Climate Change Effects in Australia: A Comprehensive Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the impact of climate change in Australia. It begins by highlighting the widespread public concern and activism surrounding environmental issues, referencing the global climate change strike of 2019. The report then delves into the specific environmental consequences, including rising temperatures, increased heatwaves, and their effects on ecosystems. It details the coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef and Western Australian reefs, the impact of tropical cyclones, and the decrease in rainfall in certain regions. The report further explores the effects on inland ecosystems, tropical rainforests, and the increasing risk of forest fires, particularly in southeastern Australia. It also addresses threats to biodiversity, such as grazing pressure, land use changes, and invasive species, with a focus on the decline of species in the wet tropical areas of Queensland. The impact on marine life, including marine mammals, is also discussed, along with relevant references to support the findings. The report emphasizes the urgent need for attention and action to mitigate the effects of climate change on Australia's environment.

Impact of climate change in Australia
On September 20, 2019, Australia along with the globe took part in the global climate change
strike organised by all the schools across Australia. It was a grand success since apart from the
students, almost all the people in more than 100 towns and cities joined the mass rallies with an
aim to protect the environment and mitigate the future effects of climate change. People of all
age groups started pouring out of their workplace, parks and homes to join the rallies and are
accounted as the largest demonstration by public towards environmental issues in the country.
On interviewing a 17 –year student named Niamh quoted that “I fight for climate justice because
everyone deserves a safe future. The government is not supporting it yet, but together we will
change that.” The environmental movement was also supported by organisations related to
business, unions, charities and non–profit organisations. “We are not drowning, we are fighting,”
was the slogan and the placards had various different lines indicating the environmental crunch.
Another 18 year student called Moemoana voiced her opinion as “I’ve come to fight for the
Pacific. Seas are rising and it’s affecting Pacific Islands, especially Tuvalu and Kiribati, it’s a
real threat and Australia needs to know that Pasifika are neighbours and Australia really needs to
help out.”
According to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, the matters
which signify national environmental concern should be approved prior to the cause of the
particular damage. The change in climate has affected the natural environment and the human
societies for the last few decades. The temperature along with its duration and heat-waves has
been increasing rapidly in Australia thereby impacting the distribution and growth of the
ecosystem. The coral bleaching on the Western Australian reefs and the Great Barrier Reefs have
been increasing due to the rise in temperature. The reaction of the coral towards environmental

stress is exhibited as coral bleaching where the coral becomes weak, due to attack by different
diseases and eventually dies. Additionally, the Great Barrier Reef is migrating away from the
equator towards the south due to the rise in the temperature of the ocean. The tropical cyclones
formed due to the change in climate also destruct the shallow coral reefs. These minor alterations
affect the human activities both directly or indirectly.
The effect of greenhouse warming due to various human activities can be observed in the south
west region of Western Australia where the amount of rainfall has decreased since 1970. The
food security, human health and the natural environment will be negatively affected in future as
an outcome of these climate changes. The change in the patterns of the rainfall affects the inland
ecosystems which comprises of groundwater and freshwater areas. The tropical and subtropical
rainforests are also influenced by the elevation in temperature. Hence, the habitats in the alpine
region are shifting to higher altitudes while the tropical grasslands (Savannah) are getting
destroyed by forest fire.The south eastern part of Australia faces the extreme risk of forest fire
due to the prevailing dry and hot conditions for the last four decades. The amount of days risking
fire danger is very high and has a tendency to become double by the year 2050 which will
influence the human settlements, agriculture along with the eco-system.
The major threats to the biodiversity of the country are grazing pressure, change in the climate,
fragmentation, alteration in the use of land and fire regimes, invasive pathogens and species and
hydrological change. The tropical rainforest in north Queensland has been a victim of the climate
change which is rapidly declining and posing a risk of extinction for certain species endemic to
wet tropical area like the lemuroid ringtail possum. The extreme temperature elevation was
observed at Mount Bartle Frere which recorded the highest temperature of 39oC and thus
requires immediate attention for saving the environment. According to a survey by Steve

Williams, 50% of the endemic species in wet tropical areas are diminishing rapidly and will be
extinct within this century.
The land clearing activity in Queensland which mainly encompasses the catchments of the Great
Barrier Reef, has been a threat to the habitats around the area mainly the northern hairy-nosed
wombat. The Reef constitutes of 300 coral cays, 3000 separate reef systems and 600 tropical
islands which is the home to reef fish, different species of rays, sharks, hard and soft corals, sea
turtles and a wide variety of seaweeds. It may affect the catchment of a river flowing into the
Great Barrier Reef. This also enhances the pollution level on the Great Barrier Reef by
promoting the flow of the sediments which in turn is detrimental to the corals, according to the
World Wide Fund (WWF). The coral cover of the reef has been destroyed by about 50% as an
impact of the climate change.
The marine life in Australia is the home to 80% of different unique marine species. However, the
climate changes have threatened various marine species like sharks, marine mammals, turtles and
seabirds. The number of marine mammals like seals, whales and sea lions has been drastically
reduced. The large colonies of seals have declined in Bass Strait and Macquarie islands while the
fin whales, sperm whales and blue whales are fighting to survive in the oceans of Australia.
References

1. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/20/Hundreds of thousands attend school
climate strike rallies across Australia.
2.https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/30/climate change damage to queenslands
world heritage rainforest as bad as great barrier reef.
3. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2009. (Great
Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville, 2009).
4. https://www.smh.com.au / Environment/Climate change/Great Barrier Reef, Aug 30/2019.
Great Barrier Reef outlook downgraded to 'very poor' as threats mount.
5. https://www.theguardian.com › australia-news › sep 7/ 2019. Bushfires: more than 20 homes
lost as more than 70 blazes rage in Queensland and NSW.
6. Woinarski, J.C.Z., et al. (2011) The disappearing mammal fauna of northern Australia:
Context, cause, and response. Conserv Lett, 4(3):192–201