@ajsadauskas @jaystephens Ta, interesting. I vaguely recall some of that, but your helpful toot defo provided more info than i knew.

I think something like this is why i feel, & tbh remain, so archly cynical... If Straya, & frankly the rest of the world, was genuinely honestly doing all the serious shit needed NOW to decarbonise & ameliorate, then seeking engineering solutions in flood zones like this would be ok. Knowing though that we & most others are totes NOT seriously addressing the crisis, fuels [boom tish] my severe pessimism, coz eg, engineering designs need engineering assumptions [in this case including expected heights & frequency of floods]. Such assumptions necessarily must be predicated on a certain "steady state" belief [plus safety margins thrown in]. That's all fine, IF we had reason to trust such assumptions. I do NOT trust them, simply coz there IS no steady state; humans are continuing to add more & more CO2 & CH4 to Gaia's atmosphere, thus more & more raising the enthalpy, ergo the heating energy, ergo... yada yada.

@jaystephens @ketanjoshi.co And then we have Australia's next great city, Parramatta.

It's a city that, roughly once a year, has a harbour...

This from Parramatta City Council itself: "From the earliest days, the changeable nature of the Parramatta River, and other waterways, has brought with it the risk of flooding.

"Today, our CBD is one of the most flash-flood affected areas in the country. Our challenge is to live with the river in all its various conditions."

https://www.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/environment/connected-resilient-communities/flooding

And this from a top State Emergency Service official in 2019:

"A senior SES official has warned that Parramatta's CBD could be overwhelmed by a flash flood in as little as nine minutes, giving residents little time to evacuate.

"George Jeoffreys, senior manager for risk reduction and avoidance at the NSW State Emergency Service, cited the difficulty of predicting flash floods."

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/nine-minutes-to-flee-parramatta-s-catastrophic-flash-flooding-warning-20190214-p50xtv.html

You had parts of Parramatta's CBD flood in 2020:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-10/parramatta-river-overflows-as-floods-grip-sydney/11948910

And 2021: https://www.smh.com.au/national/parramatta-river-breaks-its-banks-flooding-powerhouse-museum-site-20210320-p57ci5.html

And 2022: https://www.9news.com.au/wild-weather/weather-update-sydney-rain-smashes-summer-records-as-cleanup-from-deluge-continues/140583d2-0ea5-4fc9-a103-c9f5849da917

And 2024: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-05/nsw-queensland-wet-weather-forecast-flood-warning-live-update/103670440

And earlier this year: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-26/nsw-pseudo-monsoon-humidity-flooding-rains-qld-nsw/105095284

And of course there's pressure to put new high-rise developments right on the river edge: https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/sydney-council-rejects-build-to-rent-tower-plan-over-flood-risk-20240108-p5evsm.html

@ketanjoshi.co I think we're not far off a point where banks and insurers won't write loans or insurance policies for whole cities, because of climate change from toxic fossil fuel pollution. Lismore is well on its way.

4/5

This graphic from the WMO report is one of the best visuals I have seen that clearly illustrates the connection between increasing greenhouse gas concentrations, rising temperatures, and reinforcing feedback loops that lead to devastating high-impact events with consequent risks to populations around the world.

It's not a pretty picture.

LEARN MORE HERE https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/43a9c636ab3345bfabcb11236c266153

3/5

The WMO's State of the Climate Report includes data about precipitation changes, ocean heat content, sea level rise, ocean acidification, declining sea ice extent, and crucially, the shrinkage of glaciers...
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Glaciers are found around the world, with many in the high mountain ranges of Asia, and North and South America.

They are formed from snow that has compacted to ice, which then flows downhill to lower, warmer altitudes, where it melts.

Glaciers provide ecosystem services and freshwater to millions around the world. As they shrink, there are significant and direct impacts on both the global climate and sustainable development.

Preliminary observations indicate that 2023-2024 was another year of extremely negative mass balance worldwide.
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LEARN MORE HERE https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/43a9c636ab3345bfabcb11236c266153

2/5

The World Meteorological Organization recently confirmed that 2024 was the hottest year on record. It was nearly 1.6°C warmer than the pre-industrial (1850-1900) average.

Changes in our environment are driving more extreme weather events. Rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones, devastating rainfall, storm surges, flooding, deadly droughts, and wildfires are on the rise. Sea levels are increasing, exposing densely populated coastal areas to coastal inundation and ocean wave impacts. The societal effects of these events continue long after the headlines fade.

Unless and until the burning of fossil fuels is drastically reduced and the steady rise of greenhouse gas emissions is finally stopped, temperatures will continue to climb higher.

LEARN MORE HERE https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/43a9c636ab3345bfabcb11236c266153