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Members of the Gannett Glacier Fire Crew takes notes during a fire training scenario near Palmer on Thursday, April 29, 2018. (Casey Grove/Alaska Public Media)

Alaskas wildland firefighters have been completing annual training and now with help from a state grant strategically cutting and removing trees, many of them standing, dry and dead, killed by spruce beetles.

That hazardous fuels reduction comes as long-term forecasts signal a normal fire season ahead, with about a million acres expected to burn total somewhere between the sizes of Rhode Island and Delaware.

Norm McDonald, the state Division of Forestrys Chief of Fire and Aviation, said the prep work cutting fire breaks is helpful and likely to save money in the long run.

But McDonald said all it would take to go from an average fire season to a huge one is some hot, dry weather and a lightning strike, or the careless burning of some brush or a campfire.

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The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

Norm McDonald: If you look historically at our most devastating fires, they are in the urban interface, and they have been human caused. So these are all fires and, in theory, should be preventable. So I think just the awareness that anytime you do an activity that includes either burning or open flame in the wildland setting, just use extreme caution, especially this time of year, May, as we have that dry grass and these windy conditions. It does not take much of a start for a fire to get out of control, past where a homeowner can suppress it on their own. And those are our most expensive fires. Those take the most resources, the most firefighters and aircraft. So we really ask people to use extreme caution, whether thats their typical Alaskan, you know, outdoor activities like camping and hunting, or when youre doing your land clearing, look at other options. Instead of burning in May and June when its dry and windy, save that burning for fall when we get our wetter conditions or that first snow in October. That is something that we really try to encourage people to do.

Casey Grove: Gotcha, yeah. Nobody wants something getting away from them like that and causing damage to their neighborhood or anybody else.

NM: No, and people are always surprised at how quickly they have a burn barrel or a small fire or a barbecue in the grass how quickly a fire starts to something that they cant control with what they have on site. And then the fire department shows up and the helicopter show up, and its just every person that we go through with that always says the same thing, I had no idea how quickly that fire could spread. And so just something to be aware of, for anybody doing that type of activity this summer.

CG: Theres a lot there that you cant really control, like the weather or where lightning strikes, and things like that. And you can get the word out about how residents should be behaving to be fire safe. But I guess there are a few things that you can do ahead of time to prepare. And one of those things is what you call hazardous fuels reduction, right? And I guess thats a big push this year, it sounds like.

NM: Yeah, and its nothing new to the division. Weve been doing fuel brakes and the hazardous fuels reduction, you know, going back to the mid 90s. And that really started with the first beetle epidemic we had going back to 95, 96, that timeframe. And so its something weve used and have had success with. Whats changed this year is we have, for the first time, last year we received state dollars. Weve relied entirely on federal grants up until last year, for fuels reduction. And with this administration, public safety is a big part of their push. And we received a $10 million capital improvement project, just earmarked for fuels reduction. And so that gives us state funds to leverage more federal funds, which this year come to us through the infrastructure bill. So we are really in a good place when it comes to actually funding for this work. And now building capacity to meet the requirements of that work is really where were at now. Yeah, its a really exciting time as far as opportunities to provide a better service and public safety and develop these fuel breaks around some of our critical infrastructure and communities.

CG: Well, what are fire crews doing right now, other than reducing fuels and cutting fire breaks? What are they doing to get ready for the coming fire season?

NM: So our Division of Forestry crews, they come back starting about mid-April, and they do what we call our 80 hours or two weeks of training. And thats their physical fitness, thats their fire readiness. Theyre getting their gear up and ready. Theyre ready to go May 1, so our crews are staffed. Theyre ready to respond. We have them pre-positioned around the state, including Kenai and the Mat-Su Valley. The Fairbanks crew is down in Kenai, because snow still on the ground means fire season is a couple weeks behind. So we have them pre-positioned to where theyre available to do the most good and in a short order. But while theyre not assigned to fires, theyre doing this fuels reduction work. So this is really good preseason work and that kind of crossover training for a lot of the similar work they do when theres a wildland fire. And thats running chainsaws and, you know, clearing those fire breaks is very similar to what it looks like on the fire line, as it is when theyre building a fuel break ahead of the fire. So theyre engaged with that work and theyre ready and theyre pre-positioned and ready to go, should they be needed anyplace in the state.

