Preview

Relationship Between Australia And Climate Change

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1551 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Relationship Between Australia And Climate Change
Introduction: Australia and Climate Change Australia is an Oceanic country comprised of 23.8 million citizens and it is set to be one of the countries most affected by climate change. Climate change is defined as a change in weather patterns of a regional or global scale. It has recently come to mean the change humans have affected through use of fossil fuels and other activities leading to greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide emissions. Because Australia consists of an entire continent, climate change will affect different parts of the country in different ways. Coastal regions will be affected by the rising sea level caused by the melting polar ice caps. 247,600 houses in Australia are predicted to be flooded by one meter by the rising sea …show more content…
Since 1979, the United Nations has been working by setting up meetings and conferences between nation-states to discuss and possibly create treaties on the issue of climate change. One of the biggest efforts was an international treaty known as the Kyoto Protocol. There are 192 countries that are party to the Kyoto Protocol and 83 have both signed and ratified it. The treaty was signed in 1997 but it did not go into effect until 2005. The UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) nations that the treaty is not applicable to are Andorra, Canada, the United States, and South Sudan. The Holy See and Palestine are also not party to Kyoto Protocol despite being UNFCCC observers. It begs the question as to why countries would be members of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and not work to endorse its greatest success. Perhaps countries care more about their self-image rather than combatting climate change however it’s important to remember that self-image won’t matter if your country is devastated from climate change’s effects. To describe the UNFCCC, it is an international environmental treaty that many say serves as a parent treaty to the Kyoto Protocol. The UNFCCC was signed in 1992 and ratified in 1994 and it has been signed and ratified by all United Nations member states which a great feat to accomplish. The Kyoto Protocol is the …show more content…
Aforementioned, Australia has signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol and the Doha Amendment because Australia believes in environmental security for the future generations of Australians. Climate change is an international problem and it needs an international solution. Air has no borders so if one nation pollutes heavily, the whole world suffers the consequences. It is in the self-interest of all nations to cut back and eventually end the use of fossil fuels and the human production of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and dinitrogen oxide. Australia encourages all nation-states to ratify and comply with the Kyoto Protocol and the Doha Amendment. Rising sea levels isn’t just an Australian problem – it’s a reality that all nations face. In the United States, rising sea levels threaten coastal cities, especially in states such as Florida. In Asia, the Maldives have already voiced their concern about their vanishing country. To put it simply, the Commonwealth of Australia can do its best to prevent and mitigate the effects of climate change and even if Australia reduces the use of fossil fuels and creates a majority green energy sector; it would mean nothing if the rest of the world did not follow suit. Australia stands united with all nations who are willing to create a safer future for the next generations on our

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    However you also have to consider the socioeconomic impacts of rising sea levels caused by global warming. Increased erosion for example, leads to the loss of land and settlements. This is especially the case in…

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    However, since it is primarily the developed countries that are the main cause of the high levels of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere due to their industrial activities spanning more than the past 150 years, the Protocol places higher emissions reduction targets on them under the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" . Today there are 195 parties to the UNFCCC and 192 parties to the Kyoto Protocol.…

    • 558 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Climate change will alter global and local climates. In Victoria, this means a warmer and drier future, with an increasing likelihood of more extreme events such as heat waves, bushfires and storm surges.…

    • 2940 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Climate change and global warming are important issues that affect everyone on planet earth. The future of our planet is reliant on us solving this issue. Canada has done a lot to be an active contributor to the minimizing this problem such as signing the Paris agreement, which deals with greenhouse gases and emissions mitigation. It is very important for Canada as a developed nation to play a large role in this conversation. Canada may not be number 1 in greenhouse emission but our emission are rather disproportionate to our population in the world. Canada consume more energy than all African nation’s combined. Therefore I believe Canada could be doing more to address this problem. Canada can help reduce carbon emissions by investing and…

    • 237 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to the IPCC, “the best outcome for lowering sea level rise would be a drastic cut in greenhouse gas emissions. However, even under the best case scenario, the sea level will rise by about 0.4 meters at the turn of the century” (McKinney, 2007). A large flood is capable of decreasing the actual land area causing a direct effect on housing, employment, goods, scarcity, prices increases and competitions and conflicts and tensions between cities and/or countries. It is imperative that we unite and take the necessary steps in preventing devastation across the world by slowing down global warming as well as increase awareness and implement better flood p-protection…

    • 760 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Lack Of Leadership In Canada

    • 2694 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Suzuki, David. "Canada and the Kyoto Protocol." David Suzuki Foundation. David Suzuki Foundation, n.d. Web. 04 May 2013.…

