Deadly bush fires in Australia have horribly underscored warnings issued recently by climate change experts that the country would suffer an increase of severe weather events such as the record high temperatures that affected Southern Australia and Victoria last month.
Climatologist David Caroly noted that the record temperatures were unprecedented and unable to be explained by natural variability. Research by the Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO predicts that days when bush fires pose an extreme risk in South Australia could double by 2050. And whatever is done now to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, scientists warn that carbon already in the atmosphere will affect weather patterns in ways that will require major adaptation.
Such issues will be under the spotlight at Australia’s leading climate change science conference Greenhouse 2009 organised by CSIRO in conjunction with the Australian Climate Change Science Programme and being held in Perth from 23-26 March.
For more information: www.greenhouse2009.com