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Alaska wildland fire crews ready for action, with state funding to reduce hazardous fuels - Alaska Public Media News

Satellites have detected forest clearing within Triunfo do Xingu this year, an area thats supposed to be a legally protected swath of Amazon rainforest in Brazils northern state of Par.

Home to jaguars, howler monkeys, rare margays, and a wellspring of other diversity, the protected area was created in 2006 as a sustainable use reserve, meaning that within its bounds (an area more than half the size of Belgium) landowners are legally required to keep 80% of their forests intact.

However, despite this requirement, 35%of the primary (or old-growth) forest within the Triunfo do Xingu Environmental Protection Area (APA) was lost between 2006 and 2021 more than 533,000hectares (1.32 million acres), according to satellite data from the University of Maryland (UMD), visualized on the Global Forest Watch platform.

That makes the Triunfo do Xingu APA one of the most deforested slices of the Brazilian Amazon in recent years, putting it in the top three of Brazilslist of most deforested protected reserves.

The highest amount of forest loss since the creation of the protected area occurred in 2020, at almost 70,000 hectares (173,000 acres) an area nearly the size of New York City. Although deforestation decreased in 2021, loss that year was still nearly twice the average rate between 2002 and 2021.

Deforestation in the region is largely driven by cattle ranching, according to previous reporting in 2020. In the Amazon, farmers and ranchers use slash-and-burn techniques to clear forest for pasture. In So Flix do Xingu municipality, where the protected area lies, there are nearly 20 times more cattle than people.

The Triunfo do Xingu APA was created to allow some kind of human activity in a sustainable way, Larissa Amorim, a researcher at Imazon, an NGO monitoring the forest clearing, told Mongabay in 2021. But we see that it is not sustainable at all. And the illegal activities that are taking place there end up spilling beyond it.

The Triunfo do Xingu APA was intended to protect wildlife and serves as a buffer for vulnerable surrounding areas, such as the Apyterewa Indigenous Territory and the massive Terra do Meio Ecological Station, but deforestation has spilled over.

[The Terra do Meio Ecological Station] should be completely preserved, Rmulo Batista, a campaigner with Greenpeace Brazil, told Mongabay in 2021. There should be zero deforestation there. But instead, we are seeing rampant forest destruction, which is really worrying.

Forest loss has also encroached into the Apyterewa Indigenous Territory to the northeast, local sources told Mongabay. And to the southeast, forest is being cleared in the Kayapo Indigenous Territory, something we had never seen before, Francisco Fonseca of The Nature Conservancy told Mongabay in 2020.

With this weakening of [Triunfo do Xingu], it has become easier to reach conservation parks, Indigenous territories beyond. It ultimately didnt end up becoming the buffer it was supposed to become.

Though cattle ranching remains the main culprit behind forest loss, the region has also emerged as a center of land grabbing and illegal mining by invaders who are betting on the continued loosening of environmental regulations and enforcement.

We have seen a wave of land grabbing, Fonseca said. The pattern has changed many of these openings are now for speculation only, not for planting or pastures.

Experts say that land grabbers, those who move into an area and clear forest to stake their claim, have been emboldened by the rhetoric and policies of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. In recent years, the government has issued amnesties to land speculators who have invaded conservation units and often then use fire to clear forests on public lands for private agricultural lands.

Protecting Triunfo do Xingu from illegal deforestation and fires has proven extra challenging because it is remote and accessible primarily by boat from the town of So Flix do Xingu. On-the-ground monitoring, control, and the capacity to prosecute those who deforest and set illegal fires has been limited across Brazil, as government agencies and law enforcement that once operated inthe Amazonhave been largely defunded under the current administration. Bolsonaro has also blamed fires on Indigenous and traditional peoples.

