Melbourne and Sydney could be experiencing 50-degree days by the turn of the century. That's the warning in a new climate change study, that says Australian cities are on track for unprecedented extreme heat, even if the world meets its Paris climate change targets.
Scorching summers are already the norm in Australia, but they could be about to get much hotter. Using current Bureau of Meteorology climate data and global climate models, a team of researchers examined Australia's future if temperatures continue to rise.
Currently, the earth is experiencing one degree of global warming. The 2015 Paris Climate Accord sets a target of no more than two degrees.
Published in 'Geophysical Research Letters', the research compiled by the Australian National University, found New South Wales' record extremes could increase by up to 3.8 degrees. University of Melbourne Climate Scientist Dr Andrew King says simulations showed temperatures in Victoria would rise by 2.3 degrees.
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