The Malaysian Meteorological Department in a report (http://www.met.gov.my/pdf_archives/Flood_17_20Dec2006.pdf) attributed the disaster to "cold surges, strong convergence and cyclonic wind shear". Whatever the cause, my family was among many who found their homes underwater.

The loss of property, valuables and time is a small price paid compared to those who found their homes entirely submerged and losing friends and family. Although it happened almost 2 years ago, the disaster continues to be a reminder as to how much our climate has changed and the 'predictability' of seasons no longer as reliable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006-2007_Malaysian_floods

Consistent reductions of between 10-25% have been achieved through common sense practices.

As Station Leader Matt Dahlberg explains:

"We turn off lights when leaving rooms. Store and workshop lights are turned off overnight. Stereos are turned off when people aren't around.

We try not to use electrical heaters when site services are available. Site services transfer hot water around the station which is generated from waste heat from the diesel generators.
There are several fridges, a freezer & hot water services in various workplaces that are not currently in use.

The spa and sauna are not left on. The spa is turned on about a day in advance of anticipated use.

Computer monitors are turned off by some when not in use.
Our Plant Inspector Lionel does a few laps of the station most nights. As 'the old night watch' he turns off anything left on.

We still have all the external lighting left on for pedestrian safety but this could be put on timers.

There is scope to continue to improve our energy efficiency without changing building infrastructure.

Changing habits does take awareness, understanding, patience and vigilance.

It is highly commendable and rather astounding the difference that can be made quite simply. It does challenge the ethics of all of us. We waste a lot in our culture." (Photo D. McVeigh)

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From this point a working party was established to run "The Green Elephant Market Day", to raise funds and awareness amongst the school population and broader local community.

As we continue to work towards long term goals, community members will prioritise and implement strategies to move the school towards achieving greater environmental sustainability.

This video outlines the work of students, staff and community members who are part of the Junior Landcare Program at Burrumbuttock Public School, an award winning world leader in environmental education.

Students learn about things such as companion planting, reducing water use, recycling and generally reducing their impact on the environment.

Junior Landcare is an initiative of Landcare Australia which aims to increase environmental awareness and responsibility among students.

The Great Barrier Reef has been affected by mass bleaching events. Widespread bleaching occurred in 1998 and again in 2002. In both of these years, bleaching was recorded on 50-60 per cent of reefs.

More recently in the summer of 2006, reefs in the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef were affected by bleaching. Unusually high sea temperatures around inshore reefs caused 40% of corals to die at these reefs.

We can all make a difference to the health of the reef by minimising our contributions to climate change by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.

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Pygmy possums are threatened by a decline in the annual snowfall. They are also suffering from a shortage of food caused by drought, especially the migrating bogong moth.

Pygmy possums are endangered, and there are only a thousand or so of them left in a few boulder fields above 1800 m in the NSW and Victorian Alps.

The story was filmed at Charlotte Pass, a ski resort in Kosciuszko National Park.

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Secondly, you can help to ensure that the Great Barrier Reef is healthy. Individuals should remember that what goes down the drain will end up out at sea. People living along the coastline of the Reef should remember to wash their car on the lawn and keep litter out of drains. When fishing on the Reef, take only what you need to, within allowable limits and locations.

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Throughout history very hot fires were uncommon in the mountains, now however Phil tells a different story. The weather has become warmer and there is less snow in the winter. This has resulted in more frequent and more intense fires.

Climate change will continue to have a big impact not only on the work of Phil and his colleagues but also on the native flora and fauna in the area. The latest work indicates that by 2050 there will be little snow on the mountains. This will affect many small mammals that rely on the snow cover and may also result in the loss of up to 200 species of alpine plants that don’t occur anywhere else in Australia.

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Tasmanian scientists support an international prediction by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that rising sea levels and storm surges could see 700m wiped off Tasmania's coastline by 2100. The Dept of Primary Industry and Water (DPIW) has produced a 2006 draft Climate Change Strategy for Tasmania citing recent studies which have highlighted the vulnerability of the Tasmanian coast to inundation and erosion due to sea-level rise and storm tides. This will have an increasingly significant impact on a broad range of infrastructure, development and natural systems in the Devonport area. In some Tasmanian areas experiencing less rainfall and higher temperatures, there will be a higher risk of bushfires.

However, not all outcomes are deemed to be negative. According to University of Tasmania (UTAS) climatologist, Dr M Nunez, "Tasmania's climate will become more like South Australia and that will give Tasmania a competitive edge. It is certainly going to be good for Tasmania. I think we will enjoy more sunny, warmer and drier conditions. The real negative for Tasmania is the shoreline problem".

The students also share their concerns for the town which they worry may have to be abandoned in the future, because there will be no work or water to sustain it.

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The ecological consequences of these changes will be serious, and some have already been observed. As the oceans become slightly more acidic the ability of corals to form their calcium carbonate skeleton will be reduced. Weakened skeletons will also make corals more susceptible to storm damage.

Other habitats, including seagrass beds, are also at risk. Seagrass in the intertidal zone will face more extreme temperatures, powerful waves and river run-off following intense storms.

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Since the year 2000 it has been experiencing drought on and off. At the moment 20 of the 24 dams are dry and only 2 are fit for livestock. A local climatologist’s report indicates that there has been an increase in the hot, dry northerly and westerly winds, and a decrease in the moist, cool southerly winds.

Many families in the area have been affected by the drought, production has decreased and it has become increasingly hard to run the farms, with many families feeling a sense of failure. If the drought continues into the next 40 to 50 years, agriculture will no longer be sustainable in the area.

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The area has been experiencing severe widespread drought for the last five years and this has severely impacted on Angus, his family and the property in a number of ways.

Some parts of the property can’t be used any more because the dams are dry, and hay for the animals has to be transported from as far away as Adelaide. For the first time in over 150 years they had to destock the property of sheep.

Angus also reflects on how the drought will also affect people all over Australia because the scarcity of meat and other agricultural products from these areas will drive prices higher.

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Ice cores contain traces of dust, gases, and chemicals from natural sources and human activities around the world, allowing researchers to study major environmental changes and variations in the chemistry and circulation of the atmosphere that occurred over months, years or millennia. (Photo by Tas van Ommen)

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