Greenhouse

NEWS: Climate Change dominates election agenda as Australians swing to Green's

18 August 2010

When Kevin Rudd and the Labor party first came to power in 2007, one of the first tasks he set his new regime was to sign the country up to the Kyoto Protocol, which the previous government had refused to ratify. In addition to this he promised a carbon-emissions trading scheme to heighten Australia's domestic action against climate change. However, Rudd later backtracked on this and the bill had difficulty getting through parliament and this signal of inaction led to his, and his party's, decline in popularity. In June, Julia Gillard seized power in a surprise move which saw Rudd ousted as the country's premier shortly before calling a snap election. The resulting election saw both the incumbent Labor party and the Liberal-National opposition (who have been firmly against the trading scheme) failing to impress the electorate enough to seize power.

Accompanied by the decline in the Labor vote was a surge in Green support, with the party registering 11% of the national vote. They could also emerge key players in the ongoing talks to establish a coalition as both sides attempt to get enough seats to secure that elusive majority. Glenn Albrecht, of Murdoch University in Perth believes this result sends a clear message. "Australian's are telling their parties that they take climate change seriously and they take the science seriously", he said.

Meanwhile the government of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has also announced it will enact tougher climate change policies with an initial target of 40% reduction of 1990 levels by 2020 rising to 80% by 2050.

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NEWS: Extreme weather leads to devastating floods in Pakistan

18 August 2010

In late July, more than 312mm of rain fell in Pakistan over a 36 hour period. With around 13.8 million people said to be affected, the disaster has eclipsed the 2005 Kashmir Earthquake as well as the 2004 Asian tsunami in severity. Immediate impacts include 1,600 deaths and the destruction of over 750,000 homes as well as the threat of water-borne disease. However the impact of the disaster could spread longer into the future as the crops of cotton, sugarcane, tobacco, rice and pulses could be wiped out for years to come. An unprecedented heat wave in Russia has led to the hottest summer in history, around 800 separate wildfires and the death rate has risen to over 700 from its average of 360. Similarly to Pakistan, the fires have wiped out food crops leading to fears for future supply. It is not only the consequences but also the causes of these events that are linked.

The jet stream high up in the atmosphere controls much of the weather in the northern hemisphere has altered from its regular course and created a 'blocking event'. Whether climate change has caused these events is not known. No single weather event can be accurately linked to climate change; scientists suggest it is merely a case of shifting probabilities. The general consensus is that extreme weather events including heatwaves and floods will be more likely under advanced warming, yet it is currently impossible for climate change models to predict the pattern of these recent 'blocking events' being more common in periods of low solar activity and during El Nino events, both of which have been reported this year.

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