With the People's Blockade of the world's largest coal port -Newcastle , New South Wales - underway and a call to end fossil fuel exports by 2030, a conference of 460 research scientists in Hobart issued a grim warning about global warming, especially related to pack ice melting in Antarctica , which could lead to a massive increase in sea levels , causing widespread coastal flooding and global chaos.
At the same time , our wet underfoot Shipping Reporter discovered a strange scenario in the Townsville Flinders Street CBD directly connected to Antarctica with a different angle on the heat down there .
Hopping over a pool of rainwater , our waterfront roundsman was taken aback by the sight of the above sandwich board outside a travel agency urging him to escape the heat and take a cruise to Antarctica .
The scientists in Hobart called for urgent action against fossil fossil caused global warming which threatens to create a catastrophic situation in which the East Antarctica ice sheet melts .
It could result in sea levels 50 metres higher , which would devastate much of the east coast of Australia and its infrastructure .
The People's Blockade is a 10 day protest by the grassroots climate defence movement Rising Tide. It will be followed by a midweek Canberra Wave vigil.
Though not heavy rain in Townsville , water was running out from inside long closed empty buildings in the CBD , even some operating shops , indicating a real wet season will cause problems . On the other hand , it could prepare people for the impact of a drastic ice sheet melt.
(Climate , Protests , Antarctica .)
