4 years ago
CLIMATE CHANGE EXACERBATED BUSHFIRES
MARK BUTLER MP
Evidence from the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) and the CSIRO to the Bushfire Royal Commission today could not have been clearer – climate change has exacerbated bushfires, it was a factor in the devastating summer fires and will continue to cause severe risk.
Dr Karl Braganza, the BoM’s head of climate modelling said, “If you look at December, over that month we had temperatures either in the 90th percentile or highest on record and that is the background setting for the fires we saw around the country in that month and earlier in spring.
“We’ve seen a very long period, a protracted period of temperatures that are the warmest on record.
“We were not just favouring warmer or drier conditions but pushing up into events that more than often become unprecedented or beyond the historical record.”
Disturbingly, Dr Braganza said that the bushfires had “played out” exactly the way the BoM’s forecast said they would, raising questions about why the Morrison Government did not act to prevent the resulting damage.
Dr Braganza also warned there will be worse fire seasons in general due to climate change. He also confirmed that Australia’s temperature had increased by 1.4C since 2000.
Dr Helen Cleugh from the CSIRO warned Australia will directly be affected by global warming, saying climate change is driving extreme impacts both now and into the future.
Dr Cleugh warned Australia will continue to warm substantially throughout the 21st century and “climate change means the past is no longer a guide to future climate impacts and risks”.
Asked by the Chair, ACM Mark Binskin AC, if Australia will see a worsening of natural disasters, Dr Cleugh said, “Yes that is correct. Some of this is locked in due to our current emissions. Nevertheless, we can have a significant amelioration of some of those impacts by addressing emissions into the future.”
There is no longer any question. To limit the ferociousness of extreme bushfire seasons in the future the Morrison Government needs to listen to the science and tackle climate change.
The Morrison Government took the advice of scientists when it came to COVID-19. They can no longer ignore climate scientists.
Dr Karl Braganza, the BoM’s head of climate modelling said, “If you look at December, over that month we had temperatures either in the 90th percentile or highest on record and that is the background setting for the fires we saw around the country in that month and earlier in spring.
“We’ve seen a very long period, a protracted period of temperatures that are the warmest on record.
“We were not just favouring warmer or drier conditions but pushing up into events that more than often become unprecedented or beyond the historical record.”
Disturbingly, Dr Braganza said that the bushfires had “played out” exactly the way the BoM’s forecast said they would, raising questions about why the Morrison Government did not act to prevent the resulting damage.
Dr Braganza also warned there will be worse fire seasons in general due to climate change. He also confirmed that Australia’s temperature had increased by 1.4C since 2000.
Dr Helen Cleugh from the CSIRO warned Australia will directly be affected by global warming, saying climate change is driving extreme impacts both now and into the future.
Dr Cleugh warned Australia will continue to warm substantially throughout the 21st century and “climate change means the past is no longer a guide to future climate impacts and risks”.
Asked by the Chair, ACM Mark Binskin AC, if Australia will see a worsening of natural disasters, Dr Cleugh said, “Yes that is correct. Some of this is locked in due to our current emissions. Nevertheless, we can have a significant amelioration of some of those impacts by addressing emissions into the future.”
There is no longer any question. To limit the ferociousness of extreme bushfire seasons in the future the Morrison Government needs to listen to the science and tackle climate change.
The Morrison Government took the advice of scientists when it came to COVID-19. They can no longer ignore climate scientists.