Climate Change

Climate change is a change in weather patterns due to an increase in the earth's temperature, which in turn is caused by increased levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. While greenhouse gases in the atmosphere occur naturally to keep the earth at a temperature necessary to sustain life, human activity has resulted in the "enhanced greenhouse effect", an increase in greenhouse gas concentration which is causing significant global warming effects.

Carbon dioxide is not the only greenhouse gas, but it is the main contributor to warming. Other important greenhouse gases include nitrous oxide and methane, both of which have increased in the last century and are also influenced heavily by human activities.

Global warming refers to an average increase in the Earth's temperature, which in turn causes changes in climate. We are already starting to feel the effects of greenhouse gas pollution. Being the driest inhabited content, Australia is particularly vulnerable to climate change and will continue to experience:

• sea level rises of up to one metre by 2100 (this does not take into account land-based ice sheet melt, the impact of which could mean significantly higher sea level rises)
• higher temperatures (an increase in the number of days above 35 degrees from 1 up to 21 by 2070)
• an increase in extreme weather events such as heat waves, floods, storms, droughts and bushfires.

If levels of greenhouse gases continue to rise, these weather changes could lead to serious impacts on coastal housing and infrastructure, biodiversity, agriculture, water supplies, human health, transport and tourism.

Living sustainably and reducing our environmental impact can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to mitigating the devastating effects of climate change.

More information 

For further information on climate change, projections and adaptation, visit the Australian Department of Climate Change or the Queensland Office of Climate Change.