World breaches 1.5C for a year for first time

For the first time, global warming has exceeded 1.5C across an entire year, according to the EU's climate service. Global temperatures through January were the warmest on record at 1.66C above pre-industrial levels. The temporary breach has sounded the alarm for more government and industry action to urgently bring down emissions to zero.

Meantime, BoM has released new data revealing Australia’s climate has warmed by 1.5C since 1910. The data found 2023 was Australia’s joint eighth-hottest year on record. 

And a new report has revealed regional Australia will benefit from more than 200,000 new jobs over the next decade for the clean energy transition. 

Top stories:

Earth's warmest January on record extends run of unprecedented temperatures to eight months
Global temperatures have exceeded 1.5 degrees across an entire year, and through January were the warmest on record at 1.66 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, according to data released by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Australia’s climate has warmed by 1.5C since 1910, and found 2023 was the joint eighth-hottest year on record.

Regional Australia could see jobs boost from energy transition
A new report says regional Australia will benefit most from the more than 200,000 new jobs and other investment expected to flow over the next decade for the energy transition, in a rebuff to claims that rural and coastal communities are bearing the downside of transmission lines and other ugly infrastructure.

Australian red meat industry says it doesn’t need to meet its self-imposed net zero target
Meat and Livestock Australia says its target of achieving net zero emissions in the red meat industry by 2030 is “not necessarily something that needs to be met,” despite imposing the target itself in 2017 and promoting it to both regulators and consumers.

Nineteen Tasmanians banned indefinitely from entire public native forestry estate after logging protests
19 Tasmanians have received indefinite bans from entering any of the state's public native forestry estate — an area covering 812,000 hectares.

‘Cool shelters’ considered as Perth boils through record-breaking heat
Perth councils are being urged to provide “cool shelters” to offer refuge to those who don’t have access to a space for relief on days when the mercury hits 40 degrees.

Albanese pledged to rule out PEP11. Coastal communities are still waiting
There are calls on the Albanese government to deliver an election promise to stop a controversial proposal to drill for gas off the NSW coastline, which the state government needs federal co-operation to end.

Extreme weather drives up farm insurance bills
Erratic weather is being blamed for big jumps in premiums for farmers, after some farm insurances bills more than doubled to $100,000 a year over the last four years.