ESA POSITION STATEMENT 2022: Response to the Current Climate Crisis

– Read the full position statement here –

This statement has been prepared in response to the numerous global reports published in the last six months by leading global bodies on climate, wildfire and ecosystems. These include the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26, 2021), UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report “Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability”, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Rapid Response Assessment “Spreading like Wildfire: The Rising Threat of Extraordinary Landscape Fires”, and the World Meteorological Organization’s “State of Climate in 2021: Extreme events and major impacts”.

The Ecological Society of Australia (ESA) states its strong support for the Glasgow Climate Pact, the key outcome of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow. This agreement was negotiated by almost 200 countries, including Australia, in late 2021. It strongly recognised the importance of using the best available science for effective climate action and policy making, a principle we strongly support. The ESA firmly supports the fundamental scientific evidence that forms the basis of The Glasgow Climate Pact, and is showcased in the recent global and regional reports by the IPCC, WMO and UNEP.

All reports have come to the same conclusions – the globe is in a climate crisis. Ongoing climate trends have exacerbated many extreme events. Climate trends and extreme events have combined to cause major impacts for many natural systems, with some experiencing (or at risk of) irreversible change.

Summary:

The impacts of climate change on Australia’s species and ecosystems are already being observed and are getting worse over time. These impacts include rising extinction rates, transformation of ecological communities, and reduction of the ecosystem services that sustain human well-being and the Australian economy.
The time to act is now. Adaptation and carbon sequestration are unlikely to be effective in reducing impacts in the absence of substantial emission reductions. Urgent and substantive abatement of greenhouse gas emissions, at both national and global levels, is critical to avoid the most severe impacts of climate change.
It is vital that Australia, along with the global community, invests heavily in better understanding the impacts of climate change on Australia’s biodiversity, and how to best protect it using a range of adaptation measures.