Andrew Watkins | Lightnews

Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 4h

BoM quietly declares La Niña. “Latest assessments of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) indicate La Niña is underway.“

“The Bureau's model currently predicts that tropical Pacific Ocean temperatures are likely to remain at La Niña levels until early 2026”

www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso...

www.bom.gov.au

Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 4h

Great BBC article on the psychology of why the BoM website update flopped. The site redesign revealed a ‘cultural blindness’ as to why Australians had a love for the old clunky site and the information it provided.
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Bom: Why Australians are furious with their beloved weather website

Nicknamed the Bom, the country's weather agency has been heavily criticised over a recent redesign.

www.bbc.com

Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 12h

Climate Change Authority progress report to government just released
"Australia is expected to badly miss its 2035 climate commitment, according to Climate Change Authority projections."
{sigh}
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
Actual report: www.climatechangeauthority.gov.au/2025-annual-...

www.climatechangeauthority.gov.au

Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 13h

“The government refused to include climate considerations in the act”
Bugger.

Guardian Australia @australia.theguardian.com · 16h

Labor strikes deal with Greens to pass long-awaited overhaul of nature protection laws

The deal to re-write the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act marks an end to a five-year struggle to fix the broken system * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Labor has struck a deal with the Greens to overhaul federal environmental protection laws on parliament’s final sitting day of the year, ending a five-year struggle to deliver on Graeme Samuel’s blueprint to fix the broken system. The Greens have agreed to support Labor’s re-write of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act after securing further concessions from the government amid tense and prolonged negotiations. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

Guardian Australia @australia.theguardian.com · 16h

Labor strikes deal with Greens to pass long-awaited overhaul of nature protection laws

The deal to re-write the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act marks an end to a five-year struggle to fix the broken system * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Labor has struck a deal with the Greens to overhaul federal environmental protection laws on parliament’s final sitting day of the year, ending a five-year struggle to deliver on Graeme Samuel’s blueprint to fix the broken system. The Greens have agreed to support Labor’s re-write of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act after securing further concessions from the government amid tense and prolonged negotiations. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 1d

“Two cup holders for an AUKUS sub”

mr dog @firstdogonthemoon.bsky.social · 1d

I wasn't going to do a cartoon about this at all but then i found it cost 100 million dollars!!!! www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Have you seen the new BoM website? Everyone is so mad about it | First Dog on the Moon

We just want things to work! Why is that too much to ask at the end of the world?

www.theguardian.com

Tim Baxter @timinclimate.bsky.social · 1d

Tomorrow is Climate Report Christmas with the CCA's Annual Progress Review, the Annual Climate Statement, the Annual Emissions Projections, and the Quarterly Emissions data all coming out at once.

What's your tip for the weirdest accounting fudge the government will try to sneak through?

mr dog @firstdogonthemoon.bsky.social · 1d

I wasn't going to do a cartoon about this at all but then i found it cost 100 million dollars!!!! www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Have you seen the new BoM website? Everyone is so mad about it | First Dog on the Moon

We just want things to work! Why is that too much to ask at the end of the world?

www.theguardian.com

Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 2d

Luckily in Western Australia (Perth) government listened to BoM and CSIRO scientists in IOCI, and made changes to water use and supply. We now have day zero case studies of non-science response (Cape Town, Tehran) and science response (Perth).

Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 2d

The drought in Iran that may see the evacuation of Tehran (10 million people) was made much more likely and more severe by climate change.
New rapid-assessment by WWA.
www.worldweatherattribution.org/human-induce...

Human-induced climate change compounded by socio-economic water stressors increased severity of 5-year drought in Iran and Euphrates and Tigris basin – World Weather Attribution

www.worldweatherattribution.org

Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 2d

I’m a huge fan… there are a lot of ‘soft’ records out there and a lot of extremes that are far more likely than people think. After all, ‘observations’ are just one ensemble member…

Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 2d

Isn’t this the UKMO Unprecedented Simulated Extremes using ENsembles (UNSEEN) idea?
We adopted that for Australia’s first National Climate Risk Assessment to assess ‘now’ (GWL1.2)
www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/cli...

