Rising temperatures are fueling widespread environmental degradation across Australia and supercharging natural disasters, a government report released yesterday said.
The State of the Climate report said that global warming was also slowly melting Australia’s alpine regions, while contributing to ocean acidification and rising sea levels.
Climate researcher Ian Lowe said that the report was a “frightening” wake-up call for Australia, which relies heavily on coal and gas exports for economic growth.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“The scale of changes demonstrates that cleaning up our energy use is an urgent priority,” Lowe said. “We also need to reduce our exports of coal and gas.”
The report, a joint effort between the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, said that Australia’s climate had warmed by an average of 1.47°C since records began in 1910.
Australian Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek said that the report was “sobering” reading.
“For our environment, for our communities, this report reinforces the urgent need for climate action,” Plibersek said.
Australia has in the past few years faced a series of weather events.
Flash floods swept through parts of inland New South Wales earlier this month, tearing entire homes from their foundations in some country towns.
Tens of thousands of Sydney residents were ordered to evacuate in July when floods swamped the city’s fringe.
An east coast flooding disaster in March — caused by heavy storms in Queensland and New South Wales — claimed more than 20 lives.
Bushfires swept through huge chunks of New South Wales in the “black summer” of 2019-2020, while the Great Barrier Reef has had four separate mass coral bleaching events since 2016.
“These changes are happening at an increased pace,” the report said.
“The past decade has seen record-breaking extremes leading to natural disasters that are exacerbated by anthropogenic climate change,” it added.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last week unveiled a bid to host the 2026 COP summit.
Albanese’s government introduced a 2050 net zero emissions target following its election earlier this year, but has faced calls domestically to do more.
University of Melbourne climate scientist Andrew King said Australia needed to rapidly cut its carbon emissions.
“The consequences of our continued use of fossil fuels are clear in Australia like elsewhere,” King said.
“We must act quickly to decarbonize our economy to limit further damages from worsening extreme events,” he added.
Ailie Gallant from the Australia Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes said the deterioration in the country’s climate would “continue without deep and aggressive cuts to carbon emissions.”
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old