The CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology have released their sixth biennial climate snapshot, State of Climate 2020.

State of the Climate draws on the latest climate research, encompassing observations, analyses and projections to describe year-to-year variability and longer-term changes in Australia’s climate.

Observations, reconstructions and climate modelling paint a consistent picture of ongoing, long-term climate change interacting with underlying natural variability:

• The number of dangerous fire weather days is increasing, with longer fire seasons for the east and south of the country.
• The southern half of Australia is becoming drier during the cooler months, and combined with warming temperatures, there will be more time spent in severe drought.
• In contrast, wet season rainfall over central and northern parts has increased.
• Ocean temperatures continue to increase, and marine heatwaves are becoming more frequent and severe.

The report emphasises the need for Australia to plan for and adapt to the changing nature of climate risk now and in the decades ahead. It notes that reducing global greenhouse gas emissions will lead to less warming and fewer impacts in the future.

More information here