2019-07-09 Planning & Environment Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                          9 JULY 2019


The report found that:
     Human activities have caused approximately 1oC of global warming above pre-industrial
      levels, with the 1.5oC threshold likely to be crossed between the years 2030–2052 if it
      continues to increase at the current rate of temperature rise. Above this threshold the climate
      system is expected to become increasingly unstable, presenting a significant and relatively
      rapid increase in a wide range of risks to which human and biological systems are exposed.
     The 1oC global temperature rise has already resulted in more frequent land and marine
      heatwaves, increased frequency and intensity of rainfall events and increased risk and
      duration of droughts.
     Risks for both human and natural systems are lower if the global mean temperature gradually
      stabilises at 1.5°C, compared to overshooting 1.5°C and then returning to 1.5°C later in the
      century.
     To reduce the risk of increased temperature above 1.5oC, global emissions must decline
      approximately 45% below 2010 levels by 2030, and reach net zero emissions by 2050.
     Pathways limiting global warming to 1.5oC require rapid and far-reaching transitions in
      energy, land, urban, infrastructure and industrial systems. The solutions are available and
      technologically and economically feasible.
     It is imperative that global temperature increases are capped at 1.5°C to protect lives and
      livelihoods around the world. The immediate and rapid progression of this global transition
      as soon as possible will assist in avoiding the immense societal and economic disruption that
      results from undertaking the transformative changes required closer to the 1.5oC threshold.
The 2018 Australian Bureau of Meteorology State of the Climate Report can be summarised as
follows:
     Australia’s climate has warmed by just over 1oC since 1910 which is leading to an increase
      in the frequency of extreme heat events.
     Oceans around Australia have warmed by approximately +1oC since 1910, resulting in more
      frequent and longer marine heatwaves.
     Sea levels are rising, increasing the risks associated with coastal inundation events.
     The oceans around Australia are acidifying, inhibiting the formation of habitat-forming coral
      reef species and disrupting the lifecycles of important marine food-web species.
     Rainfall has decreased in southwest Australia by 20% since 1970, and streamflow has
      decreased.
     Rainfall has increased in parts of northern Australia and rainfall extremes are becoming more
      intense, increasing the damage caused by catchment flooding.
     The length of the fire season has increased and the fires have become more intense.
On the current predictions, Australia is expected to have more heatwaves (refer Figure 1) with few
cool extremes; further rises in mean sea level and ocean acidification; more hot days with longer
droughts and more intense heavy rainfall periods. There is a considerable economic cost as well.
The University of Melbourne estimates the potential damage from climate change to Australia –
excluding the costs from floods, fires, pollution and biodiversity loss – will equate to $585 billion by
2030, and $760 billion by 2050.




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