The latest State of the Climate report provided by the peak Australian scientific body CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology has nailed shut any escape route for climate change deniers. In fact the report reveals that Australia is set to suffer massive damaging effects from human induced climate change.
According to CSIRO, Australian average temperatures are projected to rise by 0.6 to 1.5 ºC by 2030. If global greenhouse gas emissions continue to grow at rates consistent with past trends, warming is projected to be in the range of 2.2 to 5.0 ºC by 2070.
The report also confirms human induced climate change is the most likely cause:
“International research shows that it is extremely unlikely that the observed warming could be explained by natural causes alone.”
“Evidence of human influence has been detected in ocean warming, sea-level rise, continental-average temperatures, temperature extremes and wind patterns. CSIRO research has shown that higher greenhouse gas levels are likely to have caused about half of the winter rainfall reduction in south-west Western Australia.”
So enormous are the implications of up to 5 degree centigrade warming, those persons and organisations continuing deliberate campaigns to mislead the public and influence policy makers, should be regarded as dangerous criminals. Delaying action on climate change will certainly cost lives and livelihoods, and will wipe out many species inhabiting the earth.
Some scientists are concerned that temperature increases above 4 degrees centigrade will upset the balance between respiration and photosynthesis. This will result in plants producing more carbon dioxide than oxygen. If this happens and cannot be reversed the human race will join the ranks of extinct species.
It is time for all of us to wake up to the fact that a carbon tax is a lesser evil than death or extinction of our species.
It is also time to take action on the political front by writing to our members and potential members of parliament and demand effective steps to save our country and our communities from the looming disaster of unstoppable climate change. At the next elections it is imperative that we dump those MPs who have become reliant on handouts from polluting corporations.
It should be noted that there is a time lag of twenty to thirty years before atmospheric carbon increases are manifested as rises in global temperature. Our current higher temperature is due to atmospheric carbon increases of thirty years ago.
The impacts of the significantly higher levels of CO2 produced this decade will not be experienced for twenty years. Our children and grandchildren will suffer significantly for our folly and there is nothing we can do about that level of suffering.
If we fail to act decisively now we could well be living in the last century of human civilisation.
The CSIRO summary document (15/03/12) is a free pdf download on the hotlink below…
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