Two days after the conclusion of COP 27, a new study highlights the urgency of combating global warming. A report on the state of the climate published by the Australian government, on Wednesday, warned of rising temperatures in the country, which leads to environmental deterioration in general.
More specifically, according to this report, global warming is leading to acidification, sea level rise and slow thawing of areas of the Australian Alps, which the document considers to be fragile.
Australia’s climate has warmed by an average of 1.47 degrees Celsius since records began in 1910, according to this report by the government weather services and the National Science Agency.
Climate change is already very tangible in the country
In recent years, the country’s continent has been the epicenter of extreme weather events linked to a rise in global temperatures. ” The past decade has been marked by the occurrence of record extremes leading to natural disasters exacerbated by anthropogenic (man-made) climate change (…]These changes are occurring at an increasing rate Alert report.
Since 2016, scientists have observed ” whitening In other words, the decline of the Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef in the world that concentrates a great diversity of animal and plant species. In 2019 and 2020, the eyes of the world were on Australia’s southeast, plagued by devastating bushfires.
After the fires started in March, storms and torrential rains ravaged the coast on the eastern side of the island, killing more than 20 people. The same scenario in July when the Sydney authorities ordered tens of thousands of residents to evacuate the city after flooding on the outskirts of the city. Finally, this month, flash floods destroyed buildings in rural towns in New South Wales, in the southeast of the country.
Australia is a major exporter of gas and coal
This report contradicts the Australian government’s economic policy. It has also been described as ” alarm signal Scary for Australia, by climatologist Ian Lowe. The Australian state relies on economic growth based in part on the extraction and export of gas and coal, two polluting fossil fuels. Australia, which has not exported coal to China since October 2022, will start delivering it to its neighbour, a big coal consumer, within a few months. Ships carrying Australian coal held outside Chinese ports were able to dock in September, and 450,000 tons of coal had been offloaded, Nick Ristic, an analyst at Braemar ACM Shipbroking, told Reuters on Oct. 4. financial times. A pro-coal policy denounced by Ian Lowe who announced it We also need to reduce our coal and gas exports ».
Other scientists have also called for Australia to reduce carbon emissions quickly. ” The consequences of our continued use of fossil fuels are evident in Australia as elsewhere (…) We must act quickly to decarbonize our economy to limit further damage from exacerbation of extreme events said Andrew King, a climatologist at the University of Melbourne. Ailee Gallant, a scientist at the Australian Center of Excellence for Extreme Climate Change, also warned of the country’s climate deterioration. “It will continue without a deep, sharp decline in carbon emissions. »
The Australian government wants to restore its image
The report also caused a reaction from the Australian government. Environment Minister Tanya Plibersk announced that “ For the sake of our environment and our communities, this report reinforces the need for urgent climate action. »
To improve its image, the government led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced last week that his country wanted to host a COP summit in 2026. More realistically, his center-left government passed a climate law in September aimed at getting Australia to net zero. Emissions by 2050. This provision requires the country to cut carbon emissions by 43% compared to 2005 levels. A key measure but it has not convinced all Australian politicians. Senator David Pocock, for example, told AFP that “43% isn’t enough (…) but it’s a start… I think it’s important that we legislate on a target.”
(with AFP)
