What is Climate Change?

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Climate change refers to long-term changes in the average temperature, rainfall, and other weather patterns. These changes can be natural from volcanic eruptions and changes in the sun’s activity. However, climate change is primarily driven by human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes. 

These activities release large amounts of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere which trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere. The main greenhouse gasses causing climate change are methane and carbon dioxide. 

Trapped GHGs leads to a variety of impacts including climate-related hazards. Climate hazards are natural hazards that have been increased in frequency and severity due to climate change. These hazards include sea level rise, changes in rainfall patterns, more frequent and severe weather events, and altered ecosystems.

 

Climate Change in Victoria:

If global emissions continue to increase, in the 2050s Victoria could experience:

  • Average annual temperature increase of up to 2.4 degrees
  • Double the number of very hot days
  • Longer fire seasons, with up to double the number of high fire danger days
  • More intense downpours
  • Sea level rising by around 24cm
  • Decline in cool season rainfall

 

To find out more about climate change, have a look at these resources:

Climate Change in Australia:
https://www.dcceew.gov.au/climate-change

Australia's Climate:
https://www.csiro.au/en/research/environmental-impacts/climate-change/State-of-the-Climate

Victoria's Climate Change Strategy:
https://www.climatechange.vic.gov.au/victorias-climate-change-strategy

Climate Change Adaptation:
https://climatepromise.undp.org/news-and-stories/what-climate-change-adaptation-and-why-it-crucial

Climate Change Mitigation:
https://climatepromise.undp.org/news-and-stories/what-climate-change-mitigation-and-why-it-urgent

 

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