The chief meteorologist for the Weather Channel in the US, Paul Walsh, asked to summarise the effect of climate change on Haiyan, told CNBC: ''I wouldn't say that climate change is a direct contributor to this. That's something that's still being discussed.

''But one of the things that makes these storms, particularly for the US east coast, more potentially damaging is that sea levels are rising and continuing to rise and even smaller storms can have a devastating impact.''

In other words, climate change is working to make ordinary weather patterns more dangerous. It doesn't seem to be happening through any direct causal link to cyclones. But it doesn't need to. A rising sea level will intensify the power of cyclonic winds to create bigger storm surges, according to the IPCC.

Man-made climate change is real and dangerous. Is it causing more or bigger cyclones? There's no evidence that it is. But, again, it's a distinction without a difference. Because it's making normal cyclones more damaging. Rising sea levels will supercharge them.

There is no need for exaggeration and there is no excuse for inaction.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/climate-change-when-ignorance-is-a-recipe-for-disaster-20131111-2xccy.html#ixzz2kPLOn4u7

Tony Abbott has confirmed that his government has abandoned its longstanding policy to reduce Australia's emissions by between 5% and 25% of 2000 levels by 2020 – a crucial and internationally scrutinised goal that had retained bipartisan support since 2009, throughout Australia's tumultuous political debate over climate policy.

Asked whether the Coalition still supported the target range as UN climate talks began in Warsaw without any political representation from Australia, the prime minister told journalists: “Australia will meet our 5% emissions reduction target, but this government has made no commitments to go further than that. We certainly are in no way looking to make further binding commitments in the absence of very serious like binding commitments from other countries, and there is no evidence of that.”

In fact, Abbott and the environment minister, Greg Hunt, have regularly repeated a Coalition commitment to increasing Australia's emissions reduction target to up to 25% under a specific set of conditions for global action set down in 2009 and accepted by both major parties.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/12/abbott-government-abandons-emissions-reduction-target-range

Gus:  the idiots are in charge of the nuthouse... May Tony's house burn down in the next bushfires...

Super-typhoon Haiyan has cast a dark shadow over the emotional opening of the latest round of UN climate talks in Warsaw, as delegates consider the almost unbearable cost brought upon the Philippines. Paul Brown from the Climate News Network reports.

IN AN EMOTIONAL OPENING to the new round of climate talks in the Polish capital ‒ the 19th Conference of the Parties (COP 19) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ‒ Yeb Saňo, the chief of the Philippines delegation, with tears rolling down his cheeks, said he would not eat before the end of the two weeks of negotiations until a substantial deal had been done to help countries deal with the effects of climate change.

His appeal to the Climate Change Convention’s 19th meeting came after the conference had already stood in silence to pay its respects to the victims of super-typhoon Haiyan. He described how his brother had lived through the disaster and helped carry bodies from shacks wrecked by the wind.

“In solidarity with my countrymen who are struggling to find food back home and with my brother who has not had food for the last three days, I will now commence a voluntary fasting for the climate. This means I will voluntarily refrain from eating food during this COP until a meaningful outcome is in sight.”

After his pledge, Saňo received an unprecedented standing ovation from the representatives of the 195 countries at the opening ceremony.

http://www.independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/super-typhoon-haiyan-dominates-tearful-opening-to-un-climate-change-talks,5885

Meanwhile the egomaniac climate-change-ignoramuses dinosaurs of the retrograde reactionary rabid right took possession of the throne of power in Hogwarts:

During the nomination process, Labor backbencher Graham Perrett criticised Mrs Bishop over the way she "treated the sisterhood" by standing alongside protesters holding placards calling Julia Gillard a "witch" and "Bob Brown's bitch".

"There is a saying that the head slave whips the hardest," he said.

"Let's look at how the Member for McKellar has treated the sisterhood when given the opportunity.

"Did she apologise for that? Never. Never apologised for that."

In response, the new Speaker - the first woman from Coalition ranks to hold the position - repeated her stance that women should be appointed on merit.

"I have never, ever put myself forward other than to say I am the best person for the job," she said.

BLOODY BIG EGO!...

Mr Abbott's admiration for the Member for Mackellar is longstanding; he once described himself as the "ideological love-child of John Howard and Bronwyn Bishop".... ABORT! ABORT!!!

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-12/new-mps-sworn-in-as-debt-cap-row-flares/5085344

The UN has launched an appeal for $301m (£190m) to help relief efforts in typhoon-hit areas of the Philippines.

Thousands of people are feared to have been killed by Typhoon Haiyan, which struck the central Philippines on Friday.

The UN says more than 11 million people are believed to have been affected by the storm, and some 673,000 displaced.

The relief operation is being stepped up, but food, water and shelter are still badly needed aid officials say.

Several countries have deployed ships and aircraft to help, but the damage to transport links and bad weather are hindering aid distribution.

Tacloban - a city of 220,000 on Leyte island - is particularly badly affected.

The BBC's Jonathan Head described how the main road from the airport to the city was clogged with refugees and debris, with residents becoming angry at the lack of progress and increasing breakdown in security.