In 2021, 3.75 million hectares (9.27 million acres) of tropical primary rainforest were lost across the planet, a rate of about 10 football fields per minute. More than 40% of that primary forest loss last year occurred in Brazil, according to Global Forest Watch.

The main driver is the total lack of environmental policy from this government, said Batista, the Greenpeace Brazil campaigner.People who are disposed to invading are feeling emboldened.

These are regions that have the greatest ecological importance and that must be protected to ensure the integrity of the rainforest as a whole, Batista added. And this is what we are ultimately losing with this surge in deforestation.

Liz Kimbroughis a staff writer for Mongabay. Find her on Twitter@lizkimbrough_

Editors note:This story was powered byPlaces to Watch, a Global Forest Watch (GFW) initiative designed to quickly identify concerning forest loss around the world and catalyze further investigation of these areas. Places to Watch draws on a combination of near-real-time satellite data, automated algorithms and field intelligence to identify new areas on a monthly basis. In partnership with Mongabay, GFW is supporting data-driven journalism by providing data and maps generated by Places to Watch. Mongabay maintains complete editorial independence over the stories reported using this data.

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Pasture replaces large tract of intact primary forest in Brazilian protected area - Mongabay.com

Seattle - What a beautiful close to Saturday. Skies clearing for a gorgeous sunset after highs hit 66! That is exactly where we are supposed to land for this time of year.

The next system moves in late Saturday into early Sunday. Lows will remain warmer overnight in the upper 40s to just over 50 for most areas except for the NW WA Coast where lows land in the mid 40s.

Sunday starts our showery with heavy downpours by late morning up and down the I-5 corridor. Winds will be breezy at times too.

If you plan to head to the Sounders match at Lumen Field dress for showers with some clearing through the match. Look for 1pm kick off temps in the mid 50s as the Rave Green host the Minnesota Loons. #GoSoundersFC

Highs will drop cooler than Saturday, peaking in the low to mid 60s Sunday, with the warmest temps in the foothills of the Cascades. Mountain snow levels rise to near 7,500' too. The Summit at Snoqualmie warms to near 60 under cloudy, rainy skies.

By the time we close out Sunday Seattle could end up with nearly an inch of rain in the bucket between the last three days.

The Pacific will remain active offshore, but at this point we aren't forecasting any systems to move inland Monday and Tuesday. Highs hang in the low 60s, cooler than normal.

The next front moves hits Wednesday, spreading rain and breezy winds across the region yet again. Highs will cool about 10 degrees below average with this system.

The rest of the week looks mostly dry with showers returning late Saturday.

Have a great night! ~ Erin Mayovsky, FOX 13 Forecaster

*Beach Forecast

*Mountain Forecast

*Central WA Forecast

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Sunday sees rain with the return of drier conditions to start the work week. - FOX 13 Seattle

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The government says Victoria needs a ready supply of raw materials as the state grows and embarks on its unprecedented big build of new infrastructure. Victorias population is forecast to reach 10 million before 2050.

After the application was lodged with the council in 2020, Planning Minister Richard Wynne removed the decision from the councils hands and referred it to an independent planning panel. There were about 80 objections on the grounds the plan was inconsistent with the councils biodiversity strategy and its impact on threatened species.

This approval sends a strong signal that the government is putting mining ahead of the environment, and ahead of the people who live near the sand mine, said Catherine Watson, a spokesperson for the Save Western Port Woodlands group, which has 350 members.

The group had presented a petition to parliament with 4000 signatures. Ultimately, it wants the woodlands to be turned into a national park, to be co-managed by the Bunurong Land Council and Parks Victoria.

The planning panel found the native vegetation corridor was likely to be irreversibly damaged by clearing, saying it was critical that ongoing habitat connectivity was provided between the nearby Gurdies Nature Conservation Reserve and Grantville Bushland Reserve.

The issue of policy balance has been challenging for the panel, and there is a direct tension particularly between policies relating to extractive industries and native vegetation, the panels report said.

The Westernport Woodlands are home to a number of species like this lace monitor, which is listed as endangered in Victoria.

