NSW residents have been caught off guard this summer, as increasingly volatile weather has flung communities between dangerous fire conditions, extreme heat, fatal floods, and unprecedented humidity.
The Climate Council’s report ‘Climate whiplash: wild swings between weather extremes’ concludes that Australia’s summer of dangerous downpours and scorching heat is consistent with six symptoms of a warming planet.
The report notes that NSW has recently seen:
- Australia’s driest three months on record, then intense rainfall across much of NSW.
- December temperatures well above average across northern NSW, despite wet conditions.
- Weeks of high humidity, with Sydney hitting its highest dew point on record.
2023’s announcement of an El Niño and an early start to fire seasons in New South Wales boded for a hot, dry summer. What NSW experienced instead was wild swings between extreme heat, dangerous rainfall and sweltering humidity.
The latest report reiterates that climate change, driven by the burning of coal, oil, and gas, is supercharging Australia’s weather systems, making them more unpredictable and dangerous than ever before.
It also warns that the weather of the past may no longer be a reliable guide for the future. Hot on the heels of El Niño come concerns that La Niña, a climate driver associated with floods and storms, may return as early as mid this year.
Dangerous and unpredictable
Dr Simon Bradshaw, Director of Research at the Climate Council said, ‘For too many communities, the great Australian summer is now something to be feared.
‘Climate change, driven by the burning of coal, oil and gas, means our weather is more extreme, dangerous and unpredictable.
‘From intense heat and fierce fire conditions to flooding rains and back again, Australians are experiencing climate whiplash; hurtled from one extreme to another with little time to recover.
‘The stifling humidity, intense storms, soaring temperatures and other extremes of recent months are all key signs of a fast-warming planet,’ he said.
‘We know what we need to do to better protect Australian communities. It starts with cutting Australia’s climate pollution. We must urgently reform our national environment law so that we stop adding fuel to the fire by approving new coal and gas projects, and we must lock in the proposed fuel efficiency standard as soon as possible.
‘At the same time, we must work much harder to prepare communities for the climate impacts of today and tomorrow,’ said Dr Bradshaw.
Wild swings
Climate Councillor Professor Lesley Hughes said, ‘Wild swings from fires to floods are threatening the people we love and the places we call home. Climate change, driven by the burning of coal, oil, and gas, has worsened Australia’s weather from coast to coast, with almost every state breaking extreme weather records this summer.
‘This report makes it clear that we can no longer rely on the past to predict the future when it comes to our weather. Climate change is causing erratic swings from sweltering heat to devastating downpours, and it is increasingly hard to predict what each season will bring,’ said Professor Hughes.
‘But we are not without hope or guidance – what we can rely on is the science. The same science that has been warning us for decades that days like these would come, also spells out the solutions we so desperately need.
‘The science tells us that the only way out of this is to leave coal, oil and gas in the ground for good – not tomorrow or the next day, but now.’
No other option
Greg Mullins AOFSM, Founder of Emergency Leaders for Climate Action said, ‘The start of the fire season was ferocious, and it came too soon. Climate change closed the window we once used to conduct critical hazard reduction burns; suddenly swinging from too wet, to too dry and dangerous.
‘Catastrophic fire warnings were recorded around the country, and homes and lives were lost to deadly blazes all before December,’ he said.
‘Off the back of the driest three months ever recorded in our history came a deluge of floods and storms, once again pushing emergency services to capacity and forcing communities to fend for themselves. Communities must be given what they need to prepare for and respond to disasters,’ said Mr Mullins.
‘It is unfathomable to me that, while we face fires and floods, we continue contributing to the problem. Australia must leave coal, oil and gas behind for the sake of our future. The alternative is simply not an option.’
Yeah Derr like we known for years we are stuffed but continue business as usual we will never learn until we burn we are clueless and things won’t change till everyone’s on board saying enough is enough no more coal gas mining building houses on floodplains etc etc etc rewilding planting billions of trees to regulate the temperature it’s not rocket science only takes the will of the people to do the right thing the sheep will follow just like tattoos trendies don’t like being left out
And right on cue the Queensland Government has given approval to Whitehaven Coal and their Winchester South coal mine.
Now its over to Minister Tanya, to approve her first Big New Carbon Bomb for 2024, and get those climate killing new emissions pumping out.
Where’s the message asking everybody to plant trees, reduce chemical use (Roundup, pesticides etc) buy more second hand goods, non-toxic paints, detergents, buy local….?
…..crickets!
We were told by media and the BOM that it was going to be a dry summer and fire “crisis” potentially worse than 2019.
And NSW has a normal summer with plenty of rain.
Do people (journalists) realise that making everything into a “crisis” turns people off, they tune out. Not the best play book to get people to care about the environment!
Cry wolf long enough and you’ll end up being eaten.
The climate change narrative is essentially blaming corporate pollution on the people and forcing the people to pay for their clean up, because people actually care. It’s a brilliant play.
$$$ rule this show!