Predicting extreme weather

How can you accurately calculate the chance of extreme weather? Innovative research techniques using the Met Office’s supercomputer is breaking new ground.

www.metoffice.gov.uk

Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 3d

no, definitely thank you Michael.

Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 3d

I wrote some of my thoughts about CoP in another forum, then discovered I was not alone. The CoP process has achieved great outcomes, but its now hitting brick walls when we most need to hit targets. Do yourself a favour, and have a read of this...

Michael E. Mann @michaelemann.bsky.social · 4d

"Bad COP" | My new commentary on #COP30:
michaelmann.net/bad-cop/

Bad COP | Michael E. Mann

The COP30 global climate summit in Brazil may have been the last opportunity for the nations of the world to reach an agreement that limits planetary […]

michaelmann.net

Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 3d

Worth a read IMHO. We need something new to move foreword from the CoP hijack.
thanks @michaelemann.bsky.social
michaelmann.net/bad-cop/

Bad COP | Michael E. Mann

The COP30 global climate summit in Brazil may have been the last opportunity for the nations of the world to reach an agreement that limits planetary […]

michaelmann.net

Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 3d

There isn’t Big Clouroflourocarbon (CFC) or CFC States. That’s it.

Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 4d

Agree - if it wasn't for the APS FTE cap introduced by the LNP there may never have been such a pickle.

Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 4d

"But now, the fact the BOM has been hiding the true cost of its white elephant and initially lying about the total figure is deeply concerning, considering that the BOM should be all about trust."

ABC News Bot (unofficial) @abcnewsbot.bsky.social · 4d

Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt has asked the weather agency's new boss to examine how the website's cost and redesign went so wrong.

BOM's new website and $96.5m cost-blowout under renewed scrutiny by minister

Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt has asked the weather agency's new boss to examine how the website's cost and redesign went so wrong.

www.abc.net.au

Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 4d

A plan for a plan?

ABC News Bot (unofficial) @abcnewsbot.bsky.social · 4d

Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt has asked the weather agency's new boss to examine how the website's cost and redesign went so wrong.

BOM's new website and $96.5m cost-blowout under renewed scrutiny by minister

Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt has asked the weather agency's new boss to examine how the website's cost and redesign went so wrong.

www.abc.net.au

Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 4d

Highest wind gust recorded at Darwin Airport for Tracy was 217kmh before the anemometer broke.
Highest for Fina at the airport was 107 kmh.
Not really the same ballpark, but still scary.

Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 4d

TC Tracy in Darwin 1974 as a comparison. That’s my friend/colleague Mark Williams in the bathtub (top left) that he spent the night in with a colleague.
TC Fina damage vs this = changes in climate risk and resilience (primarily building codes). #climateadaptation
media.bom.gov.au/social/blog/...

Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 4d

Stuart Minchin says BoM website cost $96m.
Only $92m more than old boss claimed.
Splitting hairs really.

www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...

Total bill for BoM’s new website came in at $96 million

In his first interview, new Bureau of Meteorology chief Stuart Minchin has revealed the eye-watering true cost of its lambasted new website.

www.smh.com.au

Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 4d

"A voluntary agreement to begin discussions on a roadmap to an eventual phase-out of fossil fuels."
The sum total of progress in over 30 years of UNFCCC CoP meetings. How else do we do this?
(Image @gergyl.bsky.social )

Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 4d

Is this thing on?
(Annual post)

Michael E. Mann @michaelemann.bsky.social · 4d

"Bad COP" | My new commentary on #COP30:
michaelmann.net/bad-cop/

Bad COP | Michael E. Mann

The COP30 global climate summit in Brazil may have been the last opportunity for the nations of the world to reach an agreement that limits planetary […]

michaelmann.net

David Jones @ozhillbilly.bsky.social · 4d

Middle Point with 393mm and still raining has broken the Northern Territory November station record by nearly 100mm.

The records are available at reg.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/clim...

Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 6d

“Well sir, there's nothing on Earth like a genuine, bona-fide, electrified, six-car monorail!"

Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 6d

The attacks on science by some governments is reaching new lows, but sadly this is slowly shifting the Overton window (the range of political ideas that are acceptable to the public) globally. Hence easier to cut science now than ever before, right when we need it most
#sadface #novotesonadeadplanet