But the panel also noted the sand resource had been identified as a priority project on the states extractive industry list. Globally, demand for sand is growing because of urbanisation and extraction locations are shifting to fragile environments, such as rivers, coastlines and oceans, which is severely impacting these ecosystems.

Jordan Crook, a nature campaigner with the Victorian National Parks Association, said the decision to sever the Western Port Woodlands with sand mining showed the government did not value Victorias natural resources.

Its death by a thousand cuts for the Western Port Woodlands and the amazing array of plant, animal and fungi species that call it home, he said.

The panel found the company should integrate a biodiversity and vegetation management plan into the site, saying these aspects be resolved before vegetation removal begins.

Proportionately, Victoria is the state with the most cleared native vegetation, according to a report this week from the states auditor -general. Two thirds of Victoria is private land, and 80 per cent of this has been cleared. Illegal land clearing continues to take place across the state, and this undermines the investments in protecting the quality and cover of Victorian native vegetation, the report found.

In a statement, Dandy Premix Quarries said the new permit contained a raft of conditions that comprehensively address all environmental risks associated with the quarry. The business has been in operation since 2013 and is expected to employ 20 people under expanded operations.

In total, Dandy Premix has committed to protecting more than 117 hectares of private, uncleared land that abuts two existing public nature conservation reserves, it said.

An aerial image of the Dandy Premix sand mine, from its application to government. The red lines show where the mine would be extended.

The final approval was shaped by the community feedback, with protections in place to ensure we can maintain access to the these vital resources without compromising the environment, a government spokesperson said.

Cut through the noise of the federal election campaign with news, views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley. Sign up to our Australia Votes 2022 newsletter here.

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Minister backs Western Port woodland clearance to expand sand mine - Sydney Morning Herald

Yellow-throated vireoBlue-eyed vireoRed-eyed vireoWhite-eyed vireo

By Wayne Bierbaum

My favorite time of the year is spring; plants are blooming, fish are starting to spawn, and small birds like warblers are returning from their wintering grounds. This is when the warblers are bedecked in courtship colors and sing their courtship songs. Accompanying the warblers are other small birds like kinglets, gnatcatchers, and vireos.

Quite often a warbler or two will be found in the middle of a flock of kinglets or right next to a vireo. It would seem that the other birds add a layer of protection as the warbler travels, as alarm bells. Warblers are not loud or aggressive around threats but these other birds will call out the danger loudly and send a mobbing call for all birds in the area to come by and yell at the threat. Warblers generally give a sharp and short chipping sound as an alarm.

I was walking through the woods near the Patuxent River and heard a white-eyed vireo loudly squawking at something in a bush. The vireo was joined by blue-gray gnatcatchers and a couple of chickadees. A magnolia warbler was hopping around the outside of the bush but not saying anything. Getting closer, I saw that a large black rat snake coiled in the middle of the bush was the focus of the birds complaints. I doubt that I would have seen the snake without the vireos raspy yelling. As the snake slithered away, the vireo followed it, loudly complaining, until the snake went into a tree hollow.

Vireos are about the size of a small sparrow with shorter, thicker bills than a warbler and are generally a dull gray-green color. The name vireo is from the Latin rootvirtui, which means to be green and verdant. Like warblers, they are mostly insect-eaters. Several species nest in Maryland.

The ones I have encountered are quite vocal but the most common variety is easy to hear but hard to see.

The red-eyed vireo lives deep in the forest at the tops of trees. Their songs are high-pitched and inquisitive like they are askingWho are you?They will come down from the trees to mob a source of danger. Their eyes are very red and they have a white streak on the side of their face.

For me, the next most common is the white-eyed vireo. They seem to live at the edges of woods, ponds, or rivers. They have a loud peculiar call. Their standout feature is their white iristhey truly are white-eyed.

Another less common but loud vireo is the yellow-throated vireo. It is the most brightly colored and possibly the loudest. Unlike the red-eyeds rising inquisitive toned song, the yellow-throated vireo has a short rise and fall tone. Besides the colorful yellow throat, this vireo has white rings around its eyes that cross its nostrils so it looks like it is wearing glasses. The yellow-throated vireo lives in open deciduous forests but requires a larger forest area to breed. Their numbers are declining due to deforestation.

