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

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

Climate change and it impact on life in Australia's northern parts has been ignored by the Australia Football League (AFL) as it has progressed plans to build a multi-million dollar stadium in Darwin, the capital of Northern Territory.The climate community is well aware that wet-bulb temperatures expected in Darwin within decades could make life in that northern capital not only difficult, but for many people, fatal.Senior players from the Brisbane Football Club (that's on the other side of the country, but still in a northern state) had urged the AFL not to schedule matches to start before midday as it is simply too hot.Here is what Fox Sports had to say about the Darwin plans: "‘A truly national AFL’: $735m Darwin stadium plan unveiled as NT bids to land 20th club";"Peter Dutton’s new energy plan sounds like a gas. In reality it means more emissions – and more profits for industry";"‘Hard to see how lower pricing will emerge’: Experts doubtful of Dutton’s gas plan";"The oil industry takes its critics to court";"Fossil fuel companies get direct email line to Trump for exemption requests";"U.S. Honeybee Deaths Reach Record High: Survey";"Earth’s soil is drying up. It could be irreversible.";"Seymour Alternative Farming Expo".

Economist Angela Jackson (pictured) was among the guests on the ABC's latest Q&A program and talked passionately about the seriousness and reality of climate change."Their profit, our cost: Should fossil fuel companies pay for climate disasters?";"Confirmed: 2024 was the hottest year on record in the air and the oceans";"The maps that reveal how climate disasters are driving up insurance premiums in Sydney";"Zali Steggall stands by controversial offshore wind, seeks to broaden climate debate";"Greenhouse gas emissions. Winning slowly or losing the battle?";"'Devastating' wildfires in South Korea claim lives and force evacuations";"South Korea Battles Some of Its Worst-Ever Wildfires";"2024 Wrapped: Yes, Climate Change Will Probably Kill You";"The Existential Threat of Ultra-Billionaires";"The true story behind the ‘gold bars’ at the heart of Trump’s biggest climate fight".

Emma Bacon (pictured) is among the most climate-aware and knowledgeable Australians and leads the Sydney-based non-government organisation. "Sweltering Cities".You can hear more of Ms Bacon's almost prescient thinking on the "Finding Nature" podcast.If you're in Geelong this Friday, March 28, get along to that city's "Climate Cafe"."Garbage trucks are catching fire. Your battery could be to blame";"Forget the Future — The Fall of Society Has Already Begun";"I Wrote A Book About Water: Here’s What I Learned";"‘Sugar-daddy’ Trump comes for CSIRO on scientific research funding";"US Banks Quit Climate Alliances and Targets. What Does This Mean for a Green Transition?";"‘Apoplectic’ environment groups halt Coalition attack ads to take aim at Albanese over species’ ‘death warrant’";"Billionaires Advance Fossil Fuels at “Energy Super Bowl” in Houston";"Here’s How the Right Is Packaging Its Conspiracies in Environmentalism".

The 89 Percent Project is a year-long global journalistic effort to explore a pivotal but little-known fact about climate change: The overwhelming majority of the world’s people want their governments to take stronger action. The project launches on April 20, 2025, with a week of focused coverage by journalists and newsrooms worldwide coinciding with Earth Day. A second week of focused coverage will come in October, before Brazil's COP30 UN climate summit.The idea of The 89 Percent Project arose from a slew of recent scientific studies finding that the overwhelming majority of the world’s people — between 80 and 89% — want stronger climate action. This overwhelming global majority of people, however, does not realize that they are a majority; most think their fellow citizens don’t agree.

Climate change is a dilemma that appears to escape the understanding of most people astounding me."In the Australian outback, climate change widens the racial divide";"The outlook for house insurance is much worse than we’re being told";"Trump may ax EPA’s research office and fire most of its staff";"Trump’s attacks on science are a massive blow to Australia. These numbers show why";"Helene blew through nearly six months ago. North Carolina’s recovery has barely begun.";"Why Europe is going ‘car-free’";"How restaurant leftovers are playing a role in audacious bid to bring life back to Port Phillip Bay".

Anthony Stott (pictured) is a Geelong psychologist, whose fertile mind helps us understand how we can profit from his fresh idea of "Green Prosperity"'.Anthony has put Green Prosperity on the table. Beyond that bold and adventurous thinking, he helps people through the travails of climate anxiety through his work at Aspire Health and Psychology at Werribee.This thoughtful fellow first attracted the attention of Climate Conversations at a recent gathering of the "Geelong Climate Cafe ".During our conversation, we discussed Green Prosperity's likeness to the "Degrowth Network of Australia", although as Anthony points out, the two have subtle and important differences.Anthony has written two papers on Green Prosperity, both are freely available via email.

Usually, episodes of "Climate Conversations" begin with a relevant or outstanding quote, but this event from La Trobe University, "Climate change: where are we now?" was littered with powerful and important quotes.Subsequently, I decided it would be best if you listened first and then chose for yourself — enjoy, it is a powerful webinar.