Bodies remain uncollected, local government has been wiped out, and central government, which is meant to have taken over, is almost invisible, our correspondent says.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24910918 

One cannot blame central government in cases such as this. The scale of the devastation would be overwhelming and by the time rescue efforts are placed in motion, people are desperate. We are looking at massive disaster in many islands over an area which is 150 km wide by 450 km long... which is about the size of Belgium and half The Netherlands combined... Just imagine... as if all the seaside counties from Cornwall to Kent had been flattened — and Portsmouth destroyed — in England...

As The Philippines were reeling under  a massive cyclone a smaller one was doing damage unheard in Somalia...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24919623

Somalia's government has declared the north-eastern region of Puntland hit by a tropical cyclone at the weekend a disaster area.

The number of people killed by the cyclone has risen from about 100 to 300, unconfirmed reports say.

Thousands of livestock had also died and hundreds of homes had been destroyed by the cyclone, known as 03A.

More floods were expected during the next 48 hours, Somalia's Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon said.

Puntland is a semi-autonomous region within Somalia, where many people are poor.

The cyclone had swept through the Eyl, Beyla, Dangorayo and Hafun districts along the eastern coast and across to Alula at the tip of the Horn of Africa.

Declaring a disaster, Somalia's Interior Minister Abdikarim Hussein Guled said the central government pledged $1m (£628,000) to help communities devastated by the cyclone.

The New South Wales Farmers Association says dry conditions are expanding across the state making the need for immediate financial assistance more urgent.

The Farmers Association President Fiona Simson says areas including Glenn Innes, Tamworth, the Upper Hunter, Orange and Dubbo have all deteriorated in recent months.

She says Bourke, Brewarrina and Walgett in the state's north west have been in drought for months and farmers need low interest loans and transport subsidies now, with conditions expected to deteriorate.

Ms Simson says those areas would have triggered the old drought declarations but there is no current drought policy in place.

"Now whilst we continue those discussions and we don't have drought declarations or any of those processes or systems in place what we need the state government to do is to step up and provide that assistance," she said.

Ms Simson says many farmers have already lowered the stock on their land and are having to use stored fodder as the conditions deteriorate.

"The people up in that north west corner of the state in particular are feeling very left out and neglected at the moment they do need some support and we do need to have some assistance measures in there straight away to help them out."

The NSW Government says it is considering further drought assistance for farmers struggling under dry conditions in the north west of NSW.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-13/urgent-assistance-needed-for-nsw-farmers-as-drought-worsens/5089138

http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/photo-gallery-how-typhoon-haiyan-became-a-monster-fotostrecke-103701.html

Typhoon Hagupit is gathering strength in the western Pacific and could bring damaging winds and flooding to the Philippines over the weekend.

People in the Philippines are braced for the arrival of Typhoon Hagupit, expected to hit land on Saturday.

Hagupit, which is building strength over the Pacific, is slowly bearing down on the region devastated by Typhoon Haiyan a year ago.

Hagupit has gusts of up to 170km/h (105mph) and is expected to be a category 4 storm by Saturday.

Thousands of people, many still living in temporary shelters, have been told to go to evacuation centres. 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30324209

Typhoon Hagupit being quite late in the season may not punch as much damage as typhoon Haiyan... But if the marine weather charts are correct, it will hem the coast in a northerly direction rather than cross towards the China Sea. This in itself, may lead to damage over a much greater coastal area than the massive damage done by Haiyan...

Meanwhile a storm off the coast of Russia in the Pacific is likely to become a powerful storm on the coast of California by mid next week.... 80 per cent chances.

Typhoon Hagupit, known locally as Ruby, strengthened overnight as it tracked towards the same area which was devastated by Typhoon Haiyan last year.

Weather forecasters warned Hagupit would continue to intensify as it swept in from the Pacific Ocean, and likely hit eastern islands on Saturday.

The Hawaii-based Joint Typhoon Warning Centre has classified Hagupit as a super typhoon, with winds reaching 240 kilometres per hour.

Mr Aquino has ordered local governments to hasten residential evacuations and the trade department to send more food supplies to provinces at risk amid reports of panic buying of basic supplies.

"Let's prepare for everything," he told a nationally televised meeting of disaster agency chiefs.

"I will not be very patient with excuses after this event. Failure on the priorities is unforgivable."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-05/evacuations-as-super-typhoon-hagupit-nears-philippines/5947814

Read article at top...

As Hagupit weakened to a category four typhoon and crossed The Philippines (instead of hugging the coast as predicted by former forecast: see above) it is predicted to reconstruct in the China sea. But there is another typhoon birthing in the same place as Hagupit did (and the one last year) which could hit northern Philippines in about 5 to 6 days... But by then, according to marine weather charts, another typhoon will be birthing in the same place (usually around Palau)... 

Keeping a keen eye on general forecasts, usually accurate about 50/50 seven days and 75/25 three days. The marine forecasts are more accurate: like 70/30 seven days and 90/10 three days. Gus Leonisky.