Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Happening now. Globally, 13 of the 14 warmest years on record occurred between 1995 and 2008. That figure comes from the Climatic Research Unit of the University of East Anglia and the Met Office Hadley Centre in the UK. We listen to those on the other side of this House saying that is not true. The facts and figures are there. The record is there to be examined. We can see that everything that the opposition is saying is a furphy. The average temperature in Australia increased by 0.9 degrees Celsius between 1910 and 2007, and is projected to increase by one to five degrees Celsius by 2070, compared with 1990. The implications of that are enormous because a small increase in temperature will cause widespread changes in the climate and will lead to increases of diseases such as Dengue Fever moving south and the possibility of even malaria and other diseases beginning to impact on Australia. It will have an enormous impact on agriculture. Climate change will also result in storm surges and rising sea levels, putting at risk over 70,000 homes and businesses around our coastline. You have only to refer to the report that was brought down by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Climate Change, Water, Environment and the Arts this week—

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