If we continue polluting our atmosphere, the oceans will continue to cop it – and humans will bear the costs.
The world’s top climate scientists have issued a stark warning about climate inaction in a new assessment of what climate change is doing to the world’s oceans and frozen areas.
The special report on the world’s oceans and frozen areas by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), released today in Monaco, finds:
“Australians love days on the beach and getting out on the water – 21 million of us live within 50 kilometres of the coast – runaway climate change challenges all this and more,” said Australian Conservation Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Kelly O’Shanassy.
“This is a stark warning from the world’s best scientific minds that climate change is harming our oceans, meaning more coral bleaching, more storms that lead to flooding and more bushfire-fuelling El Niños if our pollution keeps rising.
“If we continue polluting our atmosphere, the oceans will continue to cop it – and humans will bear the costs.
“Australia has so much to lose. We love the Great Barrier Reef, Ningaloo Reef and our other spectacular coral ecosystems. We love our beaches. We love fishing and water sports. We need to protect these with urgent climate action.
“As a big contributor to global carbon pollution, Australia should do our fair share to solve the problem. Instead our Prime Minister Scott Morrison failed to show at this week’s UN climate talks and spruiks Australia’s polluting fossil fuels to the world.
“Rapid, deep cuts to climate pollution are essential if we are to avoid the worst climate damage – that starts with switching from coal and gas to renewables.”