Climate Change Impacts on Northern Victoria

Climate change will significantly alter the life and culture of human societies. Australia is no exception.

When we consider climate change on the global level we begin to see overall trends, but it is easy to lose sight of the local detail. For example, we know that, globally, 2016 was the hottest year on record but we must ask what this means for local communities and landscapes.

It is clear that these global changes will play out locally.

In central and northern Victoria, it is important that we understand how climate change will impact on our future, so we can plan for it. As a trend, annual rainfall has significantly decreased in the region and the average temperature since 1950 has already increased by between 1 and 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Based on projections provided by the State of Victoria, it is clear that the Loddon and Mallee regions will be a hotter and drier place than they have already become. These changes will involve significant challenges for people living in the north of the state.

Read the Act on Climate story by Cam Walker - "Climate Change Impacts on Northern Victoria.”

‘Completely unlivable': Climate change pushing humans, other species to the brink

Human societies and a multitude of species are going to be tested by climate change in ways that are barely understood, a wide-ranging study involving researchers from 44 institutions around the world has found.

Malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases
are spreading as temperatures warm. 

Species in every ecosystem are being affected by rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns, with marine animals moving poleward at the average pace of 72 kilometres and land-based ones 17 kilometres a decade, according to the paper published on Friday in the journal Science.

Read Peter Hannam’s story in the Melbourne Age - “‘Completely unlivable': Climate change pushing humans, other species to the brink.”

Earth's biodiversity drops below 'safe limit'

Biodiversity has dropped below the "safe limit" across 58 per cent of the Earth's surface, according to the most comprehensive analysis of global data to date.

The international study, published today in the journal Science, suggests that the degree of lost biodiversity across more than half the world's surface is substantial enough to question the ability of many ecosystems to support human societies.

"We've found that across most of the world, biodiversity loss is no longer within the safe limit suggested by ecologists," said lead researcher Dr Tim Newbold of University College London.

"We know biodiversity loss affects ecosystem function but how it does this is not entirely clear.

"What we do know is that in many parts of the world we are approaching a situation where human intervention might be needed to sustain ecosystem function."

Other environmental experts said the research was impressive in its scope. But they said it is too soon to say we are on the verge of an ecological disaster and more work is needed at a local level.

Read the Melbourne Age story - “Global map reveals 'unsafe levels' of biodiversity across 58pc of Earth's surface.”

Earth's biodiversity drops below 'safe limit'

Biodiversity has dropped below the "safe limit" across 58 per cent of the Earth's surface, according to the most comprehensive analysis of global data to date.

The international study, published today in the journal Science, suggests that the degree of lost biodiversity across more than half the world's surface is substantial enough to question the ability of many ecosystems to support human societies.

"We've found that across most of the world, biodiversity loss is no longer within the safe limit suggested by ecologists," said lead researcher Dr Tim Newbold of University College London.

"We know biodiversity loss affects ecosystem function but how it does this is not entirely clear.

"What we do know is that in many parts of the world we are approaching a situation where human intervention might be needed to sustain ecosystem function."

Other environmental experts said the research was impressive in its scope. But they said it is too soon to say we are on the verge of an ecological disaster and more work is needed at a local level.

Read the Melbourne Age story - “Global map reveals 'unsafe levels' of biodiversity across 58pc of Earth's surface.”