Australia says it’s warming faster than much of the rest of the globe
They lost the Croc Hunter, were besieged by wildfires, got slammed by a cyclone, and now this: research from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology indicates that Down Under is warming faster than the global average. Our condolences, mates. While global temps have risen by around 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit in the last century, the temperature in Australia has kept ahead with an average rise of about 1.6 degrees. Last year saw plenty of wacky weather, with parts of the country subjected to excessive rainfall while the most populated areas continued to experience a multiyear drought. “Most scientists agree this is part of an enhanced greenhouse-gas effect,” says Neil Plummer of the meteorology bureau. Such scientific logic doesn’t sway the country’s government, which did not include climate change in its four key priorities for the coming year — even though some experts predict that a combination of global warming and the El Niño weather system are likely to make 2007 the warmest year on record.
