Damon Mcknight
Climate change has profoundly affected human societies and ecosystems in Australia. Since the 1800s, human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial agriculture have accelerated environmental degradation. The arrival of European settlers brought new diseases and persecution of Indigenous Australians, causing their population to plummet. The introduction of non-native species and changes in land use further disrupted the natural environment. Today, Australia grapples with rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, and more frequent and intense wildfires, threatening human health, biodiversity, and infrastructure. While some regions have undergone significant transformation, others remain relatively intact due to the stewardship of Traditional Owners. As climate change intensifies, Australia faces the challenge of mitigating its impacts and adapting to a changing environment.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Climate Change | Increase in temperature, number, duration and severity of heatwaves, droughts, bushfires, floods and other extreme weather events |
| Rising sea levels | |
| Ocean acidification | |
| Human Activities | Burning of fossil fuels |
| Deforestation | |
| Land-use and cultural practices | |
| Introduction of non-native species | |
| Impact on Indigenous Australians | Population decline due to diseases and persecution |
| Disruption of fire management practices | |
| Regional Variations | Western Australia, Great Western Woodlands, and northern savanna woodlands remain relatively healthy due to Traditional Owner management |
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What You'll Learn
Climate change and warming temperatures
Climate change has profoundly impacted human societies and the natural environment in Australia. The country's average temperature has risen by 1.44 ± 0.24 °C since national records began in 1910, with every decade since 1950 being warmer than the last. This warming trend aligns with global patterns, and the degree of warming is similar to the worldwide average across land areas.
The warming in Australia is predominantly driven by the increased concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, caused by human activities such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation. This has led to various impacts on the environment, including rising sea levels, altered rainfall patterns, increased fire danger, and ecological changes.
One of the most significant consequences of climate change in Australia is the increase in extreme heat events and heatwaves. The frequency and duration of heatwaves have increased since 1970, with hot weather records occurring three times more often than cold weather records in the past decade. The number of extreme fire risk days has also grown, particularly in southeast Australia, due to higher temperatures, low humidity, and high winds creating ideal conditions for bushfires.
The impact of these warming temperatures is evident in the natural environment and human communities. For instance, the Great Barrier Reef, one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world, is facing coral deterioration and death due to ocean acidification caused by increased carbon dioxide absorption. Additionally, the health and livelihoods of people in Australia are at risk due to the increased frequency and intensity of heatwaves and bushfires, as well as the potential for flooding and erosion along coastlines.
Climate change projections for Australia indicate that annual average temperatures are expected to rise further, with predictions of a 0.4–2.0 °C increase above 1990 levels by 2030, and a 1–6 °C increase by 2070. These rising temperatures will have significant implications for the environment, including reduced river flow, more frequent and intense bushfires, and further ecological disruptions.
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Impact of carbon dioxide on ecosystems
Australia's ecosystems have been significantly impacted by carbon dioxide emissions. The country's forests and grasslands typically act as carbon sinks, absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it away, making them a valuable climate resource. However, when these ecosystems are stressed or damaged, they can release carbon back into the air.
The impact of carbon dioxide on ecosystems in Australia is evident in the 2019-2020 bushfire season. The bushfires across eastern Australia released between 670 and 830 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere, more than doubling the country's annual average carbon emissions. These fires not only released carbon stored in the vegetation but also impacted the ability of the affected ecosystems to recover and continue acting as carbon sinks.
The increase in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas concentrations contributes to global warming and climate change. This, in turn, further affects ecosystems. For example, the absorption of CO2 into the oceans causes ocean acidification, which impedes shell formation by organisms such as corals, leading to their deterioration or death. Additionally, higher temperatures and changing rainfall patterns impact water availability and the health of aquatic ecosystems.
Human activities have also played a role in the impact of carbon dioxide on ecosystems in Australia. Widespread land clearing for agriculture and urban development, mining, and timber harvesting have all contributed to ecosystem disturbances. Changes in land use, such as agricultural development, can lead to immediate losses of biomass and soil carbon, further disrupting the carbon cycle and the ability of ecosystems to sequester carbon.
