Sustainable Energy in a World of Possible Climate Change

A public forum on sustainable energy last month revealed the serious nature of Australia's looming environmental crisis. Attended by government and industry figures, the "Sustainable Energy in a World of Possible Climate Change" forum was held at the Australian National Maritime Museum on the 15th August, 2006.

The keynote speaker was Dr Kevin Hennessy, Chief Research Scientist with the CSIRO’s Climate Impacts and Risk Group. In a speech that canvassed current research into global warming, Dr Hennessy was blunt about the problem of climate change.

“Climate change is real and underway. We are confident that most of the warming of the last fifty years is due to human activities and increased greenhouse gases. With the projections of greenhouse gas increases, further climate change is bound to occur this century. We anticipate warmer and dryer conditions in Australia, particularly in NSW, and more extreme events,” he said.

Dr Hennessy believes current energy strategies will cause alarming changes to Australia's climate. “Climate models tell us that in Australia we may see a warming of between half a degree and about two degrees by 2030 and between one and six degrees by 2070. These small average warmings will be associated with very large changes in extreme daily temperatures," he said

“Models tell us in the extremes this would lead to more frequent and intense droughts. At the same time there may be an increase in extreme daily rainfall events.”

Scientific research has revealed that human activities since 1950 have increased Australia's temperature by 0.9 degrees. Increases in rainfall, coupled with the heating of the upper 300 metres of the ocean are already resulting in rising ocean acidity and drastic increases in sea levels. According to computer modelling, sea levels are expected to rise by up to 50 centimetres by 2070.

Massive increases in greenhouse gases have also resulted in a marked decrease in snow cover and an increased risk of fires. "By 2020 with changes in temperature and precipitation there may be a 10-40 per cent reduction in the areas of snow cover and a 10-40 per cent increase in the number of fireban days," he said.

For more information visit the Australian Greenhouse Office.