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Unease about global warming niggles at most of us — often in the background as we deal with the distractions of daily life. But every now and then, science delivers a warning so powerful, we’re compelled to pay attention.
On Monday evening that warning came, in the form of the latest findings by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The report synthesised 14,000 research papers and involved 234 of the world’s leading scientists, including some of Australia’s best and brightest. Many of those experts lead our coverage today, giving us their take on the most authoritative and comprehensive statement since 2013 on the state of Earth’s climate.
The headline findings are hard to stomach. Within a decade, the planet is very likely to have warmed by 1.5℃ compared to pre-industrial times — leaving Australia, already the driest inhabited continent on Earth, hotter, drier and more dangerous still.
As CSIRO’s Michael Grose and his colleagues write, however, climate change in Australia is not a distant maybe. It has well and truly arrived. The IPCC says ocean warming in the region of the East Australia Current is four times faster than the global average. And human-caused climate change left its fingerprints in many recent extreme events in Australia, including the Black Summer bushfires.
Nina Lansbury Hall and her colleagues today describe how Indigenous communities in the Torres Strait Islands are also grappling with climate-induced damage, including drought and fears over the spread of infectious diseases.
Of course, Australia’s plight is part of a global tragedy. Pep Canadell and his colleagues explain how Earth has already warmed 1.09℃ since pre-industrial times. Many changes, such as sea-level rise and glacier melt, are now virtually irreversible.
In the face of all this distressing news, our authors urge action, not despair. Yes, the IPCC findings are worrying. And staying below 1.5℃ warming — the ultimate goal of the Paris Agreement — is important. But what really matters is maintaining the lowest global warming we can. Every action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will reduce the climate risks we face.
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Nicole Hasham
Section Editor: Energy + Environment
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Dean Lewins/AAP
Michael Grose, CSIRO; Joelle Gergis, Australian National University; Pep Canadell, CSIRO; Roshanka Ranasinghe
Australia may warm by 4℃ or more this century, the IPCC has found. As these IPCC authors explain, there is no going back from some changes in the climate system.
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AP Photo/Noah Berger
Pep Canadell, CSIRO; Joelle Gergis, Australian National University; Malte Meinshausen, The University of Melbourne; Mark Hemer, CSIRO; Michael Grose, CSIRO
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has released its long-awaited report. From accelerating emissions to intensifying disasters to rising sea levels, its authors lay out the new findings.
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Dave Hunt/AAP
Michael Grose, CSIRO; Malte Meinshausen, The University of Melbourne; Pep Canadell, CSIRO; Zebedee Nicholls, The University of Melbourne
IPCC authors go beyond the headlines to explain how 1.5℃ warming is measured – and why there’s still reason to hope, and act, if Earth exceeds that limit.
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View from Warraber Island.
Nina Hall
Nina Lansbury Hall, The University of Queensland; Andrew Redmond, The University of Queensland; Condy Canuto, The University of Queensland; Francis Nona, The University of Queensland; Samuel Barnes, The University of Queensland
Five climate-sensitive infectious diseases exist in the Torres Strait. Traditional Owners are calling on the UN for action.
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from www.shutterstock.com
James Trauer, Monash University
Different groups of researchers give different predictions. And it’s easy to be bewildered, especially if you’re in lockdown and looking for answers. Here’s what to make of it all.
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Shutterstock
Elise Schubert, University of Sydney; Lifeng Kang, University of Sydney; Nial Wheate, University of Sydney
The government has ordered 7,700 doses of sotrovimab. But until further evidence shows it’s effective, the guidelines say it should only be given to patients as part of a human clinical trial.
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Lukas Coch/AAP
Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
The Moderna vaccine has been provisionally approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration for use in Australia, with one million doses due in the second half of September, which will go to pharmacies.
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Health + Medicine
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Michelle H Lim, Swinburne University of Technology
With lockdowns likely to be a part of life in Australia until a significant majority of us are vaccinated, it’s timely to think about what we can do to look out for people who may be vulnerable.
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Education
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Jeana Kriewaldt, The University of Melbourne; Shu Jun Lee, The University of Melbourne
Many interactions between teacher and student may appear insignificant or random, but they are important for learning and building relationships.
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Shelley Hannigan, Deakin University
Beyond creativity and thinking skills, arts education will help you enhance your communication and expressive skills, as well as boosting your confidence and self-esteem.
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Arts + Culture
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Kathryn Kelly, Queensland University of Technology
Set at a long, beery election night party, David Williamson’s classic play is laced with unfinished sexual encounters, fist fights and drunken accusations. It feels remarkably fresh today.
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Business + Economy
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Fiona Hurd, Auckland University of Technology; Suzette Dyer, University of Waikato
Research shows even human resources students who have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace would be unlikely to report it. So how do company’s make real change?
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Politics + Society
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Melissa Haswell, University of Sydney; Francis Nona, The University of Queensland; Megan Williams, University of Sydney
Fracking the Beetaloo Basin has potential environmental and social harms that affect the Traditional owners in the Northern Territory.
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Liz Hicks, The University of Melbourne; Jane McAdam AO, UNSW; Regina Jefferies, UNSW
Australians who normally live overseas will face an even tougher time coming back to Australia, under new rules that start this week.
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Emma Russell, La Trobe University
While tightened as part of a ‘tough on crime’ stance, the bail laws cause unintended trauma for women on remand, and should be repealed.
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Adrian Beaumont, The University of Melbourne
The prime minister has taken a hit in the polls over the poor vaccine rollout as the country’s biggest cities again deal with lockdowns.
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Environment + Energy
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James Renwick, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
New Zealand’s climate has been changing in line with global trends over the last century, warming by 1.1℃. But unless we curb emissions fast, we can brace for more extreme downpours and droughts.
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Nick Golledge, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
The latest IPCC report makes it clear we can no longer stop the seas from rising, but we can still control how much and how fast sea levels change.
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Science + Technology
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Jathan Sadowski, Monash University
Why a workers’ rebellion in 19th-century England is relevant in the age of data extraction, gig labour and management by algorithm.
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