Global Warming: The threat to Australia's agriculture

Written by: Duncan B. on 1 APRIL 2021

The leadership of the National Party can deny the existence of Climate Change as much as they like, but there is no denying the reality of Global Warming. Worse is yet to come.

In a report recently released by the Australian Academy of Science, leading Australian scientists considered what a 3-degree rise in global temperatures would look for Australia.

They paint a grim picture of the effects of a three degree rise on Australian agriculture. A 3-degree would reduce the yields of key crops by 5 to 50%.

Reductions are expected in oil seeds (35%), wheat (18%), fruits and vegetables (14%), plant fibres (7%), rice (2%) and fibres (11%). Crops such as wheat and barley have fallen in profitability by up to 22% since 2000.

Damaging storms are expected to increase while rainfall overall will be reduced. The report predicts between a 13 and 21% drop across the Murray Darling Basin. Hotter areas would become far drier.  A 3-degree rise would lead to a massive increase in extreme fire days with fiercer bushfire seasons. Heatwaves would be more frequent and longer, causing increasing harm to livestock and to farmers and other rural people.

Professor Hughes of Macquarie University said “heatwaves are the silent killers in Australia. They’re responsible for more deaths than any other climate-related disaster but they also affect our agricultural productivity.”

The report details many other effects of rising temperatures on Australia, including damage to the Great Barrier Reef, coastal flooding and the loss of many species of wildlife. Australian workers, farmers and everybody else affected by Climate Change need to unite and take action to ensure that Australia plays its part in preventing Global Warming.

Print Version - new window Email article

-----