The blue-headed vireo is one of the quieter vireos. It likes to live in areas with evergreens or old deciduous forests. They are more common in western Maryland. Besides having a bluish head, they have even a more pronounced set of white spectacles than the yellow-throated. The blue-headed and white-eyed vireos have more adaptive features than the yellow-throated and their populations have increased despite land clearing.

The last local vireo is the warbling vireo. I have not seen very many of these but they have one of the best singing voices of any forest birdbut when they are angry or mobbing, they have a very harsh, raspy, loud voice. They are said to be tolerant of humans and will nest near houses and parks. But their population is falling because they cluster together during winter in Central America in areas that are under logging stress.

All the vireos are at risk of the nest parasite, the brown-headed cowbird. Cowbirds lay eggs in other birds nests and the hatchlings will push other eggs or babies out of the nest. The vireos that nest deeper in the woods, like the blue-headed vireo, have less of a chance of being a victim of this nest parasite.

Different species of birds alert each other when danger is around. Following the harsh voices of vireos can help you locate a predator or quiet birds like warblers that show up to help the mob.

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The Alarmist Vireo - Bay Weekly

Coffs Harbour City Council Deputy Mayor Dr Sally Townley, Save Nambucca River President Darrell Hughes, Nambucca Valley councillors Cr Susan Jenvey and Cr David Jones, Save Nambucca River publicity officer Elizabeth Newman, NSW Farmers Nambucca River Branch secretary Julie Gooch, local farmer Elaine Ward and group members.

ENVIRONMENTAL scientist Dr Sally Townley addressed the May meeting of the recently formed Save Nambucca River group.

Dr Townley is also the Deputy Mayor of Coffs Harbour City Council, having been elected to this position in 2022, and has been a Councillor in Coffs Harbour since 2012.

Dr Townley spoke to the meeting about the changes in Coffs Coast agriculture over the last fifteen years, especially in the move to high density agriculture like blueberries and cucumbers.

Coffs has seen massive changes in agriculture, and the transition to blueberries and cucumbers (over the last 30 years), and massive land clearing, said Dr Townley.

The transition to hydroponic crops such as cucumber and blueberries has seen the need for increased use of nutrients, pesticides, and water usage.

Illegal water usage in the area, including farmers digging oversized dams, and the overuse of nutrients and pesticides that leach into our river systems, was discussed at the meeting.

The conversion of our landscapes, coupled with water and chemical use for new intensive growing crops has led to massive degradation of our water systems.

When should the right to farm be put before our environment, land and water quality?

Some of the water testing in the Coffs area showed nutrient and pesticide contamination higher in rivers, creeks and lakes than areas in China, said Dr Townley.

Dr Townley advised that the first step for the group would be to lobby Nambucca Council for more extensive water testing.

Coffs Harbour City Council uses Southern Cross University for water testing, with the cost being funded from the environmental levy.

It is difficult to get action against illegal environmental pollution and over water usage, but there is a role for Council to play.

Coffs Council has a million dollar a year environmental levy, which funded Southern Cross University to conduct water studies.

Other than sewage contamination, they tested for nutrients and pesticides, in drinking water on 20 properties, said Dr Townley.

No one sample was above water safety, but its the accumulative effects of contamination that is the issue.

Youre not just drinking the water, youre showering, washing your dishes and clothes, using it on your gardens, this must have an accumulative effect over long periods of use.

Nambucca Valley councillors were invited to the meeting and Crs Susan Jenvey and David Jones were on hand to answer questions from the community.

Cr Susan Jenvey spoke with group members about putting a submission for extended water testing other than sewage contamination to be included in the next Council budget.

Cr David Jones spoke on the effects of erosion from Lanes Bridge after our recent fires and flooding events, and the contribution of these events to the poor water quality of the Nambucca River.

There has been massive erosion from Lanes Bridge sand and gravel has washed down the river.

There are a set of complex issues associated with the river starting from the headwaters creating even more complex situations that flow down to the lower reaches, said Cr David Jones.