The recovery of ecosystems from disturbances, such as bushfires, is crucial for their ability to continue functioning as carbon sinks. The time it takes for an ecosystem to recover depends on future climate conditions. Under average conditions, it may take a couple of decades for the Australian ecosystem to recover from the 2019-2020 bushfires. However, if the climate becomes hotter and drier, and if more extreme wildfires occur, the recovery process may be interrupted, and some carbon may never be regained.
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Land use and cultural practices of First Australians
Indigenous Australians have a deep respect for nature and have always felt a responsibility to care for and protect the land and waters. Over tens of thousands of years of living close to nature, they learned how to use the environment to meet their needs while also ensuring that natural resources would continue to be available for future generations.
Indigenous Australians' land-use and cultural practices have significantly shaped the environment. Their methods, such as firestick farming, continue to be models for sustainable environmental practices today. Fire was, and still is, a critical factor in the lives of Aboriginal Australians and the health of the natural environment. The ability to command fire and use it in camp for cooking food and keeping warm was crucial for survival. Fire was also used across the landscape for a variety of purposes, including clearing the land for the growth of edible plants, such as wild tomatoes and wild bananas, which were staple foods for desert people. This methodical burning of the countryside resulted in a mosaic of habitats in various stages of post-burn recovery, reducing the destructiveness and extensiveness of wildfires.
Indigenous Australians also developed a deep connection with 'Country' – the land, sea, sky, rivers, sites, seasons, plants, and animals that surround them. Each clan has a defined area of land, or Country, to which they are connected or belong. Indigenous peoples identify themselves through their specific territory. Each clan has built a unique body of knowledge based on its Country that is handed down through generations by the elders. This knowledge includes practices for managing the land and its resources, known as "caring for Country." Although these practices vary according to location, Indigenous Australians share the belief that conserving resources is essential.
Indigenous groups would stay in an area only for a certain period to prevent excessive hunting, fishing, or harvesting, thereby maintaining a steady food supply. They also moved from place to place to adapt to seasonal changes, which affected the availability of food sources. Traditionally, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples depended on natural resources for nearly all of their everyday needs. Plants, animals, and waterways provided food, medicine, shelter, and tools and weapons.
There is strong evidence of sophisticated farming and agriculture practices among Indigenous Australians. Early explorers witnessed women harvesting yams and onions, cultivating the land, and creating reserves of flour and grain. In 2019, UNESCO added the 6,600-year-old Budj Bim Cultural Landscape in southwest Victoria to its World Heritage List. This site proves that Aboriginal people built fish traps, channels, weirs, and ponds to harvest eels and also constructed permanent stone houses. It is considered one of the largest and oldest aquaculture sites in the world.
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Arrival of Europeans and new environmental changes
The arrival of Europeans in Australia in 1788 brought about an unprecedented era of environmental change. The rate of environmental change increased at a massive scale, with new ways to exploit the land being introduced. This included widespread land clearing for agriculture and urban development, mining, and timber harvesting. The imposition of European agricultural systems triggered catchment destabilisation that in some locations continues today.
European land use, resource extraction, and agriculture resulted in landscape disturbance before 1840 in Australia. This included widespread deforestation, rapid declines, and even extinctions in native fauna and flora. The introduction of non-native species including rabbits, foxes, cats, and camels also inflicted massive damage, especially to small- to medium-sized mammals.
The arrival of Europeans also brought diseases that Indigenous people had no resistance to. Because of this and various forms of persecution by early settlers, the Indigenous population suffered terribly. By 1900, the population of Indigenous Australians had fallen to around 93,000.
European colonial expansion also resulted in the mass translocation of people and technology into both near-pristine and highly humanised environments worldwide. The arrival of European settlers took place in a great many different environments, and over a range of different time frames and at different speeds and intensities. The colonists imported agricultural knowledge and technology from Europe, which had a profound impact on the natural environment.
