Interview: Victorian November State election - independent candidate Lou Costa cares about the environment, cares about you and cares about the community from the Shepparton electorate

Lou Costa is a Shepparton girl who was born in the city, had her early education here and became a landscape garden designer after studying in Melbourne.Her chosen profession has seen her, and these are Lou's words: "Dig dirt" throughout the Shepparton electorate,The Rushworth mother of two is an independent candidate for the Saturday, November 28, Victorian election. As an independent with no political background or affiliations, Lou says she answers only to the community, people who live and work in the Shepparton electorate.Lou says she has no political or corporate affiliations, and so her only interest in becoming the Member for Shepparton is in securing what is best for those in the electorate and the people of Victoria.

A mixed bag of voices for this next instalment of 500 people in 50 weeks - The weatherman, the data-driven guy, the farmer, the fellow whose career has been in water and Wilma - all have their say on climate change.You can also have your say, contact me via email at [email protected]; I'll get back to you, and we can chat by phone and via Zoom.

Australia's PM, Anthony Albanese says one thing and does another: "Albanese takes climate warning to New York, but fossil fuel experts test credibility";"Elites Have NO PLAN for Climate Collapse" - YouTube;"Elites Have No Plan for Climate Collapse" - story;"Trump dismantled U.S. climate policy. But his war is cutting emissions.";"Melbourne could adopt a European work trend – but half the population might be left behind";"Multifaith responses to climate change";"‘News to me’: Inside the suburb flagged as Melbourne’s first walkable neighbourhood".

Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick speaks honestly and factually about the certainties of climate change and although those facts can be alarming and depressing, she doesn't want people to be overwhelmed; she wants them to act to counter the dilemma.Professor Perkins-Kirkpatrick is a mother first and, second, a climate scientist, and she doesn't want her views to influence others about having a family.I had a somewhat formulaic approach for my interview with the Professor, but it quickly became almost a chat between friends, or that's how it felt for me.

People from all points on the arc of concern answer my 10 set questions about climate change.Opinions are as diverse as the people questioned, but generally there appeared to be some concern about humanity's approach to what some see as an existential threat.This project seeks the views of 500 people in 50 weeks, asking what they think about climate change.

Some interviewees call for more conversation about climate change as they want more people to know more about the dilemma - what's causing it, what are the impacts and what should be done.Although no one articulated it in so few words, they want government at all levels to engage communities and explain, in simple terms, what climate change is and how people should both respond and behave.Asked whether the emphasis should be on mitigation or adaptation, most respondents thought we should be tackling both.However, one respondent considered that turning our attention to adaptation was the equivalent of giving up on mitigation.

Retired farmer, Charlie Prell, champions renewable energy, saying wind turbines took his farm from having a debt problem to having a tax problem.Charlie, who has retired to a home on the New South Wales coast, has equated the rise of renewable energy with the force and power of a rising ocean tide.He mentioned that the world was heading towards serious economic troubles, a difficulty reflected in a story from The Melbourne Age - "The four horsemen of the apocalypse are coming for the global economy".

The Zero Waste Festival at Melbourne's Federation Square had many attractions, among them a "Repair Cafe".Lia, who plays a key role in organising and helping out at two Repair Cafes, one at Melbourne's "St Kilda", orchestrated the Federation Square Cafe and was kind enough to talk with Climate Conversations.The idea behind Repair Cafes challenges the corporate ideology of our throwaway world and, in the process, helps reduce our carbon emissions.Complementing the Zero Waste Festival, the Repair Cafes play a critical role in reducing our waste stream.

Another 10 people were interviewed, and their responses to 10 similar questions, despite the odd outlier, illustrate their eagerness for a broader understanding of climate change."Keep asking questions", one interviewee said.She said the questions were good, not lecturing and were drawing people along, rather than forcing them to justify their position.If you want to be a part of this project, you can contact me on the phone at 0400 502 199 or via email at [email protected].

Author, filmmaker, and activist, Naomi Klein talks about the concern she has for supremacist governments. "AI data centre puts Melbourne’s West Gate Bridge at risk";"What flash droughts and a super El Nino will mean for your summer";"‘Deaths Will Continue to Mount,’ Scientist Warns After August and Summer 2026 Set US Heat Records";"Investments promising social or environmental benefits need tougher anti‑greenwashing rules";"Half-billion-dollar battery project to power Shepparton North";"Auckland has an overlooked traffic pollution problem – and it’s not from exhausts".