Australia’s largest city will be plunged into darkness for an hour on Saturday in a world first blackout to raise awareness of global warming.

Australia faced an “unprecedentedly dangerous” drought and unless rain falls within weeks irrigation will be cut to the nation’s food bowl, Prime Minister John Howard said on Thursday. A contingency plan prepared for the government said unless water catchments across the country received heavy and widespread rainfalls before mid-May, allocations for irrigators and environmental river flows would be stopped.

“An Australian-led expedition is using lasers on helicopters in Antarctica and satellites for the first time to determine whether sea ice in the Southern Ocean is changing in response to climate change.”

The Walk Against Warming, joined by ten of thousands of protestors across Australia aims to call for more political action to fight climate change.

A new report revealed Australia as the world’s biggest per capital carbon polluter. Greenpeace activists responded by protesting and causing the brief shut down of a coal-fired power station in the country.

Climate change may cause more frequent and severe droughts, which may significantly raise food prices, warn the Australian Conservation Foundation.

Kevin Rudd, Australia’s incoming prime minister, vows to move quickly to tackle climate change issues. He also hopes to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on climate change as soon as possible.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says he will show leadership and careful consideration on climate change issues.

As the Bali Climate Change conference continues, Australia’s new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has handed the United Nations the documents ratifying the Kyoto Protocol.

Tim Flannery, “Australia’s most prominent environmental campaigner,” is proposing an internet-based carbon scheme where households and businesses can protect forests and replant trees in Papua New Guinea. He believes that forest protection is key since 20% of global carbon emissions is attributable to the wholesale destruction of tropical forests.