Why Australia is a big loser from climate change
CSIRO recently released a report on projections and impacts of climate change for Australia (www.marine.csiro.au/iawg/) which puts the heat on both major political parties to back those countries seeking to ratify and implement the Kyoto greenhouse protocol by next year.
CSIRO's findings mirror international reports that show Australia being one of the regions worst hit by climate change. The findings predict that Australia will experience:
Environment
* enhanced La Niña and El Niño effects producing longer droughts and more severe flooding
* higher temperatures (average temperatures up to 6ºC higher by 2070)
* greater moisture stress and worse bushfires due to less average rainfall and higher evaporation levels
* species extinction from loss of habitat, sea level rises, decreased river flows
Industry and jobs
* loss of agricultural yield due to temperature rises and lower rainfall (lower wheat protein and dairy production)
* southward move of pests such as cattle tick, fruit fly and light-brown apple moth (costing an additional $3.5million p.a. for fruit fly management)
* up to two-thirds decline in snow cover by 2030
* loss to tourism industry from coral bleaching that is likely to become common by 2020
Human health
* injury and death from heat waves, tropical cyclones and floods
* "indirect effects" including infectious diseases such as dengue-fever, food poisoning by fish contaminated by toxic algal blooms, water borne diseases such as giardia, mosquito borne diseases, and increased incidence of skin cancer and eye cataracts from ozone depletion
* water shortages, particularly in southern and western Australia
* vehicle and housing damage from gales, hail, waves and storm surges in coastal communities (cyclone and flood areas in north Queensland could double by 2050).
Australia is the big loser from climate change and it is time that our politicians stop risking our future and join with those nations, such as the UK, Europe and New Zealand to commit NOW to ratify the Kyoto Protocol next year.