Climate Change

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural, such as through variations in the solar cycle. But since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.

 

Burning fossil fuels generates greenhouse gas emissions that act like a blanket wrapped around the Earth, trapping the sun’s heat and raising temperatures.

Examples of greenhouse gas emissions that are causing climate change include carbon dioxide and methane. These come from using gasoline for driving a car or coal for heating a building, for example. Clearing land and forests can also release carbon dioxide. Landfills for garbage are a major source of methane emissions. Energy, industry, transport, buildings, agriculture, and land use are among the main emitters.

UN Paper on climate change

Australian floods and climate change

https://youtu.be/sUAcewubvmE

In the past few weeks, tens of thousands of Australians have had to evacuate their homes after devastating floods struck the eastern part of the country. Scientists are united in the view that extreme flooding is becoming more prevalent in Australia, which can be attributed to warmer oceans that increase the amount of moisture moving from the sea to the atmosphere. Australia — along with the Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia region ­– is in one of the most vulnerable regions [in the world to climate change]. A story in cartoon form.

https://youtu.be/cLQV7VHuhUM

How can our Cartoonists come up with new and original ideas after seemingly? Exhausting themselves over the years on Climate Change. Well, two reasons come to mind,
1 The overall importance of the issue.
2 Using what comes out of Politicians’ mouths and Actions, or should we say Non-Action. In 2019 kids all over the world went on strike inspired by the actions of Greta Thunberg who got Man of the Year from Time magazine. Workers in Queensland voted Adami for Coal and browned off the Greenies, the Labor Party, and most of the Electorate. The Pacific Forum rubbished our Prime Minister Morrison, who threw them Sandbags filled with money to stop rising sea levels.

P.M.Morrison decided to go on holiday in Hawaii during the bushfires, and the Cartoonists punished him, making him wear Hawaiian Shirts for the rest of the year. Instead of Palm Trees, his shirts had Coal and Smokestacks all over them.

The word FUTURE was partially covered with dense Bushfire Smoke for Weeks. leaving the letters F.U. Thus leaving the Cartoon Readers to figure it out what they mean! Matt Golding had P.M. Morrison tucking anxious Sydney siders into bed with a nice warm blanket of Heavy Smog. Demonstrators held up Traffic in Brisbane and Peter Broelman had them saying “ How dare they make the End of the World even more Inconvenient! “

https://youtu.be/FDj3ByXNJtohttps://youtu.be/hOYa8MlWRfk

In June 2019 the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service acting director warned of the potential for an early start to the bushfire season which normally starts in August.

 The warning was based on the Northern Australia bushfire seasonal outlook noting exceptional dry conditions and a lack of soil moisture, combined with early fires in central Queensland.

Reinforcements from all over Australia were called in to assist fighting the fires and relieve exhausted local crews in New South Wales.

By 4 March 2020, all fires in New South Wales had been extinguished completely (to the point where there were no fires in the state for the first time since July), and the Victoria fires had all been contained..

Bushfires in Australia are a widespread and regular occurrence that have contributed significantly to shaping the nature of the continent over millions of years. Eastern Australia is one of the most fire-prone regions of the world, and its predominant eucalyptus forests have evolved to thrive on the phenomenon of bushfire. However, the fires can cause significant property damage and loss of both human and animal life. Bushfires have killed approximately 800 people in Australia since 1851, and billions of animals.

Bush Fires in Australia

https://youtu.be/Siy-JhxDtzM