Schoolkids set to strike for the climate

Two Australian climate scientists have written a Climate Doctor’s Certificate for students to use when they put down their pens, shut their laptops and leave class in droves to strike for the climate this Friday. The letter states the student is unfit for school due to a major climate health concern, notes their elevated stress and feelings of despair on seeing the impacts of climate change, and ends with a recommendation that they take a sick day off for a sick planet. 

As Australia’s silent killer, extreme heat already costs more lives than all other natural disasters combined. The most comprehensive international assessment on the health impacts of climate change published to date says a fivefold surge in heat related fatalities could happen in coming decades due to complacency and inaction on climate change. 

And a ruling handed down in the Federal Court on Wednesday has barred energy giant Santos from commencing work on the southern section of the Barossa pipeline to the west of the Tiwi Islands until a further court trial next year. This comes after Tiwi Island traditional owners submitted evidence that the proposed 263 km pipeline would damage culturally significant burial sites on the seafloor, dreaming tracks, and songlines.

Top stories:

Australian schoolchildren to strike for climate action on Friday backed by ‘climate doctor’s’ note
Thousands of schoolchildren across Australia will be striking for climate action this Friday, with the backing of “climate doctors” who have penned a special absentee note for the occasion.

Australia’s ‘silent killer’ set to claim thousands of lives - with Western Sydney at risk
Experts are warning that due to complacency and inaction, the number of people who die from heat-related deaths - society’s “silent killer” - is projected to surge five fold in coming decades.

Federal Court rules in favour of Tiwi traditional owner Simon Munkara, Santos Barossa pipeline blocked again
A traditional owner from the Tiwi Islands has succeeded in his bid to stop energy giant Santos from starting work on an underwater pipeline within 7 kilometres of his land, which he claims will damage areas of cultural significance.

El Niño reaches 'strong' intensity, scorching 2024 ahead for the planet
The current El Niño phase of the Pacific Ocean is forecast to peak during the coming months as one of the strongest on record, laying the platform for unprecedented global temperatures through 2024.

With no fuel standard, we’re an EV ‘dumping ground’
Australia is seen by the global electric vehicle industry as a “backwater” and is being used as a dumping ground for older, less efficient vehicles due to its historic lack of fuel efficiency standards, according to industry leaders.

Former senior Liberal government advisor Gregory Andrews is 14 days into a hunger strike for climate action
Two years after growing concerns about climate collapse led him to quit his ambassador role promoting oil and gas projects in West Africa, Mr Andrews says he will not cease his strike until the government declares a climate emergency.

Australia at heightened risk of blackouts this summer with 'extreme' demand for power pushing grid to the brink
A scorching hot summer could see demand for electricity spike to a once-in-a-decade high, increasing the risk of blackouts and forced power outages across the country.

Exmouth’s first integrated artificial reef has helped restore marine biodiversity in the area
The first integrated artificial reef in the southern hemisphere has been hailed as a success, helping to transform a once barren seabed and bring new species to the WA coast.