Cold climates dwellers have been smugly thinking global warming will bring sunnier weather. The Guardian's review of Turned Out Nice, Britain will become more like the Mediterranean. London will be “an urban heat island” with later sunsets encouraging strolls “sultry summer evenings the royal parks”. Except “grass in the parks will be scorched and dry” and “blighted areas will be occupied by…

Working as Head of Programming for the Wheeler Centre has brought its surprises, its challenges and its learning curves, but perhaps none as pronounced as working on the 2010 Alfred Deakin Lecture series. Under the guidance of Curator Tim Flannery and Strategic Director Nick Rowley, I’ve been introduced to a whole (dare I say it brave) new world of people working to improve their…

(Click to watch video.)

Sophie Cunningham, noted writer and departing editor of Meanjin, delivered our Lunchbox/Soapbox last week on the topic of climate change and what seems to be a general paralysis in response to it. You can watch the full video or listen to the podcast.

Here’s an edited extract of Sophie’s presentation.

At about the time I was giving this talk –…