Interview: Challenges on the home farm were the catalyst for the National Renewables in Agriculture Conference and Expo, this year in Bendigo

The City of Greater Shepparton followed the earlier lead of other municipalities, declaring a "climate emergency" in 2020, passing the motion on the casting vote of the then mayor, Cr Seema Adullah.Shepparton climate activists are concerned that the new council, elected last year and whose climate credentials are unknown, will move to see that 2020 reversed, just as has been the case at Mornington: "Mornington Peninsula council scraps climate emergency plan".On April 22, the organisation that has been set up by journalists for journalists, "Covering Climate Now", organised and staged a webinar with a panel of three, moderated by the Audience Editor from Covering Climate Now, Theresa Riley, which discussed "The Future of Climate Activism".A poem from Ashanti Kunene stunned the audience with her act of provacation and the opening of the "Systemic Investing Summit 2025".Former U.S. Vice President, Al Gore, ignited the San Francisco "Climate Week Conference" when he compared some Trump administration actions to those of Nazi Germany.And The Guardian covered the same issue: "Al Gore draws parallels between Trump 2.0 and early Nazi Germany in speech".From The Washington Post: "For Earth Day 2025, here are simple planet-friendly activities that people can incorporate into their lives, starting with their morning shower."Again from The Washington Post: "This Earth Day, there are some reasons to be hopeful about the climate".

Rob Bakes from Vote Climate One, which includes the Traffic Light Election Guide, says, "The only thing we've got left is one another; we can't rely on government."He also says, "When you look at the science, we are in real troubles, We're buggered".Rob, whose passion is as wide as it is deep, finds comfort in talking with Geelong's Mik Aidt, who runs the bay City's "The Sustainable Hour".The Traffic Light Election Guide has already proved its worth, and Rob has urged people to take the advice it offers and make certain that, come Saturday, May 3, Australia will have a minority government.

Daniel Lancefield (pictured), who manages the "Victorian Clean Tech Cluster", worked in community organisations and not-for-profits for more than 15 years in sport and the arts before joining the Victorian Cleantech Cluster as Manager in 2022. Since then, Daniel has developed a deep passion and appreciation for all things clean and green, and has an extensive network of people across clean technology, climate technology, circular economy and sustainability. He's now overseeing the staging of the group's "Australian Cleantech Showcase 2025" on Wednesday, April 30, at "The Timber Yard" in Port Melbourne.The event is sponsored by the "Fishermans Bend Ideas Group", "Earth Systems", the "City of Melbourne", and the "Melbourne Climate Network".

Taking the nuclear conversation to the people: "Online Citizen Assembly";"The Climate Council's Climate Risk Map of Australia";"Weather tracker: north-west Italy braces for thunderstorms and snow";"One brick higher";"Victorian Liberal leader distances state party from Peter Dutton’s nuclear proposal: ‘Our focus is gas";"Coalition scores just 1/100 points for environment and climate policies from conservation organisation";"How climate change could disrupt the construction and operations of US nuclear submarines";"Ten things we learned from Peter Dutton’s speech at the Liberal party campaign launch";"Can climate scientists save the world?";"Sudden closure of Story Bridge to cyclists shows ‘car is still king in Brisbane’";"Peter Dutton’s climate policy backslide threatens Australia’s clout in the Pacific – right when we need it most";"Most bike lanes in inner Melbourne have less than 40% tree cover – that’ll get worse, new maps show";"Outback publican finds hostelry coated in mud as residents return to tiny Queensland outpost after flooding";"Layoffs at NOAA Signal Setback for Climate Research and National Security";"Big Oil Seeks to Shield Itself From Climate Liability While Trump Is in Power";"Deadly floods and storms affected more than 400,000 people in Europe in 2024";"Climate Change Is Helping Heartworm Spread to Pets in the Mountain West";"Is AUKUS a priority when climate change - which should be the focus - is about to upend our region?".

