Climate News: Discussion about net zero irrelevant; Exhibits were baffling, leaving me bemused, flummoxed and intrigued; New BOM website controversy

Peter Simek leads EarthX, one of the world’s largest convenings of environmental and sustainability leaders, bringing together policymakers, investors, scientists, innovators, and advocates to accelerate pragmatic, market-driven solutions. Recently, EarthX announced programming and additional speakers for "Earthx2026", a three-day Congress of Conferences taking place in Dallas at the Hilton Anatole on April 20–22, 2026. Under Peter's leadership, EarthX has evolved into a global platform focused on finding common ground and advancing scalable environmental progress.One of the speakers at "EarthX 2025" was Peter Fiekowsky from the "Foundation for Climate Restoration"'"Saudi Arabia could be seven days away from chaos if Iran’s water war hits home";"Sweden’s ‘old‑growth’ natural forests store 83% more carbon than managed woodlands – new study";"US interest in electric vehicles surges as gas prices jump amid Iran war";"Making Coal, Oil and Gas Corporations in Australia Pay Their Fair Share for the Costs of Climate Change";"Gas giants warn against windfall gains tax as Pocock says ‘wartime profits’ should go to struggling Australians";"Russian tanker drifts into Libyan waters amid environmental warnings";"‘Just as Big Oil Predicted’: Fossil Fuel Industry Under Fire as Record Heat Broils Western States";"'Do not get more powerful than this': Cyclone Narelle set to slam far north Queensland";"Cyclone Narelle: ‘compact’, dangerous and unusually predictable";"‘Disaster inertia’: why must NZ keep relearning the same lessons from extreme events?".

Capitalism is, for many, the root of the problem regarding climate change, and some see the solution in degrowth, and others in what's known as "green growth".The Columbia Climate School tackled this issue through its webinar "Perspectives Dialogue, “Degrowth vs. green growth: can capitalism solve climate change?”Those hopeful of gaining an Australian perspective on this issue, at least from the degrowth angle, will have the chance on Sunday, March 22, to join the Degrowth Festival at Curtain Square in Carlton, not far from Melbourne's CBD.Also, those eager to learn more about what's happening in Sunday should listen to the Climate Conversations with Tonié, one of the organisers.

Darwin's successor, the late Edward O. Wilson, clearly understood humanity and the dilemmas it facedwhen he said it has "Palaeolithic emotions, medieval Institutions and God-like technology".Read the story about the late professora nd hear the interview in a story from The New York Times: "E.O. Wilson, a Pioneer of Evolutionary Biology, Dies at 92";"Deny, delay, downplay: How governments hide climate change intelligence";"Bundaberg residents told to evacuate as floods trigger memories of 2010 disaster";"Israeli Strikes on Fuel Depots Send Black Clouds Over Iranian Capital";"The Iran war has triggered a fuel price rise. What does this mean for Australian consumers?";"The Interview: Rebecca Solnit Says the Left’s Next Hero Is Already Here";"“A tidal wave of hostile messaging:” The billions spent each year by fossil fuel industry demonising renewables";"War With Iran Is Turning the Energy Affordability Crisis Into a Calamity";"‘Labor can’t have it both ways’: How the EV industry will fight any plan to wind back tax breaks";"Sea Levels Are Already Higher Than Many Scientists Think, New Study Shows".

The war in Iran, initiated by the U.S. and Israel, may have trapped some twenty per cent of the world's fossil fuels, but sunshine is still free to shine anywhere in the world.This webinar, organised by "Covering Climate Now", was a press briefing considering "The Iran War and the Climate Emergency".Two websites mentioned by speakers that would help reporters covering the Iran conflict were "Forensic Architecture" and the "Conflict Observatory".

