sydney weather - what a day
 

Happy New Year everyone.

It hit 44C in Sydney today according to the temperature readout on the ferry departure boards at Circular Quay.

Maybe they had been in the sun earlier in the day; maybe it was only 40C!! But I can tell you that walking out into Darling Harbour from the a/c spaces of the National Maritime Museum at 5.30pm was like nothing I have ever felt here before.

I'm not a stranger to seriously hot - but it's not normal in Sydney. And, while we are on the subject, 2005 was the hottest year on record in Australia.

Could all of you who still refuse to accept that global warming is a fact (especially the lovely Americans) please wake up.

Let's remember the US president does NOT speak for us all. Most of us fully get the global warming issue.

Wish it would warm up a bit here in Wales.

;-)
Muck

And happy new year to you, fuzzylogic, and everyone.

I do have to back oliverandharry on that one, though - as the Australian government has refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol, berating the US is a bit like the pot calling the kettle black.

It hit 45 at Sydney Airport yesterday. We were visiting my in-laws in the Kurrajong Hills area about 70 km NW of Sydney, and the aircon system wheezed and struggled so much that it was 35 INSIDE the house.

Our two sons were in Deniliquin, in the SW of NSW, and reported 47. In the old scale, that's a little under 117.

Woke this morning in Canberra to a (very modest) shower of rain and much cooler temperatures.

Must echo oliverandharry. Please don't lump all of us diverse Americans together regarding any issue, global warming included. I certainly get it even if this current US president doesn't. I wish I could apologize to the world for the things he doesn't get! I'm actually working hard to get politicians in power who do understand science and reality. Probably a dangerous thread to get into here on a travel forum, but must respond to stay that we don't all agree with Bush, or Howard for that matter, even if we have to live with them for now.

Hey fuzzylogic, as a lovely American I don't want to be blamed for the global warming or any weather problem.

In fact I just wish I could get our city fathers here in my city to keep the stormdrains, the creeks and the canals properly maintained as we have had horrendous flooding due to some very severe storms in North California. The flooding in the city I live in is the worse in its history per the news.

So I join you in your frustration. If you have a good solution I and so many others would be most interested.

Hey Neil, glad you got a bit of cooler weather. Have heard about the terrible hot weather in your country and also the wildfires outside of Sydney. Our Oklahoma and Texas are having the same problem in some areas.

Happy New Year everyone!!

Has anyone read Michael Crichton's 'State of Fear'? I found it a fascinating take on the concept of global warming and everything he writes about is backed up by historical data.

I think what I really learned was to question the media hype...

What do you all think?

I've read a couple of Michael Crichton's SF novels. He always cites reams of references and cleverly uses scientific advances to construct his plots, but he's not taken seriously by real scientists. Judging by the reviews,
"State of Fear" reads like it was commissioned by Exxon.

It seems to me that we have two extremes of opinion. On the one hand people with an apocalyptic and deeply pessimistic view of the future; on the other, a mix of those with a vested interest in doing nothing and those who'd just rather not contemplate life without their energy-hungry McMansions and Suburban Assault Vehicles.

I can accept that we may be entering a naturally-occurring climate cycle. However, to imagine that we can go on populating, deforesting, overfishing and polluting the planet with no consequences seems to me to be self-serving delusion. Any government worth its salt should be forcing the development of alternative energy sources, and actively discouraging wasteful energy consumption.

That's my 2c worth.

Neil - I agree with what you have just said totally and absolutely. But not with your earlier post implying that Australia not signing the Kyoto Protocol, and the US not signing, amount to the same thing (pot calling kettle black).

Australia as we all know has a population of 20 million. The US has a population of c. 300 million. Oz has a strong green movement; it seems the US does not. They are (geez I wish I could remember the exact figures - but I will downplay them to be on the safe side) - they represent 20% of the world's population guzzling 70% of the world's resources.

If there is someone out where who can quote the precise figures, with provenance, then I would be grateful and we'd all be better informed as a result.