Democracy, that&#39;s democracy as envisaged by Emeritus Professor Joseph Camilleri and his Online Citizen Assembly he writes about in Pearls and Irritations.He argues, &quot; Australia’s fading democracy calls for radical rethinking&quot;;&quot;Paris said au revoir to cars. Air pollution maps reveal a dramatic change.&quot;;&quot;The Australien Government has made an ad for the coming election, and it’s surprisingly honest and informative!&quot;;&quot;Trump plan would eliminate NOAA climate research, slash agency budget&quot;;&quot;Trump’s new reason for canceling grants: ‘Climate anxiety’&quot;;&quot;World Expo 2025 opens in Osaka themed &#39;Designing Future Society for Our Lives&#39;&quot;;&quot;Fresh details emerge on Australia’s new climate migration visa for Tuvalu residents. An expert explains&quot;;&quot;Scottish wildfire risk increases after lack of spring showers&quot;;&quot;UK weather: wildfire warning as hottest day of the year expected&quot;;&quot;Some good news on the climate transition&quot;;&quot;Pollen peril: how heat, thunder and smog are creating deadly hay fever seasons&quot;;&quot; California’s $59bn agriculture industry reels under Trump’s wavering tariffs&quot;;&quot;Beyond anxiety: Teens’ mental health suffers on Africa’s climate frontlines&quot;;&quot;Fire smoke tied to thousands of premature deaths in 2017 alone&quot;;&quot;Trump Guts Agency Critical to Worker Safety as Temperatures Rise&quot;;&quot;‘Waste Wars’: A Conflict With No End in Sight&quot;;&quot;The Home of Natural Sequence Farming&quot;;&quot;A Natural Sequence Farm.&quot;;&quot;Victoria wants to burn more waste for energy – in someone else’s electorate&quot;;&quot;March 2025: Earth’s 3rd-warmest March on record&quot;;&quot;Some good news on the climate transition&quot;;&quot;New Trump Administration Directives to Repeal Environmental Regulations En Masse Make ‘No Sense,’ Legal Experts Say&quot;;&quot;Worldwide decline of the entomofauna: A review of its drivers&quot;;&quot;NOAA Scientists Are Cleaning Bathrooms and Reconsidering Lab Experiments After Contracts for Basic Services Expire&quot;;&quot;Meet a Family That’s Betting the Farm on a Wild Idea. Literally&quot;;&quot;Bridges and Tunnels in Colorado Are Helping Animals Commute&quot;;&quot;Governments agree green shipping targets and fees for missing them&quot;;&quot;Renewable and Low-Carbon Sources Accounted for Over 40% of Global Electricity Production in 2024: Report&quot;;&quot;Friday essay: in an uncertain world, ‘green relief’ offers respite, healing and beauty&quot;;&quot;Australian voters are left in the dark on climate targets as they head to the ballot box&quot;;&quot;‘Endearing and fascinating’ yellow-bellied glider faces ‘inexorable slide’ into extinction&quot;;&quot;Green activist group is pausing work after backlash by investors&quot;;&quot;The unusual inspiration for this energy-free cooling system is elephant skin&quot;;&quot;‘Deep Change Theory’ Could Pull Us Out of a Global Climate and Pollution Crisis, Scientists Say&quot;;&quot;Trump Orders a U.S. Exit From the World’s Main Climate Pact&quot;;&quot;‘Everyone is breathing this’: how just trying to stay warm is killing thousands a year in the world’s coldest capital&quot;;&quot;Energy demands from AI datacentres to quadruple by 2030, says report&quot;;&quot;Bigger than Texas: the true size of Australia’s devastating floods&quot;;&quot;Not enough water available for Coalition’s nuclear proposal to run safely, report finds&quot;;&quot;Trump’s EPA Plans to Stop Collecting Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data From Most Polluters&quot;;&quot;The Coalition prepares to soften Australia’s 2030 climate target, while reaffirming its commitment to the Paris Agreement&quot;;&quot;How Capitalism Crashes Democracy&quot;;&quot;Livestock producer speaks with SBS about impacts of floods in south-west Queensland&quot;;&quot;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/04/03/ev-factories-canceled/

