ACRE WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS

WELCOME TO QUEENSLAND!

Lynne Turner - Director

Queensland Climate Change Centre of Excellence (QCCCE)

Department of Environment and Resource Management

Why are we investing?• BETTER INFORMATION FOR IPCC 5AR and

REGIONAL PLANNING

• Foundation data to support the compelling case for action

• Improved regional projections

• Improved modelling of ENSO and other key drivers of Queensland's climate in GCMs

• Pacific Island Countries

Challenges for Queensland

• Our economy is energy intensive

• Most of our energy derived from greenhouse intensive

fuel sources

• We have high per capita emissions

• Our population is growing

• We are vulnerable to climate change impacts

IMPACTS AND ADAPTATION

• Significant loss of biodiversity - Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics

• Water security problems likely to intensify by 2030

• Increased risk of flooding – exacerbated by population growth

• Decline in agriculture and forestry production

• Other impacts: health, insurance, infrastructure

HOTTER

DRIER

By 2070, Evaporation is projected to increase up to 13%

• Queensland's population is increasing by 1700 each week

Queensland is projected to get hotter and drier

– Warming will be greatest in inland areas

– Drying will be strongest in winter and spring

– Despite a drying trend, rain events will become heavier

Queensland’s climate could become more variable and extreme

Our hot, dry years could be normal by 2030 - our future climate will be beyond our current experiences

How will our climate change in the future?

To avoid the worst impacts

Stabilisation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at levels to avoid the worst impacts requires emissions to peak soon, and decline

thereafter – IPCC 2007

Current concentration is 380 ppm

Carbon dioxide concentration

Global mean temperature

increase

Peaking year for emissions

Reduction in global emissions in 2050

350 - 400 ppm 2.0 – 2.4oC No later than 2015 50% - 85% below 2000 emissions

400 - 440 ppm 2.4 – 2.8oCNo later than 2020 30% - 60% below

2000 emissions

Queensland “contributes only a small amount”

…but is one of the highest per capita emitters

• Australia’s emissions are higher than most European countries

• Queensland has Australia’s highest per capita and are amongst the highest in the world

• Australia’s emissions from stationary energy and transport are increasing

• A spike in land clearing in 1990 has provided a buffer for growth in energy emissions

With no further action emissions

will continue to rise

• Energy is the most significant contributor to Queensland’s greenhouse gas emissions.

• Energy sector emissions represent 56 per cent of total emissions in 2006 and have grown by 90 per cent since 1990 (DCC, 2008).

Responding to climate change:

Mitigation and adaptation

Addressing both the causes and effects

ClimateSmart Adaptation 2007-12

An action plan for managing the impacts of climate change

5 year plan: 2007 – 2012

62 actions: High and medium priorities

Priority sectors: Water planning and services

Agriculture

Human settlements

Natural environment and landscapes

Emergency services and human health

Tourism, business and industry

All sectors: Building foundation knowledge

ClimateSmart 2050

Queensland climate change strategy 2007: a low-carbon future

Initiatives in: Energy

Industry

Community

Planning and building

Primary industries

Transport

Adaptation

Government leadership