Heatwave 'connected to climate change'

19 November 2009 | 01:27:43 PM | Source: SBS - Shalailah Medhora

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Meteorologists say the heatwave in southern and eastern parts of Australia is extremely rare (Getty Images)

There's a 'high chance' a heatwave sweeping Australia's southern and eastern states is related to climate change, a scientist at the Bureau of Meteorology says.

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Climate Meteorologist Harvey Stern says the scorching weather effecting parts of South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales at this time of the year is rare.

"This (the heatwave) is a truly extreme event," Dr Stern says.

"Many places have established all-time records for the first half of November."

The Meteorologist says the heatwave is caused by the absense of southerly wind flows.

'Variability in the climate'

"There is considerable variability in the climate and we do have in the background [that] the globe has warmed up by nearly a degree celcius over the last 50 years, so temperatures are higher now than they were then.

"There is a significantly higher chance that there is human involvement in climate change," Dr Stern says.

And there is a consensus amoung many scientists on the cause of this temperature increase.

"The intergovernmental panel on climate change has come out with statements that suggest it is more than 90 per cent likely that there has been some human involvement in that."

Adelaide faces another run of sweltering weather, with the mercury due to top 43 degrees celcius.

Likewise, Canberra is expected to record temperatures of 37 degrees, with temperatures in the usually-milder nation's capital expected to stay above 30 degrees into next week.


 

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Your Comments

19 Jan 2010 15:12 AEST

Jon

From: Sydney

are you a sheeple?

Wake up people! Where are the days where people researched things for themselves? FACT: The planet is cooling for the past decade NOT warming! FACT: The Antarctic ice is growing, NOT shrinking FACT: The glaciers are growing, NOT shrinking FACT: CO2 does NOT cause warming FACT: The IPCC have IGNORED (deliberately) data that refutes the so called "scientists" that promote the AGW myth FACT: $ plays more of a role in Climate change than anything else. look up the CRU emails and see the deceit!

Agree (0 people agree)
Disagree (0 people disagree)
 

24 Nov 2009 14:14 AEST

Greg

From: QLD

Climate change deniers

"Firstly, we can expect widespread denial when the enormity and nature of the problem are so unprecedented that people have no cultural mechanisms for accepting them." "In the case of climate change ... Indeed, the most powerful evidence of our denial is the failure to even recognise that there is a moral dimension with identifiable perpetrators" Written by George Marshall in 2001. Climate sceptics should be recorded for historical reasons so future generations can understand our plight.

Agree (1 people agree)
Disagree (3 people disagree)
 

24 Nov 2009 0:13 AEST

KATH

From: SYDNEY

And the Bureau of Meteorology is always right -LOL

so deserving of a major headline SBS "Bureau of Meteorology thinks there's a high chance..." What a load of $#** Gee -its cool and raining tonight -is that associated with climate change too? I can remember in the 70s often lying awake in bed because it was too hot to sleep -is that associated with climate change too? Ohh my arthritis is acting up - must be climate change! Oh no -its harder to pay the mortgage, I'm paying more in taxes but bankers are giving themselves bonuses = Climate change

Agree (2 people agree)
Disagree (0 people disagree)
 

23 Nov 2009 13:08 AEST

Ramon

From: Cairns

Like the Y2K Climate Change is a Scam

The climate is changing... Yes, this is a fact. The climate has always changed over milliion of years. This man- made Climate change is a Scam like the Y2K bug.

Agree (3 people agree)
Disagree (2 people disagree)
 

22 Nov 2009 1:10 AEST

Stuart

From: Canberra

'climate change'

true or false.. 95% of the Earths greenhouse effect is a result of water vapour. This is about money.. lots of it. A hot week and all of a sudden Australians demand to be sent to the cleaners.

Agree (3 people agree)
Disagree (1 people disagree)
 

20 Nov 2009 1:53 AEST

Mitch

From: Sydney

I'm appalled that people don't believe scientists anymore

If you want balanced reporting John then there should be 9 out of 10 articles that highlight man made climate change and one from your messiah Ian Plimer who actually has a PhD in Geology NOT in Climatology, a man who is also the director of three separate mining companies (Ivanhoe, CBH Resources & Kefi Minerals) and whose whole empire is threatened by big taxes on the major polluters. Why should we give equal time to someone who's views only represent a tiny minority of so called "skeptics" ?

Agree (10 people agree)
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20 Nov 2009 0:03 AEST

Lasalle

From: Utopia

Bring it on

I'm looking forward to climate change. Warmer winters, more exciting storms, better surf and cheap beachside real estate; brilliant. Let's have more of it. I drive my old V8, turn on all the lights and air conditioning and have the big screen telly on day and night; whatever it takes. No need to compromise the lifestyle that we all so richly deserve.

Agree (0 people agree)
Disagree (3 people disagree)
 

19 Nov 2009 22:20 AEST

Stephen

From: Melbourne

Climate Change

The reporting would reflect reality if we heard from the hundreds who agree with Dr Stern against the deluded few like Ian Plimer. Most other countries have moved onto solutions, not still debating the science as the Liberal right are doing. Even if some have doubts, the risk is too great to ignore. Australia has the most to lose from climate change.

Agree (5 people agree)
Disagree (4 people disagree)
 

19 Nov 2009 19:29 AEST

John

From: Sydney

Climate Change

I am appalled at the one sided and unbalanced reporting by Dr Stern tonight. Meteoroligists elsewhere have correctly ststed that the heat today is unrelated to climate change. Why not get Dr Ian Plimer on with equall time. I think the population is waking up to the nonsense being peddelled by the media and chief spin doctor Rudd

Agree (9 people agree)
Disagree (8 people disagree)
 

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