Julie Gooch, Secretary for the Nambucca River Branch of NSW Farmers said, What we need is a whole river plan or we wont get anywhere.

The regulations are there, and biosecurity controls are very strict for farmers.

As farmers we need to work together with the community and Council to plan a better future for our river, everyone wants to see better land and water quality.

It was decided that a submission to be made to the Council for water testing other than just sewage contamination, including nutrients, pesticides and trace elements.

Both Crs Jenvey and Jones agreed they would support the community in working for a water quality solution for the Nambucca River.

For more information contact Darrell Hughes at [emailprotected] or https://www.facebook.com/groups/1164455767423178.

By Karen GRIBBIN

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Save Nambucca River Groups Meets For May News Of The Area - News Of The Area

Global carbon emissions could be cut by 50% by 2050 if one fifth of the worlds per-capita beef consumption is replaced with the meat substitute.

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Replacing 20% of global beef consumption with a meat substitute within the next 30 years could halve deforestation, according to a new modelling study.

The research, published in scientific journal Nature, found that eating one fifth less beef or swapping it with microbial protein, would cut 50% of carbon emissions associated with deforestation as well as methane emissions, a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, from livestock and cattle raising.

Every year, the world loses about 10 million hectares of forests, with beef farming being the biggest driver of deforestation an estimated 81,081 square miles of forest land is lost annually for meat production, 80% of which occurs in the Amazon. 83% of farmland is also used for livestock and their feed crops, yet the meat and dairy produced accounts for only 18% of the calories consumed by humans. Land clearing also destroys wildlife habitats, threatening global biodiversity.

Experts say we must drive down meat production and consumption drastically to avert a climate crisis. Though more than 100 countries have pledged to stop and reverse deforestation by 2030, destruction rates remain high, especially in the Amazon. However, offering greener, meatless alternatives could help cut down the demand.

The food system is at the root of a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, with ruminant meat production being the single largest source, said Dr Florian Humpender, the studys lead author and a researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany. The good news is that people do not need to be afraid they can eat only greens in the future. They can continue eating burgers and the like, its just that those burger patties will be produced in a different way.

According to Nature, previous research has shown that replacing beef with a meatless alternative called mycoprotein can have beneficial effects on the environment. The microbial protein, which can be produced from a range of microorganisms, including bacteria, is brewed in steel tanks by fermenting a soil-dwelling fungus with glucose and other nutrients as a food source similar to a beer-making process. The end product is a protein-rich food that tastes and feels like meat, and is just as nutritious.

The microbial protein first made its debut in the market in the 1980s in the UK under the brand name Quorn, which has since become the market leader. But there are widely more options available today in many countries.

Researchers calculated that if 20% of the worlds per-capita beef consumption is replaced with the meat substitute, we could reduce methane emissions by 11% and deforestation and associated emissions by 50% by 2050. If we swap out 50% of the beef, that would equal more than 80% reduction in deforestation and carbon emissions, and replacing 80% of beef would eliminate about 90% of forest loss.

However, if the world remains on its current trajectory of production and consumption, or under a business-as-usual scenario, annual deforestation rates would double, as will the methane emissions and agricultural water use.

But the study notes that there will be relatively minor changes in agricultural water use regardless of how much meat substitute we replace as the water required to grow crops for feeding cattle would go towards growing other types of crop.

While the new findings show a pathway in which we can reduce some of the global food productions environmental footprint, Humpender said this alone will not solve the climate crisis.

Microbial protein should not be seen as a silver bullet, he said. But rather as a building block in a large transformation of the whole food and agricultural system, combining it with reductions in food waste, incentives to eat healthier, and de-incentivising the sale of products with high environmental impacts.

You might also like: 5 Sustainable Plant-Based Seafood Companies Leading the Way

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Swapping 20% of Beef with Meat Substitute Could Halve Deforestation: Study - EARTH.ORG

Yesterday, Dhungatti artist Blak Douglas was awarded the 2022 Archibald prize and $100,000 for his work Moby Dickens the largest painting in this years exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW).