Professor David Lindenmayer from the Fenner School of Environment & Society at the Australian National University is critical of many issues impacting Australia's forest industry, arguing he has worn out many pairs of shoes trekking to Federal Parliament to plead the case for the nation's forests.His frustration with the country's politicians, other decision-makers, and industry lobbyists, who all handled the scientific truth about our forests rather loosely, led him to write "The Forest Wars".More than four decades of working with his team in Australia's forests, particularly in Victoria, have seen Professor Lindenmayer emerge as Australia's Pre-eminent authority on the present health of our forests and well-positioned to comment on what should happen next.

Dancing will be just one of many activities at the Victorian Degrowth Festival 2026, being held at Carlton's Curtain Square on Sunday, March 22.Degrowth is an idea whose time has come as nearly 40 stalls, workshops and displays, along with music and dancing, will bring the City of Yarra event to life. One of the organisers, Tonié has urged people to register their intent to attend as it's important to have a clear idea of how many people will be at Curtain Square, and people can note their planned attendance at Humanitix.More information about Degrowth can be found at Degrowth Network Australia.

President of the Mansfield Football/Netball Club, Bo Christopher, has seen his club score ever before the season proper has begun, as it teamed with Footy for Climate to set up solar panels and a battery to capture energy from the sun on the club's facilities, reducing its power costs substantially.Jo Printz from ABC radio, Shepparton, interviewed Bo."Extreme weather is transforming the world’s rivers. We need new ways to protect them";"Who's driving up our power bills?";"Marge, the rains were here";"The Great Olympic lie: untold story of Winter Games’ huge environmental impact";"‘Don’t leave late’ is the best advice for fires or floods. These terrifying videos show why";"Under water, in denial: is Europe drowning out the climate crisis";"New U.S. Rule Aims to Speed Up Mining of the Seafloor";"How to get mass adoption of EVs in city areas? It’s not just about public chargers";"Pumped hydro is vital to the future grid. So why does gas exploration get all the tax benefits?";"Victoria’s mountain ash forests naturally thin their trees. So why do it with machines?".

Melbourne Age letter writer questions court finding on Santos."There’s a New Forecast for Peak Oil Demand. It’s Increasingly Cloudy.";"‘Ball bearings in the snow’: The role of climate change in deadly avalanches";"US Youth, Climate Coalition Sue to Stop Trump EPA ‘From Torching Our Kids’ Future’";"Missing Profits May Be a Problem for the Green Transition";"Have China's carbon emissions peaked?";"From fossil fuelled tanks to wildfires: How Russia’s war on Ukraine is destroying the planet";"Ocean Warming Drives ‘Deeply Concerning Loss of Marine Life,’ Study Shows";"Prehistoric creatures flocked to different latitudes to survive climate change – the same is taking place today";"Released emails reveal heavy political lobbying as massive gas project extended";"Mass extinction: our fossil study reveals which types of species are most at risk from climate change";"Severe flooding – in central Australia? How a vast humid air mass could soak the desert";"Climate change is drying out the ‘forgotten rivers’ that keep the Murray-Darling alive. We need a new plan".

Sarah Newman (pictured) is the founder and director of the "Climate Mental Health Network" and was the MC for the webinar, "Thriving in an Age of Disasters: Building Emotional Resilience & Taking Climate Action".One of the speakers was Elizabeth Bagley, the Managing Director of "Project Drawdown".She encouraged those at the webinar to check out the "Drawdown Explorer".Climate change and mental health are increasingly appearing in the same sentence, and this webinar helps people develop some perspective on what is an inherently challenging question.

David Brian (pictured) is the president of the Victorian Hemp Association, which has a field day at Northern Victoria's Nanneella on Sunday, February 22.David is passionate about educating people, particularly farmers, about hemp.He regularly attends exhibitions, conferences, field days and festivals to educate people about hempcrete and its benefits. He also works with farmers in Victoria and southern New South Wales who are interested in growing hemp, and they will have a chance to learn more on Sunday, February 22, at Nanneella, during a field day.David's company, "Southern Hemp", will be at the "Seymour Alternative Farming Field Day" in April this year.