Read the NTEU National Council motion on climate change.
Climate Change 101
Climate change is a well understood phenomena that is causing global temperatures to increase due to increasing concentration of carbon dioxide and other gasses in the atmosphere. This process is well underway and has serious and potentially dangerous consequences for our health and well-being.
The primary cause of climate change is human activity, principally from the burning of fossil fuels to generate electricity, drive our cars and operate our homes and businesses. Land clearing, such as logging of rain forests also significantly contributes to climate change.
The process of climate change is caused through the “greenhouse effect”. This is where the carbon dioxide and other gasses (such as methane and CFCs) act like the panes of a greenhouse, trapping heat in our atmosphere.
Australia and the world have ample technology and know-how to significantly reduce the threat of climate change. We can solve this problem today; not in five years or twenty years. By investing in clean and efficient energy sources, industries, work practices and life-styles, we can greatly reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses we emit.
The latest science
There have been significant developments in climate science over the last few years, and many of the assumptions and predictions from the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) Report are now out of date.
Recent scientific publications about climate change are telling us that the pace of climate change is faster than we first thought, and the magnitude of its effects are worse than we projected.
For example, some new findings include:
- The increased severity of a ton of greenhouse gas now, compared to ten years ago (a ton today is worse than a ton emitted a decade ago). This is due to the increasing inability of the planet’s natural processes to absorb and process human emitted greenhouse gasses.
- Increased sea-level rise is in line with the worst projections. Over 100,000 million people live a metre or less above the sea level, so even small sea-level rises will have a large impact on Australia and our neighbours.
- The Arctic sea ice is rapidly shrinking. This has the effect of exacerbating warming (the retreating ice exposes dark sea which absorbs more heat than white ice) and releases greenhouse gasses that have been frozen in the ice.
Scientists conclude that we need to stop emitting greenhouse gasses as soon as possible in order to return to a safe climate.
Useful resources on climate change
The Union of Concerned Scientists
The planet's climate is changing. We can ensure a safe climate for future generations.