Climate report: 'frightening' wake-up call for Australia

A report released by the Australian government has brought to light that soaring temperatures are fuelling the widespread environmental degradation in the country. 

The State of the Climate report revealed on Wednesday that global warming is gradually melting Australia’s fragile alpine regions. It is also leading to rising sea levels and contributing to acidification of ocean. 

The report is a “frightening” wake-up call for Australia says climate researcher Ian Lowe as Australia’s economic growth is mostly dependent on coal and gas exports.

"The scale of changes demonstrates that cleaning up our energy use is an urgent priority," Lowe said.

Lowe stressed that the country needs to reduce exports of coal and gas.

Government’s weather bureau and national science agency jointly working on this report found country's climate had warmed by an average of 1.47 degrees Celsius since records began in 1910. 

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said, "for our environment, for our communities, this report reinforces the urgent need for climate action."

2050 net zero target 

In recent years Australia has been going through a series of extreme weather events due to rising global temperatures.

Flash floods swept through parts of inland New South Wales earlier this month, tearing entire homes from their foundations in some country towns.

In March east coast flooding disaster caused by heavy storms in Queensland and New South Wales claimed more than 20 lives.

"Black Summer" of 2019 and 2020, led to disastrous bushfires that engulfed huge chunks of New South Wales while the Great Barrier Reef has suffered four separate mass coral bleaching events since 2016. 

"These changes are happening at an increased pace," the State of the Climate report found. 

"The past decade has seen record-breaking extremes leading to natural disasters that are exacerbated by anthropogenic (human-caused) climate change."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last week unveiled a bid to host the 2026 COP summit, seeking to repair Australia's international reputation as a climate crisis laggard.

Albanese's centre-left government introduced a 2050 net zero emissions target following its election earlier this year but has faced calls domestically to do more. 

READ MORE: Australia on high alert over more floods as tempers fray on slow relief