'Betting' on the weather emerges as a solution as insurance costs skyrocket
By Jess Davis
Amid more extreme weather events, parametric insurance — described as a bet on the weather —is on the rise. It is now being touted as a possible solution for Australians, who have some of the highest insurance losses in the world.
Customers face empty shelves as farmers battle potato shortage
By Jessica Schremmer
South Australia produces 80 per cent of Australia's fresh potatoes, but extreme weather and drought across the state are causing a major shortage.
Kangaroos add pressure on drought-hit farmers by eating scarce feed
By Elsie Adamo
Farmers are calling for a cull of kangaroos, which they say are being forced onto farmland by drought and dry conditions and consuming what little feed and water they have.
South Australian farmers 'on knife edge' ahead of summer after a year of dry conditions
By Genevieve Blandin de Chalain
Some South Australian farmers say they are still feeling the strain of drought after inconsistent winter rains left little room for recovery before the coming summer.
"Calgary experiences hottest September on record, driest in 140 years"
More pipelines for Smith = more #heatwaves, #droughts, #wildfires & #extremeWeather for the rest of us.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/summer-2025-calgary-weather-1.7649503
Ocean heat was off the charts, and Australia bore the brunt
For the past year, Australia's oceans have been hotter than ever before. The impacts are being felt all across the nation — as far away from the coast as you can get.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-02/hottest-year-on-record-in-oceans-around-australia/105698530
The current war on #science, & who’s behind it
Summers across the global north are now defined by flash floods, #droughts , heat waves, #wildfires , & intensifying named storms, as predicted by #Exxon scientists back in the 70s. The US sec of #HHS advocates against using the most effective tool we have to fight the infectious diseases that have ravaged humanity for millennia. People are eagerly lapping up the #misinformation spewed & disseminated by #AI #chatbots
https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/09/who-should-we-blame-for-the-current-war-on-science/
Rings on 'ear stones' helping re-establish native pygmy fish
By Caroline Horn
Information gleaned from tiny growth rings on "ear bones" of native pygmy perch could be the key to bringing them back from local extinction in the lower Murray.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-29/fish-ear-bones-could-be-key-to-pygmy-perch-revival/105811482
@ChrisMayLA6
Guess where all the food is grown.
Yes, that dry bit. Where farmers need water.
So, do you suppose over the last 30 odd years the water companies have been building lots of reservoirs, you know, where the demand for water is greatest?
Fuck no!
Surprise La Niña hints at another wet and stormy Australian summer
By Tom Saunders
Australia's key drivers of weather variability are stacking up to produce another wet, severe-weather season, with an increased risk of flooding, thunderstorms and cyclones.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-19/la-nina-hints-at-wet-stormy-australian-summer/105790134
"Our findings indicate that hot #droughts need to be analyzed over complete diurnal cycles and over regions that are connected through atmospheric pathways to improve their prediction, response, and mitigation." Free access to the article in the quote post below. 
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:j2s63bvrj6q73vuoaxpu55ri/post/3lz2c7s24lc2g
#Droughts Lead to Deadly #AirPollution Spikes
When #water is below normal levels in #LatinAmerica, air #pollution spikes, and thousands of people die prematurely as a result, a new study finds.
https://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/droughts-lead-to-deadly-air-pollution-spikes/
Grass greener now for some farmers as others brace for harsher future
By Coco Veldkamp
As spring brings a flicker of hope, some farmers cautiously embrace optimism while others face mounting pressures and climate uncertainty.
Quarter of heatwaves this century 'virtually impossible' without climate change, study finds
"If the occurrence of fires, cyclones or droughts can be directly linked to emitters, damage caused by those disasters may be easier to litigate than heatwave-related damages. The scientific community has been working for years now towards end-to-end attributions, linking anthropogenic actors to impacts. Not just temperatures, but economic losses, casualties."
