The State of the Climate 2022 report, released by CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology, has revealed concentrations of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, are at the highest levels seen on Earth in at least two million years.
The report, released every two years, shows an increase in extreme heat events, intense heavy rainfall, longer fire seasons and sea level rise. The report draws on the latest climate monitoring, science and projection information to detail Australia’s changing climate now and into the future.
The Director of CSIRO’s Climate Science Centre, Dr Jaci Brown, said concentrations of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, are at the highest levels seen on Earth in at least two million years.
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“The concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are continuing to rise, and this is causing Australia’s climate to warm,” Dr Brown said.
Dr Brown said the report documents the continuing acidification of the oceans around Australia, which have also warmed by more than one degree since 1900.
“The warming of our oceans is contributing to longer and more frequent marine heatwaves, and this trend is expected to continue into the future,” Dr Brown said.
“We’re seeing mass coral bleaching events more often, and this year, for the first time, we’ve seen a mass coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef during a La Niña year.
“The rate of sea level rise varies around Australia’s coastlines, but the north and south-east have experienced the most significant increases.”
CSIRO Energy director Dr Marita Niemelae said, “Our energy sector is evolving to enable Australia’s transition to a net zero emissions energy future.
“CSIRO’s research is taking an innovative approach to the whole of energy transition to provide pathways towards net zero. We are conducting analysis and modelling to support decarbonisation by identifying and enabling new opportunities for the responsible development of Australia’s vast energy resources.
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CSIRO’s low emission technologies coupled with storage and resilient infrastructure can help deliver energy that meets our sustainability goals, while at the same time deliver the jobs required to boost our economy.”
State of the Climate 2022 is the seventh report in a series published biennially by the Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO, which together play an integral role in monitoring, measuring and reporting on weather and climate.
The State of the Climate 2022 report can be found on the CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology websites.