Dr Cathy OPke (pictured) was at TEDx Bendigo talking about our Cities: Our Climate Change Antiheroes’ and challenging us to reimagine cities as robust climate solutions rather than just sources of emissions. She explained that while national governments debate, cities are becoming command centers for climate action - a role so crucial that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is preparing its first-ever special report focused on cities. Through examples from Bendigo to Singapore, Cathy Oke shows how 13,000 local governments worldwide are already leading bold climate initiatives, often outpacing national action. The future of our climate will be decided in our cities, she argues, and every citizen has a role in this transformation. Dr Cathy Oke OAM is a leading voice in urban sustainability and city leadership, combining 25 years of practical and academic expertise. She serves as Associate Professor in Informed Cities in the Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning and Director of the Melbourne Centre for Cities at the University of Melbourne, while advising the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy on research and innovation. &quot;Understanding climate change&quot;;&quot;A UNSW Australian Human Rights Institute report shows Australia’s fossil fuel exports are a significant contributor to global warming&quot;;&quot;The Rise and Fall of Degrowth&quot;;&quot;Australia urgently needs to get serious about long-term climate policy – but there’s no sign of that in the election campaign&quot;;&quot;Reality check: coral restoration won’t save the world’s reefs&quot;;&quot;Nations debate historic first global carbon tax as shipping faces pressure to cut emissions&quot;;&quot;NYC and Long Island Could Lose 80,000 Homes to Flooding by 2040, Exacerbating Housing Crisis: Report&quot;;&quot;Meet Zen, the border collie teaching rescue dogs as climate change compounds avalanche risks&quot;;&quot;Scientists say human-caused pollution may be masking the true extent of climate warming&quot;;&quot;‘Their determination is heroic’: Portuguese youth mount fresh climate lawsuit against government&quot;;&quot;‘Society is at a crossroads’: 5 deep changes experts say will turn us away from the climate abyss&quot;;&quot;In the rain-soaked South, storms portend future ‘generational’ floods&quot;;&quot;These recycling techniques could help keep clothes out of landfills&quot;;&quot;Pet dogs have ‘extensive and multifarious’ impact on environment, new research finds&quot;;&quot;Why California and the West could face a ‘big fire season’ later this year&quot;;&quot;Oil Execs Warn Privately That Trump’s ‘Chaos’ Could Be ‘Disaster’ for Their Industry&quot;;&quot;Coalition nuclear plan will plough $58bn wrecking ball through renewable energy projects, analysis warns&quot;;&quot;Pipis, octopi, starfish and more have died en masse in South Australia, but it&#39;s not clear why&quot;;&quot;Climate Change is even worse than we thought, but this might be good news.&quot;;&quot;Climate crisis on track to destroy capitalism, warns top insurer&quot;;&quot;Beyond the Threshold: The Urgency of Climate Change&quot;;&quot;Labor’s home batteries policy could help people who will never take it up. Here’s how&quot;;&quot;Here’s who topped the rankings in this year’s scorecard for sustainable chocolate – and which confectionery giant refused to participate&quot;;&quot;In Florida, Skyrocketing Insurance Rates Test Resolve of Homeowners in Risky Areas&quot;;&quot;I’m a disaster reporter. But I was not prepared to watch my city burn.&quot;;&quot;Trump administration orders half of national forests open for logging&quot;;&quot;Antarctica’s hidden threat: meltwater under the ice sheet amplifies sea-level rise&quot;;&quot;Batteries for all, not just the rich? Labor’s home battery plan must be properly targeted to be fair&quot;;&quot;98% of Queensland prawn areas at risk of inundation by rising seas this century&quot;;&quot;‘Same shit, different year’: Australia records hottest 12 months and warmest March on record&quot;;&quot;It’s not easy being a street tree, but this heroic eucalypt withstands everything we throw at it&quot;;&quot;<a href="https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/04/08/minister-was-involved-in-carbon-price-decision-despite-owning-carbon-forestry-block/?utm_source=Newsroom&utm_campaign=c8849d3dc0-Daily_Briefing+09.04.2025&utm_medium=email&ut

