Climate News: John Lewis came to Australia what seems like a lifetime ago, and although retired from full-time reporting at the Shepparton News, his column 'My Word', looks at climate change

Gardening Australia's Costa Georgiadis is excited about the Tatura Transitions event coming up on Sunday, August 23, at both the town's Cussen Park and the Italian Social Club. GV Community Energy is supporting the event, as are Zero Carbon Tatura; The Goulburn Valley Tree Group; Cussen Park; the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority; Tatura Rotary; Landcare; Sustainability Victoria; and The City of Greater Shepparton.There has been a rush for tickets for this free event, and even though it recently reached capacity, a few additional spots have been added, and they can be secured through Humanitix.

Europe heatwave sees continent roast - "Germany’s Rhine River may ‘split in two’ as new heatwave roasts Europe";"Electric car emissions benefits are far greater than first thought";"‘Truly Devastating’: Trump Ends Federal Funding for Key Arctic Climate Report";"When fuel prices rise, who picks up the pieces?";"‘Climate whiplash’ is not simply a buzzword, but a symptom of a warming planet";"These 5 charts show how far rooftop solar and home batteries can take us – and why we still need the grid";"Reef relief: how a late summer monsoon helped cool the Great Barrier Reef at just the right time".

Harry Rosson delivered the latest in the Public Money, Public Good lectures, titled "An economy that puts people & planet first: What it looks like & how to get there".In this lecture, Harry shows how we have been tricked into a destructive growth agenda, and how we can move beyond it for our and our planet's sake.

Monty Don tours the gardens of the River Rhine, wondering frequently about the impact of climate change - "Monty Don's Rhineland Gardens";"Earth Overshoot Day" – the date when humanity has consumed everything the planet can regenerate during the entire year. In 2026, that date arrived on 30 July;"What is climate gentrification? Why house prices are rising outside of Europe's city centres";"Fire, flood and wishful thinking: Why we’re not ready for Victoria’s climate future".

John Lewis came from England in what seems like a lifetime ago, and his first in Australia was with the Shepparton News.John, who quickly became a favourite with many readers of the city's newspaper, became, along with his family, an important member of the city's community, especially in the arts.Readers loved his "left field" writing, particularly in his column, "My Word", and the obvious empathy he had for people when he wrote about the daily lives of those he reported on.His latest column was: "Heated warnings from Europe"."‘Never seen so many grown men cry’: The everyday Aussies who can’t afford another disaster";"International rise in chronic idiocy".

Many things trigger migration, but a worsening climate enriches the mood among people to move, to find what they believe is a safer place.The Guardian tells about the thousands of people who stormed into one of Spain's territories in search of a better life, driven by many things, among them a worsening climate: "At least 57 people die as tens of thousands cross to Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco";"Britain could face food shortages as drought continues, farmers warn";"The Fossil Lobby Is Winning: 45 Climate Policy Reversals in One Year";"‘It looked like an atomic bomb’: The Aussie pilots flying into a French firestorm";"George and Amal Clooney flee luxury French home as wildfires rage";"Earth’s Warming Primed France and Spain to Burn, Scientists Find";"Extreme Heat Has Transformed What Summer Means Across Generations in Europe";"Climate migration is coming. Cincinnati wants to shape its effects.";"Why Climateflation Will Drive Food Prices More Than War";"Wildfires are raging – and the world has junked 45 climate pledges. Disaster looms, and little wonder".

Tim Flannery (pictured) was on the most recent edition of "Australia's Biggest Book Club" organised by The Australia Institute.Long had I been concerned that Tim had said, according to my climate-denying friends, Australia's dams would never fill again.Answering a question about that during this webinar, Tim said it was clearly misinformation and those claiming he said that should produce the evidence.

Tim Flannery, Australian mammalogist, palaeontologist, environmentalist, conservationist, explorer, author, science communicator, activist and public scientist, talks wth Climate Council CEO, Amanda McKenzie, about the new book he has written with his daughter, Emma.The book, "A Brief History of Climate Folly", is, according to one bookseller: "An outrageous history of dreamers and schemers who wanted to change the climate, from one of Australia's most recognised names in nature writing".You will find a link to the actual webinar here: "In Conversation with Prof. Tim Flannery".

The name David Wallace-Wells (pictured) was on everyone's lips following the publication of "The Uninhabitable Earth" and here he is being interviewed on the Canal Street Podcast,The title for that episode was "Climate Crisis Isn't Over".This episode of Canal Street is from earlier this year (2026), but it is well worth listening to.

Is humanity on a trajectory toward death - does it have an unwritten suicide pact with itself?Wars and major international sporting events contribute massively to the worsening of the world's climate, resulting in wildfires in both Canada and Europe."More than 200,000 people flee or lock down as wildfires sweep France and Spain";"A Tempting Remedy for Heat-Stricken France: Be More Like Spain";"What to Know About the Wildfires Raging in Western Europe";"MAGA’s Response to Wildfire Smoke? Blame Canada!";"Piketty Offers a Vision for Sharing What We Have Left, But How Do We Convince the 1%?".