CLIMATE CHANGE - The mother of all
environmental problems.
Human activities are now playing a major
part in influencing the global climate. The burning of fossil fuels is
the principal contributor to the generation of green house gases,
followed by
changes in land use and land use practices such as tree clearing.
Australia is one of the biggest polluters in the world when it comes to
greenhouse gas emissions per year. There are 24 coal power stations in
Australia that release more than 170 million tonnes of carbon dioxide
each year. These coal driven power stations generate 84 percent of all
the electricity produced in the country.
Climate change is a particularly significant threat for Far North
Queensland. There are numerous potential environmental and humanitarian
risks associated with global warming and climate change. The local
scientific community, who have conducted some of the worlds foremost
research into climate change impacts, recognise that Far North
Queensland is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
The predicted changes for this region include the following:
Loss of high-altitude tropical
rainforests with a 2oC increase in average temperatures - many of the
plants and animals that live in our high-altitude forests are endemic
to these forests i.e. they occur no where else. The mountains that
support these systems are not very high, which means there is no where
for these forests to retreat to. Many wonderful and unique birds,
possums and other animals and plants will face extinction.
Significant impacts to the Great
Barrier Reef. Coral bleaching events are set to increase and it is
predicted that up to half the corals of the GBR could be killed by the
end of this century. The corals are the basis of much of this marine
ecosystem - their death will have huge ripple effects throughout the
marine environment.
More extensive storm tide flooding
and erosion of coastal areas and infrastructure associated with
sea-level rise and more intense tropical cyclones.
Changes in the characteristics of
surface and ground-water resources due to reductions in annual rainfall
and increased rainfall intensity.
Increased vulnerability to land
degradation, i.e. salinity, soil erosion and accompanying nutrient
loss, associated with increased rainfall intensity. Alterations to crop
seasons and the ability for some regions to sustain current
agricultural practises in response to variations in maximum and minimum
temperature and water availability.
Increased flood risks and damage to
transport infrastructure and low-lying human settlements.
Increased risks of wildfires.
Changes in energy demand and peak
load associated with increased maximum temperatures in summer and
higher minimum temperatures in winter.
Changes in human and animal health
resulting from heat stress and changes in the location of current
vector borne diseases, pests and weed populations.
Despite being one of the largest coal burning nations in the world, the
Australian Commonwealth Government refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol,
an international agreement aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions
in participating countries. Because we are not a party to the Kyoto
Protocol, there are no disincentives against further production of
electricity by coal-driven power stations. Not only is the use of coal
and fossil fuels to produce electricity one of the greatest sources of
greenhouse gas emissions, it is also extremely inefficient. Only
about 25-35 % of the energy actually stored in the coal is transformed
into electrical energy. Although methods have been suggested to reduce
carbon dioxide emissions without changing from coal to other energy
sources, none of these are practically, economically or environmentally
viable at present, or will provide an adequate solution to the problem.
The remaining greenhouse gas emissions in Australia mainly come from
transport, changes in land use and forestry.
What CAFNEC is doing:
CAFNEC has been instrumental in the formation of the NORTH QUEENSLAND CLIMATE ALLIANCE, who's mission is: "To facilitate positive actions across all sectors of our community to reduce our regions contribution to climate change and to assist our community and environment to adapt to climate change impacts".
CAFNEC has also provided input into policy development for the State
Government Greenhouse Strategy and the Federal Government Mandatory
Renewable Energy Targets (MRET). We are also pushing to highlight the
impact of fluorocarbon based refrigerants still widely used in
Australia and which are far more potent greenhouse gases than CO2 or
Methane, and for which cheaper suitable alternatives are available.
What can you do?
Write to your local state and federal MP
Join your local environment group working on Climate Change
In 60 cities and towns across Australia, 150,000
people took part in Walk Against Warming events across the country to
send a clear message to all political parties that not enough has been
done to tackle climate change and that delaying further action until
the next election will be too late to prevent its dangerous impacts.
Melbourne put in a great effort with 50 000 people on
the streets. Cairns managed 350-400 people, an increase on last year.
Polling in this region continually shows a high rate of concern for
climate change. But what do the relatively low numbers in the Cairns
march show? Is it that many in the far north feel either that their
voices don't count, or that concern in our vulnerable region remains
lower than many other regions? Perhaps marches are not part of how many
do things up here? Regardless, those that showed their concern made it
a great morning out and helped add weight to this most-important debate. Thanks to all those who helped organise and promote this years walk.