Glenn Connley (pictured), moderator for the "Climate Academy" webinar organised by The Australia Institute.Industrial Atlantic salmon farming near Tasmania is a story that needs to be told and understood, and this "Climate Academy" webinar moderated by Glenn Connley and featuring Leanne Minshull and Eloise Carr is a wonderful opportunity for people to learn more about what's happening in this southern Australian State.Also, it's an equally wonderful chance to learn more about what's happening to Maugean Skate that has inhabited Australian waters, well, 300 square kilometres of Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania's west coast.The Skate has inhabited the harbour since T-Rex roamed the Earth.

Linden Ashcroft (pictured) went from wanting to be a poet to climate science, although she still dabbles in poetry.Linden grew up in country Victoria, in Tatura near Shepparton, on the lands of the Yorta Yorta people, and is a lecturer, climate scientist and science communicator at the University of Melbourne.Her parents still live in Tatura, and she will be back there on Saturday, September 6, for an event organised by the Transition Towns group in Tatura.The Tatura Transition Towns program will include, in addition to Linden, a performance from the Melbourne band, "Music for a Warming World".Short films and other identities are being organised now for the September 6 event.People can learn more about "Tatura Transition Towns" by checking its Facebook page.

Challenges on her home farm prompted Karin Stark (pictured) to pull together her first National Renewables in Agriculture Conference and Expo in 2019. Now, this year's event will be in Bendigo. In what is a first for Victoria, the conference and expo will be held at The Capital Theatre in View St, Bendigo, on Wednesday, July 23.The expo opens at 8:00 a.m., and the conference follows at 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.On the National Renewables in Agriculture Conference and Expo website, it says:"This event brings together farmers, agriculture and energy consultants, peak bodies and Government representatives to share stories of on-farm renewables, their business case and discuss what’s driving the transformation of energy use in agriculture."Large scale solar and wind developments present opportunities for farmers and regional communities if planned well with meaningful engagement around benefit sharing. These topics plus combining farming and solar, termed agrivoltaics, also forms part of the yearly Conference program."Ms Stark has urged farmers to attend the event and hear the keynote speaker, the Energy Program Director from the Grattan Institute "Are we there yet? The country’s economic transformation".

Australia&#39;s former Secretary to the Treasurer, Ken Henry (pictured) has written about &quot;cowardly politics&quot; and &quot;robbing our children blind&quot;, along with the &#39;juvenile climate politics&quot; - &quot;Cowardly politics is robbing our children blind. It’s time to be brave&quot;;&quot;Citizen Future: why we need a new story of self and society&quot;;&quot;I’ve spent my life fighting nuclear. Here’s what Dutton isn’t telling you about his reactors&quot;;&quot;Renewables v nuclear: the facts point to one clear winner&quot;;&quot;Trump’s ‘climate’ purge deleted a new extreme weather risk tool. We recreated it&quot;;&quot;Solar panel windows that could turn whole buildings into power plants smash electricity record&quot;;&quot;Energy expert slams Dutton&#39;s &#39;populist anti-market&#39; gas plan as self-defeating &#39;betrayal&#39;&quot;;&quot;Winter sea ice in the Arctic just hit a record low&quot;;&quot;Outback flood tops 1974 levels, as residents evacuate amid major stock loss fears&quot;;&quot;Small town flown out as ‘dynamic’ flooding hits large parts of Queensland&quot;;&quot;New York to make major greenhouse gas emitters pay for past pollution&quot;.