Tag: climate

State of the Climate

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Whether you believe it is human induced (anthropogenic) or natural occurring (atmospheric, hydrospheric and biospheric) or otherwise the facts speak for themselves. From the Bureau of Meteorology the Fast Facts are:

  • Climate change is continuing
  • Warming has been measured around Australia and globally during recent decades
  • 2010 Global temperatures were the warmest on record (slightly higher than 2005 and 1998)
  • Australia experienced record rainfalls and the coolest temperatures since 2001 due to a very strong La Niña event in 2010 and 2011
  • Concentrations of long-lived greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached a new high in 2011
  • Australian temperatures are projected to increase in coming decades

Rising CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels has affected global temperature much more than natural climate variability during the past century.

The State of the Climate(March 2010 release) highlighted a multi-decadal warming trend over Australia’s land and oceans, an increase in record hot days and decrease in record cold days across the country, a decrease in rainfall in southwest and southeast Australia, an increase in global sea level, and increases in global greenhouse gas concentrations.

The State of the Climate (2012 release) provides an updated summary of long-term climate trends. It notes that the long-term warming trend has not changed, with each decade having been warmer than the previous decade since the 1950s. The warming trends observed around Australia are consistent with global-scale warming that has been measured during recent decades, despite 2010 and 2011 being the coolest years recorded in Australia since 2001. Global-average surface temperatures were the warmest on record in 2010 (slightly higher than 2005 and 1998). 2011 was the world’s 11th warmest year and the warmest year on record during a La Niña event. The world’s 13 warmest years on record have all occurred in the past 15 years.

State of the Climate 2012 also highlights the increase in global sea level and notes sea-level rise around Australia since 1993 is greater than, or equal to, the global average. Our observations show that sea-surface temperatures around Australia have increased faster than the global average. The concentrations of long-lived greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached a new high in 2011. Annual growth in global fossil-fuel CO2 emissions between 2009 and 2010 was 5.9 per cent, reversing a small decline of 1.2 per cent recorded between 2008 and 2009 during the global financial crisis”.

CO2Land org stresses that from a farmer perspective the interrupts to the season trends mean considerable adaption will be required, more than just improved management techniques. Evidence is given by the Bureau that  “There has been a general trend towards increased spring and summer monsoonal rainfall across Australia’s north during recent decades, and decreased late autumn and winter rainfall across southern Australia. The summary shows that the very strong La Niña event in 2010 followed by another in 2011 brought the highest two-year Australian-average rainfall total on record.

CO2Land org was impressed with Dr Karl Braganza from the Climate Monitoring Section of the Bureau of Meteorology where he discusses the State of the Climate in 2012 in a video. Visit www.bom.gov.au and follow the report.

 

a story from BEIJING

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The Climate group of China, has released a story from BEIJING: The Chinese Government has released a regulation on domestic voluntary carbon trading and market development, which puts the nation on track towards achieving a compulsory carbon market.

In a quote directly from Changhua Wu, Greater China Director, The Climate Group, dated 9 July 2012, is: “This regulation marks a significant step forward in China in developing the domestic carbon market” . She added: “It sets clear guidelines and requirements of the technical and institutional elements when domestic voluntary carbon market is concerned. While still at a very early stage, today China is on the right track towards a nation-wide compulsory carbon market by establishing the infrastructure, technical guideline, as well as institutional structure needed to accelerate progress….This effort builds upon the practice and experience of China’s active participation in the Clean Development Mechanism at the global level.”

CO2Land org thinks we should have a long look at the significance of this development, we are not alone!

Opinions on anthropogenic climate change vary greatly across society

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Opinions on anthropogenic climate change vary greatly across society, and it appears that Australia’s farmers remain largely skeptical about the causes of climate change – As is the view of Richard Eckard (Uni of Melbourne)

And Don Atkin (only identified via grapevine email) asks: Have I missed something? The astute ones were adapting to floods, droughts and market conditions then (evidence he collected from the 1950’s). “When they were seen to be successful, others in their neighborhood followed. What is new”?

CO2Land org notes that occupied land have weather data that goes back more than 150 years. Those groups, and lets not discount the recollections of those before occupation, they can see patterns in the data that help them make good decisions.

In Eckard’s work is shown: Recent surveys show that only 28% of primary producers accept that human activity is the cause of climate change, compared to 58% of urban dwellers.

The conclusions include that “Regardless of farmers’ beliefs on whether the climate is actually changing and what’s causing the changes, there are impacts that will need to be managed”. It could be argued that urban dwellers just believe what they are influenced by in terms of the news 24/7.

While Richard Eckard talks of the separate need to consider the physical, policy and peripheral impacts of climate change. Co2Land org wonders if one of the 3 P’s is ignored: The considerations of the past – the old person that remembers the days when!

Anthropogenic change can be proven; it is the responses that present the reason for alarm. Adaption means innovate and survive. Lets slow down at this point, as physical impacts are evident, so it is easy to engage with policy and peripheral impacts. For once it is now confused: Is it the market or sustainable practices that rein?