Good morning and welcome back to The Canopy for 2024! After a break over the holiday and new year period, we are returning with your daily digest of climate and environmental news updates every weekday.
A new analysis confirms that 2023 was the hottest year ever according to records that date back to 1850. A claim previously reported by the European Union and United Nations scientists.
A new report suggests Australia should start naming its heatwaves to help communities cope with the rising risks from extreme temperatures. Naming heatwaves could be part of enabling a “heat culture” where communities prepare for extreme temperature events in the same way they plan for the arrival of named cyclones, the report said.
Billionaire mining magnate Andrew Forrest has publicly criticised Woodside Energy for their use of seismic testing in WA. He accuses Woodside of ignoring the recent COP28 resolution to ditch fossil fuels and says the oil and gas producer is engaged in a “furious race to destroy the planet” for profit.
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2023 was the hottest year ever recorded globally, US scientists confirm
A new analysis confirms that 2023 was the hottest year ever according to records that date back to 1850. A claim previously reported by the European Union and United Nations scientists.
Australia urged to name heatwaves, to help brace for impact
Australia should start naming its heatwaves as part of measures to help communities cope with the rising risks from extreme temperatures, according to a new report. Naming heatwaves could be part of enabling a “heat culture” where communities prepare for extreme temperature events in the same way they plan for the arrival of named cyclones, the report said.
Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest lashes out at Woodside
Billionaire mining magnate Andrew Forrest has publicly criticised Woodside Energy for seismic testing. He accuses Woodside of ignoring the recent COP28 resolution to ditch fossil fuels and says the oil and gas producer is engaged in a “furious race to destroy the planet” for profit. “This death race to the finish of oil and gas is a death race for humanity if we let them get away with it,” Dr Forrest said.
Meet the “green nomads” Perth family doing the loop around Australia by EV
A Perth couple has set some big, green travel plans for 2024: to become one of the first families to use an electric vehicle to tow a pop-up caravan around Australia. They're hoping to circumnavigate the Australian continent without burning a drop of fossil fuel.
The Melbourne construction worker taking recycling into his own hands
Every month, Mark van Haandel collects hundreds of bags of soft plastics from his local Melbourne community to be recycled alongside the waste from his construction company. “It was surprising how quickly it took off,” he said, adding locals were looking for a solution since the supermarket-based REDcycle scheme collapsed more than a year ago.
New children's book teaches the importance of the Murray-Darling Basin
A book detailing the history, wildlife and struggles of the Murray-Darling Basin is set to be sent to about 4,000 primary schools ahead of the new school year. Principal author Adrian Wells said it was an important topic as the young generation were not future custodians but, in fact, the current custodians of the rivers.
Scrutiny for Sunak over failing to appoint chair of Climate Change Committee
In the UK, Rishi Sunak has been accused of trying to avoid scrutiny of his green policies after details surfaced about his government’s failure, over more than 18 months, to appoint a new chair of the independent climate change committee.