News for October, 2026

The news, this month, has been dominated by the fallout from the Northern Summer, and the huge El Nino event that is currently underway.

Oh, yes, and the US mid-term elections. While they are still to be held, early exit polls (and, indeed, some earlier elections elsewhere) are promising a glimmer of light at the end of a very long, dark tunnel.

... and, it seems we still have Bogong moths. 

Bogong moth. By Donald Hobern from Canberra, Australia - Agrotis infusa,

CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4936674

Environment

The Ugly

• The UK had a plan to better prepare for wildfires. 'Had' being the operative word: it was quietly dropped. 
• Trump (who else?) has taken an axe to the Endangered Species Act
• Since Trump considers information to be an inconvenience to the narrative, the EPA is about to delete its web archive (one can only hope that a discrete backup has been made.)

The Bad

• When was the last time you saw the 'Dark Emu'? The Milky Way, even? The night sky is getting brighter by 10% each year 
• SA algal bloom now estimated to have killed 8,000 sharks and rays. 
• Northern quolls being relocated to a North Queensland reserve to bolster their dwindling population
• Drought is causing mass starvation of flying foxes in NSW
• As part of a trend since 1970, bird populations in the UK have fallen to their lowest on record.
• Woodside's $30 billion Browse gas project risks 'irreversible' environmental damage. 

The Good 

• Some species recovery tales:
• They crashed a few years ago, but now bogong moth populations have rebounded to the point of interfering with weather radars
• Skink havens 
• The six remaining members of an ice age eucalyptus are being cloned.
• Healthy coral can heal bleached coral  
• As rising temperatures increase the risk of wildfire, it would be useful to know just what the risks are. New satellite technology allows eucalypt flammability to be measured.
• They have a bad reputation among farmers, but it seems dingoes play their part in keeping feral cat populations down.
• Astronomical trivia: most stars don't appear to have any particular colour. When they do, it may be described as red, orange, yellow, or blue-white. Almost never green. It turns out that white dwarves can not only be green, but a lot of other colours besides. 

Climate

Spot the hot spot. Sea Surface Temperature anomaly. (Climate Reanalyzer)

 The Ugly

• Denialism is alive and well, if the (apparently warrantless) attacks on the Bureau of Meteorology by Rupert Murdoch's Australian newspaper are any guide.

The Bad

• Chevron's Gorgon plant is best known for its role in promoting (or failing to promote) the promise of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). Ironic, then, that is now under investigation for a significant methane leak, as captured by satellite imaging.
• Four years ago, the Australian Government commissioned a report into the impact of climate change on the country. It has still not been released. Such reports are likely to be uncomfortable reads but, as Alex Steffen explains, confronting the problems we face is the best way to determine our best options.
• The first storm of the 2026 hurricane season was identified in early October: four months later than the official season start, and nearly a month later than the previous tardy record.
• This is one side effect of the record El Nino event currently in progress. Another is the extreme increase in mean sea surface temperature (a near record high at a time when it should be at its lowest). While many places like the Coral Sea are about normal, the region West of Ecuador is over 7 degrees warmer, with the crucial 'Nino 3.4' region at 150W being over three degrees (a degree warmer than the previous record)
• A warmer atmosphere can carry more moisture, and can result in rainfall of 300mm in 48 hours, such as Bangkok experienced at the end of September.
• Europe's Summer was bad by several measures

The Good

• It's good that methods like 'Attribution Science' can determine how much damage a particular company is doing with its emissions activities, but bad when you see the actual numbers involved (30-50,000 deaths per annum, from one company!)
• There are increasing calls for the fossil fuel industry to be held to account for the environmental damage it has done and continues to do. So far, state legislation providing for this in the US has been blocked by federal courts, but the consensus is that the dam will break eventually. Possibly with the Exxon/Suncor v Boulder case?
• A decision made by the NSW High Court requires planning submissions from the resources sector to consider the climate impacts of 'Scope 3' emissions (ie those arising from exported materials, like gas and coal). This sets an important precedent, which the NSW Government is seeking to legislate away

Energy

The Ugly

• Grants are made available to US farmers to install solar panels on their land. Trump's USDA isn't about to make it easy to get those grants.
• Rearguard action? It seems the industry has been trying to get a 'coal is good for humanity' message out early at schools. Not cool.
• Having turned the ceremonial valve on the Beetaloo gas project, the Resources Minister claimed that the emissions would be met by offsets. It's plain to everyone, even in the Press Club, that they won't even come close. The emissions lump under the offsets carpet is growing too big to ignore.
• Naive question: why are gas fields, like Browse,  continue to be promoted by governments when it seems they meet no demand?
• It's not a good look when you announce (as the WA state Govt just did) your bold schemes to promote renewable energy projects, while quietly discussing plans for an equally bold gas plant 

The Bad

• NSW planning commission agrees to an extension keeping a coal mine running until... 2045. It saves 1500 jobs, for now. The thing is, the economics of coal means that this mine is unlikely to remain running for the next five years, let alone twenty. A plan for transitioning the 1500 jobs to other sectors is needed.

The Good

• The first new steel mill in 35 years is planned to run on 100% renewables.  
• The gas industry has been pinning its long term hopes on the Asian market. That isn't working out for them.
• I mentioned above the Boulder case being brought by Colorado farmers against oil companies. Here's why it's attracting so much interest.
• Designing the energy grid as a form of internet: what does that involve?  This Volts podcast explores the idea.
• Safer than expected. As grid batteries proliferate, the perceived fire risk is dropping. 

