Climate Change

Hurstville City Council is committed to working with the Hurstville City community to reduce the chance of climate change and helping residents save energy in the home.

Worldwide scientific opinion indicates the planet's climate is changing due to human activity. The results include increased frequency of droughts, floods and severe storms. Greenhouse gases (water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) are a natural part of the earth’s atmosphere. Since the industrial revolution the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has increased significantly, mainly due to the burning of fossil fuels and land clearing. Rising greenhouse gas emissions trap more heat in the atmosphere causing global warming and climate change – this is known as the enhanced greenhouse effect.

Research indicates:

  • on average, the Earth's temperature has already risen by around 0.7 degrees celsius over the past 100 years. It is expected to increase by between 1 degree celsius and 6.4 degrees celsius by the end of the 21st Century
  • sea levels are rising as oceans expand and glaciers and ice sheets melt. By 2100 it is projected that sea levels may rise by between 18 centimetres and 59 centimetres
  • changes in climate patterns mean weather events and extremes including heatwaves, floods and storms, droughts and bushfires may become more frequent, widespread or intense
  • adverse impacts on plants, animals and human health as climate patterns shift.
  • Australia is very vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including water supply problems, sea level rises, extreme weather events and a reduction in biodiversity at ecologically-rich sites such as the Great Barrier Reef and the Kakadu wetlands.
  • globally, 11 of the last 12 years have been the warmest since 1850, and 2005 was Australia's warmest year on record, 1.09 degrees celsius above the average for the period 1961 to 1990.

Source: Australian Greenhouse Office, Department of the Environment and Water Resources, 2007.

More information

Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts - living sustainably.

Living Energy Smart - tips on making your home more energy-efficient.

PDF icon Guide to Living Sustainably (157.89kB) - Hurstville Council and DECCW Guide

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