Climate change in ANZ
Climate change in ANZ
‘The National Farmers Federation (NFF) believes climate change to be possibly the biggest risk facing Australian farmers in the coming century.’ - National Farmers Federation in the National Agriculture and Climate Change Action plan 2006–2009.
What is climate change?
The Earth’s atmosphere is made up of oxygen, a large amount of nitrogen and a small percentage of greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases trap warmth from the sun making life on Earth possible. Without them, too much heat would escape and the surface of the planet would freeze.
However an increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere causes the Earth to heat more and the climate to change. Therefore we have two new phrases entering our vocabulary, global warming and climate change.
Global warming means more than just a rise in the world’s temperature. Human activity stemming from industrialisation over the last 50 to 100 years has caused the Earth to heat up at an unprecedented rate. This activity is increasing the amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, which in turn is affecting weather patterns and climatic conditions.
The climate has undergone many changes over millions of years. Natural changes of the past 10,000 years have been gradual, allowing people, plants and animals to migrate. In our time these changes are being exaggerated by global warming and we refer to this phenomenon as climate change.
Australia
Scientific research to date shows that increased temperatures, more intense droughts, changes to rainfall patterns and seasons and a drier continent are the inevitable consequence of climate change. August 2006 was the driest in Australia since 1900.
While climate change and drought are still being examined in Australia and internationally, it is clear that urgent action is needed to reduce our greenhouse emissions. As a nation prone to intense drought conditions, all efforts must be made to lessen climate change impacts and to prepare for temperature and rainfall changes that may result.
New Zealand
New Zealand’s climate is likely to change during the 21st century. The overall effect of these changes is difficult to evaluate at the present time but it is becoming evident that climate change will mean major changes to the country.
Temperature rises in New Zealand are likely to be less than the global average but will be higher in the North Island than the South. There are likely to be fewer frost days in winter and more hot days in summer. Apart from higher temperatures, the greatest effect of climate change is likely to be on water resources with higher rainfall in the west then in the east. Extreme climate events such as droughts could become more frequent in eastern areas.
New Zealand’s climate is getting warmer, faster. This is a direct result of human activity over the last 50 years. Sea levels globally are expected to rise between nine and 88cms by 2100 compared with average rises of 10 to 20 cm last century. Already low-lying islands in the Pacific like Kiribati are awash. Their future is in doubt as the sea rises.
More rainfall in the mountains and reduced snow cover will mean levels in hydroelectric storage lakes should stay higher and reduce electricity supply problems during winter. Continued greenhouse gas emissions are likely to slow the recovery of the ozone layer by 15 to 20 years.
