Climate ChangeImpacts
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change
Climate ChangeWorldwide
IPCC 2007
The story so far:
Carbon Dioxide• is the most important greenhouse gas• from a 280 parts per million before the
industrial revolution• to 379 ppm in 2005 • the range over last 650,000 years has been
180 to 300 ppm • growth rate (1995–2005) averaged 1.9 ppm
per year
Climate Change in Australia
IPCC 2007
Major Findings•Regional climate change has occurred since 1950•There has been 0.4 to 0.7°C of warming•There has been an increase in the intensity of Australian droughts•Sea level has risen by about 70 mm
Less rainless rain in southern and eastern Australia
more heatwaves, fewer frosts, more rain in north-west Australia
Water supplies
Graph copyright Melbourne Water
615 GL – 385 GL = 130 GL or 34% decrease
(Into Thomson, Upper Yarra, O’Shannassy and Maroondah dams)
Future predictions
Rising sea levels
Significant loss of biodiversity is projected
to occur by 2020 in some ecologically rich sites
IPCC 2007 diagram of key issues
Risks to Buildings, Roads, etc.
•Increased storm damage
•Increased damage by bush fires
•Extreme weather events will cause more damage to things like roads
•More blackouts
Risks to Agriculture & Forestry
Production from agriculture and forestry is projected to decline by 2030 over much of southern and eastern Australia due to increased drought and fire.
Risks to Health•Increased heat related deaths
•Warmer temperatures increase food and water-borne diseases
•Mental health (drought causing stress)
•Increased fire smoke affecting asthma suffers
More Risks to Health
It is predicted that there will be changes to mosquito-borne diseases like Dengue Fever & Malaria in northern Australia.
The impacts of smog on health are still uncertain.
How old will you be in the year
2020?
Projected Changes
Source: IPCC, 2007
But the good news is: