The Importance Of Climate Change In Western Australia

Today, there is less than half of Australian’s arid zone environment used for farming. Majority of the farming in the arid zone of Australia is for either sheep or cattle, with only a few small, irrigated crops scatted throughout the area (Kaul 1971). As a result, this report will focus on other countries such as North, South and Central America, Africa and Asia (Creswell & Martin 1998). (Please note, Asia’s arid zones are known as a ‘dry zones’, but for this report the generally term ‘arid zone’ will be used).

The air around us is constantly getting warmer, in fact 2001-2010 was the warmest decade ever recorded. According to the article,"Signs of Climate Change", the average tempature on Earth is predicted to rise between 4-12 degrees by 2100. The major rise of temperature is later causing droughts to happen more and more. In present day the droughts are already starting to get more powerful, last longer, and happen more often. In 2100 they are way worse than present day and they are continuing to get worse. With the combination of really high temperatures and the drought we are not longer able to grow crops such as corn, cabbage, lettuce, and watermelon here in 2100.

Fruits, including grapes for wine, can produce up to 40% in agricultural export earnings annually

Around 65 million years ago, the climate in Australia was cooler and wetter than it is now, with great, shallow seas in central Australia due to it being joined to Antarctica allowing for sea-living creatures such as the Plesiosaurs and Iscthyosaurs. However, as Australia started to separate from Antarctica and began moving northward roughly 23 million years ago, the climate became warmer and drier with temperate rainforest started to form. These great lush forests fed and protected large numbers of animals that were dependent on it for food and shelter. Central parts of Australia that was once seas and rivers, soon gave way to sand dunes and arid conditions. As of this change, vegetation type also changed, with species that were more tolerant

Australia has Beautiful coasts, habitats and an abundance of land, climate change can destroy all of this. Climate change effects not just sea level rises but also weather patterns, global temperature, water quality and ecosystems. The threat of rising sea level is big *gestures towards power point* this image shows the Gold Coast when sea levels rise less than a meter; most of Carrara is underwater, not to mention all the areas where water might flow *power point gesture*. The climate also affect the oceans acidity and temperature which greatly affects the oceans ecosystem and our loved Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is classed as the largest living Earth, however the warm ocean temperatures are killing the algae that sustains the reef without it the reef will die. Many businesses rely on the reef to make a living, not to mention when the sea rises many homes will be lost all across Australia. If nothing is done about climate change, there will be repercussions within your lifetimes.

The Impact that agriculture has on climate change is one of the largest in the world. Climate effects temperature and water availability, weather extremes and flooding and changing CO2 levels in the atmosphere. All of this impacts a shift in crop production patterns across agro ecological zones.

The following report will display the current research and views that scientists have on climate change. The first source is “Climate change in the South East Queensland Region” which was published by the Queensland Government. Source 1 will be used to study the consequences of climate change expected of global climate models. The second source is “Climate Change Reconsidered II” published by The Heartland Institution of Chicago. Source 2 will be used to assess and critique computer model predictions on climate change. “Climate change in the South East Queensland Region” summarises the expected future changes in climate for the South East Queensland region. The document predicts future climate change averages under different greenhouse gas

The Murray–Darling Basin is facing the challenge of climate change, including estimated increases in temperatures and evaporation, and a reduce in precipitation and runoffs to the rivers and wetlands, particularly in the southern MDB (Dunlop and Brown 2008). A projected model that makes a comparison between the historical climate change and the 2030 expected figures conducted by The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) suggests that, water yield in the MDB is estimated to decline, with median estimated reductions of 12% and 24% in end-of-system flows towards the end of 2030. Pittock and Finlayson (2011) pointed out, the frequency bushfire is also expected to increase due to climate change,

Like many countries, agriculture has been the backbone of Australia’s growth and development. Farming in Australia can be traced back to the time European settlers introduced agricultural technologies from their native countries and thereby influenced the early practices in the country. The industry of farming has fed Australia’s growing population and provided a basis for economic growth and development. Australia’s agricultural sector is a significant contributor to the economy, businesses related to agriculture not only provide for Australia’s population but is also a major exporter.

Water scarcity affects more than 23 million hectares of rained rice growing in many countries. Drought affects rice production in Australia, China, USA, and other countries

My extended essay topic will be the climate change in Australia. The question I want to investigate is the impacts of climate change in Australia and the solutions of the climate change. Climate change is tested by an increased in temperatures, the concentration of haze and amounts of rainfall. Climate change is definitely relevant to the Australasia because Australia has one of the world’s largest global warming emissions rates. The climate change in Australia causes many problems due to the fossil fuel are burned. First of all, the climate change increases the frequency of extreme weather events, such as the spring of 2013 has been Australia’s warmest on record. The temperature for the season was 1.57°C above the 1961–1990 average. Humans

Existing climate variability is a fundamental driver of cotton production in Australia. Negative effects of anthropogenic climate change will increase the existing climate-related production challenges to the Australia cotton industry most likely through significant fruit loss, lower yields and reduced water use efficiencies due to higher temperatures (Williams et al. 2014; Bange et al. 2010). On average, on cotton-producing farms, cotton makes up the largest proportion of farm income (approximately 66%) in terms of gross value of production and yet only comprises about 10% of the total farm area (ABARE 2012; Roth 2010). 80% of cotton producing farms are irrigated and consequently overall production is very sensitive to water availability and price (McRae et al. 2007; Roth

 Changes in global weather patterns has resulted in more crop failures and sharply higher

Climate change is one of the major issues surfacing earth over the past century. The earth’s temperature has increased over the years leading to detrimental effects on the economic and life sources of people, especially that of agricultural production and livestock. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary (2014), defined climate change as a change in global climate patterns apparent from the mid late 20th century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, (2007) predicts that by 2100 the increase in global average surface temperature may be between 1.8° C and 4.0° C. With increases of 1.5° C to 2.5° C, approximately 20 to 30 percent of plant and animal species are expected to be at risk of extinction. Moreover, the IPCC (2007)

Global climate change is real, it has noticeable effects on the environment. Climate change in the earth is caused by numerous activities. When climate change happens; temperatures can rise tremendously. Rapid warming notice nowadays is uncommon in the history of our planet. The rising temperatures will have great effects on the plant’s climate patterns and on all living things. When temperatures increase, different adjustments can occur on earth. For example, it can cause droughts, floods, air pollution, as well as extreme heat waves. Oceans are also experiencing changes: oceans are warming and becoming more acidic, glaciers are melting, and sea levels are rising. As these adjustments will occur in the future, it will cause challenges to our society and environment.