Health

The Ugly

• A combination of DOGE cuts and Dead Kennedy has resulted in what the NY Times calls a 'zombified' US Centre for Disease Control that is no longer able to fulfil its scientific function.
• One might argue that mink farms aren't good, even before one discusses bird flu on a mink farm (definitely not good) and its potential to incubate a human transmissible form of the disease (extremely not good). Unlike experts, officials don't seem to be concerned, though. The disaster movie script writes itself.

The Bad

• Ebola cases in the DRC surpass 10,000
• One effect of an ageing population is a greater demand for Emergency Department services, for which they are not adequately equipped to handle.
• Gas stoves make commercial kitchens unhealthy places. 
• Following the awful attack on MP Independent Helen Haines, medical experts warn of failings in the mental health care system, with 1 in 3 murders being committed by people suffering from psychosis

The Good

• Results for a melanoma vaccine exceed expectations.

Housing

While there are steps being made to resolve it, the availability of affordable homes continues to be a long term problem. Balancing affordability with speed and quality is never easy. A plan for Warrnambool is a bright spot, but raises the question as to whether the time to tackle 'urban sprawl' would be now.

The Bad

• As a developer walks away from a 1900 home project, South Australia sees the downside of putting a housing project into one basket.
• Homes v data centres: which gets built?
• The situation for the homeless in East Gippsland is not great.

The Good

• Planning a new suburb for Warrnambool,  allowing for expanding the local population by 50% over 20 years.
• Tenants in Texas now have a right to cooling.
• Is the housing market in trouble? Things are not as dire as is portrayed. 

Resistance

With the US mid-term elections upon us, the prospect of some sort of restraint being placed on Trump's reign of terror is giving rise to some hope of normality. In that light, some of Trump's deranged actions can begin to be viewed more with pity than with horror (not that it makes them any less horrible)

The Ugly

• The HSI (Homeland Security Investigations) have raided Democrat Congressional rep. Ilhan Omar's home, seeking evidence for a case by which to strip an outspoken Trump opponent of citizenship, office, and right to remain in the country. This is an example of Trump's scare tactics (and a repeat of what he tried in 2019). So far, they  aren't working.
• In fact Trump's denaturalisation crusade goes way beyond Ilhan Omar.
• ICE has found to be running the largest anti-left surveillance operation in US history
• Once again, Trump has missed out on the Nobel Peace Prize. This year, it was awarded to Navi Pillay, a former judge with the ICC (International Criminal Court). In a response remarkable for its level of maturity, the Trump administration has now placed sanctions on the ICC. (More sanctions that is. For some reason, Trump dislikes the idea of a court that deals with international criminals, and has been seeking to abolish it for some time.)
• India's Hindu aligned PM Modi is facing mass unrest following changes that has left millions (mostly Muslims) off the election rolls.

The Bad

• ICE is now acting more quietly than before. Nevertheless, in places like Florida, they are arresting hundreds each day. Watch groups are adjusting their disruption strategies accordingly. 

The Good

• A US Senate candidate (Muslim) gives a masterclass in communication, as he responds to a heckler (Christian). For bonus points, look up who the not so random 'Tommy' is.
• In the UK, moves are afoot to establish just who owns land in England and Wales (Yes, someone knows. It matters that everyone should know)
• A number of elections have occurred in the past week or so. Most notably, grass roots opposition in Serbia and Brazil have seen off two political candidates of a notoriously dictatorial bent (Literally, in the case of Brazil). All indications are that the US mid-term elections will follow the same trend. You will know more about that by the time you read this

Transport

The Bad

• Balancing costs increased GDP against increased climate breakdown, Heathrow's third runway airport expansion may not be a good idea. (Not to compare apples and oranges, but Sydney's new airport has just opened)

The Good

• Largest electric plane to date flies 27 minutes for $5
• As fuel prices spike, electric vehicles are being seen as a weapon against inflation
• Boston considers whether to electrify its diesel rail network with overhead wires... or train batteries.
• BYDs new EV shows what is now possible in a small car. 

Plaigue

The opinion remains: AI is an excuse to build systems that increase the demand for fossil fuels.

The Ugly

• Alberta is not speaking, but shouting the quiet part, explicitly excluding renewables from data centre power source selection criteria.
• Are recent warnings about the destructive power of AI just a cynical ploy by the AI industry? It's not the first time this trick's been played.

The Bad

• Don't clear fell a few hundred hectares of forest for your data centre without an environmental assessment: the Finns won't like it.
• Don't operate your data centre using 62 illicitly installed gas generators: New Jersey won't like it (although the fine is unlikely to be noticed)
• They shouldn't have to, but how can publishers tell when a book has been AI authored (ie plagiarised)?

The Good

• Public opposition to data centre development requires no guidance from the AI industry 
• Firmus: a study in how a data centre company stops before it starts. 
• The latest MacOS comes with its very own AI, which consumes a substantial amount (12-30Gb) of memory... and for which a removal app has already been developed. The app is proving to be very popular.  
• Denmark's emergency grid laws has assigned a supply priority to data centres. It has placed them last, behind housing and green transition projects
• Is AI 'digital coal'? Alex Steffen brings his climate foresight skills to bear on the question.