A BIENNIAL State of the Climate report released by the Bureau of Meteorology has revealed that sea levels are rising around Australia, damaging coastal infrastructure and communities.

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The sixth biennial State of the Climate 2020 report 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.

The report suggests that, “Australia needs to plan for and adapt to the changing nature of climate risk now and in the decades ahead.”

“Reducing global greenhouse gas emissions will lead to less warming and fewer impacts in the future,” the report states.

According to the report, in the coming decades Australia will experience ongoing changes to its climate and the country is projected to see continued increases in air temperatures with more heat extremes and fewer cold extremes, and a continued decrease in cool season rainfall across many regions in southern and eastern Australia, likely to lead to more time in drought, yet more intense, short duration heavy rainfall events.

An increase in the number of dangerous fire weather days is predicted, and a longer fire season for southern and eastern Australia.

Further sea level rise and continued warming and acidification of the ocean is also predicted, as well as increased and longer-lasting marine heatwaves that will affect marine environments and raise the likelihood of more frequent and severe bleaching events in coral reefs around Australia, including the Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo Reef.

Fewer tropical cyclones are predicted, but a greater proportion are projected to be of high intensity, with large variations from year to year.

By Emma DARBIN