Climate Change Threat to Australian Coast
Rising Sea and Violent Weather Threaten Australia's Iconic Coastline
Endless beaches. Spectacular living by the sea. That’s the iconic image the rest of the world has of the Australian lifestyle. However, a recent report suggests that this may become a thing of the past for many. The culprit is climate change.
The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Climate Change, Water, Environment and the Arts has just released the findings of its Inquiry into climate change and environmental impacts on coastal communities. They have found that, "... many thousands of kilometres of the Australian coastline have been identified as at risk from the threat of rising sea levels and extreme weather events due to the impacts of climate change."
This comes on top of dire predictions in recent years for the iconic corals of the Great Barrier Reef.
In addition to the havoc caused by creeping sea levels, the coast will be drastically affected by increasingly hostile weather such as storm surges and cyclones. Higher sea levels and extreme weather are not the only impacts. Warmer ocean temperatures and increasing acidification are also expected to cause havoc.
The report claims that past emissions mean that rises in sea levels are inevitable no matter what happens in future to greenhouse gases. Some 80,000 homes are threatened in the State of Victoria alone.
There have even been media suggestions that the timing of the report release is no coincidence. Accusations of spin have added to the controversy. Melbourne's daily newspaper the Herald Sun trumpeted their climate cynicism,"Environmental disaster for those coastal regions spells disaster for property prices - real investment now and in the future, and the potential to blow out the cost or availability of insurance. That's a high price if this report is more spin than substance." ("Home awash or spin cycle?", Herald Sun editorial, October 28, 2009).
Increasing Australian Population Pressures Coastline
Eighty per cent of Australia’s population of 21.5 million is huddled along the coastline, with the majority living in the South East part of the continent.
On top of pressures from global warming, the overall population is growing at a rate far beyond earlier expectations. According to a speech by the Australia’s Treasurer Wayne Swan, total population is now predicted to exceed 35 million people by 2049 (The Population Challenge and Australia's Future. 18 September 2009). This represents a massive increase of 65% over the current level.
Emissions Trading Legislation Stalled by Parliament
In a rare show of bi-partisanship, the Committee Chair, the Australian Labor Party’s Ms. Jennie George, and her Deputy, Liberal Dr. Mal Washer, agreed on the need for urgent action on climate change and global warming.
Recently the government’s Emissions Trading Scheme legislation was defeated in the Senate. The ETS is similar to Cap and Trade proposals in other countries. Negotiations are currently taking place between Kevin Rudd’s Labor government and the opposition Liberal Party over amendments to the scheme. The Liberal’s coalition partners, the National Party, are strongly opposed to any scheme. At the other end of the political spectrum, the Australian Greens believe that the government's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme targets are too weak and concessions to polluting industries are too generous.
Failure to pass legislation may well result in an early election with climate change as the central issue. Both houses of parliament can be dissolved if the Bill is defeated a second time after a period of three months.
A climate change election could well be a global first. Perhaps not one that politicians will warm to.
Cable Beach, Broome
|
What do you think about this article?
More in Science & Nature
Latest Articles