Category: Climate change

Accelerating Climate Action

Posted on by Linda

Amongst the G20 countries, Australia’s emission reduction target – a reduction of 26-28% on a 2005 baseline – is unusually weak, nowhere near what is required for us to play our fair share in meeting a 2°C Paris target.

The impacts that we are experiencing now at a ~1°C rise in average temperature are the forerunners of rapidly escalating risks as the temperature rises towards 2°C and beyond. An overview of these risks – worsening extreme weather, damage to natural ecosystems, disproportionate impacts on the poor and vulnerable – is given by the ‘burning embers diagram’ of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The series reveals a striking trend – as the science of climate impacts advances, severe impacts are now expected at more modest increases in temperature
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Our climate is changing now, with devastating consequences

Posted on by Linda

Ice-covered Greenland isn’t normally associated with fires. But 2017 has seen a remarkable increase in the occurrence and severity of wildfires, and scientists are freaking out at the pattern of extreme weather events in the Arctic.

Thousands of acres of permafrost are burning in what appears to be Greenland’s biggest fire on record. And climate scientists are freaking out not just because the massive fires are unusual, but because they release large amounts of greenhouse gases and speed up the melt of the ice sheet and the carbon-rich permafrost. Continue reading “Our climate is changing now, with devastating consequences” →

Climate of the Nation 2017 Australian attitudes on climate change

Posted on by Linda

 

  1. Climate Change: The majority of Australians agree that climate change is occurring (71 %) and accept the scientific consensus that human activity is the main cause (57 %).2. Action: The majority of Australians want Australia to address climate change because they see strong economic, environmental and social benefits and opportunities in the shift to a clean economy (73 %).
    Continue reading “Climate of the Nation 2017 Australian attitudes on climate change” →

How will Climate Change affect Australia?

Posted on by Linda

 

Across Australia, extreme weather events are projected to worsen as the climate warms further.

Extreme heat is projected to increase across the entire continent, with significant increases in the length, intensity and frequency of heatwaves in many regions.

The time spent in drought is projected to increase across Australia, especially in southern Australia. Continue reading “How will Climate Change affect Australia?” →

Climate Change and the Victorian Bushfire Threat

Posted on by Linda

 

Climate change is increasing the risk of bushfires in Victoria and lengthening fire seasons.

  • Extreme fire weather has increased since the 1970s in the east and south of Australia, including Victoria, with the fire season length extending from October to March.
  • Climate change is now making hot days hotter, and heatwaves longer and more frequent. Drought conditions have been increasing in Australia’s southeast.
  • Climate change is driving an increase in dangerous fire weather, which in turn is increasing the frequency and severity of bushfires.

 

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100 Ideas for a Sustainable Lifestyle

Posted on by Linda

There are lots of pieces in the puzzle of combating climate change and every little bit helps and most of the actions taken are by people taking a stand and taking action.

SAMSUNG

It goes beyond building environmentally friendly buildings with renewable energy, including storage to all aspects of your life including your diet.

There are so many great ways to contribute to a healthy planet. Some steps are larger than others; some are quick and some eco-friendly ideas take substantial planning. We’ll eventually talk about all these ideas at length but just to get you thinking here are 100 various ideas that can help your family go green.

  1. Buy less stuff. Continue reading “100 Ideas for a Sustainable Lifestyle” →

You think global warming is a sham because ‘climate has changed before?’

Posted on by Linda

A timeline of Earth’s average Temperature

since the last Ice Age glaciation.

Randall Munroe posted an XKCD comic  that so perfectly sums up the illogical nature of the most pervasive argument against the existence of man-made global warming: “The climate has changed before.”

Let me complete that fallacy with its obvious conclusion: The climate has changed before, therefore man cannot be causing the climate to change now. This is kind of like saying “Wildfires have happened naturally before, so man cannot cause a wildfire.”

Yes, Earth’s climate has waffled around for as long as the planet has existed. But it has happened slowly over the course of millennia. Right now, our climate is changing faster than it ever has in 22,000 years, and we know why: we’re pumping carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. We have known that these gases cause warming since the early 19th century. This is not a new science. But for some reason we’re still arguing about it.

Enough from me, though. Please just consider this comic. I hope you find it as funny and thoughtful as I did.

earth_temperature_timeline

Continue reading “You think global warming is a sham because ‘climate has changed before?’” →