The impact of European land use on landscapes was only one aspect of the environmental ruin that became evident within years of colonisation. Catastrophic impacts on Indigenous Australians and their environmental systems, including massacres, disease, and dispossession of land, were also evident. Fire was, and still is, a critical factor in the lives of Aboriginal Australians and the health of the natural environment. The ability to command fire and use it in camp for cooking food and keeping warm was crucial for survival. However, with the arrival of Europeans, Indigenous fire management practices were disrupted, causing huge disruption to the landscape.
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Fire management and its effects on the landscape
Fire management is a critical factor in the lives of Aboriginal Australians and the health of the natural environment. Fire management practices have shaped the evolution of Australia's landscapes and native species over millions of years.
First Nations people used fire extensively across the continent, reshaping the country to make it easier to travel through, encouraging food sources, and protecting important places. The consistent rhythms of fire and regrowth were part of everyday life, and many Australian plants and animals came to rely on particular patterns and frequencies of fire.
European colonisation disrupted these traditional burning practices, leading to harmful effects on ecosystems that continue today. The arrival of Europeans also brought new diseases that Indigenous people had no resistance to, as well as various forms of persecution, causing a significant decline in the Indigenous population. Additionally, new methods of land exploitation, such as widespread land clearing for agriculture and urban development, mining, and timber harvesting, further altered the environment.
Today, fire management practices aim to restore fire patterns and promote biodiversity. Strategic burns across landscapes help create a patchwork of different vegetation ages, breaking up fuel loads and reducing the risk of larger, more intense fires. These controlled burns are conducted with strict supervision and the support of relevant agencies. By building complexity into the vegetation over successive seasons, these burns can reinvigorate ageing vegetation, encourage flowering and seeding, and provide new sources of food for grazing wildlife.
In northern Australia, satellite technology is used to monitor fires, and Indigenous land managers employ sophisticated, planned burns early in the year to reduce the size of large, extreme, late dry-season fires. This approach has helped reduce the extent of unplanned wildfires by half across sanctuaries and partnership sites in the region.
Fire management practices vary between regions and ecosystems and require rigorous planning, mapping, and analysis. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, as every landscape is unique, and the potential impact of bushfires differs.
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Frequently asked questions
The environment in Australia has changed over time due to a combination of natural and human factors. The end of the last ice age significantly impacted the evolution of life in Australia, leading to the extinction of Australian megafauna. The arrival of Europeans brought new diseases and widespread land clearing for agriculture and urban development, which altered the natural landscape. Climate change, influenced by human activities, has also contributed to rising temperatures, more frequent and intense fires, and extreme weather events.
Climate change has profoundly affected the environment in Australia, leading to warming temperatures, increased heatwaves, and more frequent and severe droughts, fires, and floods. The number of days breaking heat records has doubled in the past 50 years, and the length of the fire season has been extended due to hotter and drier conditions.
Science has played a role in both positive and negative environmental changes in Australia. On the one hand, scientific advancements have improved our understanding of climate change and its impacts. For example, scientists have studied the effects of greenhouse gases and contributed to the creation of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988. On the other hand, the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, influenced by scientific and industrial advancements, have accelerated climate change and negatively impacted the environment.
Climate change has impacted water resources in Australia, particularly in regions like southwest Western Australia. Declining rainfall and surface reservoir recharge have been linked to changes in atmospheric circulation due to increasing greenhouse gas concentrations. This has led to initiatives such as the development of desalination plants to ensure a 'climate-independent' water supply for domestic consumption.
The Indigenous population in Australia has been significantly impacted by environmental changes brought about by European settlement. The introduction of new diseases, persecution by early settlers, and disruption of Indigenous land management practices resulted in a decline in the Indigenous population. Additionally, the arrival of non-native species inflicted damage on small- to medium-sized mammals, further affecting the Indigenous way of life, which was deeply connected to the land, sea, sky, rivers, plants, and animals.
