SYDNEY: Rising temperatures are exacerbating the vast environmental degradation in Australia and intensifying natural disasters, a government report released on Wednesday warned.
The State of the Climate report said that the fragile alpine regions of Australia were also slowly melting due to global warming, contributing to rising sea levels and ocean acidification.
Ian Lowe, a climate researcher, termed the report a frightening wake-up call for the country, which relies greatly on gas and coal exports for economic growth.
He said that the scale of changes demonstrated that cleaning up energy use was an urgent priority. Australia needed to reduce its gas and coal exports.
Australia’s climate warmed by 1.47 degrees Celsius since 1990
The report, jointly prepared by the government’s weather bureau and national science agency, revealed that the country’s climate had warmed by an average of 1.47 degrees Celsius since records started in 1910.
Tanya Plibersek, the Environment Minister of Australia said that it was a sobering reading, reinforcing the urgent need for climate action to protect “our environment and communities”.
Australia has in recent years faced many extreme weather events caused by soaring global temperatures.
The parts of inland New South Wales were swept by floods in early November, collapsing homes in some towns. In July, tens of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate after the floods swamped the capital’s fringe.
In March, heavy storms in New South Wales and Queensland caused an east coast flooding, killing over 20 lives.
New South Wales recorded catastrophic and unprecedented bushfires in the summer of 2019-20, while the Great Barrier Reef has been ravaged by four instances of heavy coral bleaching since 2016.
Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese last week unveiled a bid to organize the 2026 COP summit, aiming to repair the country’s international image as a climate change laggard.
Government has announced 2050 net zero emissions target
The government announced a 2050 net zero emissions target after winning the election earlier this year, but it has faced calls domestically to do more on climate change.
Melbourne University’s climate scientist Andrew King said the country needed to rapidly reduce its carbon emissions as the consequences of fossil fuels are very clear in Australia.
Ailie Gallant, a climate expert at the Australia Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes said until deep and aggressive reductions to carbon emissions, Australia’s climate would continue to deteriorate. –APP/AFP
