Essay by Eric Worrall
A summer which kept soils moist and provided lots of sunshine is apparently a sign of climate breakdown.
Scientists say summer of weather whiplash points to driving force of climate change
By weather reporter Tyne Logan
Tue 17 MarScientists are warning this summer’s sharp swings from record heat to torrential rain illustrate how climate change is becoming a dominant driving force in our weather.
Over the past few months, multiple parts of the country have lurched from extreme heat to flooding — sometimes in a matter of weeks — in a summer that has been described as one of “breakneck climate whiplash” by the Climate Council.
Making it more unusual, according to meteorologist and climate councillor Andrew Watkins, is that many of the extreme heat records have occurred despite the presence of a weak La Niña — which typically brings cooler, wetter conditions to large parts of Australia.
He said it points to a new reality where once reliable drivers of weather are now being overpowered by human influence.
“Climate change clearly is overtaking some of the other drivers at times,” Dr Watkins, an adjunct professor at Monash University said.
“We are seeing records occur when we wouldn’t really expect to see them.”
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Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-17/summer-weather-whiplash-points-to-driving-force-climate-change/106459530
Back in the real world, farmers are celebrating record harvests;
WA growers set for massive 27 million tonne grain haul, breaking previous 2022 record
By Kate Forrester and Mark Bennett
Sun 25 JanIn short:
West Australian grain growers are on track to break harvest receival records, with more than 27 million tonnes expected.
The last record-breaking crop was a harvest of 25.4 million tonnes in 2022.
What’s next?
The final Grain Industry Association of Western Australia crop report is due out in February, confirming total tonnages.
Western Australia’s grain industry is looking at breaking the harvest record by 2 million tonnes after favourable seasonal conditions and a shift away from livestock production.
The Grain Industry Association of WA (GIWA) is due to release its final report next month, but author Michael Lamond said the figures were expected to exceed 27 million tonnes.
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Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2026-01-25/western-australia-harvest-wraps-up-with-record-breaking-year/106253596
Its not just Western Australia, the East Coast of Australia, the alleged center of the climate whiplash, is also having a big harvest season;
Record wheat yields in north as Australia begins huge 62m tonne harvest
Eleven per cent of Australia’s winter crop is already harvested as farmers race toward a predicted 62.8-million-tonne haul despite challenging conditions in southern regions.
Nikki Reynolds @nikki34158551
November 11, 2025 – 5:00AMEleven per cent of Australia’s winter crop is already in the bin with harvest in Queensland and northern NSW well underway, while lighter crops are expected in southern NSW and Victoria after a dry season.
It is turning out to be a bumper season in northern NSW, where farmers have reported bin‑busting wheat yields of seven tonnes a hectare.
…
Moree, NSW, farmer Rebecca Reardon said yields for wheat had climbed to 5.5 to 6 tonnes a hectare in what was an exceptional result.
“We are seeing very good yields, but the crops are low in protein,” she said.
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Read more: https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/cropping/record-wheat-yields-in-north-as-australia-begins-huge-62m-tonne-harvest/news-story/9130d4443bb8fec1e896d2837cf01da4
The low protein yield is a concern, but that may be because of a mismatch between how benign growing conditions were vs what farmers were expecting. Adding costly fertiliser can increase protein content, but who can afford to do that?
What can I say? If anthropogenic “Climate Whiplash” creates record or near record growing conditions, let’s have more Climate Whiplash. And put some flood control in for regions which struggle to handle a bit of rainfall.
2027 was also shaping up to be a blockbuster year, though with a heightened risk of a dry El Nino Summer, but right now there are terrible stories about farmers running out of fuel in the middle of Northern sowing season, or fuel being priced so high it is no longer possible to make a profit. If the Middle East crisis continues more than a few weeks longer, I expect the impact of the Australian federal government’s incompetent mismanagement of Australia’s energy security, the government’s ill-considered neglect of fossil fuel infrastructure, and the constriction of farmer access to fuel and fertiliser, I expect this to show up in 2027 harvest statistics.
As always, the climate policies and lunatic environmental standards which shut down Australia’s refineries are doing the harm, not climate change.
