The year 2020 continued to make history as a terrible time as America received its first-ever warning of firenadoes. “The Reno office of the National Weather Service warned Northern California of a fiery tornado Saturday afternoon that had sprung up near a large, fast-moving wildfire in the Sierra. That’s right: A firenado,” the Sacramento Bee
A community sports centre in the central Victorian town of Hepburn has been given a solar and battery makeover that will slash the facility’s power costs while also bolstering its role as a dedicated place of last resort in the event of a bushfire. The 25kW solar array and 13.5kWh Telsa Powerwall 2 battery
As utilities turn off power to prevent wildfires, more homeowners are looking to install battery backup systems The threat of chronic blackouts is sparking a rush to install battery backup systems as California homeowners try to avoid disruptive power cuts related to wildfires. Blackouts are increasingly a part of life as Pacific Gas and
The next several months could bring hurricanes, floods and fire, on top of the pandemic currently raging through the country. How do you shelter in place during an evacuation? Two and a half years ago Hurricane Maria ripped open homes across the southern Puerto Rican city of Ponce, destroying the rickety electrical grid and sending
Experts concerned young people’s mental health particularly hit by reality of the climate crisis Over the past few weeks Clover Hogan has found herself crying during the day and waking up at night gripped by panic. The 20-year-old, who now lives in London, grew up in Queensland, Australia, cheekbyjowl with the country’s wildlife, fishing
Even as the country fights bushfires, it can’t stop dumping planet-warming pollution into the atmosphere. Australia is caught in a climate spiral. For the past few decades, the arid and affluent country of 25 million has padded out its economy—otherwise dominated by sandy beaches and a bustling service sector—by selling coal to the world.
Research from a now defunded Australian adaptation centre has found social barriers are the biggest obstacle to effective action Talking to a fourth-generation grazier west of Townsville a few years ago, Prof Stephen Williams says he “made the mistake” of mentioning climate change. “He said it was bullshit, but we kept talking,” the James
It is unconscionable that the taxpayer funds fossil fuels to the tune of $1,728 per person per year. What if we channelled this into climate adaptation? It is week nine of the current bushfire crisis; almost 20 people are dead, over 1,000 homes have been lost, half a billion animals have been killed and
As with so many things, Californians are going first where the rest of us will follow Monday morning dawned smoky across much of California, and it dawned scary – over the weekend winds as high as a hundred miles an hour had whipped wildfires through forests and subdivisions. It wasn’t the first time this
California’s fire season is back. Yet if this past week is any indication, our emergency response remains woefully inadequate. When disaster strikes we are far from being energy resilient, ensuring reliable access to electricity for our most vulnerable communities. Climate fires are California’s new normal. Dangerous combinations of high (20-60 mph) sustained winds and