>>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2025-09-11/heatwaves-more-likely-climate-change-nature-major-emitters/105747138
#FossilFuels #heatwaves #litigation #CorporateAccountability #disasters #AttributionSci #harm #pollution #droughts #bushfires
Dry and dusty sports clubs offer solace to drought-stricken towns
By Declan Durrant and Isabella Kelly
In SA's Flinders Ranges ovals, golf courses and race tracks help people forget about drought for a brief time, even when they are also dry.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-11/what-sport-clubs-do-in-near-constant-drought/105731438
Far west NSW graziers celebrate as heavy rain doubles yearly totals
By Aimee Volkofsky, Andrew Schmidt, and Sarah McConnell
Heavy rain has raised hopes in far western NSW, where graziers had started destocking due to prolonged dry conditions.
#Weather #Rain #BeefCattleFarming #LivestockFarming #Droughts #Pasture #AimeeVolkofsky #AndrewSchmidt # #SarahMcConnell
Physics-based indicator predicts tipping point for collapse of Atlantic current system in next 50 years
by Krystal Kasal
"The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (#AMOC) is an enormous loop of ocean current in the Atlantic Ocean that carries warmer waters north and colder waters south, helping to regulate the climate in many regions. The collapse of this critical circulation system has the potential to cause drastic global and regional climate impacts, like #droughts and #ColderWinters, especially in Northwestern Europe.
"Previous research has already indicated a weakening in the AMOC, but there has been uncertainty about when the AMOC will collapse under future climate change or whether it will collapse at all. But new research, now published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, indicates that collapse of the AMOC is likely and that it might begin sooner rather than later.
"Using a new physics-based indicator and the Community Earth System Model (#CESM), the study authors have produced new simulations of the AMOC collapse under various conditions.
"The researchers believe the new indicator better represents the water circulation compared to previously used parameters, such as the ocean's surface temperature. Instead, it represents a tipping point indicated by a sign change in surface buoyancy flux (Bflux) over a key part of the North Atlantic Ocean from 40°N to 65°N. They also compared their results to historical observations and data.
"Their simulations tested out 25 different climate models. They say that the AMOC was fairly stable until about 2020, but since then, there have been signs of weakening. Future modeling shows that, in high-emission scenarios, the AMOC collapse tipping point began as early as 2023 and as late as 2076, with a median tipping point at 2055. Under more intermediate scenarios, the tipping point was placed between 2026 and 2095, with a median of 2063.
"The study authors note, 'If the AMOC starts to collapse, it takes more than 100 years to reach a substantially weaker state. During that transition, the Northwestern European climate would change drastically and is expected to see colder winters, less rainfall, and more severe winter storms.'
"The study authors also note that many prior simulations only ran until around 2100, but letting simulations go further into the future might provide more accurate results. They say, 'Given these risks of AMOC tipping under climate change, we encourage modeling groups to simulate to at least the year 2200.'
"There were some limitations in this research; for example, most models did not include enhanced #GreenlandIceMelt, which could actually accelerate AMOC weakening. In some cases, background circulation can balance surface buoyancy gain. In these cases, the proposed indicator can also give false positives, but this is rare.
"There is still time for societies to limit the impact of eventual AMOC collapse or to develop adaptation strategies, but the study authors offer a stark warning, saying, 'To limit the risk of AMOC weakening and a potential collapse in the foreseeable future, global society needs to be on track of a #LowEmission scenario and urgent #ClimateAction is needed to guarantee this.' "
Read more:
https://phys.org/news/2025-09-physics-based-indicator-collapse-atlantic.html
Calls to review drought policy to better help struggling farmers
By Selina Green, Brooke Neindorf, and Kerrie Lush
The nation's drought supports will come under scrutiny at a major national forum today as southern farmers continue to battle dry times.
#Droughts #LivestockFarming #AgriculturalandFarmingPractice #GrainGrowing #AgriculturalPolicy #SelinaGreen #BrookeNeindorf # #KerrieLush
bonafide
