The Summer of Crisis report was prdduced by the Climate Council and is the first comprehensive overview of the devastating climate impacts Australians experienced this summer. It focuses on New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, because the effects of the bushfires were most severe in these areas, but they acknowledge that the bushfires affected Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania.
The overall scope of the assessment is to assess the status and trends with regard to biodiversity and ecosystem services, the impact of biodiversity and ecosystem services on human well-being and the effectiveness of responses, including the Strategic Plan and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets. It is anticipated that this deliverable will contribute to the process for the evaluation and renewal of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets.
WWF Australia have developed a national 10-point plan to save and grow two billion trees by 2030. Even before the challenges of COVID-19, Australia was hit hard by bushfires during summer 2019-20 – the most catastrophic bushfire season ever experienced in the country’s history. So much was lost, and the impacts will be felt for years to come. Up to 19 million hectares were burnt, with 12.6 million hectares primarily forest and bushland. 33 lives were lost and around 3,094 homes destroyed. As Australia’s leading conservation champion, we believe a loss of biodiversity of this magnitude is unacceptable. That’s why WWF-Australia has launched an ambitious 10-point plan for the next 10 years, Towards Two Billion Trees.
Australian cities contain millions of trees that provide amenity, important ecosystem services such as cooling and slowing stormwater, and provide habitat for birds and animals. There is growing recognition that increasing temperatures due to urban heat and climate change are a threat to some tree species in our cities. This study analyses the risk of temperature increases to 1.9 million trees in 29 LGAs across Australia, from Launceston to Darwin, and Brisbane to Perth. Every tree was analysed to see how close it was to known temperature limits in current climates, an emissions limited climate change scenario in 2040 assuming emissions stabilisation, and a business as usual emissions scenario in 2070.
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