Douglas is a six-time Archibald finalist and a 2009 Wynne Prize finalist, renowned for his portraiture of First Nations people. Im making up for lost ground in the failure to memorialise First Nations people, the artist who lives and works on Bundjalung Country in Lismore has said.

In his acceptance speech, Douglas highlighted that this is incredibly historic given that Im the first Koori to paint a Koori to win the Archibald Prize.

This painting represents 20 years of taking the risk of pursuing a dream, Douglas said.

The winning portrait depicts Wiradjuri woman and artist Karla Dickens, knee-deep in muddy flood waters. According to Dickens, it is a homage to each person who has similarly found themselves deep in mud, physically, emotionally, mentally, and financially after the natural disaster that has destroyed so many lives in the Northern Rivers of NSW and beyond.

The monumental work blends elements of realism and graphic styles to create a unique aesthetic. Muddy waters and dark storm clouds extend into the background almost indefinitely, and the daring eyes of Dickens reflect a deep defiance in anger while looking at the face of climate disaster in this country.

The works title is in reference to Herman Melvilles 1851 novel Moby Dick. Here, in Douglas painterly reflection, Karla Dickens represents the storys titular whale who is ready to rip the leg off any fool with a harpoon who dares come too close.

The graphic flat-bottomed clouds in the paintings sky are a recurring political motif in Douglas work. Their flat bases represent what Douglas describes as the false ceiling of government. Additionally, the 14 clouds represent the number of days the rains and floods devastated the Northern Rivers area. Water leaks through the ineffectual buckets in the hands of Dickens, serving as an allegorical representation of the climate crisis slipping through our hands and the nearly insurmountable challenges it poses to communities.

It is gratifying to see the prize be given to not only a First Nations artist and subject, but also a robustly political painting in a time when it is demanded most. Douglas is an undeniable visionary in his artistic practice and philosophy Moby Dickens is set to become an icon of the Archibald for years and decades to come.

Prior to the award announcements, Emma Grey, an ANZ Group Executive, spoke on behalf of ANZ: The Archibald is part of the cultural fabric of this country. ANZ has been a sponsor of the Gallery and presenting partner of the Archibald Prizes for 13 years.

David Gonski, President of Art Gallery of NSW Trust, delivered the awards and emphasised that although [the board of trustees] had many an argument and lots of robust debate all final decisions made about the winners were all done in a unanimous fashion.

The creativity of Australia continues, he declared before announcing the duo Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro as the winners of the $40,000 Sulman Prize for their work Raiko and Shuten-dji.

Healy and Cordeiros winning work is a reimagining of the Japanese folk story of the fight between the warrior Raiko and the demon Shuten-dji. Materiality is perhaps this works most notable aspect, painted on the fuselage the main body of an aircraft of a Vietnam War-era helicopter. Further, the work has pinned threads of jute that extend across the work from a single plait like a web, creating a visually interesting and dimensional facade.

The prize was judged by artist Joan Ross, who said of the collaborative duos work that she immediately felt the dynamism of this work, its curved metal surface, its physical quality and beauty, its conceptual nature.

The $50,000 Wynne Prize was subsequently announced and given to Nicholas Harding for his work Eora who exclaimed that it was quite marvellous and unexpected.

Harding is a 19-time Archibald finalist (winning in 2001), a 9-time Wynne finalist and a 3-time Sulman finalist; this year, his winning work is an oil paint landscape in dominating hues of green and earthy browns. The works leafy imagery is a teeming amalgamation of plant life from the Northern Beaches area and Narrabeen Lakes. Investigating the ways nature has been shaped by colonisation and the impacts of industry land-clearing, Hardings work holds a clear message and is a deserved winner of the prize.

Eora stands as a memorial to how extraordinary the landscape must have been before white people got here and invaded the place and encroached on the landscape itself, Harding has said of his work.

Lastly, the winner of the Wynne Prizes Roberts Family Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Prize was Pitjantjatjara woman Sally Scales painting entitled Wati Tjakura. The vibrant work is a representation of her ancestral family land Aralya in South Australia on Aangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands.

