freelance science journalist and author
From WIRED, 17 February 2023: New Zealand is grappling with two consecutive extreme weather events—massive flooding followed by a cyclone—that have claimed at least 12 lives and left hundreds of thousands of people without power. The high winds and waters of Cyclone Gabrielle have washed away coastal roads on the north island and left bridges … Continue reading New Zealand faces a future of flood and fire
From The Saturday Paper, 24 September 2022: A showdown is looming between local and state governments over who is financially responsible for nearly $150 million worth of Rural Fire Service trucks and firefighting equipment in New South Wales, the so-called “red fleet”. On one side are 68 local governments who argue the law that puts … Continue reading Stalemate over rural fire fleet
From The Saturday Paper, 27 August 2022: They’re as familiar to Australians as a stop sign: the semicircular, multicoloured warning signs that indicate the level of danger posed by bushfire on any given day. But after more than half a century of use, the Australian fire danger rating system is being completely overhauled to bring … Continue reading Rethinking fire ratings
From WIRED, 23 August 2022: Arriving at the tidal wetlands of Mungalla Station on the coastline of northern Queensland, ornithologist Simon Kennedy from the not-for-profit BirdLife Australia is greeted by a welcome cacophony. “You start hearing honks and quacks and twitters and noises coming from there,” he says of the area’s diverse and thriving bird … Continue reading Flooding wetlands could be the next big carbon capture hack
From WIRED, 14 June 2022: First came the drought. Then the bushfires. Then the floods. And then, on May 21, 2022, came the federal election. After nearly four years as Australian prime minister—a term in office marked by repeated and record-breaking natural disasters—the conservative Scott Morrison was ousted following a contest that hinged on climate … Continue reading Australia has finally woken up to climate change
From The Scientist, 4 March 2022: Australia’s east coast has been drenched with record-breaking rainfall, causing floods that have submerged major cities including the Queensland state capital Brisbane, killed at least 16 people, and wreaked major devastation across both Queensland and New South Wales. Around 90 centimeters of rain fell in the space of one week on some areas … Continue reading Flooding and storms wreak havoc for Australian scientists
From Nature Middle East, 7 December 2021: Atmospheric rivers are long stretches of cloud that can carry enormous quantities of water vapour from the tropics towards the poles. They were first described in 19941 and since then have come to be understood as the major mechanism transporting moisture from lower latitude oceans to higher latitude … Continue reading Atmospheric rivers dust the Alps
From Nature, 1 November 2021: Up to 10,000 feral horses might be killed or removed from Australia’s largest alpine national park under a draft plan to control the rapidly growing population of non-native animals. Scientists have welcomed the idea of removing them, but are alarmed that the plan still allows for thousands to remain, threatening … Continue reading Scientists say Australian plan to cull up to 10,000 wild horses doesn’t go far enough
From Wired UK, 4 October 2021: Christoph Gebald and Jan Wurzbacher were, in the latter’s words, “young, motivated and maybe a bit naïve,” when they decided in 2009 to set up a company based on technology that could capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The two mechanical engineers, who met while studying at ETH Zürich, … Continue reading Direct air capture sucks carbon right out of the skies
From Nature, 8 September 2021: Nearly 90% of economically viable global coal reserves must be left in the ground to have even a 50% chance of hitting internationally agreed climate-change goals, according to an updated model of limits to fossil-fuel extraction, published today in Nature. For a 50% chance of remaining below 1.5 °C of … Continue reading Most fossil-fuel reserves must remain untapped to hit 1.5 °C warming goal
Bianca Nogrady 