Recent climate events highlight a terrible truth: our weather is changing, and fast. A warmer atmosphere means more moisture, leading to intense storms like the one that recently battered the Great Ocean Road.
Climate change isn’t just a series of isolated events. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that a 2-degree rise in global temperatures could have dire consequences. This includes extreme heat becoming 2.6 times worse, rising sea levels by about six centimeters, and damaging our crops and fisheries. Simply put, the future looks challenging for our children.
Just this week, the Copernicus Climate Change Service presented new data showing that last year was marked as the third hottest year on record. The past 11 years are the hottest we’ve seen. Between 2023 and 2025, temperatures exceeded pre-industrial levels by over 1.5 degrees—passing the limit set by the Paris Agreement for the first time in a three-year span.
Take Victoria, for example. While bushfires raged, flash flooding swept through the Great Ocean Road, with extreme rainfall washing away vehicles near Wye River. Just days earlier, the same area faced a fire risk that forced campground closures. In a staggering six hours, 175 millimeters of rain fell—equivalent to three months’ worth of rainfall.
In response to these crises, Environment Minister Murray Watt designated the Murray River downstream of the Darling River as critically endangered. This move aims to offer legal protection to vital ecosystems, a decision that drew mixed reactions. While farmer groups criticized it for adding “more red tape,” environmentalists celebrated the recognition of the urgent need for change.
Australia aims for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. However, recent findings estimate that we might be a decade behind schedule. The federal government also set a goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 62-70% by 2035. While this aligns us with other industrialized nations, many climate scientists believe it doesn’t go far enough to address the urgent threats we face.
Every extreme weather event serves as a reminder that the time to act is now. Experts argue that we need to listen closely to these warnings and implement changes swiftly to protect our planet and future. The connections between these incidents underscore the pressing issues surrounding climate change; it’s not just about one storm or flood—it’s about all of us.
For those looking for a deeper understanding of climate change, the Copernicus Climate Change Service provides ongoing insights based on comprehensive data from trusted sources like NASA and the World Meteorological Organization, making it a valuable resource in understanding our world’s changing climate.
