Hotter, drier, wet and wilder: forecast by climate change expert
17th July 2006
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Australia will experience extreme droughts, more bushfires and intense storms and cyclones due to the greenhouse effect, says leading climate change expert, UNSW Professor Matthew England, who will give a free public lecture at the University of New South Wales on Tuesday evening, 18 July.
The lecture is part of the UNSW Alumni Association's Brain Food 2006 series of public talks.
A "clear fingerprint" links global climate change to increasing greenhouse gas emissions, warns Professor England, who says that scepticism about this causal link is akin to doubting that the earth is round.
"Our climate is already changing and people need to be aware of the kind of implications this has for our region,” he says.
"In the short term, Australia is more vulnerable to intense storms and cyclones. Some regions will also suffer more extreme droughts and bushfire seasons. In the longer term, sea-level rise could pose a major threat to our coastal cities and ecosystems."
Professor England will discuss the response of the “coupled ocean-atmosphere-ice system” to climate change, with a focus on the mid-latitude and polar regions of the Southern Hemisphere. He will review current scientific understanding of how weather systems, ocean currents, Antarctic sea-ice, sea level, extra-tropical cyclones, and rainfall are likely to respond to climate change caused by humans.
“There are likely to be several significant consequences in store for the Australian region,” he says.
What: Professor Matthew England discusses the impact of the greenhouse effect on climate change.
When: 6pm for 6.30 until 7.30pm.
Where: Leighton Hall, John Niland Scientia Building, UNSW.
Booking contact: The lecture is free but bookings should be made by email or phone to Noor Abou-Rizk, ph 9385 3279, alumni@unsw.edu.au
Media contact: Dan Gaffney, mob 0411 156 015.
The lecture is part of the UNSW Alumni Association's Brain Food 2006 series of public talks.
A "clear fingerprint" links global climate change to increasing greenhouse gas emissions, warns Professor England, who says that scepticism about this causal link is akin to doubting that the earth is round.
"Our climate is already changing and people need to be aware of the kind of implications this has for our region,” he says.
"In the short term, Australia is more vulnerable to intense storms and cyclones. Some regions will also suffer more extreme droughts and bushfire seasons. In the longer term, sea-level rise could pose a major threat to our coastal cities and ecosystems."
Professor England will discuss the response of the “coupled ocean-atmosphere-ice system” to climate change, with a focus on the mid-latitude and polar regions of the Southern Hemisphere. He will review current scientific understanding of how weather systems, ocean currents, Antarctic sea-ice, sea level, extra-tropical cyclones, and rainfall are likely to respond to climate change caused by humans.
“There are likely to be several significant consequences in store for the Australian region,” he says.
What: Professor Matthew England discusses the impact of the greenhouse effect on climate change.
When: 6pm for 6.30 until 7.30pm.
Where: Leighton Hall, John Niland Scientia Building, UNSW.
Booking contact: The lecture is free but bookings should be made by email or phone to Noor Abou-Rizk, ph 9385 3279, alumni@unsw.edu.au
Media contact: Dan Gaffney, mob 0411 156 015.
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