Residents of the New England/North West had the opportunity to ask members of the Climate Commission some tough questions on climate change at a community forum held in Tamworth at the Capitol Theatre last Thursday.
The forum was held in conjunction with the release of the Climate Commission’s report, The Critical Decade: Consequences for the New England/Northwest NSW region. Earlier in the day Professor Tim Flannery presented the report to Member for New England Tony Windsor at a presentation at Tamworth High School.
Four of the six Climate Commissioners, which included the authors of The Critical Decade: Consequences for the New England/Northwest NSW region, Professor Will Steffen and Professor Lesley Hughes, as well as Professor Tim Flannery and Gerry Heuston ex-President of BP Australasia fielded numerous questions, from the proposed Carbon Tax, through to the legitimacy of man’s role in Climate Change.
Professor Tim Flannery was first to address the forum and explained the Commission’s role of engaging with the Australian public in a dialogue about all aspects of Climate Change. He further went on to explain the Commission’s independence of government, even though the Commission was an election promise by the Gillard Government.
“My independence is particularly important to me, independence from the political process.
“I have criticised the Howard Government as well as the Rudd Government.
“What you can be assured of is that you won’t hear any spin from what we tell you. We try to present the facts as understood by the scientific community,” said Mr Flannery.
Authors of The Critical Decade: Consequences for the New England/Northwest NSW region, Professor Will Steffen and Lesley Hughes, went on to present the findings in the report.
The report emphasises the need for action on climate change now. The decisions that are made from now to 2020 will determine our future. The report states that, to minimise the risk, we must decarbonise our economy and move to clean energy sources by 2050. That means that carbon emissions must peak within the next few years and then strongly decline.
The report also states that the average temperatures across NSW have risen steadily by approx. one degree since the 1950s. By 2050, average temperature is expected to rise by a further one degree.
Drought will become more severe and the drying soil will lead to further warming. This has the potential to impact on the region’s agricultural productivity, including a greater risk for wind erosion on the western plains.
The region has experienced a drying trend over the last 40 years. Natural ecosystems already under threat will be impacted further. Koalas and other plant eaters will have limited nutritious food due to the higher levels of carbon dioxide that will decrease the protein content and digestibility.
The report also states that the bushfire season may increase and become more volatile. There is also a significant probability that rainfall patterns will change in the region and soil erosion will increase due to poorer growing conditions.
This is just a brief summary of the report, The Critical Decade: Consequences for the New England/Northwest NSW region. To view the full report visit www. climatecommission.gov.au
Story: Jo Harrison
