“Sod the wine, I want to suck on the writing. This man White is an instinctive writer, bloody rare to find one who actually pulls it off, as in still gets a meaning across with concision. Sharp arbitrage of speed and risk, closest thing I can think of to Cicero’s ‘motus continuum animi.’

Probably takes a drink or two to connect like that: he literally paints his senses on the page.”


DBC Pierre (Vernon God Little, Ludmila’s Broken English, Lights Out In Wonderland ... Winner: Booker prize; Whitbread prize; Bollinger Wodehouse Everyman prize; James Joyce Award from the Literary & Historical Society of University College Dublin)


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10 March 2014

TELL ME THIS WAS AN IDEAL VINTAGE


Report from the Climate Council
[The body PM Abbott disbanded]
"The angry Summer: 2013/2014"

graphic and text from the CLIMATE COUNCIL

Continuing hot on the heels of the ‘Angry Summer’ of 2012/2013, Australians again endured record-breaking extreme events this summer. Drought conditions affected inland eastern Australia, while parts of the north and west of the country experienced above average rainfall. There was an early start to the bushfire season in New South Wales, and parts of South Australia, Western Australia and Victoria were ravaged by fires. Prolonged and intense heatwaves were experienced in major population centres, including Adelaide, Canberra and Melbourne.

Over the 2013/2014 summer numerous extreme weather-related records were broken across Australia.

Key findings

1.

Heatwaves and hot days, drought and rainfall extremes (high and low), and bushfires dominated the 2013/2014 summer. For example:

• Sydney had its driest summer in twenty-seven years

• Canberra experienced 20 days of at least 35°C

• Melbourne experienced its hottest ever 24 hour period (average 35.5°C)

• Adelaide had a record of 11 days of 42°C or more during the summer

• Perth had its second hottest summer on record

2.

Climate change is already increasing the intensity and frequency of many extreme weather events in Australia.

3.

Many of our largest population centres stand out as being at increased risk from extreme weather events, including heatwaves, drought and bushfires.

4.

The impacts of extreme weather events on people, property, communities and the environment are serious and costly.

5.

Limiting the increase in extreme weather activity requires urgent and deep reductions in the emissions of greenhouse gases. The decisions we make this decade will largely determine the severity of climate change and its influence on extreme events for our grandchildren. This is the critical decade for action on climate change.

This report provides a summary of extreme weather conditions in the 2013/2014 summer, continuing the trend of hotter summers and more weather extremes in Australia. 

To read the full report click here. 

To watch Professor Tim Flannery explain his sacking and the Abbott government's attempted disbanding of the body, and how public donations have helped reboot the Climate Council as a completely independent scientific organisation, click here.

To read an early vintage report of the Adelaide Plains, and some of the South Mount Lofty Ranges, click here

To read a report of the High Barossa bushfires, click here. For more images of what bushfires do to vineyards, click here.

To read a recent general vintage report, click here.


And a flash-back to the comment an anonymous hero posted on DRINKSTER on 13th February: "And I bet you write this vintage off like you did for the 2011 even though there were many fantastic wines produced. Unfortunately you and other idiot wine writers spoilt the sales of 2011 for many small winemakers who DID produce terrific wines. Do us all a favour and say nothing more about 2014 vintage."

Check in tomorrow for my latest summary.


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