The 2022 Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes open to the public today. For further information about the prizes and this years stand-out finalists read Honis analysis here.

The rest is here:
'Incredibly historic': Winners of 2022 Archibald Prizes announced - Honi Soit

The televised debates between the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition leading up to the election on 21 May have almost completely ignored climate change and the urgent action that is needed to address it.

In contrast, recent polls have reported that action to address climate change is one of the top three issues for the majority of Australian voters.

In early April, the Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres said:

We are on a pathway to global warming of more than double the 1.5C limit agreed in Paris. Some Government and business leaders are saying one thing, but doing another. Simply put, they are lying. And the results will be catastrophic. This is a climate emergency High-emitting Governments and corporations are not just turning a blind eye, they are adding fuel to the flames.

The most comprehensive scientific updates on climate change, its impacts and its solutions were released in 2021 and 2022 in the first three volumes of the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

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Theres no doubt that human-caused emissions of greenhouse gases have warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land. Global surface temperature has increased by 1.1C in the most recent decade compared with 1850 to 1900, with larger warming over land than the ocean.

Carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere have increased by more than 40 per cent since around 1750 as a result of land clearing and burning fossil fuels, and are now higher than at any time over the last million years.

Australias climate has warmed on average by 1.4C since national records began in 1910, leading to an increase in the frequency of extreme heat events.

A comparison of the observed Australian decadal temperature variations with those simulated by global climate models shows that the observed warming trend can only be explained by human-caused emissions of greenhouse gases.

The IPCC global assessment of the impacts of climate change includes a chapter on Australia and New Zealand.

The associated two-page Fact Sheet for Australasia identifies nine high-confidence key climate risks. These include:

Increase in heat-related mortality for people and wildlife due to heatwaves

Cascading impacts on cities, settlements, infrastructure and services due to wildfires, floods, droughts, heatwaves, storms and sea-level rise

Inability of institutions and governance systems to manage climate risks

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Australia is one of the developed countries most at risk from the adverse impacts of climate change.

The Black Summer bushfires in 2019-20 and the floods in south-east Queensland and New South Wales earlier this year clearly demonstrated the inabilities of governments at national, state and local levels to manage climate risks.

Global surface temperature will continue to increase until at least the mid-century under all emissions scenarios considered.

Global warming of 1.5C and 2C will be exceeded during the 21st century unless deep reductions in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions occur in the coming decades.

Every tonne of carbon dioxide emissions adds to global warming. Every increase in global warming adds to the changes in the climate system, increasing the frequency and intensity of hot extremes, marine heatwaves, and heavy rainfall.

Even if all countries meet their current emission reduction pledges and targets, global warming is expected to exceed two degrees, with much greater impacts across Australia.

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change states that developed countries should take the lead in combating climate change.

But Australia makes a disproportionately large contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions. It has only about 0.3 per cent of the global population but contributes about 1.3 per cent of global emissions. It has the highest per capita emissions of any developed country.

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Independent assessment of Australias fair share of global efforts to meet the Paris Agreement targets indicates that Australias emission reductions should be much greater than its current commitments.

They conclude that for Australia to meet its Paris Agreement obligations to limit global warming to 1.5C with a 50 per cent chance, its 2030 target for emission reductions should be 74 per cent relative to 2005 emissions, and net zero emissions by 2035.

The Climate Change Performance Index 2022 ranked Australia last in the world for climate policies, stating that the Australian governments policies are

insufficient for decarbonising the economy, reducing the use of fossil fuels, promoting renewable energy, and setting out how national GHG emissions will be reduced. The government does not have any policies on phasing out coal or gas.

The policies of both the Australian government and the Labor Party Opposition support continued coal mining and increasing natural gas extraction and export, as well as continued government funding for fossil fuel use in Australia.

Because every tonne of carbon dioxide emissions adds to global warming, these policies are choosing to make global warming worse.

Your vote at the national election allows you to make a choice.

You can choose to support rapid and substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and stronger action to adapt to the worsening impacts of climate change.

Or you can choose to make global warming worse.

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Disconnect: Climate change and the Australian election - Pursuit

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