the Victoria hotspot since January 29 will be directed to undergo testing and self-isolation until a negative result is confirmed.

Updated












Good afternoon everyone, and we start by thanking the always brilliant ones Amy for once again skillfully guiding us through a really busy day.

There’s still a lot to go through and process for the rest of the day, so let’s stop.












On that note, I will leave you in very capable hands Mostafa Rachwani to carry you through the night.

The daily blog returns tomorrow, so make sure you check in for all of the day’s events. I’ll be back with Politics Live when parliament resumes in a week.

We’ll deliver all the national cabinet news tomorrow, so make sure you check that out too.

Thanks to everyone who joined me this week – you made the return more than bearable. thank you very much for Mike Bowers, Katharine Murphy, Daniel Hurst and Paul Karp for dragging me for a week. And of course, for you, because it makes it all worth it.

Make sure you make time for yourself this weekend. Things don’t magically get easier with the change of date. Take care of yourself.

Updated












China Hawk was elected chairman of the security and intelligence committee

Daniel Hurst

James Paterson, a China hawk and Liberal Victorian senator, has been appointed chairman of parliament’s powerful joint committee for intelligence and security.

Paterson said he was honored by the appointment and indicated he would continue to strive to work on a bipartisan basis to keep Australians “safe and free”.




Liberal Senator James Paterson.

Liberal Senator James Paterson. Photo: Mike Bowers / The Guardian

“Given the powers that have been given to them, strong parliamentary oversight of security services is essential in a democracy,” Paterson said.

“In addition to important laws that the committee will consider this year, investigations into extremist movements and radicalism, and national security in higher education will be very important. We must ensure that violent extremism does not occur in Australia, and that our university has strong policies in place to protect researchers and students from foreign coercion and influence. “

Paterson takes over from fellow Chinese eagles Andrew Hastie, who was appointed assistant secretary of defense in Scott Morrison’s front desk reshuffle in December.

(Paterson is close to Hastie. They were both blocked from visiting China on a study tour at the end of 2019.)

Updated












Senate-watching blog friends, (so I don’t have to – there’s such a thing as too many punishments) have just pointed out that Richard Colbeck still seems to be having trouble with numbers (Colbeck can’t say how many people) died in nursing homes during the pandemic).

However, when asked about the vaccine number in the Senate today, Colbeck initially said that the government had received an additional “10,000 doses” before correcting itself to “10 million” and then adding:


On this stage we have 40 million doses, based on this morning’s announcement, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. We have 53.8 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine, 51 million doses of Novavax and access to 25.6 million doses of the COVAX Facility. “

We have secured, according to the health minister at a press conference today, 20 million Pfizer vaccines.

Greg Hunt:


… 150 million vaccines – 20 million Pfizer, 53.8 million Oxford-AstraZeneca, of which we’ve seen some very positive results … 51 million Novavax [vaccines].

Updated












I’m just going to include another photo of the pygmy possum because that day, in such a week, in such a year.

(Graham told me this is a grown woman)




The little dwarf cuscus was held as conservation efforts continued after last summer's wildfires on Kangaroo Island.

The little dwarf cuscus was held as conservation efforts continued after last summer’s wildfires on Kangaroo Island. Photo: Ashlee Benc / Reuters

Updated












Graham Readfearn

Graham Readfearn

Firefighters on South Australia’s Kangaroo Island are still battling the blazes in the western part of the island that threaten a vital wildlife reserve that survived last year’s fires.

The South Australian State Fire Service has just told me they believe they have secured the blaze within lines of detention in the West River Basin. The fires started on Tuesday.

Conservationists are eager to prevent blazes on the 4,200-hectare area that survived the 2020 fires that burned across the western part of the island. A small part had been burned.

A fire service spokesman said: “We had rainfall over the fire site this morning and there have been several re-burning campaigns underway. Currently we believe it is safe. “

As we was reported late yesterdayThe unburned, patch of area south of the fire is home to several threatened species, including the Kangaroo Island dunnart, glossy black cockatoo, south brown ribbon and green carpenter bee.

The island was devastated by fires in late 2019 and early 2020. The patch, known as the Northwest Conservation Alliance, is an important sanctuary for wildlife.

The fire has burned 294 hectares. A fire service spokesman said there was potential for windy weather and potential for storms today.

Conservationists at Land Kangaroo Island for Wildlife also found Western and Small pygmy possums in the area.




Small dwarf cuscus (right) and western dwarf cuscus (left), found on Kangaroo Island.

Small dwarf cuscus (right) and western dwarf cuscus (left), found on Kangaroo Island. Photo: Kangaroo Island Wildlife Reserve.

Updated

.



image source

Australia

Dozens of houses were destroyed by wildfires in Western Australia | Instant News


SYDNEY – Firefighters in Western Australia battled strong winds and high temperatures Tuesday as they battled bushfires that scorched thousands of acres of land and destroyed more than 56 homes.

Television footage of the aerial tanker flying over the flames is spread over more than 17,300 acres, about 25 miles from the state capital Perth.

No deaths have been reported so far.

“Currently, Western Australia is fighting two types of emergencies – a dangerous fire emergency and a COVID-19 lockdown emergency,” said the prime minister, Mark McGowan.

Perth has been under lockdown for five days after a coronavirus infection was detected on Sunday. But Tuesday was the second day in a row in the state without new infections, dispelling fears of a new outbreak.

The state issued emergency fire warnings for several suburbs and semi-rural areas near Perth, urging residents to take immediate action to ensure survival.

A firefighter from the Fire and Emergency Services Department fights in a bushfire in Brigadoon, Perth, Australia, February 2, 2021.
A firefighter from the Fire and Emergency Services Department fights in a bushfire in Brigadoon, Perth, Australia, February 2, 2021.
Reuters

“There is a threat to life and home,” the fire department said on its website as authorities advised people they could leave their homes for the nearest evacuation center even though the virus had been locked down.

More than 200 firefighters were extinguishing the flames, while officials warned climatic conditions were unlikely to bring immediate relief.

Australia is still recovering from last season’s hellish record, which is largely blamed for global warming. It has experienced nine of the 10 warmest years on record since 2005, prompting authorities to warn that fire risks will continue to increase.

.



image source