Policy Online carries a link (20.3.16) to a Climate Council report showing that record temperatures through much of 2015 have continued at the start of 2016. The report warns that action to curb the worst effects of climate change is needed urgently and more than ever.
‘Heat records were broken again in early 2016 as the climate sends us yet another disturbing wake-up call.
‘In Australia, the start of 2016 brought heatwaves and heat spells to most of the continent. Temperature records have been broken from north to south. For the southeast of the country, the duration of unrelenting high temperatures has been exceptional. The arrival of autumn went unnoticed as the high temperatures of summer continued through the first half of March.
‘ … Despite the record heat, there has been very little action in Australia following the negotiation of the world’s first universal climate agreement in Paris late last year. Australia’s emissions are likely to continue to rise in the absence of any policies to encourage a rapid reduction in fossil fuel emissions and a transition towards renewable energy. The time frame in which we can avoid many of the most catastrophic impacts of climate change continues to narrow as the carbon budget is rapidly running out. The task is becoming more urgent; every year matters.’
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