Climate

As a critic of the climate catastrophists—and someone who prefers a long-term, science-based view of climate change—I thought I’d share a basic understanding of the science and terminology behind the BoM forecasts we rely on ... Every time a farmer glances at the Bureau’s forecast, the same terms pop up: Indian Ocean Dipole, El Niño–Southern Oscillation, Southern Annular Mode, cold fronts from the Great Southern, tropical moisture feeds, and the Leeuwin Current ...

...The National Climate Risk Assessment (NCRA) finds that no Australian community will be immune from climate risks that will be cascading, compounding and concurrent ... Today the National Climate Risk Assessment is clear: while we can no longer avoid climate impacts, every action we take today towards our goal of net zero by 2050 will help avoid the worst impacts on Australian communities and businesses. 

Every time someone brings up the Southern Oscillation Index or the Indian Ocean Dipole, I nod along and drift off. But a recent conversation with an old boarding school mate gave me hope that maybe it’s not as complex as I originally thought and maybe some of the amateur Wheatbelt weather forecasters might have more than half a clue about what's going on out there.

Australia is tracking well to meet its 2030 climate pollution target, with new emissions data showing emissions fell by 1.4 per cent or 6.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in the year to March 2025 ... In that period, 440.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions were recorded, which is 28 per cent below 2005 levels...

Long?suffering readers know I like to poke around in the world of agricultural science particularly anything to do with carbon farming and climate change, so — without drawing on the untapped wisdom of my son Thomas — I’m going to argue, once again, that soil carbon farming in the WA Wheatbelt belongs firmly in the fantasy section of the library, not the science shelves.

Frank Batini. In summer 2011, following a very dry winter there was limited but noticeable tree crown scorch and some deaths of jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) on sites with shallow soil. This event was repeated in summer 2024. On both of these occasions the forest growing on deeper soils was healthy. Academic and media comment immediately linked these deaths to human induced climate change ... ARR.News asked some further questions of Frank.

Come 2025, after a couple of wars, a new US president, a cost of living crisis, power blackouts and the hard economics finally catching up to lofty promises, the world seems to have quietly lost interest in the net zero game ... Just this week, the Red Meat Advisory Council formally dumped its 2030 carbon neutral target, swiftly followed by Meat & Livestock Australia.

A new ABARES report, Australia’s native forests and wood production, highlights the important role Australia’s diverse native forests play in helping to combat climate change, providing a home to many flora and fauna species, and providing high quality wood products.

Professor Matthew Harrison. While practices for reducing or removing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions abound, little information exists on the combination of practices required to reach net-zero emissions, the cost of transitioning to net-zero, or how carbon removals may change under hotter and more variable conditions expected with climate change. ARR.News asked a few further questions of Professor Harrison.

Western Australian grain growers are set to benefit from a series of targeted projects focused on time of sowing in response to increasing seasonal variability. Delivered through the Grains Research and Development Corporation’s (GRDC) National Grower Network (NGN), the local projects are designed to support growers in making more informed sowing decisions...

A series of short films titled Adaptation Stories will be screened at Kyogle Cinema on Sunday, June 29 at Kyogle Cinemas ... The films highlight how people are adapting to climate change and includes farmers, First Nations leaders and young changemakers.

Climate change has such a large negative impact on Ukrainian agriculture that it affects the country's macroeconomic indicators ... Farmers from all regions of Ukraine have sown 5.5 million hectares of spring grain and leguminous crops ... However, this spring cannot be called ordinary.

In a year when the eastern states have either been drowning under floods or gasping through drought, and here in the west half the state has been left staring at a dry horizon, it seemed timely to stop watching the skies and start digging into the past ... What I aim to do is cut through the rising noise between the climate catastrophists shouting Armageddon and the hardened sceptics waving it all away, versus the climate fatalists like me—convinced that, whatever humans do, nature already has the final say—and put some facts on the table.

Something’s shifted. You can feel it in the air — and no, I’m not talking about carbon dioxide, the superfood of plants. I’m talking about the political climate, the social mood, the economic headwinds, and, most importantly, the dawning realisation across much of the Western world that Net Zero isn’t the pathway to the promised land — it’s a mirage.

The Australian beef industry can play a positive role in the climate solution provided policy settings recognise the science of the biogenic carbon cycle, according to a leading international air quality specialist. Professor Frank Mitloehner, of UC Davis in the US, told [Cattle Australia forum] ... that while livestock do have an impact on our climate, the contribution of animal agriculture is often exaggerated at the expense of farmers and viable solutions.

Around the state, Mr Schinckel said the amount of money spent by producers nowadays would be something in the order of $10-$15 million per week per 1000 producers. “So, $50m that the SA government is offering is not going to go far—it’s a drop in the ocean.” ... He believed that the state and federal governments did not know or understand livestock production.

Most farmers are unlikely to face onerous requirements – particularly in the short-term – as a result of mandatory climate-related reporting recently introduced for large Australian companies, according to new research by agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank.

New mildew-resistant and drought-resilient grapevines have been planted in South Australia’s Coonawarra wine region to help safeguard the future of Australia’s wine industry against a changing climate and disease threats.  

Andrew Morgan. For more than two decades, SFM has worked at the intersection of forestry, agriculture and investment ... In recent years, we’ve witnessed a structural shift in what drives value in plantation development — and it’s been driven by something invisible, yet incredibly powerful: a real, regulated and recognised price on carbon.

The 2025 Forest Carbon Summit commences today, April 10, and continues tomorrow, April 11, at the National Press Club in Canberra, spotlighting the pivotal role of forests and carbon management in Australia’s net-zero future.