Limiting warming to 1.5C has clear benefits for Australia, study says

(Eco Business, 17 May 2017) Global temperature rise of 2C could see Australia hit by heat extremes similar to the “angry summer” of 2012 to 2013 in almost four out of every five years, a new study says.

The risk is still sizeable at 1.5C of warming, but it lowers to less than three out of every five years.

The research highlights the risks to Australia – and particularly the Great Barrier Reef – of warming beyond 1.5C. Sea surface temperatures as high as 2016, which caused record levels of bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef, could occur in 87 per cent of years in a 2C warmer world, the study warns.

The findings send “a clear message” that Australia will suffer from more heat extremes without substantial action to cut emissions, the lead author tells Carbon Brief.

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Eco Business, 17 May 2017: Limiting warming to 1.5C has clear benefits for Australia, study says