By Mik Petter
The work B4C and member groups have done, and continue to do, IS making a measurable contribution to helping the catchment resist and adapt to the ongoing climate change crisis. Our rehabilitation of local bushlands and waterways, and our protection of natural areas, floodplains, mangroves and saltmarshes, all make a valuable contribution to the catchment's resilience.
The climate crisis hasn’t stopped and hasn’t been completely averted. Even if all greenhouse gas emissions were stopped tomorrow, we have already released enough of them to ensure several lifetimes of ongoing impacts.
Governments and individuals around the world have taken action to limit emissions and decarbonise our economies.
Has it been enough? Well, no... not yet!
The CO2 concentration in the air continues to increase. The most recent future scenario assessments done for the new IPCC report being prepared have made two findings.
Firstly, the potentially catastrophic future of a totally runaway greenhouse effect seems to have been averted. Actions have been taken to control emissions.
Secondly, the Paris target of limiting the global average temperature increase to under 1.5°C has failed.
We are looking at least several lifetimes of impacts, which could include:
More heatwaves, particularly long sequences of hot days and nights.
More high-intensity rainfall events and flash flooding.
More flash droughts, which are short, sharp spells of high heat with no rain.
More long-term, multiple-month dry spells.
More extreme weather events, such as storms, hailstorms and lingering cyclones.
Continued sea level rises and tidal intrusion.
What B4C Can Do
We can continue to lobby all levels of government to do more and to resist the huge pressure coming from the gigantic corporations that profit from fossil fuels. Democracies are full of faults and slow to act, sometimes taking steps forward and sometimes backward, depending on circumstances. But for all their many faults, parliamentary democracy is still the least-worst form of government and, over time, can be induced to "do the right thing".
We can continue to protect and restore the natural systems in Bulimba Creek and surrounding areas so they resist and adapt to climate change.
We can continue to keep development away from important natural areas and areas prone to flooding and/or sea level rise.
We can continue to build community capacity to do those things.
We can continue to raise philanthropic funds for more acquisitions and support for nature conservation and Landcare initiatives.