    • 2694 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The rising sea levels will have a large effect on the environment globally with many rare saltwater marshes being destroyed, and increased drought in the summers has harmful effects on woodlands and wetlands killing many of the plant life due to lack of water and poor…

    • 1420 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The most well-known effect of global warming is that the rise in temperature could cause ice caps, glaciers and sea ice to melt. Since the 1950’s arctic sea ice has reduced by 10-15%, and the Jakobshavn glacier in Greenland retreated by 10km between 1997 and 2007, both of which are evidence that the recent increases in temperature are causing ice to melt. This melting of ice, along with thermal expansion of water, caused by increased temperatures will lead to rise in sea levels; average global sea levels could rise almost 1m between 1990 and 2100. A rise in sea levels could have devastating social impacts on low lying coastal areas; a 1m rise in sea levels could flood over…

    • 1687 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The rise in sea level may be the end for us all as we know it. With the sea rapidly closing in there is no real quick solution. Over one thousand people have already been affected. Examples of this would be the flooding in Jakarta or the lack of crops in Egypt. In addition, how does rise in a sea level complicate the struggle for existence for humans and how does the rise in sea level affect how an overall population can survive and how it will repopulate.…

    • 916 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The sea level has been rising globally for the past 10,000 years before anthropologic influence, but due to large amounts of CO2 release the sea level is now rising rapidly. The warming of global temperatures over the past century that continues to grow with time causes this rise in sea level. Because of this growing global temperature, the ice caps are melting rapidly and will continue to melt at a faster rate. “…Even if we could stabilize concentrations of GHGs, we are already committed to significant warming and sea level rise no matter what scenario we follow (Gerald A. Meehl et al).” At this point, it would be impossible to avoid increased sea levels due to this melting. This melting means that many areas of low elevation will experience major flooding. Sea levels could rise by several meters in the next 100 years, leading to major land loss. Flooding can also lead to declines or shifts to local fisheries, leading to possible protein shortages in poorer populations, leading to famine. This could put many lives in jeopardy and could alter many coastal ecosystems, leading to loss of coastal infrastructure, coastal erosion, loss of human life, and the extinction of several species unable to adapt or move to another adequate…

    • 2140 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    According to the writer, as the “world's two biggest polluters” the agreement between the U.S and China represent a major step toward addressing climate change.The writer reports that climate change is a global issue that need the coordinated effort of countries around the world. The writer also includes a speech by His Holiness Pope Francis, who said that "Climate change is a global problem with grave implications." This article is important to my research paper as it provides up to date information on the status of measures taken by countries in the effort to fight global…

    • 993 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    There is a great deal of controversy among people on the subjects of climate change, global warming and sea level rise. There is also great confusion caused when scientists ineffectively communicate complicated information to the general public, thus the information in misunderstood and often rejected. This confusion commonly prohibits the measures that need to be taken in order to adapt to the elements like sea level rise. In simple terms Climate change, as described by The United States Panel on Climate Change, is the “climate is undergoing dramatic changes as the direct result of greenhouse gas emissions from human activity” these green house gasses act like a ceiling for our environment and trap the heat that would otherwise be released…

    • 165 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Global Warming Synthesis

    • 296 Words
    • 2 Pages

    When dealing with global warming, the practicality of policies is one of the most important and fundamental issues. Yet the policies are useless if they cannot be implemented. As we have limited resources, we should choose to maximize our resources by comparing the benefits and costs of each policy. In other words, the balancing global warming and other problems should be set appropriately. (Source D) Too much burden on economic development lessens the possibility of carrying out the policies. Furthermore, the actual effectiveness is a critical factor when making global warming policies. Thus, the countermeasure to global warming is in a state of emergency. But according to Maslin Mark, the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol are far below the threshold diminution necessary to “prevent major climatic change.” (Source E) In other words, the makers of the Kyoto Protocol should have been considered the actual effect precisely to produce satisfactory results. Therefore, leaders should consider the economic practicality and the extent of expected effect when making policies that may affect global warming.…

    • 296 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Australia encounters significant environmental and economic threats due to climate change across a large number of sectors with inclusion of agriculture, water security, coastal communities, and infrastructure. Leading scientist reveal that present-day impacts of climate change in Australia are clearly seen in the natural environment, and are directly associated with warming temperature. For instance, Increase in extreme weather events such as bushfires, El-Nino, long droughts, floods and coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef and Western Australian reefs are prominent…

    • 81 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Sydney has just experienced its warmest day ever with the highest record breaking temperature ever recorded, going up to 47 degrees across the east this afternoon.…

    • 210 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays