This media release became The Border Mail’s front page story on 9 October 2018.

Media release – 8/10/18

Today the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C and emission pathways to achieve this goal, a report described by the authors as one of the most keenly awaited reports by the IPCC.

“Today’s report highlights the need for decisive action,” said Lizette Salmon, convener of Wodonga Albury Toward Climate Health (WATCH). “We’re currently sitting at ‘only’ one degree of warming and much of Australia is suffering from drought, last month was declared Australia’s driest September on record, swathes of the Great Barrier Reef have bleached and crazy winter bushfires have swept parts of NSW and QLD.”

“Locally we’ve had bushfires threatening Wodonga in December 2014 and 2015 and three significant blue green algae outbreaks along the Murray River in recent years. We’ll have worse and more frequent bushfires, droughts and blue green algae outbreaks at 1.5 degrees of warming, with huge implications for our economy, agriculture, health and tourism. At 2 degrees it would be catastrophically worse.”

WATCH member Bruce Key agrees with the IPCC report, saying unprecedented, emergency-speed action is necessary with deep emission reductions across all sectors. “We need to transition to renewables as soon as possible, electrify transport and draw down carbon in the air by protecting existing forests, planting more forests and improving farming practices through regenerative agriculture, soil carbon sequestration and other techniques.”

“The voluntary emission reduction commitments made by nations since Paris put the world on a path of more than 3°C of warming by 2100, and up to 5°C if carbon-cycle feedbacks are taken into account. Warming of 3–5°C isn’t just hotter weather – it’s a threat to human existence.”

Mr Key and Ms Salmon criticised the Australian Government’s lack of climate and energy policy. “We have no climate or energy policy and our emissions are rising. It’s disgraceful and other nations are appalled. The Government sneakily released the latest greenhouse gas emissions data on the eve of the AFL grand final. They didn’t want people to know that our greenhouse gas emissions climbed for the third year in a row, making it even less likely that Australia will meet its paltry Paris commitment to reduce emissions.” said Ms Salmon.

For Border Mail story see: https://www.bordermail.com.au/story/5690122/global-warming-predictions-make-for-a-frightening-time/?cs=9681

Photo courtesy The Border Mail