Addressing the Realities of Climate Change



The impacts of climate change will be felt globally over the next century. In order to mitigate its consequences, we need to understand the cumulative effects of its actions and the environmental repercussions thus far.

Associate Professor Lesley Hughes from the Department of Biological Sciences at Macquarie University, Sydney, has addressed this by conducting a review of observed and potential impacts of climatic changes on Australian species and natural ecosystems. The paper is a synthesis of the available literature on the issue of climate change, as well as an endeavour to identify critical knowledge gaps.

Published by Blackwell Publishing in the August 2003 issue of Austral Ecology 's8211; for the Ecological Society of Australia 's8211; the findings in this paper still resonate widely in today's8217;s world.

Although Australia is one of the world's8217;s highest producers of greenhouse gases on a per capita basis, it produces only just over 1% of global emissions. Hence reduction of Australian greenhouse gas emissions's8211; although of fundamental importance 's8211; will not appreciably alter the inexorable impact of climate change unless the rest of the industrial world follows suit. Our ecosystems are at the mercy of the industrial world's8217;s cooperation, and does not hinge solely on a single country's8217;s efforts in modifying its emission levels.

Consistent with global trends, Australia has warmed 0.8C over the last century with minimum temperatures warming faster than maxima. Current Australian policies regarding this issue are largely focused on mitigation strategies 's8211; developed in response to international pressure and the economic significance of future carbon trading.

Findings on the trends in Australia's8217;s climate and its impacts as published in this study include:

>    Increased severity of coral bleaching and mortality in the Great Barrier Reef
>    Decline of snow cover and duration in the Australian Alps
>    Projected increases in annual average temperatures of 0.4 's8211; 2.0C by 2030 and 1.0-6.0oC by 2070
>    Possible contraction or fragmentation of species's8217; current ranges.
>    Negative impacts predicted for most vegetation types, with the bioclimates of some plant and animal species set to disappear entirely with a mere increase of 0.5 's8211; 1.0C of warming
>    Some species and natural ecosystems in Australia are already responding to the relatively modest warming that has occurred over the past century, consistent with responses of species and ecosystems elsewhere in the world. These responses include physiological, behavioural and distributional changes.

Said Associate Professor Hughes, 's8220;Australia lacks the long-term datasets and tradition of phenological monitoring that have allowed the detection of climate-change-related trends in the Northern Hemisphere. Climate change research in Australia has also been somewhat fragmented. There is little collaboration between and within climate modelers and ecologists, although there is increasing recognition within the research communities involved that an integrated strategy is essential.'s8221;

Future directions in this issue must include an increased emphasis to the study and understanding of climatic impacts and the factors that control species distributions.

Associate Professor Hughes noted, 's8220;Climate change as a result of the enhanced greenhouse effect is no longer a hypothesis but a reality. Recent global warming trend is now acknowledged to be due to increases in greenhouse gas concentrations 's8211; leading to significant impacts on species and ecosystems.'s8221;

This study is published in Austral Ecology (2003) 28, 423-443. Media wishing to receive a PDF or to interview the author, please contact via email.

About Austral Ecology
Austral Ecology publishes original papers describing experimental, observational or theoretical studies on terrestrial, marine or freshwater systems, which are considered without taxonomic bias. Special thematic issues are published regularly, including symposia on the ecology of estuaries and soft sediment habitats, freshwater systems and coral reef fish.

About Blackwell Publishing

Blackwell Publishing is the world's8217;s leading society publisher, partnering with 665 academic and professional societies. Blackwell publishes over 800 journals and, to date has published close to 6,000 books, across a wide range of academic, medical, and professional subjects. The company remains independent with 950 staff members in offices in the US, UK, Australia, China, Denmark, Singapore, Germany, and Japan. Blackwell's8217;s mission as an expert publisher is to create long-term partnerships with clients to enhance learning, disseminate research, and improve the quality of professional practice. For more information on Blackwell Publishing, please visit www.blackwellpublishing.com or www.blackwell-synergy.com.
For all Blackwell Publishing press releases, go to http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/press/default.asp





Addressing the Realities of Climate Change