Rising temperatures
In 20 years, Brisbane temperatures are expected to rise to Rockhampton’s current temperatures as a result of global warming.
Rising temperatures
Bureau of Meteorology records show that Australia and Queensland are getting hotter. According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 11 of the past 12 years (1995-2006) rank amongst the 12 warmest years since 1850.
Australian annual mean temperatures (the mean is the mid-point between the highest and lowest recorded temperatures) have increased by approximately 0.9°C since 1910, consistent with a global mean temperature increase of between 0.7°C and 0.8°C since 1900 (Australian Bureau of Meteorology).
Such increases in average temperature may seem insignificant compared with the variations we see in daily temperatures, but they reflect the increase of extreme temperatures. This has been apparent with fewer frosts, a greater number of hot days or heatwaves, and droughts in Australia have become more prolonged in recent times, exacerbating water demand.
Even small temperature increases have the potential to alter species of plants and animals, and demand of Queensland communities a new understanding of their interaction with the environment.
In Queensland, December 2005 was the hottest December ever recorded. December temperature records for mean monthly maximums were broken in many places. For example, Georgetown in Far North Queensland recorded a mean maximum temperature of 40.3°C, 4.3°C above the December average.
In the future, Queensland is expected to continue to get even hotter, with average annual temperature increases of 0.2-2.1°C by 2030 and 0.7-6.4°C by 2070.
North Queensland can expect more severe tropical cyclones and increased summer rainfall, while outback Queensland may see even more prolonged droughts.
Warmer seawater temperatures wouldcause catastrophic bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef , threatening a $5.6 billion industry.
By degrees
One degree doesn’t sound like much but studies of North Queensland’s tropical forests found that the area that can support highland rainforest declines by 50 percent with temperature increases of 1°C . Rainfall is reduced by 10 percent and Australia’s snow cover shrinks by up to 40 percent, boosting the chance of drought by up to 70 percent.
By the time we get to a 2°C increase in average mean temperature, we can expect coral bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef to reach 60 to 80 percent of the entire reef. A 3°C rise will see more forest fires, 80 percent of Kakadu lost, and a 30 percent boost in tropical cyclone rainfall.
If we ever got to a 5°C increase in mean temperature we are in severe trouble, as we face a 90-100 percent loss of habitat for most Australian animals, sparking thousands of extinctions.
In Brisbane, the number of summer days over 35°C is projected to rise from the current average of three per year to six by 2030.
More frequent and intense heatwaves will affect seniors and children in particular.
Rising temperatures will change our economy, our environment, our lifestyle and our relationship with other countries, since rising sea levels will cause migrations of millions of people. What we do to slow and reverse the effects of climate change here in Queensland contributes to a global solution.
