Not Cool, Bro: A Sweat Inducing Report On Wet Heat
Your intrepid hosts engage in some post Pre-COP analysis, and sum up a bracing new report on lethal humidity.
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Folks, we recorded this week’s episode before the horrific incident involving independent MP and allround wonderful humn, Helen Haines. We are sending huge love to Helen, her family and team, and best wishes for her recovery.
Helen's family has asked that we show our solidarity and support through a donation to Save the Children – you can do that here.
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It’s that time of year folks, when your intrepid hosts are readying for COP travels and reading the tea leaves for what might come out of the annual global climate negotiations. Following the powerful Pacific voices from Pre-COP, and the strong language of the The Taku Pakasoa Declaration,the stage is set in Antalya for political text recognising overshoot of 1.5C and what must be done to minimise it: featuring, electrification! Methane!! Transition away from fossil fuel language is looking as hard as ever! Engineered removals!?! Added to the mix, expect a big focus on access to finance and some commitment on oceans! Also, check out the latest report from the fab folks at Climate Resource.
Our main course
Climate change is increasing both temperatures and atmospheric moisture, making dangerous humid-heat events more frequent, intense and widespread. A bracing report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), Lethal humidity and the systemic risks of climate change, authored by Dr. Robert Glasser with support from Minderoo, says 50-75% of the world's population to dangerous humid-heat conditions by the end of the century if current warming trends continue. This is an issue championed personally by Twiggy Forrest and the report highlights how humid heatwaves create cascading societal impacts, not just health consequences, across different systems - from power grids, to housing to healthcare and agriculture. Indonesia is highlighted as a case study of growing risk in the Indo-Pacific and ASPI calls out the need for a focus on its potential impacts in China. Notwithstanding a bit of caution about the emphasis being placed on this risk over others, there are a lot of sensible recommendations suggesting both a mitigation and adaptation focus will needed into the future.
One More Thing
Tennant’s One More Thing: PENGUIN COLONY.
Frankie’s One More Thing: the HUGELY exciting announcement from the Korean government on its Korea-Green Transformation (K-GX) that amounts to over a trillion dollars of investment across renewable energy, electrification of transport and green industry. This can only be a good thing for Australia as a key trade partner!
Luke’s One More Thing: an episode of the Shift Key podcast that looks at a potentially controversial paper from US analyst Peter Erickson that posits that attempting to limit new fossil fuel infrastructure could be a big distraction for the climate movement.
And that’s it for now, Summerupperers. There is now a one-stop-shop for all your LMSU needs: head to
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