Grassland

• In August, 2022, Shandong province was assigned with a major mission: Build a pilot zone for green and low-carbon high-quality development.
• This is China's first strategic set-up featuring green and low-carbon high-quality development since the strive for the "dual carbon" goals.
• The Chinese path to modernization is one of harmony between humanity and nature, and one of material and cultural-ethical advancement.
• The green and low-carbon path Shandong has ventured on toward high-quality development could be deemed as a critical step for the province to practice Chinese modernization.

• XILINGOL LEAGUE, China, Oct. 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 26, Xilingol League held a campaign for launching the Hunshandake desertification control key project in the fall of 2023 and voluntary activities of all sectors of society in Zhenglan Banner, in which over 400 representatives from all sectors of society participated and the local banners (counties, cities and prefectures) also started their local campaigns for desertification control at the same time.
• Among the four major sandy areas in China, Hunshandake is located closest to the capital Beijing, with a large and widely distributed area of sandy lands.
• In the Xilingol League, the sandy lands of Hunshandake cover an area of 52.942 million mu, which is a major zone in the desertification control of Hunshandake.
• Xilingol League will take the launch as an opportunity, to tackle desertification in the sandy area of Hunshandake by taking scientific measures and making sustained and long-term efforts.

• Little is known, however, about the pathways of these migrations.
• Our evidence suggests this valley had a riverine and wetland zone that would have provided ideal passage for hunter-gatherers as they moved out of Africa and deep into the Levant and Arabia.

Wandering out of Africa

• Researchers hypothesise humans migrating out of Africa would have used platforms in the eastern Sahara, the Nile River Valley, or the margins of the western Red Sea.
• From there, these small bands of hunter-gatherers would have passed into the Sinai – a land bridge connecting Africa with the rest of Asia – following migrating animals and hunting a variety of them for sustenance.
• For many of these hunter-gatherers, the next stop on the journey would have been the southern portion of the Jordan Rift Valley.

When Arabia was a verdant land

• Our findings from sedimentary sections ranging 5 to 12 metres in thickness showed ecosystem fluctuations over time, including cycles of dry and humid environments.
• We also found evidence for the presence of ancient rivers and wetlands.
• Luminescence dating showed the sedimentary environments formed between 125,000 and 43,000 years ago, suggesting there had been multiple wet intervals.
• Towards the south, fieldwork in northern Saudi Arabia has also demonstrated a network of rivers and lakes was once present in the region.

Multiple migrations into South-West Asia

• Our findings from the Jordan Rift Valley indicate there were multiple early human migrations from Africa, and into Asia, during favourable conditions.
• Our results also suggest, together with the Levantine and Arabian evidence, that hunter-gatherers used inland river and wetland systems as they crossed South-West Asia.
• Although ancient DNA evidence indicates Homo sapiens interbred with Neanderthals and Denisovans multiple times as they spread into Asia, on-the-ground evidence for these encounters has generally been lacking.

• Down south, the winter was the hottest ever recorded in Australia, fuelled by record ocean temperatures.
• Small wonder many Australians are worried about what summer will bring, as a likely El Niño threatens hot and dry fire weather.
• And if you live anywhere in Australia, you need to plan for heat.

Fire gets attention – but extreme heat can do more damage

• But in reality, extreme heat hits harder.
• That’s because extreme heat can be extremely widespread – and a hidden killer.
• As the climate becomes less stable, we’re seeing more heat domes – slow-moving high-pressure systems which sit atop an area and blast it.

Will bushfires be back this summer?

• Grasses dry out more quickly than other vegetation types, meaning grasslands switch rapidly from moist to tinderbox.
• The most likely fires we’ll see this season will be grass, scrub and city fringe fires.
• Very large forest fires like those of the Black Summer are less likely, as these need extended dry conditions.

What should you do to get ready?

• Let’s say you live near a forest or grassland which could be a fire risk.
• How could you make sure all your loved ones are contactable – and if they’re away from you, how could you make sure they can get to safety?
• If you’re in a bushfire prone area, explore and make use of planning resources offered by every state, territory and local emergency agency.
• With your family, friends or housemates, run through different scenarios so you’re on the same page.
• Businesses must understand their responsibilities to their employees during extreme heat and have plans to manage these.

Do prepare but don’t panic

• As these risks build and become more severe, we can no longer just think “she’ll be right”.
• As climate risks expand and become increasingly severe, understanding and actively planning for these risks is now an imperative.