Deep cuts to staff and funding by the NSW government have largely dismantled the state's ability to investigate and prepare for the effects of climate change such as more frequent extreme fire weather, a former senior scientist with the government said.

Peter Smith, who led the state's climate change science group until March, said his team of 10 had been slashed to just three whose work remained climate-focused. A similar cut had been made to a separate team of 10 working on climate adaptation, he said.

When you really see governments are going to take climate change seriously is when you see them spending money on adaptation 

According to a creeping conservative political correctness, it is allegedly improper to discuss the link between climate change and the increased risk of devastating bushfires like the ones still burning across New South Wales.

Columnists start by attacking suggestions such as those made in an article written for the Guardian by the Greens deputy leader, Adam Bandt, that by repealing the carbon tax, Tony Abbott is failing to protect the Australian people from climate change risk. Then they move quickly to the accusation that it amounts to politicising a disaster to discuss the connection between climate change and bushfire at all.

But report after report has pointed to climate change increasing the likelihood of conditions that pose the greatest risk for fire.

In its 2011 report The Critical Decade, the recently abolished Climate Commission discussed the link between climate change and increased bushfire risk in a sober and careful manner.

“Extreme events that are closely related to temperature are also showing changes consistent with what is expected,” it said. “The intensity and seasonality of large bushfires in south-east Australia appears to be changing, with climate change a possible contributing factor.”

Leaks of the second report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to be released next year show that it warns that Australia’s very high and extreme fire danger days will increase by up to 30% by 2020, and up to 100% by 2050.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/21/we-need-to-talk-about-bushfires-and-climate-change-if-not-now-when

See toon at top...

There is this MP called Chris Bowen who, to good old Gus, appears to be an agent manipulator for the Libs (CONservatives) and has been doing far more damage to the Labor Party than Rudd ever did... Chris Bowen is a spokesperson for the extreme right within the Labor Party... He is now trying to undermine the value of the carbon pricing that was careful put in place by the Labor Government. The Carbon Pricing NEEDS TO BE TWEAKED UP not dismantled.

Chris Bowen is a young gun with a "Bachelor Of Economics"... whatever this means, considering economics has little regard for the environment. Sure Bowen is happy to look at other solutions for reducing emissions of CO2... But why? The Carbon Pricing WAS only perceived as bad because there has been a campaign by the media and the opposition at the time that promoted the idea that global warming was a fallacy... In the light of the recent events, including the warmest September on record, we cannot let this continue AND MANY PEOPLE COME TO REALISE THE CARBON PRICING IS THE RIGHT WAY TO GO. There are some good UN bods coming out of the woodworks telling us that the Carbon Pricing is the BEST way to go and the stupid "direct action" from the pyromaniac in chief Abbott is ludicrous — AND FAR MORE EXPENSIVE... But Abbott wants his mates in the carbon industry to enjoy the spoils of burning MORE carbon "efficiently" — now by bypassing parliament and giving GRANTS... After having rorted the parliamentary entitlements the same people want their mates to rort the system for 3 billion bucks...

Please Labor people, wake UP! Chris Bowen is working for the Liberals!!! He has been working to destabilise Julia and now he is working against Bill Shorten by pre-empting the Next Labor position on carbon, blabbing "his" views to all radio and TV networks.

BILL!!! Tell Chris where he can shove it!!!

“What the new government in Australia has not done is step away from its international commitment on climate change,” Figueres told CNN. “What they struggling with is not what they are going to do but how are they going to get there.

“They are going to have to pay a very high political price and a very high financial price because the route they are choosing to take to get to the same target agreed by the last government could be a lot more expensive for them, and for the population.”

The Coalition has set a fixed amount of $2.5bn over the forward estimates to pay for its Direct Action plan, which would involve incentives given to businesses to cut emissions, as well as activities such as storing carbon in soils.

Independent analysis has shown that it may have to spend billions of extra dollars in order to meet the bipartisan target of at least a 5% reduction in emissions by 2020, based on 2000 levels.

Greg Hunt, the environment minister, has indicated parts of the Direct Action plan could be implemented without legislation, due to a potentially hostile Senate that won’t change until July next year.

Figueres said that she supported putting a price on carbon, echoing senior figures at the OECD, IMF and World Bank, who have all stated over the past week that carbon pricing is the most cost-efficient way of reducing emissions.

“We are already paying price of carbon,” she told CNN. “We are paying the price with wildfires, we are paying the price with droughts, we are paying the price with all sorts disturbances to the hydrological cycle.

“What we need to do is put a price on carbon so we don’t pay the price of carbon.”

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/oct/22/un-climate-chief-says-direct-action-a-lot-more-expensive-than-pricing-carbon

MALCOLM? OVER TO YOU....